Sunday also marks the kickoff of the second annual Mile High Asian Food Week, which has over 100 participating vendors this year. Learn more about how the event came together and what to expect, then start planning your culinary adventures.
Be sure to bookmark this page — we update it weekly with the best food and drink events in metro Denver. Check out the highlights for the next seven days, as well as upcoming dates to mark on your calendar, including the return of Westword's Out to Brunch in June and Tacolandia in July.
Wednesday, April 24
Learn how to make an espresso martini at Poka Lola Social Club. The class runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 and include one espresso martini.
Local Jones, located inside the Halcyon hotel in Cherry Creek, is hosting a whiskey-tasting experience with Locke & Co. The fourth event of this series will take place at 6 p.m. Tickets are $25.
Pita Mafia is doing a pop-up with gourmet mochi business Taeko San at Recess Beer Garden (2715 17th Street) from 6 to 9 p.m. Visit Eventbrite for a full run-down of the four-course menu and to purchase tickets for $45 each.
The Bindery (1817 Central Street) is hosting Spaghetti Western Cabaret presented by Champagne Tiger. Tickets, $67, include salad, bread, spaghetti with meatballs, dessert, a glass of wine plus an energetic performance from a group of talented drag queens. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show begins at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 24, through Friday, May 24
April 24 marks the one-year anniversary of the still-unsolved shooting at American Elm in which two employees, Emerall Vaughn-Dahler and Ignacio Gutierrez Morales, were murdered. To honor their lives, the restaurant is donating a percentage of all food and beverage sales through May 24 to Colorado-based gun violence prevention non-profits.
Thursday, April 25, through Sunday, April 28
Check out Ballpark's newest happy hour at Stay Tuned (2162 Larimer Street), with half-price house cocktails and food from its new Pickpocket vegan kitchen takeover with a menu that includes pita sandwiches, salads, dips and more from 4 to 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 27
Les Dames d’Escoffier Colorado is hosting its annual festival, the Big Stir, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Tivoli Turnhalle on the Auraria campus. The event honors women making an impact in the local food, beverage and hospitality industries, and will include wine, spirits and food tastings and seminars. Tickets start at $65.
Catch local oyster pop-up pro Martha Boff aka Oysterbae at Desert Social (1312 South Broadway), where she'll be slinging freshly shucked bivalves from 2 p.m. until sold out at $24 for a half-dozen.
Head to Revival Denver Public House for the Blazin’ Babes Drag Brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tickets to this cannabis-themed event hosted by Sera Tonin and starring the Apocalypse Haus with special guest Minor Misdemeanor are $10 per seat, and reservations are encouraged.
Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28
Oaxaca en Denver is a weekend-long celebration of Oaxacan culture complete with food, drinks and entertainment hosted at Re:Vision Gallery (3738 Morrison Road) from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The event is free to attend.
Sunday, April 28
Clayton Hotel & Members Club is hosting chef Devin Keopraphay of Rising Tiger at its rooftop restaurant for a special Pan-Asian brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The four-course, prix fixe meal is $75 per person, and reservations can be made by emailing [email protected].
Nana's Dim Sum & Dumplings is one of the places you can get a discount during Mile High Asian Food Week.
Molly Martin
Mile High Asian Food Week is back for its second year, with over 100 participating vendors offering special discounts, secret menu items, specialty menus and more. For more information, including a full list of vendors and route-planning tools, visit milehighafw.com.
Now through Sunday, April 28
Death & Co has transformed its intimate Suite 6A space at the Ramble Hotel in RiNo into an immersive cherry blossom experience called Sakura Blossom Bar, with more than 400 cherry blossoms lining the ceiling and a menu of specialty highball cocktails. Read our six reasons to check it out.
Tuesday, April 30
Little Italy Night is coming back to Coperta. Book a table to enjoy red-sauce classics like fried mozzarella and chicken piccata.
Now through May 12
Participating restaurants like the Golden Mill, Tavernetta, Noisette, Leven Deli and MAKfam are donating $1 from a select cocktail to Benevolent Spirits, a fundraiser developed to show solidarity with World Central Kitchen after seven of its team members were killed in Gaza. For the full list of local restaurants involved, visit donate.wck.org/team/574658.
Now through May 31
Four Seasons Hotel Denver (1111 14th Street) has partnered with the mezcal brand Dos Hombres, from Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston, on Montaña Escondida, a new tropical mezcal pop-up bar serving mountain-inspired Dos Hombres mezcal cocktails paired with a menu of Mexican-style light bites such as duck carnitas, crispy mushroom tacos and elote guacamole. The pop-up is open from 5 to 10 p.m. daily. Call 303-389-3050 for reservations.
Save the date:
May 6-12: Westword Burger Week is coming back. Expect $7 burgers for seven days from a variety of local spots dishing up everything from gourmet blends to off-menu specialties and even drink pairings. Sign up for the Burger Week app for the chance to win prizes as you eat your way through some of the city's best burgers.
May 8: The Brown Palace is hosting its first Bridgerton-inspired dinner at Ellyngton’s from 5 to 9 p.m. It includes a four-course dinner and wine pairings, a harpist playing modern pop music in the style of the show, photo opportunities, gossip card prompts to entice alluring conversations, an award for the lord or lady deemed best dressed, a surprise visit from Queen Charlotte and more. Tickets are $250 per person.
May 10-11: Taste of Iceland is a cultural festival that includes events hosted at Coohills, Globe Hall and Invisible City. Most events are free and open to the public but event tickets are required. Guests interested in attending the prix-fixe Icelandic dinner at Coohills on May 10 must make a reservation.
May 11: Wine Spectator’s annual Grand Tour is coming to Denver for the first time. Sample over 230 wines at this event that takes place at the Sheraton Denver Downtown from 7 to 10 p.m. with a VIP hour from 6 to 7 p.m. Tickets start at $275.
May 18: Tickets are on sale now for Stranahan’s 2024 Cask Thief, during which you can taste whiskey from rare barrels. General admission starts at $75, and the event includes a catered barbecue lunch, live music, a photo op station and a chance to purchase bottles. For more information and to get tickets, visit stranahans.com.
May 18: Lotería, an annual fundraising event for Focus Points, is back at Comal. This year, it's partnering with Michelin-starred Frasca Hospitality Group for its pre-event reception starting at 5 p.m. The main event includes a multicultural feast prepared and served by Comal program participants, live music from Los Mocochetes, custom-made cocktails, dancing, a silent auction with prizes from top local restaurants, and the namesake lotería, a Mexican game of chance. Tickets start at $100.
May 19: Wings & Whiskey returns to Ace Eat Serve. This year's event benefits the Denver Housing Authority's Youth Employment Academy, and features top chefs from eight Denver restaurants competing for the title of tastiest wings. Admission, which starts at $70, includes two drink tickets for whiskey cocktails, unlimited beer from Weldwerks, access to a whiskey-tasting booth and plenty of wings.
May 30: The Colorado Restaurant Association's annual summer bash, Drink Red Wear Red, will once again take place at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Early-bird tickets are on sale now.
June 1-4: The nation’s top thirty bartenders will compete for the title of U.S. Bartender of the Year at the twelfth United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG) Presents World Class Sponsored by Diagio. Visit worldclassdenver24.com for the full schedule, which includes competitions and the World Class Denver Cocktail Festival, taking place at various venues around town.
June 8: Westword's Out to Brunch returns for its second year, with unlimited drinks, bites and entertainment at York Street Yards. Tickets start at $40 and are on sale now.
June 18: To commemorate Frasca Food and Wine's milestone twentieth anniversary in August, it is continuing its guest chef series with a special night featuring Bobby Stuckey's long-time mentor, Thomas Keller, chef/proprietor of three-star Michelin restaurants the French Laundry and Per Se. The evening includes a collaborative menu and a discussion of wine, hospitality and the longevity of the profession. Tickets are $595 per person and include wine pairings.
July 13: Westword's seventh Tacolandia will be back at Civic Center Park from 4 to 7 p.m. (3 p.m. for VIP), offering unlimited tacos, boozy beverages, entertainment and more. Tickets start at $35, but prices will go up as the event gets closer.
Know of an event that belongs on this calendar? Send information to [email protected].
