Food & Drink

Bo Porytko has built a reputation for doing things differently, and his eatery that debuted at the very start of 2023 is different in a lot of ways. It’s tiny, and the best seats surround the equally tiny kitchen just inside the front entrance, under a wall covered in cuckoo clocks. The crew has been known to enjoy shots of horilka — vodka infused with flavors like honey black currant or horseradish — with guests. But it’s the food that really brings something special to the scene: playful odes to Porytko’s Ukrainian heritage that make us reconsider what we know about Eastern European fare on every visit.

Usually when a new restaurant opens, there’s a question of it living up to the hype — and the hype around Sap Sua was big; it even landed on Bon Appétit‘s radar. But this opening was different, because owners Ni and Anna Nguyen spent time developing their take on Vietnamese fare through the lens of Ni’s experience as a first-generation Asian American and sharing it with guests long before the doors actually opened — first from a food cart in Longmont, and later in a series of pop-ups in the Denver area. Dishes like the now-staple charred cabbage anchored the opening menu, which has continued to evolve in exciting and delicious ways.

Chef Johnny Curiel has worked under some of the local dining scene’s most notable names, including Richard Sandoval, Dave Query and Troy Guard. His first solo venture, Alma Fonda Fina, is an intimate spot in LoHi that he co-owns with wife Kasie Curiel, decked out with thoughtful design details, just a few tables and an eight-seat chef’s counter. There, diners can order à la carte from a menu that’s inspired by Curiel’s Mexican heritage and travels, all while getting insight from the team of skilled chefs who create magic — even without a range in the tight workspace. We’ll raise an avocado margarita to that.

From Hong Kong-style French toast pop-ups in New York City to debuting Meta Asian Kitchen at the Avanti food hall in 2019, Kenneth Wan and Doris Yuen have continued to evolve their culinary adventures. At MAKfam, their first brick-and-mortar, they opted for an order-at-the-counter model. The Cantonese-inspired food comes out fast, but “casual” doesn’t quite capture the quality coming out of this kitchen, where MSG is an unapologetic star and there’s no skimping on spice in guest favorites like the Sizzling Spicy Noodles with housemade chili oil and málà seasoning.

It’s been a hell of a journey for Matt Dulin and his wife, Lindsey Judd, who started this business as a cottage bakery during the pandemic. Long permitting delays pushed the opening of the brick-and-mortar GetRight’s back nearly a year, but it finally debuted in May 2023 and has only gotten better since. Dulin is constantly testing new creations, and part of the fun is showing up to find out what’s on offer that day. Whether it’s the completely dreamy jambon beurre that’s become a staple sandwich, pastries like the maritozzi (a brioche bun filled with cloud-like vanilla cream), or an indulgent croissant loaded with scrambled eggs and truffle, everything here is 100 percent right.

Enrique Silva Figueroa (aka Kiké) and his family launched their birria-focused food truck in 2021 as the combination of slow-cooked meat and consomé became a social media infatuation. But even as the birria hype online slowed down, people lined up for Kiké’s signature tacos. In 2023, the business made the move to a brick-and-mortar, expanding the menu in smart ways, with more meat options plus a full bar menu. Sometimes taking the leap from mobile food to a stationary spot backfires, but in this case, Kiké’s has continued to satisfy its original fans while winning over even more.

Nearly a decade ago, Eddie Renshaw and his childhood best friend, Evan Pierce, left their careers in sales and engineering, respectively, to launch a food truck. Despite the pandemic challenges, they debuted their first brick-and-mortar in Wheat Ridge in the summer of 2020, only to have to shut it down after a kitchen fire in December 2021. It was over a year before King of Wings was able to fully reopen last March, and the two friends didn’t stop there: They recently added a second outpost in Golden. Now we’re just waiting for its popular Snipeburger pop-up to find a permanent home. Long live the King!

The number of old-school diners in the metro area has dwindled since the pandemic, and Danny’s Carnation faced the same fate in 2023, destined to be knocked down for apartments after more than forty years in business. But instead of calling it quits, owner Danny Hopkins went big on his next plan. He purchased a building nearby and created a revamped version of the classic spot that’s bigger — and serves booze — securing a future for his kids in the process. While Danny Ray’s is shiny and new, the friendly feeling when you walk inside remains the same, and the food is as comforting as ever.

For years, we made early-morning treks to La Fillette in the Hilltop neighborhood, delighting in its breakfast sandwiches and the cozy bakery’s ability to perfect pastries — so when an imminent move was announced, it was bittersweet. But we had no reason to worry: La Fillette’s new home is in an even more convenient location, and with a lot more space to work with, it now serves one of the best brunches in the city, with a menu that includes everything from omelets, quiche and French toast to a burger on a flaky croissant bun.

Last year was a big one for chef Hosea Rosenberg’s decade-old Boulder restaurant Blackbelly, as it debuted an expansion that included a bigger market side and racked up several honors in Colorado’s first Michelin Guide, among them a green star for sustainability and the Colorado Culinary Professional award for its butcher, Kelly Kawachi. Blackbelly also has a brand-new market in Denver after recently taking over the former Il Porcellino retail space. Along with Blackbelly’s popular breakfast burritos and sandwiches, it’s providing room for Kawachi to expand the cured-meats program — a win for the team and for hungry diners, who can pop in for the top-notch charcuterie.

While nearly all of RTD’s more than fifty local bus lines pass by longtime restaurants and new haunts, neighborhood watering holes and destination breweries, the 44 stands out as a food lover’s route. Traveling hourly from the 40th & Colorado RTD station to Wheat Ridge, it passes directly through a number of restaurant-filled hubs, including downtown, RiNo and LoHi. Favorite stops include Little Man Ice Cream, breakfast joint Sunny’s, Cafe Brazil and My Brother’s Bar, plus breweries, dives with cheap drinks and more.

rtd-denver.com

What used to be a place for a pit stop at Oskar Blues on the way to Estes Park has emerged as a culinary destination in recent years. In the summer of 2022, chef Theo Adley opened Marigold in the small town, a restaurant serving dishes that highlight the freshest local ingredients. Next came Farra, a lively Latin spot from a husband-and-wife team with a passion for flamenco and salsa dancing. Music and dancing are a highlight at Ranch House West, too, a piano bar from Shauna Lee Strecker, who is also reviving the world’s first butter bar, Bella La Crema, in the space. Soon, Lyons could get even more recognition, as Adley was named one of the 2024 James Beard semifinalists for the Best Chef: Mountain award.

Whether you’ve been searching for a certain fromage, like Castello’s Tickler Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese with Chilis & Peppers, or just want to browse the wide world of cheese, head to Longmont’s Cheese Importers to experience the promised land. Lyman and Linda White started selling cheese from a VW pickup bus in 1976; the business moved into its current home in 2012 and is still run by their kids. In addition to a staggering selection in its chilly cheese room, there are shelves of crackers, jams, olives, candies, chocolate, honey and more from around the world. Peruse the kitchen wares and small but curated wine selection, then pretend you’re in Paris and people-watch while enjoying your treats on the pretty patio.

This neighborhood was our pick for the Best Restaurant Neighborhood in the 2011 edition of Best of Denver, and many of the spots we loved then are still around. Other parts of town have been getting more buzz in recent years, but a slew of new additions have brought fresh energy to LoHi’s dining scene. Sonny’s Mediterranean, Kawa Ni, Jacques, Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings, Kumoya and Alma Fonda Fina all debuted in short order over the last year. Combined with more established favorites like Bar Dough, Root Down and Duo, LoHi once again has the highest concentration of dining hot spots.

Whether you’re making beer, spirits, food or cider, it’s best to have a mix of tradition and change, and Stem has led the way in innovative ciders in Colorado and beyond. Patrick Combs joined the cidery in 2021; ever since, he and his team have been churning out varieties that include dry-hopped ciders, tiki-inspired flavors, whiskey cocktail varieties, a space partnership and even the Pommeschlager — complete with actual flakes of gold. Peach- and mango-flavored hard teas debuted recently, too. Even in the core series, you’ll find various exciting flavors like Chile Guava, the strawberry-hibiscus Ridgeline and Apricot Haze.

Kari Williams has been toiling away on the Western slope for a decade, making some of the most delicious ciders you’ll find anywhere. She sources varieties of apples from around the world — rare and overlooked apples — and brings them to her high-elevation orchards. Perhaps the biggest key to her success is patience. She waits until the cider tastes best — and she isn’t afraid of sitting on batches for as long as it takes, resulting in consistent high quality across the cidery’s lineup. That includes the Elevation series, a special-release bottle category that debuted in 2023 and focuses on cider from specific blocks and rows in each apple field. Snow Capped is opening a tasting room soon, and it’s sure to be a destination spot.

105 Grand Mesa Drive Cedaredge
970-835-7669
snowcappedcider.com

Exploring the local beer scene is a must for anyone visiting Denver, but if you only have time for one stop, make it Bierstadt. This RiNo favorite also becomes the unofficial hangout for most industry folks when the city holds the occasional Craft Brewers Conference, or the yearly Great American Beer Festival. With three core German lagers, several seasonal brews and frequent collaboration lagers with brewery friends from around the globe, the balance between familiar perfection and something new is unparalleled.

Long anchored by Liquid Mechanics and Odd13, Lafayette has really come into its own in recent years. When Cellar West relocated from north Boulder and expanded its offerings to include fantastic examples of highly drinkable beers, it was a big plus for the area. Then Westbound & Down added a production facility and taproom, with a kitchen led by chef Casey Taylor. The town could also win an award for “best breweries with fried chicken,” since both Mono Mono and the Post are located in Lafayette. Plus, Romero’s K9 Club & Tap House is a can’t-miss beer bar right in town, as well as a great spot to bring your four-legged friend.

The original Burns location, on West Second Avenue, is now called the BarrelHouse,and it’s a destination-worthy spot where you’re likely to run into industry vets and beer lovers of all walks. But the fact that it’s in the middle of a warehouse district makes it a little less trafficked. Opening a second location on South Broadway has given Burns a wider audience — and the fact that it took over the former Dos Luces space took away some of the sting of that loss. It’s also created a new brewery hot spot, with Monolith, Grandma’s House and Public Offering, among others, nearby.

1236 South Broadway
720-379-7763
burnsalesdenver.com

Many breweries have mug clubs that are built around rewarding loyal customers, usually with a modest discount and some swag. Hops & Pie ditches the merch and amplifies the beer savings, making it the best deal around. As a member, you’ll get happy hour all the time, which includes $1 off drafts, slices of the day, wine and pizzas. Every Sunday, your third beer is free, and the second Sunday of each month, there are special fifty-cent draft beers. Because a membership is only $75, you could show up six Sundays a year and make your money back. This ain’t your PBR-type beer special, either: Hops & Pie is one of the very best beer bars in Colorado, with fantastic brews from across the state and around the country.

The Bull was doing vintage beer before it was cool. While regulars still miss the Christmas tasting events, when hundreds of beers from owners David and Erik Peterson’s personal collection were on offer, the brothers, along with brewer Gabe Moline, now celebrate by offering patrons a different beer and whiskey every day in December, many of which are vintage releases. You’ll also find some special releases throughout the year, including in February for Stout Month. But no beer from Bull & Bush is more lauded than Royal Oil, a barrel-aged English-style barleywine that is only released every few years and tends to go fast when it does.

Odyssey made the move to 21-and-up during the pandemic, and it has paid dividends. Reviews and comments on social media reinforce that this isn’t about people hating children — many patrons have kids of their own. But there’s something about sitting at the bar or crowding around a table and being surrounded only by other adults. It has a sort of nostalgic, Cheers-like feel, harking back to a time when most beer-focused establishments weren’t filled with babies. If every place were like this, the beer scene would be worse off, but we love that Odyssey is doing something different.

5535 West 56th Avenue
303-421-0772
odysseybeerwerks.com

Station 26, which is housed in a renovated firehouse, has been a staple in Northeast Park Hill for over a decade. Offering a welcoming neighborhood atmosphere, it serves a range of award-winning beers to cater to every palate, including its flagship IPA, the Juicy Banger. But it goes hard beyond beer, too, hosting events like trivia nights and live music. Our favorite amenity, though, is the rotating weekly lineup of excellent food trucks. And Station 26 updates and shares the truck schedule regularly, making it easy to plan your next visit.

It’s been just two and a half years since this bar debuted on South Broadway, but it already feels like an old haunt. The walls are covered with knickknacks of all kinds, there’s usually a crew gathered on the patio or shooting pool in the back, and while you won’t find any craft cocktails here, you will find cheap mixed drinks and Malört. You’ll also usually find a food truck out front. TrashHawk regularly hosts a rotating lineup of some of the best mobile food businesses in town, making it even more tempting to become a regular.

Berkeley’s My Boy Tony is warm, welcoming and beautifully designed — think dark walls, millwork and mid-century modern leather couches and chairs. Named after owner Eli Cox’s best friend, who passed away, it is, at its heart, a neighborhood bar. What sets it apart is the focus on community mirroring the inclusive spirit of Berkeley Supply, which Cox also owns. Sit inside for a few hours, and the warm hugs and handshakes make it clear that everyone knows someone here. The natural wine list comes from the relationships Cox built through his popular burger pop-up Smash & Grab, while the beer and spirits were inspired by what he and his friends want to see on lists as fans. Mocktails round out the offerings, making My Boy Tony a drinking bar for all.

4280 Tennyson Street
myboytony.com

Is it a gay bar, a tiki bar, or a sarcastic, satanic den-o-sin? Maybe a wicked mix of all three? What is certain is that the Electric Cure is an uproariously fun bar with themed drag shows, cult-movie nights and neon-lit, cluttered vintage decor. And while it doesn’t take itself too seriously, there are hard-core pros behind the plank. The latest cocktail menu “sets the low bar high for blasphemy and nonsense” with cheeky offerings like the Grimace Shake — a purple-colored nod to the McDonald’s mascot made with cachaça, ube, miso, passion fruit whipped cream and potato crisp sprinkles. “Why the fuck not” is the mantra here, and that’s an attitude we can’t get enough of.

When it snows, the flakes are illuminated in the bright streetlights of 17th Avenue in front of the Thin Man. Inside, the narrow tavern glows in a crimson hue from bulbs strung across its rafters. The thick white marble bar top is lined with folks sitting in heavy wooden chairs, leaning on their elbows over steaming mugs of hot mulled spiced wine. Boisterous chatter and fuzzy garage rock from the house speakers fill the air. As the night carries on and the temperature drops, another couple shuffles in from the cold, shaking off the chill and finding a couple of seats in the corner as the cozy room gets a little bit toastier.

Fort Greene is the kind of well-kept-secret bar that you don’t want anyone other than your closest circle to know about. More people, you fear, would change the ecosystem of the cool, low-key (at least before 9 p.m.) good time that you’ve come to expect since 2015. Dotted with funky wallpaper, velvet couches, a disco ball and an abundance of plants that complement the over-100-year-old dark-wood bar, Fort Greene attracts Denver artists, makers, musicians and creatives for its DJ-led dance parties, art parties, disco-room movie screenings and dog-centric patio gatherings.

We all have that one friend who loves the sound of their own voice a little too much. Luckily, there’s esp HiFi, Denver’s first jazz kissa-style record bar, which has been pouring original cocktails to match its impressive sound system and record collection since 2021. Take your annoying friend here and you’re guaranteed to hear some crisp tracks that will help you tune them out. Sure, you might have to sit through a way-too-detailed description of their own record collection later, but the promise of an otherwise peaceful hangout is well worth it.

In a post-pandemic world, the desire for transportive, escapist experiences is at an all-time high. Add colorful, frothy, tropical-inspired cocktails into the equation and you have Lady Jane, a bar that’s something like if Palm Springs and a neighborhood watering hole had a baby. From the breeze block in the entryway to the cozy booths, bartenders in tropical shirts and lush green plants, Lady Jane is a captivating, laid-back oasis. The drinks reflect the vibrant but unpretentious vibe, and you can expect to find an array of colorful cocktails and mocktails that speak to seasonality and celebrating past vacations to far-flung places.

Subterranean gambling-themed cocktail lounge Run for the Roses has become a destination for drink aficionados. Comb through the clever custom deck-of-cards menu and you’ll find special reserve cocktails made with vintage liqueurs and spirits — a passion of owner Stephen Waters. He often imports these hard-to-find bottles, having to first verify the authenticity from halfway across the globe. The result is an impressive collection that includes a 1960s Cherry Heering; a 1979 Scotch whisky from Speyside; Maraschino from the late 1940s; and Benedictines, Bacardis, Amaro and Mezcal from decades ago. These spirits are fun to sip neat, but we recommend trusting the experts behind the bar to showcase them in a well-crafted concoction.

BurnDown’s 1940s-era building previously held a furniture store and a year-round Christmas shop. It also once nearly burned down, but the gaping hole left behind is now an atrium that runs through the multi-level bar and restaurant that opened in May 2023. The space doubles as a music venue with a small stage for performers, but the highlight is the rooftop patio with a view that spans the entire Front Range.

Although its great prices and relaxed atmosphere are a major draw, the other hot item at Pon Pon is on the faces of its patrons. That’s right: If you want to see some of the most spectacular mustaches in Denver, look no further than Pon Pon. The RiNo bar attracts those who want to be in a popular part of town but feel like they’re cooler than everyone else there, which makes it prime mustache-twirling territory. The walls are covered with interesting memorabilia, the art gallery in the back has rotating exhibits, and the red-toned lighting makes Pon Pon a prime setting for photos of friends on drunken nights out. But even if you only care about people-watching, you won’t be disappointed here.

A great weeknight bar is one with solid libations and an atmosphere that encourages a long chat and post-drink lingering. The L on Broadway offers a space with plenty of seating, a great selection of cocktails that won’t break the bank, and a happy hour you can easily pop into on your way home from work. You’re not going to run into a loud, crowded trivia night or open mic that’ll have you screaming to be heard, either. Those can be fun sometimes, but when you want a quiet spot to decompress from the day, settle into one of the comfy couches at the L.

Like many others, Hillary Schefter often went out for karaoke nights at Armida’s on Lincoln Street before it shuttered in July 2020. So when a space near Afterburner, the calzone shop that she owns with her husband, became available, she set out on a mission to create a new place for people to gather, sing, drink and eat. Rhapsody opened in February and has quickly proven that Denver did indeed want to belt out tunes while sipping cocktails and noshing on giant servings of fries with friends.

24 Broadway
720-772-8032
rhapsodyonbroadway.com

Situated at the site of a former fire station, Edgewater Beer Garden opened in the spring of 2002, with 4,500 square feet of outdoor space where guests can soak up the Colorado sunshine at communal Oktoberfest-style tables while savoring craft beer and casual bites. While it primarily honors the state’s craft beer culture, the garden also boasts a full bar serving craft cocktails, including its irresistible frosé. This charmingly pink frozen concoction blends vodka, rosé, aperol and a touch of lemon, striking the perfect balance of flavors. Priced at $13, it’s a refreshing treat guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and offer respite on a sunny day.

2508 Gray Street, Edgewater
720-853-2337
edgewaterbeergarden.com

Why does a New American restaurant with absolutely no hint of tropical decor have a tiki section on its drink menu? Why not? This is a pretty straightforward upscale neighborhood spot, one where the French dip is stellar and you can gather with friends for oysters on the half shell or burrata fritters to snack on. But do not leave without indulging in one of American Elm’s island-inspired libations, whether a classic Mai Tai, the mystery daiquiri made with rotating fruits or — our favorite — the creamy, green-hued pandan Chi Chi.

One great thing about being young is not worrying about your alcohol or sodium intake, so while we’re all young, let’s celebrate at Crow Bar with its infamous pickle shots. A staple Berkeley dive bar for the service-industry crowd, Crow Bar’s kitschy decor and prices ($3 for the brine and vodka shot) transport you to a different time. While some places like to chef-up their infusions, these pickle shots won’t leave you belching garlic for hours. Feel like kicking it up a notch? Order what the die-hards call a Deli Shot: half pickle infusion, half pepperoncini infusion, for one savory, spicy bomb to start your night. Or end it.

4395 Yates Street
303-862-4645
faceebook.com/crowbardenver

Sunday Vinyl is Frasca co-founder and master sommelier Bobby Stuckey’s ode to the perfect Sunday evening — but instead of spinning vinyl records and opening a great bottle of wine at home, as he’s been known to do on Instagram, he’s throwing a lively dinner party downtown every night. The place is bathed in music and has a celebratory vibe, but what sets it apart is the distinct, creative and just plain fun programming from lead sommelier Clara Klein, including Wednesday flight nights, which have recently paired vino with tunes from the likes of Cardi B. and Megan Thee Stallion (“Bodak Bubble Bash”) and Rick Rubin (“Legendary Beats & Vintage Wines”). Still need a nudge? Happy hour happens every day, with select $8 glasses from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Twice a day, in two locations, you can find a true pearl of a happy hour at Angelo’s, which offers rotating options of $1.25 raw oysters and a $2.50 chargrilled version. With deliveries flown in daily from the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, Angelo’s shells out its oyster happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close at its Capitol Hill location. At the larger Littleton outpost, the evening specials start at 8:30 p.m. The famed chargrilled “originals” are made with big, plump oysters sizzling in garlic butter, pecorino cheese and “fresh herbs and spices.” That curiously vague last part of the recipe may be its secret, but this happy hour isn’t, so get there early to snag a seat — and come hungry.

Going to happy hour solo can be a weird experience, but in the right place, it can feel downright indulgent. Panzano’s small bar, adjacent to the more upscale Italian restaurant and below the Kimpton Hotel Monaco, offers happy hour Monday through Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m. Because the restaurant is part of the hotel, single diners are a common sight, so it’s an equally great place to make friends with barstool neighbors or just quietly read or scroll. The happy hour selection includes snacks like mixed olives with almonds as well as heartier items such as pizza, plus deals on wine by the glass, local draft beer and the Panzano Spritz.

Sure, there’s an excellent view of Sloan’s Lake to be had from the ample patio here, but spend an hour at Lakeview Lounge and you’ll feel like you’re in international waters. Between regulars throwing dice and a service style that implies your secrets are safe with the bartenders, it’s the type of place where anonymity and stiff drinks go hand in hand. Heck, they even have mystery shots tucked in brown bags. If you’re lucky, you won’t leave with any phone numbers, but a few unsolicited stories from a man named Derv? Count on it.

Phil Zierke knows bars. He worked at watering holes like Candlelight Tavern and the Horseshoe Lounge for years before opening Englewood Grand, a neighborhood spot that feels decades older than it is. In March 2023, he and his wife, Erika, added a second bar near the University of Denver — and decided not to give it a name. While other spots in the area cater to college students, this is a low-key place for anyone who simply wants to belly up and sip their cocktail of choice. And since no one should drink on an empty stomach, the bar also serves BYOB (that’s bring your own (meat)balls or bread) spaghetti with house red sauce, and it’s all-you-can-eat on Sunday and Monday.

2043 South University Boulevard

With metal music bouncing off darkly painted walls covered in zombie mannequins and scary clowns, the Crypt might be the last place you’d expect to find intentional, affordable vegan fare. But its kitchen, which is open until midnight daily, dishes out an array of housemade vegan comfort food like spicy cauliflower fritters and a poutine with mushroom gravy and housemade vegan provolone. The kitchen isn’t entirely vegan (though it is nut-free), but the menu includes a little bloody knife next to items containing meat, noting that “something was murdered” for that dish.

The Easy Vegan makes magic out of whole, plant-based ingredients — without associating itself with any health trends. Rather, its unpretentious street food is fun, flavorful and constantly rotating based on the whims of co-owners Alexi Mandolini and Taylor Herbert. Last year, their culinary creativity and business savvy earned them $50,000 when they won The Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network. The duo has teased opening a brick-and-mortar space, but for now, you can get pierogi, elote-inspired loaded potatoes, kimchi melts and more by pre-ordering and picking up from its South Broadway kitchen and at farmers’ markets.

El Five ensures that every guest can indulge on holidays, birthdays and other special occasions, regardless of their dietary restrictions — or lack thereof. Its Spanish and eastern Mediterranean menu will please omnivores and vegan diners equally, which is a rarity among many upscale restaurants. Savor plant-based plates like crispy harissa eggplant fries, charred carrot hummus with house-baked pita and a mouthwatering paella made with local Carbon Culture mushrooms. These and other specialties, including large-format sangria and several gin and tonics, are served within a dimly lit, lively atmosphere complete with skyline views.

Although the Cake Bar opened less than a year ago, it has already become a well-established mecca for vegans with an insatiable sweet tooth. All of the bakery’s cakes and frostings are nut-free, plant-based, vegan and certified kosher, with gluten-free options available, as well. Peanut buddies, macarons and brownies abound, but the best part of the Cake Bar are the build-your-own cakes available in three sizes with a variety of flavors, frostings and toppings to choose from. Craving red velvet with maple vanilla frosting and sprinkles? No problem. Plus, you’ll get a dessert so decadent, you’ll forget it’s vegan.

Duffy Fanganello knows how to tell a good fishing story — and he also knows good fish. At an easy-to-miss shop called Town & Country that was once a convenience store run by his uncle, the salmon man of East Colfax gets deliveries of Alaskan salmon and other sea creatures from his network of suppliers that he’s built relationships with for decades. Those in the know stop by year-round for big filets of the good stuff and a chat with Fanganello, whose family roots in Denver run as deep as his love for supplying fish to his many loyal customers.

4300 East Colfax Avenue
303-333-4298
alaskansalmon.com

Stepping inside Oliver’s is a nostalgic experience. It’s the kind of classic butcher shop that there aren’t many of these days, and even more impressive is that it truly is a classic. The shop celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023 and is still run by founder Ed Oliver’s great grandsons Rich and Jim, who dole out cuts of beef, lamb, pork and housemade sausages from behind the counter, trading quips with each other and customers as they work. As much of Denver continues to change, it’s places like this that we hold on to even more dearly.

What happens when longtime hospitality pros decide to turn their attention to nourishing people via neighborhood markets instead? Very good things, it turns out. Husband-and-wife team Jake Riederer and Cecelia Jones became part-owners of Spinelli’s after years in the restaurant industry and followed up that move by revamping a longtime market in Congress Park in 2023, giving the place new life with a smartly curated selection of household staples, specialty items, fresh produce, wine and a new deli counter with some top-notch sandwiches. Now they’re getting ready to debut a third, brand-new market in Aurora that will also bear the Spinelli’s name, and we’re sure they’ll do it proud.

2620 East 12th Avenue
303-333-7094
spinellismarket.com

When we want to go out for a special occasion or just want a regular night to feel a lot more special, Stone Cellar Bistro, founded by longtime friends Jordan Alley and Brandon Kerr in 2022, always delivers. You could come in just for the Wildfire Fried Chicken — inspired by Kerr’s time cooking at Husk — and leave very happy. But why stop there when every single thing on the menu is a hit? Order generously and you’ll be rewarded with more than just a stellar meal, because an experience here is one you’ll remember long after.

In 2022, longtime hospitality pro Cliff Blauvelt introduced Bodega, a funky little Northside sandwich shop that’s quickly become a beloved neighborhood staple. Whether you’re popping by at 11 a.m. for its spin on a chopped cheese made with breakfast sausage, a late-afternoon cheeseburger fix or one of its tantalizing specials, it’s a daytime slam dunk every visit — especially when paired with its mixed bag of fries on the side. Soon, RiNo will have its very own Bodega: Blauvelt will debut a second outpost in the Novel RiNo building this fall.

Mesut Cetin has some pretty specific passions, and he’s managed to combine them all in a bar that feels like a fever dream come to life. Christmas lights sparkle year-round as Iron Maiden concerts play on the television, and a huge collection of lava lamps glow from seemingly every corner. The food menu is an adventure, too, jumping from breakfast classics like French toast to typical bar fare like wings and burgers to dishes from Cetin’s native Turkey. But a banner out front proclaims that Aspen Lodge also makes “the best Philly cheesesteak in a 666 mile radius,” and while that’s a bold claim, it’s a damn good sandwich, made on soft bread with gooey melted cheese along with plenty of meat and caramelized onions.

This little Italian deli serves some very big sandwiches, but it’s not just the size that’s impressive. All of the options, which include both hot and cold sandwiches, are built on hefty slices of ciabatta baked fresh at the nearby Dolce Sicilia bakery. While the Penny Lane, with Belfiore’s housemade hot Italian sausage links, is a top-notch choice, our favorite is the Eleanor Rigby, loaded with flavorful meatballs (also made in-house), red sauce, Romano and a balsamic drizzle. Don’t forget to pick up some frozen ravioli and imported olives when you snag your sandwich.

Porchetta, a boneless pork loin wrapped in pork belly and slow-roasted, yielding crispy skin, is a thing of beauty when done right. And AJ Paloni does it right. Inspired by the porchetta sandwiches often served as street food in Italy, he launched the Porchetta House out of the Spices Cafe space in 2023. Along with an homage to the traditional version of the sandwich, he also serves two more creative spins — an al pastor take paired with caramelized pineapple pico, and a spin on banh mi with red miso porchetta on bread from Vinh Xuong Bakery.

Lots of restaurants in the metro area use farm-fresh produce, but this one actually is a farm. Brothers Davis and Austin Breedlove opened their RiNo spot in 2023 with dreams of feeding people healthy food in a highly sustainable way using vertical farming. Farm & Market’s on-site hydroponic setup — which you can see through a glass partition as you dine — uses 95 percent less water than traditional farming and is 100 percent wind-powered. The focus for now is on growing a wide variety of greens and herbs that are utilized at the fast-casual counter. The salad-centric menu is full of choices that leave you energized rather than in need of a nap. Plus, you can grab lettuce and many other goods from the market to take home for even more feel-good meals.

Duo is a Denver farm-to-table OG. It’s been a consistent presence in LoHi since 2005, and eighteen years into its run, its longtime chef, Tyler Skrivanek, became its owner. He’s made a few small changes here and there, and he’s always updating the menu to highlight whatever fresh produce his farm purveyors are harvesting, but there are a few staples that have stuck around for years, including the buttermilk fried chicken. Crispy, moist and perfectly seasoned, it’s the definition of comfort food and is served over mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies with a Colorado twist in the form of a creamy green-chile gravy. Whether you’re eating it for the first time or the hundredth, this is one meal that always elicits a satisfied “Yum.”

For every food snob ordering the newest thing on the menu, there’s a friend asking if the restaurant offers chicken tenders and fries — and why not? This satisfying combo shouldn’t be relegated to the kids’ menu. Knockabout Burgers inside Avanti offers the perfect pairing. Its Smiley Tenders Basket includes three crispy and perfectly seasoned strips served hot — the ideal thing to soak up all the cocktails you probably consumed at the food hall’s bar. The fries aren’t limp or undersalted, and the signature fry sauce is a dreamy dip. Pro tip: Order the garlic parmesan fries to take this to the next level.

From food truck to brick-and-mortar, Blaine Baggao has grown his business over the past eight years through hard work, a good dose of creativity and some serious passion for food. The menu at Adobo includes Filipino staples like lumpia and chicken adobo as well as dishes inspired by Baggao’s roots in New Mexico, and there are specials daily, including Taco Tuesday, weekend beer-and-shot combos and BOGO rice bowls on Thursdays. Our favorite, though, is Wing Wednesday, when you can nosh on cherry-smoked wings in flavors like sweet chili and Cholula butter for just 75 cents each — a price that’s also available during all-day happy hour on Sundays.

Digger Schwartz and his wife, Ryan, took over the original CD’s in Westminster from two of his former hockey coaches in 2007. Eleven years later, they moved it to a larger location to accommodate the demand for CD’s deep fried wings. We love the wide variety of sauce options and the fact that you can fully customize your order. Want all flats, extra crispy, swimming in sauce? No problem. Last year, the Schwartzes teamed up with longtime hospitality pro Dean Copeland, who opened his own CD’s in Aurora with plans to add a third in Parker soon.

Bart Bortles, a local hospitality legend, founded Woody’s in Golden in 1993. At one point, he expanded the brand to several locations, but today only the original remains. It’s now run by his son, Jon, and it’s a local favorite for a lot of reasons. One big one, though, is the buffet — something we’re extra happy to have around after all buffets went on an extended pause during the pandemic. Along with all the salad and pizza you could want, this spread also includes a Woody’s fan favorite: beer cheese soup.

Husband-and-wife team John and Jandee Craig opened their first restaurant, Da Sauce, in a storefront near Coors Field in the spring of 2023. There’s a walk-up counter in front and some bar seating and tables in the back, with an open kitchen in between. That’s where they’re serving Chicago favorites including thin, tavern-style pies with John’s secret sauce; Italian beefs — dipped, if that’s how you like ’em; and classic Windy City dogs dragged through the garden. Also on offer: housemade ice cream that guests have been known to gobble up by the pint while watching a game.

2907 Huron Street
720-328-8742
dasaucepizza.com

The Volkmer family has been smoking meats since 1969, when they founded their family business in Bay City, Texas. In 1980, they moved to Denver and have been serving ‘cue in the Mile High ever since. While Frank’s specializes in Texas-style beef brisket, the real showstopper is the whole roasted pig, a specialty it has been perfecting for over thirty years. The preparation is simple: A whole hog is loaded into the smoker and cooked low and slow for upwards of eighteen to twenty hours. Orders have to be placed in advance, but this is one hell of a way to feed a big group that’s down to go whole hog.

franksbbq.com

This dessert is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S. This longtime Congress Park staple is best known for its Greek fare and breakfast favorites, but be sure to save room for a sweet treat, too. Chef Zorba’s pastry case is lined with options like thick slices of chocolate cake and baklava, but the sleeper hit is the ultra-creamy banana pudding, with just the right amount of banana chunks and wafers that manage to still retain a bit of crunch.

If there are two things you should eat in Denver before you die, it’s the oxtails with rice and the caramel cake at this homey Park Hill restaurant and bar. Timing is critical on both, as the succulent oxtail is only served Thursday through Saturday, and the caramel cake sells out quickly, so be sure to order a slice at the beginning of your meal. But both represent the soul of soul food — the kind of cooking that beckons you in like a dinner bell and makes you stay like a grandma’s admonitions until you’re beyond stuffed. Of course, everything at Blazing Chicken Shack tastes great and comes with a generous side of Southern hospitality, whether it’s the extra-crunchy and not-too-fussed-with fried chicken, the steaming slabs of catfish or the surprising gumbo.

Every Tuesday, this Englewood bar with a vegan food menu bangs out consistently clever concoctions in the form of different tequila- or mezcal-based margaritas that are reliably delicious and colorful in equal measure for just $6. Past marg recipes have drawn inspiration from balancing contrasting flavors, creating a veritable Venn diagram of sweet and spicy notes including cantaloupe and habanero; pineapple and guajillo; or mango and poblano with ginger. On Tuesdays you can also sample pours from Fellow Traveler’s deep agave spirits collection for $1 off.

After working as a bartender for years, Nate Austin wanted a career change, so he and his wife, Briana, bought Golden Liquors, a small shop located across from Coors Brewery. When Proposition 125 passed, allowing the sale of wine in grocery stores, many shops like Golden Liquor were worried about its impact on sales. The Austins worried, too, so they decided to revamp the store as an agave spirits destination, inspired by their travels to Oaxaca and stocked with many hard-to-find labels. A visit to Destilados de Agave will yield not only a great bottle section, but also stories behind the spirits. And yes, you can still buy Coors here, too.

golden-liquors.com

If you’re rolling out of bed for Mexican pastries or stocking up on telera bread for a feast of homemade tortas, Panaderia San Antonio is a solid bet in southwest Denver. Fruit-filled empanadas, pig-shaped marranito cookies and brightly colored conchas fill shelf after shelf for shoppers armed with plastic trays and metal tongs. But a stop at the crowded little shop isn’t complete without a bag or two of fresh-made flour tortillas, tinted pale amarillo from lard and dotted with dark blisters from the hot comal. These are soft and chewy, but not puffy like supermarket tortillas, and they’re perfect warmed and slathered in butter or rolled into a breakfast burrito awaiting its bath of green chile.

facebook.com/panaderiasanantonio

Since opening last May, Mi Tierra Caliente has amassed a loyal following that spreads far beyond its Arvada address. Many diners come specifically for the carnitas, delectable slow-cooked pork that’s simmered in oil for hours. This delicacy hails from the Mexican state of Michoacán, the home of co-owners Ayax Silva and two longtime friends, sisters Sandra and Fernanda Calderon. For years, they sold their carnitas directly to friends out of Sandra’s garage, but both demand and ambitions grew, leading them to open their first restaurant, where they continue to serve up the specialty — just with more space and a lot more clients. Whether you get the carnitas in a taco for lunch or by the kilo to go on Sundays, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Jossy Flores grew up in Zacatecas, Mexico, where she loved eating machetes — a long, folded masa shell crisped up on a flat-top and filled with your choice of meat or vegetables and cheese. It was a dish that she didn’t see any other food trucks doing, so she launched Machetes Gourmet. What truly makes these Mexico City-style machetes special is the housemade masa shell, which is perfectly thin and crispy — not the thicker, cake-like ones used by some restaurants in town. If you’re having trouble choosing which filling to go with, don’t worry: There’s so much tortilla real estate to work with, you can get yours half-and-half.

machetesgourmet.com

Family owned and operated, El Sampa Taqueria Bar has been serving authentic Mexican cuisine for twelve years. With an extensive menu of tacos, tortas, burritos and other Mexican staples, there’s something here for everyone. But El Sampa also has something you don’t typically find at other spots: the elusive tacos árabes. This specialty was created by Middle Eastern immigrants in Mexico and mirror the shawarma tradition, made with thinly sliced, spit-roasted pork seasoned with cumin and oregano and a spicy chipotle sauce on a thick flour tortilla that’s reminiscent of pita. We can’t get enough of them.

Taqueria La Familia falls into the “If you know, you know” category — and north Denver knows. This twelve-year-old location is owned by a father (Freddy) from Zacatecas and his sister, daughter and son, and it’s the family’s celebration of the vibrant flavors of Mexico. You’ll find a humble interior with just four tables, but if you’re looking for cozy, authentic food with lots of vegetarian and gluten-free options, this is the perfect spot — especially on a sunny patio day or when you’re grabbing food to go. You’ll always be greeted warmly with complimentary chips and two kinds of salsa while you peruse the menu of smothered burritos ($8.99), fajitas ($14.99), taco plates (five for $11.99) and more, plus breakfast plates that start at $6.99.

2642 West 32nd Avenue
303-433-2332

Brewery Bar has a long history in Denver. It was founded by Abe Shur in 1954 at the Tivoli Brewery — hence the name. In 1974, Shur moved it to Kalamath Street, and it was purchased by current owner Doug Lundstrom in 1994, who added Brewery Bar III in Lone Tree in 2003. Last year, we got a scare when that outpost shut down, but Lundstrom assured panicked fans that the OG spot wouldn’t be going away anytime soon. And it’s a good thing, because the fiery, red-hued green chile here is some of the best in town, especially when smothering Den-Mex favorites like crispy chiles rellenos and Mexican hamburgers.

There are taco specials aplenty in the metro area, but this food truck in a liquor store parking lot does them for just one dollar on Tuesdays, including the al pastor off the spit. These aren’t small street tacos, either. Served on double corn tortillas, they’re packed with protein and self-serve add-ons that include raw and sautéed onions, cilantro, lime, two different salsas, radish and roasted jalapeños. Don Carlos recently added a second deal: 99-cent al pastor tacos on Saturdays — quite the steal for a premium business day. Expect a line, but it moves quickly, as the team has really honed its skills over the past few months.

5216 Marshall Street, Arvada

Lucina opened in Park Hill in 2022 and combines influences from a variety of Latin countries including Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Dining here is a vibrant adventure, and the team is always adding something new to the mix. This year, chefs and co-founders Erasmo Casiano and Diego Coconati were recognized for their work at Lucina by the James Beard Foundation when they were named semifinalists in its Best Chef: Mountain category. The only thing more exciting than that is Casiano’s upcoming project with chef Rene Gonzalez Mendez, a Mexican eatery called Xiquita.

A kind of hush hangs over the dining room at Noisette, the French restaurant from husband-and-wife duo Tim and Lillian Lu. Not from a lack of customers, but because people are so intent on their food that conversation becomes secondary. Dinner should start with a housemade baguette with cultured butter, but if you skip that, you’ll still find plenty of Lillian’s baked goods on various plates, whether alongside foie gras torchon (sometimes brioche, sometimes a nut-studded quickbread) or the little chimneys of puff pastry that make up the vol-au-vent with sweetbreads. Or swing by in the morning and hit the bakery side of the space, where croissants, rustic sourdough boules and other delights await. Saturdays — when you can pick up breakfast sandwiches, tartines and a simple jambon beurre — feel like a neighborhood secret.

This family-owned diner has been in business since 1978 and is filled with nods to the King. Among the mix of American, Mexican and Greek options on the menu is one starring appetizer. We’re not sure if Elvis liked saganaki, but we sure do — especially when served at Lookin Good, by friendly servers who bring a thick round of salty, Greek cheese out on a metal skillet, carefully pour just the right amount of brandy and then light it on fire tableside. Other spots in town offer saganaki, too, but where else can you pair it with a Bloody Mary and a breakfast concoction dubbed the Mad Greek Volcano? Opa!

After moving to Denver in 2019, David Schloss landed a gig as a chef at Safta, but his ultimate goal was to open his own place. In 2023, that became a reality when, after two years of delays, the fast-casual Sonny’s Mediterranean debuted in LoHi. It’s named for the Great Pyrenees dog that belongs to Schloss and his fiancée, Sonny’s co-owner Lena Young. But the pita sandwiches are the real monsters here, nearly as big as the pup that often makes appearances at the eatery. Bursting with ingredients like hummus, Israeli pickles, harissa aioli and fries, they’re available in three varieties and come stuffed with a choice of falafel or, our favorite, Sonny’s flavorful rotisserie chicken. It’s tough to eat these without making a mess, but you’ll be so satisfied, you won’t mind at all.

The latest project from Tamir Danon, co-owner and head brewer at Novel Strand Brewing Company, is his love letter to the flavors of Israel offered with his trademark, no-nonsense approach to creating a menu: focusing on a few simple, well-executed items. While the Instagram crowd drools over Sambusak’s custom towers of grass-fed lamb and beef on vertical spits, the real MVPs are his freshly made falafel and sauces. Between the tangy ahmba, spicy skhoug and creamy tahina, each bite builds on the previous one, leaving you hungry for seconds.

instagram.com/sambusakskitchen

Mordy’s Falafel has been serving Israeli street food since before the pandemic, primarily the namesake falafel jammed into fluffy pita with all manner of tangy, salty, spicy and crunchy toppings. Late last year, the truck shifted just around the corner to a new position, wedged against the side of what was once a dry cleaner. Now, instead of baking in the sun or freezing on an icy winter day, you can simply step inside the building, order and pay for your food at a self-serve station, then pick up your grub from a window that opens onto the truck. The sign on the door reads “food court,” but this is a food court of one, and we love it that way.

mordysfalafel.com

We first tasted Frey Asgari’s Persian fare when he was serving it from under a tent in a parking lot on Santa Fe Drive in 2020. Now it’s re-emerged in a shiny new cafe that’s connected to the Denver Health building. Hospital employees have easy access to Urban’s smoothies and cheap breakfast sandwiches in the mornings and unusual lunch sandwiches (like the pistachio cream, burrata and mortadella option), but anyone can, and should, dine here. Our favorite order so far: the zereshk polo — slow-cooked chicken in a mild tomato sauce alongside a heaping platter of saffron rice — paired with a float made with carrot juice and Persian ice cream that’s infused with saffron, rose and bits of clotted cream.

In Denver, “cannoli” can refer to the classic Italian dessert, but often it’s actually a bready roll stuffed with meat and sometimes a strip of chile. A few old-school Italian joints like Lechuga’s shorten it to “canoli,” but at Gallo Supper Club, it’s spelled the same as the sweet version available from its bakery case. While it’s listed on the menu as being “mini,” this is a hefty snack filled with sausage, strips of jalapeño and plenty of mozzarella oozing out of the thin dough.

It says a lot that with all the creative and seasonal pastas Michelin-recommended Dio Mio churns out, its spaghetti and meatballs is such a standout. Digging into the heaping portion of noods taps into nostalgia, but what keeps us coming back is the taste. Dio Mio cooks its pasta al dente, yielding a perfectly chewy, tender-firm texture that pairs well with its rich, velvety Bianco DiNapoli tomato sauce, which has a bright sweetness and well-balanced acidity. The meatballs are made with Colorado-raised pork and beef and are a savory, sweet, slightly garlicky topper to the housemade spaghetti.

Thanks to capitalism, just the thought of Monday strikes dread in the heart of those who work a traditional schedule — but the thought of a delicious bowl of pasta waiting at the end of the day can help most people get through it. If that bowl of pasta comes with bread and a Caesar salad for just $11.95, it’s an even better way to banish the horrors of the first workday of the week. Odyssey, which operates out of an old Victorian home, offers just that, along with a stellar waitstaff and an endearing atmosphere.

You know about House of Bread, right? It’s just the best — okay, only — Armenian bakery in metro Denver, and it’s home to ajarski khachapuri, a canoe-shaped bread bowl brimming with molten cheese, sunny eggs and a pat of butter. Definitely stop what you’re doing now if you’ve never been, or if you’ve never had this Armenian take on a Georgian specialty. But if it happens to be a Sunday, make sure you also order the jingalov hats (call ahead to shorten the wait time), thin flatbread that, at first glance, resembles nothing more than oversized pita. But hidden inside is a thin layer of greens and herbs — 22, according to the bakery! — so bursting with fresh, bright flavor that you’ll surely return the next week…and then it might just become a Sunday ritual.

Chef Jose Avila’s La Diabla has been heaped with praise for everything from its namesake pozole to its tacos and stellar house margs, and rightfully so — it does a lot of things well, and it offers guests a lot of deals on those things. In addition to the Thursday-through-Sunday happy hour from 2 to 6 p.m., there’s a wings-and-beer special on Mondays for $10; $4 street tacos on Tuesdays; the Jose’s Gone Fishing offer on Wednesdays, with two al pastor tacos and a house margarita for $5; and two-for-one bowls of pozole on Thursdays. It’s enough to keep us coming back over and over — sometimes several times a week.

Darryl Johnson has won awards for his barbecue, and cousins Jatin and Shivang Patel have a passion for Indian food, so when they decided to open a restaurant together in a former Outback Steakhouse, they combined their skills to create a mashup that we’ve fallen hard for. While there are items like cheese fries, burgers and fried chicken on the DJ’s menu, it’s the Indian-American combinations that really stand out. Try the Paneer Pboy, or opt for a barbecue plate of house-smoked meat topped with a slightly spicy masala sauce and an order of housemade naan on the side for the ultimate cuisine combo.

Tucked away amid the seemingly endless Vietnamese and Chinese options on South Federal lies Suvipa Thai Food, one of the best bets in the city for authentic Southeast Asian cuisine. While some may find the furnishings a tad modest, there’s something comforting about seeing fresh herbs and peppers growing in the front window. Celebrating a decade of capsaicin-rich green papaya salads and perfectly rendered pork belly in the pad kana moo krob, owner Banthawan Glode hasn’t changed much since opening in 2014. And she hasn’t needed to, because the flavors speak for themselves.

Hidden behind a car wash off Arapahoe Road, this Mongolian barbecue restaurant offers heaps of food at an unbeatable price: all-you-can-eat lunch for $13.95 and dinner for $18.95. The single-location, family-run business stands out from the HuHot and BD’s chains in the state, providing higher-quality food in a more low-key atmosphere. But don’t worry: Your dinner still comes with a show, as the chefs cook your meal in front of you on a sizzling griddle. After decades in business, Yuan Palace has become a beloved institution for those in the know.

Peter Chan and his eponymous, mostly takeout restaurant have been staples in Congress Park since 1985. While nearly every Chinese American restaurant in the country makes sesame chicken, the version here stands out thanks to a double-frying technique that caramelizes the sauce and results in sticky, crunchy — but never gloppy — chunks of chicken served with rice…and often some good-natured sass from Chan himself.

We’re in the midst of a dumpling boom in the metro area, but of all the spots where we’ve been devouring a wide variety of dough with various fillings, Nana’s has proven to be our favorite. It took over the space that was formerly the Fifth String and Old Major in October 2023 and quickly became a hot spot in a neighborhood filled with choices. While you may have to wait for a table and there is a time limit, it’s all worth it when you’re downing truffle soup buns, jumbo crab rangoons and bite-sized Thumblings. Nana’s now has a fast-casual offshoot in Boulder, too, and a brand-new Aurora outpost.

After many delays, popular dumpling-centric food truck Yuan Wonton finally opened its shared brick-and-mortar in Park Hill in September 2023. Chef/owner Penelope Wong has had to make a lot of adjustments as she settles into the new setup, but the move has been especially great for diners, as the increase in space and team members means that Wong has been able to get even more creative in the kitchen. From tom kha and khao soi dumplings to birria bao buns, we’re always excited to try whatever Yuan Wonton has on deck.

China lays claim to the world’s oldest hamburger, also known as a roujiamo, which dates back more than 2,000 years. You could dispute the use of the word “hamburger,” but it’s more fun to think of teenagers in ancient China wearing paper short-order-cook hats speedily filling orders at whatever passed for a drive-thru back then. At NBX, a chef-driven Chinese eatery with a short but intriguing menu of regional specialties from Shandong and Sichuan provinces (among others), the pace is more relaxed, and the Chinese hamburger (as it’s called on the menu) takes the form of a housemade bun that’s somewhere between a croissant and an English muffin, split and loaded with seasoned ground beef. It’s a simple preparation, but the bun is light and delicate, and the meat holds layers of complex flavors.

Bistro King is one of those timeless neighborhood joints that seems to have always been there, and its menu of typical American-Chinese dishes interspersed with a little Thai, Vietnamese and even sushi does nothing to help it stand out. But last year, a new menu all in Mandarin appeared, giving in-the-know seekers of Sichuan specialties a new destination. Among the noodles and hot pots, something different lurks: jinsha corn. This dish would sell well at any bar, where salty, savory snacks are just the right foil for cold beers. Also called golden sand corn, it’s a mound of wok-fried corn kernels coated in salted egg yolk and light seasonings — and a dusting of sugar, if that’s your preference (it should be).

After taking over Pho Le, changing the name and finalizing a deal to buy the building in March 2020, Toan Le and Nhan Tran forged through the pandemic, but knew they wanted to make some improvements. In January 2023, Now Pho closed for six months, getting a remodel in the process and a revamped menu with plenty of additions beyond pho (though it does that very well). We love the rice cake omelet (bot chien), the specialty soups like bun bo Hue and the new boba tea choices, and we especially love that we can get them late — until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, which is later than any other pho joint on Federal.

Thuc-Nhu “Nhu” Hoang and her husband, Huy Pham, signed the lease for this spot in 2019, intending to open a coffee and sandwich shop. But faced with pandemic-related delays, they kept the business afloat by running it as a convenience store called Conu’s Corner — and it continues to sell lottery tickets and stock the shelves with snacks and household items, only now it also has a food menu that includes pho, rice and noodle bowls, springs rolls and the highlight, banh mi sandwiches on rolls that are made in-house and are the perfect vehicle for the also housemade mayo and pickled veggies that accompany choices like char siu barbecue pork and pâté.

In Korea and throughout Asia, tofu provides different textural elements (depending on the firmness and preparation), and it’s an inexpensive way to add nutrients to a dish — even one that contains animal proteins. At Tofu Story, a Korean eatery from restaurateur JW Lee’s Seoul Restaurant Group, tofu rises from the position of simple filler to the main attraction. You’ll even walk past a “tofu lab” at the front of the dining room, where rectangles of glistening white soy are magically rendered from the liquid of pale beans. Your best bet, whether you want meat or not, is the soon tofu, a spicy red stew loaded with options that range from kimchi and mushrooms to cured pork products and shrimp. It’s time to tell a new story about tofu.

While we’re often wary of restaurant transplants, there are exceptions, and Kawa Ni proves that a concept founded out of state can bring something new, exciting and downright delicious to Denver’s dining scene without feeling forced or out of place. Chef/restaurateur Bill Taibe founded his Japanese izakaya-inspired eatery in Westport, Connecticut, in 2014. In November 2023, he brought it to LoHi and has fully embraced becoming a part of the neighborhood — while diners have fallen hard for Kawa Ni’s dumplings, bao buns and inventive plates like the aptly named Addictive Cabbage and the shaved broccoli with ham, burnt honey and crunchy ra-yu.

Most of the African restaurants in and around Denver specialize in Ethiopian cuisine, but there are a handful where you can taste a wider variety of dishes from the biggest continent in the world. Cozy and welcoming, Akwaba is owned by Linda Essoh, who is originally from Côte d’Ivoire. The menu spans all of West Africa, taking inspiration from places like Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal with dishes like crispy red snapper, goat stew, and an Ivorian-style gumbo called kplala.

Among the resources at this refugee center founded by Dr. PJ Parmar are a pharmacy, a dentist, a family lawyer — and a handful of stalls serving international fare. There’s Siri Tan’s Urban Burma, where you can indulge in tea leaf salad, and Mohamad Alnouri’s Jasmine Syrian Food, which serves dishes such as chicken shawarma and a sweet treat called Sooksay Snowballs. Bounce from Golden Sky Asian to Langano Ethiopian, Nepali Spice and Swahili BBQ Grill. Aurora is known for having the most diverse dining scene in the metro area, and at Mango House, you can experience that all in one place.

It’s true that the city’s late-night dining scene took a big hit during the pandemic and has been slow to come back, but there are still options, and this one is a favorite no matter what time you’re visiting. Gaia Masala started in Boulder, satisfying the nocturnal cravings of college students. Now it’s doing the same for all of Denver, with a location in Capitol Hill that’s open until 3 a.m. and one in the Union Station neighborhood that closes at 2 a.m. The mix of Indian and American fare on offer is wide-ranging, but our favorites include the cheesy lamb masala fries and the chicken tikka masala cheesesteak.

We love this spot’s eclectic riffs on French bistro fare, but it also happens to be an ideal spot to break off your current relationship, with a serving of beef tartare or steak frites for good measure. Take Brixton’s thumping hip-hop soundtrack in a space filled with boisterous diners and pair it with dinner at the bar, which puts you close to the exit. You can rest a little easier knowing you’ve left your date with the sympathetic ear of some of the city’s best bartenders while you escape to the adjacent Yacht Club for a hot dog, a shot…and the possibility of meeting up with a new number one.

Dating in Denver is expensive, especially if you’re on the apps, but a rendezvous at Redeemer will show your date you’re hip and cool while showing your wallet some love, too. The team behind Dio Mio opened this pizzeria in 2021, and it delivers on its promise of serving “New York 2.0”-style pizza. It’s thin and perfectly speckled from the cook with “no flop,” as Dave Portnoy attested when he visited. The naturally leavened sourdough crust adds depth of flavor without being overly tangy. Expect classic pies and creative takes as well as seasonal creations. You can grab slices on the back patio, split a hoagie at lunch or, if you go on a Wednesday, enjoy 50 percent off bottles of wine.

Cozy but bright. Upscale but not fancy. Stylish but not overly trendy. Point Easy is a place that puts you at ease, which is exactly what you want when meeting someone for the first time. A pair of seats at the bar is the ideal setting for getting to know someone, with the buffer of friendly bartenders in case the conversation gets stale. Both the drinks and the food offer a little something for everyone, whether your date prefers a glass of wine and a plate of pasta, a cocktail and some fries for snacking or a spirit-free beverage with some shareable small plates. If you find yourself on a date with someone who can’t enjoy a meal here, best move on to the next.

Chefs Nathan Madson and Kevin Clay met each other several years ago while working in the kitchen at Mercantile Dining and Provision. After bopping around a few other Denver establishments, the two friends decided to venture out on their own and launched Doublewide last summer. Since then, the truck has managed to make a splash thanks to its crispy, lacy-edged smashburgers, but we also love its killer vegetarian mushroom sandwich that highlights the team’s ability to turn simple ingredients into tasty creations. This year, Madson and Clay are planning to up the stakes with inventive tasting dinners and new dishes, and we can’t wait to see what they’ve got cooking.

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If you spot a silver Airstream parked in front of a bar or beer joint in the metro area, get hungry. What Chef Ruben Hernandez is serving inside his shiny trademark trailer is a long list of Oaxacan classics straight from his home state’s famed food culture in southern Mexico. One of those is the tlayuda: a crispy corn masa tostada the size of a steering wheel slathered with a black bean spread and topped with shredded quesillo, sizzling carne asada and chorizo sausage, pickled red onions and fresh avocado, with a side of dazzling orange habanero salsa. Exquisite banana-leaf chicken tamales, barbacoa street tacos, grilled nopales (cactus) and chile-roasted chapulines (similar to grasshoppers) are also perfectly prepared at La Reyna.

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Ashley Knotek and Ryan Grillaert launched Outside Pizza in August 2021, inspired by their passion for outdoor exploration and the gratifying indulgence of post-hike pizza. From their refurbished vintage camper-turned-mobile pizzeria, they craft everything from scratch, fishing out their interpretation of Neapolitan-style pies and occasionally experimenting with unconventional toppings. Among their innovative creations, the pickle pizza with roasted garlic cream sauce, mozzarella, provolone, homemade pickles and a sprinkle of fresh dill reigns supreme. But even when that isn’t available, every pie boasts a light, crispy crust sure to satisfy any aficionado.

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Ben Polson and his wife, Jodi, who runs the pastry program at Coperta, debuted their Mama Jo’s food truck in 2021. The venture seamlessly blends Ben’s passion for exceptional barbecue with Jodi’s mastery of pastries and her perfected biscuit recipe. While the ‘cue is delicious, the showstopper is the team’s Nashville hot chicken biscuit. This culinary marvel begins with the truck’s signature, flaky smoked Gouda biscuit, which serves as the canvas for a succulent lemon-brined chicken thigh that is delicately coated, fried and immersed in Nashville hot oil. A drizzle of Alabama white sauce, housemade bread-and-butter pickles and a dollop of creamy coleslaw complete the combo. This is one order that leaves patrons a little sweaty — and hungry for more.

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When last call sends you stumbling out of a downtown bar at 2 a.m., your stomach filled with one too many vodka Red Bulls (and little else), Amore Pizza is there with a warm, comforting slice. This food truck, which also has a brick-and-mortar on Santa Fe Drive, dishes out New York-style pizza whole or by the slice — not to mention calzones, cannoli, cheesecake and more to satisfy any late-night craving. It spends most weekends parked at the corner of 20th and Market streets, within a two-block radius of over a dozen bars including ViewHouse, Jackson’s, Whiskey Row and Beer Hall. But while tipsy patrons first come for the prime location, they return for the delicious food even after they’ve sobered up.

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The Chow family lived in Singapore for two decades before opening Die Die Must Try in Cherry Creek North late last year. The multi-generational owners hope to inspire others to experience new things — including bubble tea served in a da bao bag, which they say is the authentic Singapore style of enjoying your drink on the go. Certain offerings like soursop and calamansi fruit tea further highlight the family’s roots, as do bottled beverages and imported snacks. Classic options like oolong and taro milk tea also appear on the menu, along with various add-ins including boba, red bean and grass jelly.

Volcano Tea House, shoehorned into a row of shops alongside the Aurora H Mart, started out as a delightfully cheery place to quench your thirst for Taiwanese milk teas and fruity concoctions. It has since changed its name and evolved into a full-on noodle house, where you can slurp your way through a mix-and-match menu of hand-shaved and hand-pulled noodles put to delicious use in soups and stir-fries. Not to be missed is One More Noodle’s beef noodle soup, with impossibly long strands expertly pulled to the perfect width for joyous, noisy slurping. The broth is rich, the beef tender, and the bok choy simmered to just the right crunch. Pair it with dumplings or popcorn chicken, then grab a sweet and slushy drink loaded with popping boba or coffee jelly to double down on the slurping action.

You’ve just popped into this neighborhood cafe for a jolt of joe when you notice something in the glass-front pastry case. It’s big, it’s puffy, it’s golden-brown from the oven. A strange place to encounter a calzone, perhaps, but it only gets stranger when you sink your teeth into the soft, slightly bready shell. This is a chicken masala calzone, overloaded with bites of chicken in a cheezy, creamy, spicy sauce that threatens to spill down your chin on the first bite. Mostly, though, it’s just too addictive, and the whole thing’s gone in a heartbeat, leaving you to wonder how soon you can hustle back in to explore the rest of Lil Coffea’s menu, from familiar breakfast burritos to the bharta makhani pizza topped with eggplant.

When Paula Lowery moved to Denver, it was hard to find a taste of home in the metro area, so she decided to start a business that specializes in dishes that remind her of her native Brazil. She named her colorful, cozy Mayfair cafe after the padocas (neighborhood bakeries) she longed for, and now serves traditional eats like pão de queijo (cheese bread), coxinha (chicken croquettes) and a variety of sobremesas (desserts). In addition to the baked goods and coffee drinks made with beans from São Paulo, visitors to Padoca will also find hearty dishes such as feijoada, a traditional dish with black beans, and plenty of takeaway options.

This coffee cart that recently moved into a permanent home at Full Tank Food Park serves a latte that’s far superior to the typical mocha, vanilla or lavender varieties. Ube is a root vegetable that originated in the Philippines and is popular in Southeast Asia. Moonflower co-owner Sam Salomon is of Filipino descent and has long been familiar with ube’s many uses. When used in a latte, which is available here hot or iced, it imparts a bright-purple hue and a natural sweetness, with earthy, nutty, vanilla-like notes that pair perfectly with acidic coffee and creamy milk.

Port Side is a breakfast and coffee haven in the shipping containers that also house Topo Designs and Cart-Driver in RiNo. Since opening in 2016, it’s drawn fans for its coffee program, rotating breakfast sandwiches and Instagram-worthy vegan avocado toast. But the breakout star is the dark chocolate sea salt cookie. This sweet treat somehow always tastes fresh from the oven, with a melty, gooey center and a perfect crisp around the edges. Is it the high-quality ingredients, the technique, or the perfect dash of coarse sea salt that makes these our favorite? We don’t know, but we’ll keep eating them until we’ve cracked the code.

Finding gluten-free sweets in the Mile High City can be a hassle, especially for those with a serious intolerance. Rivers and Roads Coffee is a fully gluten-free facility, whipping up treats that are safe for all. The shop rotates a wide range of pastries, from scones and biscuits to muffins and cookies in flavors like peanut butter chocolate, orange cranberry and vanilla latte. If you want to try gluten-free baking at home, mixes for muffins, cornbread, brownies and more are available for purchase. The Rivers and Roads website also lists recipes that utilize the shop’s baking mixes to create a variety of treats.

With the early-morning hours of a coffee shop and late-night hours of a bar, Queens Eleven is a tucked-away treasure in RiNo. It’s located on the main floor of a high-rise inside a new build on a busy block, so the entrance to the quaint cafe is easy to miss. Stepping in off the street feels like walking through Alice’s looking glass and into a shop that gives off dark, speakeasy vibes. The daytime menu is simple and straightforward — Strava coffee drinks, Dis Burritos, pastries from Rebel Bread, and grilled cheese sandwiches that pair well with the cocktail menu. An $8 happy hour espresso martini bridges the gap between daytime work sessions and evening conversations and cocktails, and Queens Eleven delivers on both fronts.

Prodigy is a social enterprise cafe that opened its doors in 2017 in northeast Denver inside a former garage. It employs young people between the ages of 18 and 24 through its paid apprenticeship program, which offers hands-on job training and builds the skills needed to become confident leaders not just at work, but at home and in the community. In 2022, it added a second location in Globeville, increasing its ability to support young adults. Both shops are inviting spaces to visit — and that cup of coffee will taste even better knowing you’re supporting a bigger mission.

Sometimes you just need a place to grab coffee with a friend and catch up on life events. Hello Darling is a spacious escape with plenty of seating where you can grab a latte and just talk. The place is Instagram-famous for its variety of furniture, the plants that line the floor and the large windows that let in plenty of sunlight. Stop before work and start your day with a friendly chat while getting your morning caffeine fix.

In 2021, Jorge Aguirre moved his La Chiva Colombian Cuisine across the street to a larger space, but he held on to the lease of the original location and turned it into LaTinto. The coffee options here are made using single-origin beans that are sourced directly from independent Colombian farms and roasted in Colorado. Try the LaTinto Specialty, a latte sweetened with panela and cinnamon, or a campesino with aguapanela, sugarcane that comes in a solid form and is then boiled down. The cafe also offers a variety of pastries along with options like caldo de costilla (a traditional beef and potato stew) and buñuelos (fried fritters made with cheese, cornstarch and yuca flour).

Since 2014, Crema has offered a lot of ways to enjoy black coffee — drip, pour-over, as an americano or iced — each perfect in its own way. That’s because it sources its offerings from over 22 different roasters, both local and national, each selected for the flavor profile and brew method. The straightforward coffee is complemented by an inventive food menu, with hearty brunch dishes and fresh pastries made in-house daily. Feel free to add cream and sugar to your cup, but we recommend trying it black first — you might be surprised by how naturally sweet and flavorful the coffee is on its own.

Glissade Coffee opened in early 2023 and has quickly established itself as a go-to neighborhood hangout. Owner Sean Harwin learned the trade of roasting coffee in Seattle before moving to Denver and setting up his own operation, then building out a cafe around it. Named for the act of sliding down a snowy mountainside (on your feet if you’re coordinated, on your butt if you’re not), Glissade encourages customers to get outside — there’s even a weekly run club. All of its drinks are made with house-roasted beans, and small bites pair well with the limited beer and wine menu.

In a city where brunch lines can feel more like waiting at the DMV, one of the best-kept secrets is the weekend menu at Tacos, Tequila, Whiskey. The recently renovated Highland spot known for its gringo take on Mexican street food has a simple five-taco brunch and an even simpler process for getting a seat: Just show up. We love an extra side of the gooey green-chile Hollandaise over the crispy carnitas on the Pinche Hash and the just-spicy-enough Bloody Mary mix — and everything tastes even better when getting a table takes seconds instead of hours.

Stowaway’s name is a playful homage to the travels of its owners, wife-and-husband team Amy Cohen and Hayden Barnie, as well as their distinct cultures: Cohen is half Japanese and Barnie hails from New Zealand. Here you’ll find an eclectic, mostly healthy-leaning menu of breakfast and lunch offerings that you can enjoy in a light, bright and breezy space in RiNo. For those craving something sweet, rotating waffle flavors celebrating the bounty of Colorado’s fruit seasons is sure to satisfy. Last fall, Stowaway dished out its hearty heirloom grain sourdough waffles with kabocha pumpkin mousse and candied walnuts. In the late summer, there were plum, almond and meringue waffles. If that’s any indication of what’s to come this year, we can’t wait.

The metro area has a lot of breakfast burrito options, but plant-based versions are hard to come by. Among the few spots that cater to the vegan crowd, many add health-forward ingredients like kale and black beans, which don’t quite hit the spot in the same way. But January Coffee understands that vegan breakfast burritos don’t need to be fussy or nutrient-dense. Rather, it dishes out a toasted flour tortilla filled with plant-based Just Egg, Impossible sausage, tater tots, vegan cheddar, chipotle aioli, and green chile with the perfect amount of heat. Pair it with any of several espresso beverages; almond and oat milks don’t cost extra here.

The Okuno family had run the 20th Street Cafe since 1946 before the pandemic pushed up the owners’ retirement plans. The beloved downtown eatery sat empty until last April, when the family that had formerly run Tarahumara in a Colfax strip mall brought the cafe back, with a new focus on Mexican fare. There are no fancy tricks used in the eatery’s breakfast burrito — it’s a straightforward take with tender, thick slices of potatoes, scrambled eggs and meat of your choice. Handhelds are available, but we prefer this baby smothered in a generous amount of cheese and 20th Street’s bright-orange-hued green chile, which has just a bit of heat and a whole lot of flavor.

For a decade, Rosenberg’s has been the local gold standard for people craving East Coast-style bagels, but in 2023, some competition emerged when D.C.-born Call Your Mother arrived in the Mile High. Next came Rich Spirit, a Wheat Ridge shop from the owner of Bakery Four where the naturally leavened bagels offer a different and delicious take on this breakfast favorite. Soon, New Jersey native Miles Odell will open Odell’s Bagels, adding yet another option to the mix. We’re here for all of it: Bring on the bagel revolution!

This bar, which officially poured its first drinks in 1951, has been around since before Lakewood even became a city (that happened in 1969) and pre-dates Casa Bonita by decades. It’s well worn, just like the eatertainment spot was before its reboot, and is the kind of place where regulars randomly break out into sing-alongs and the bartenders really do know everyone’s name. Plus, it also has some famed foods of its own, including solid green chile and a few unexpected bar snacks like deep-fried Tutu Rolls filled with ground pork, bean thread noodles, carrots, Chinese mushrooms and onions.

“Change nothing, improve everything.” That was the motto behind South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s revamp of the famed pink palace, which turns fifty this year. The results were revealed in June 2023, when it opened at long last — sort of. In order to get in, you still need to sign up for the email list and wait for an invite to show up in your inbox. But the wait is worth it. Casa Bonita 2.0 is a nostalgic delight, and so is the taco salad. For years, it was the safest option available, and while all the new entrees are vast improvements over the former canned-cheese-laden choices, something just feels right about eating out of a fried tortilla bowl while watching the cliff divers and posing for photos with ManBearPig.