Pueblo, Colorado Smothers a Cheeseburger in Green Chile and Calls It a Slopper. Here’s the Story

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In Pueblo, Colorado, a cheeseburger is not always something you pick up with your hands. Order a Pueblo slopper and you get an open-faced cheeseburger in a bowl or on a plate, buried under ladles of green chile, often with chopped onions on top. You eat it with a fork and a spoon, and it is one of the city’s signature foods.

The story of the slopper centers on Pueblo’s neighborhood bars. Gray’s Coors Tavern, which has operated in Pueblo since 1934, calls itself the “Home of the Original Slopper” and serves its version smothered in Pueblo green chile. Other local bars and restaurants have their own claims and their own recipes, and debates over who made the first one are part of the fun.

Here is the full story, along with how to order and eat a slopper like a local.

The story behind the Pueblo slopper

Pueblo is a working-class city on the Arkansas River, about 115 miles south of Denver. It grew around a steel mill and a large immigrant population, including Mexican, Italian, Slovenian, and other communities. Bars and taverns served hearty, inexpensive food to workers, and chile was always close at hand.

The slopper grew out of that culture. At some point, a cook or customer decided to pour a bowl of green chile over a cheeseburger, and the result stuck. Exactly when and where that first happened is not documented with certainty. Gray’s Coors Tavern claims the original, and it has served the dish for generations. The Star Bar, another longtime Pueblo establishment, has also been credited by some locals.

What everyone agrees on is that the slopper is a Pueblo creation and a Pueblo tradition. It has been featured in national food media and travel shows, which helped spread its fame beyond southern Colorado.

What a slopper is

A classic slopper starts with a bun, opened and laid flat in a bowl or on a plate. A grilled hamburger patty goes on top, usually with melted cheese. Then comes the chile: a generous ladle or two of green chile, enough to cover the burger completely. Chopped raw onions are often added on top.

Many places offer red chile too, or a mix of red and green. Some add fries on the side or on top, sometimes smothered in chile as well. According to customer descriptions on Gray’s Coors Tavern’s website, the slopper is an open-faced burger smothered in red or green chili or both, served with cheese and onions, and you should add fries.

The result is part burger, part stew, and entirely messy.

Why Pueblo chile matters

The slopper is a showcase for Pueblo chile, a regional pepper grown in the Arkansas Valley around Pueblo. Pueblo chile, often associated with the Mirasol variety, is known for thick walls and a heat level that growers and fans describe as robust. Many Coloradans consider it the state’s answer to New Mexico’s famous Hatch chile.

Each late summer and fall, Pueblo hosts the Chile and Frijoles Festival, celebrating the local chile harvest with roasting, food, and music. Roadside stands roast chile in rotating drums, and the smell fills the air.

The slopper uses that chile as its main flavor. A good slopper depends on a good chile, and Pueblo cooks take pride in their recipes. Pueblo-style green chile is usually a thick, pork-based stew with roasted green chile, onions, garlic, and spices, rather than a thin sauce.

How to eat a slopper

Eating a slopper is different from eating a regular burger:

• Use a fork and spoon. There is no picking it up. Cut through the burger and bun with your fork, and use a spoon for the chile.
• Mix it up. Some people stir everything together, while others eat in layers.
• Add fries. Fries soak up the chile and make the meal heartier.
• Have a drink ready. Pueblo chile can be hot, and a cold beer or soda helps.
• Bring napkins. You will need them.

If you are not used to spicy food, ask how hot the chile is before ordering. Some places offer a milder option or let you get chile on the side.

Where to try one

Gray’s Coors Tavern at 515 W. Fourth St. in Pueblo is the most famous slopper spot. The tavern has been open since 1934 and calls itself the home of the original slopper. Inside, it feels like a classic neighborhood bar, with a long history and plenty of locals.

Other Pueblo bars and restaurants serve sloppers too, and many residents have a favorite. Asking around is part of the experience. The city has also promoted the dish through events and food trails over the years.

Tips for visiting Gray’s

• Check hours before you go. The tavern’s posted hours generally run from late morning into the evening, with shorter hours on Sundays.
• Expect a crowd at lunch and on weekends, especially if a TV show or article has recently featured the slopper.
• Order with fries.
• Try both red and green chile if you cannot decide.

Other Pueblo foods to try

The slopper is not Pueblo’s only signature dish. While you are in town, look for:

• Pueblo chile in everything: Burritos, enchiladas, breakfast plates, and even pizza.
• The Pueblo slopper’s cousins: Smothered burritos and chile-covered fries.
• Italian and Slovenian dishes: Pueblo’s immigrant history shows up in local delis and restaurants.
• Roasted chile to go: If you visit during harvest season, buy a bag of roasted chile to take home.

What else to see in Pueblo

Pair your slopper with a look around the city:

• Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo: A downtown riverwalk with paths, restaurants, and boat rides in warmer months.
• Union Avenue Historic District: Historic buildings, shops, and restaurants near the old train depot.
• Steelworks Center of the West: A museum telling the story of the CF&I steel mill that shaped Pueblo.
• Lake Pueblo State Park: A large reservoir west of the city with trails and water recreation.
• Rosemount Museum: A restored Victorian mansion from the city’s boom years.

Pueblo also makes a good stop on drives between Denver and New Mexico on Interstate 25.

Slopper etiquette and ordering lingo

A few small details help first-timers. In many Pueblo bars, you order at the bar or from a server and specify your chile: green, red, or both. If you want onions, say so, since some places add them by default and others ask. You can also order a “double” with two patties if you are especially hungry.

Do not expect a pretty plate. A slopper is meant to look like a bowl of chile with a burger hiding underneath. If someone at your table orders a regular burger, they may get some friendly teasing.

When to visit Pueblo for chile

If you want the full chile experience, aim for late summer or early fall, when the harvest is underway and roadside roasters run across the Arkansas Valley. The Chile and Frijoles Festival, typically held in late September, draws large crowds and celebrates the local crop. Sloppers are on menus year-round, though, and a cold November day is arguably the best time to eat one. Hot chile and a warm bar on a chilly afternoon is exactly what the dish was made for.

How to make a slopper at home

If you want to try a slopper at home, you need two things: a good green chile and a good burger.

For the chile, brown cubed pork in a pot, then add onions, garlic, roasted green chile, broth, and seasonings. Thicken with a little flour if needed. Simmer until the pork is tender and the flavors come together.

For the burger, grill or pan-fry a patty and top it with cheese. Place an open bun in a bowl, set the patty on top, and ladle chile over everything. Add chopped onions and serve with fries.

If you can find Pueblo chile, use it. Otherwise, any roasted green chile will work, though Pueblo fans will tell you it is not quite the same.

What a slopper costs

Sloppers are bar food, so prices are generally in line with a burger platter at a casual restaurant. Adding fries, extra chile, or a second patty raises the price a little. For a filling, chile-heavy meal, it remains one of the better values in southern Colorado.

Why the slopper has lasted

The slopper has lasted because it reflects Pueblo itself: hearty, unpretentious, and rooted in local ingredients. It is cheap, filling, and perfect for a cold day or a long shift. And it gives Pueblo a dish that belongs to it alone.

As more people learn about Pueblo chile and the slopper, the city has leaned into its food identity. But at heart, the slopper remains what it has always been: a neighborhood bar meal served to locals who know exactly what they are ordering.

The bottom line

A Pueblo slopper is an open-faced cheeseburger smothered in chile, usually green, often with onions and fries. Its story runs through Pueblo’s working-class bars, with Gray’s Coors Tavern, open since 1934, claiming the original. Order one with a fork and spoon in hand, try it with Pueblo chile, and you will understand why the city is so proud of it.