Best Vegetarian Restaurant 2016 | City, O' City | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Vegetarian Restaurant

City, O' City

Hunter Stevens

City, O' City has become synonymous with "vegetarian restaurant" in Denver, so popular is its appeal among herbivores and omnivores alike, who lust for the eatery's seitan wings, top-quality pizzas, and savory waffles smothered in vegetable ragu and Taleggio cheese sauce. The Cap Hill hangout serves as a coffeehouse, full bar with requisite craft beers and cocktails, and happy-hour favorite for denizens of the neighborhood, with everyone from punk-rock kids to politicos to Macbook-toting hipsters calling it a second home. City, O' City has everything that Denver loves — except bacon. But with so much good stuff to choose from, bacon won't be missed.

Readers' choice: City, O' City

Best Gluten-Free Menu

Revelry Kitchen

Restaurant breakfasts can be tough to navigate for those who must avoid gluten; even something as simple as a plate of eggs and bacon generally comes with a side of toast, biscuits, muffins or pancakes. Of course, you can skip the baked goods, but then you're missing out on some of the best morning delights. Revelry Kitchen solves the problem by not only offering all of its dishes with a gluten-free option, but by making many of its items gluten-free to start. So go ahead and plow into a pumpkin cinnamon roll with impunity, chomp on churros or breakfast on biscuits smothered in chorizo gravy: They're all made gluten-free, which means you can relax and enjoy this sunny West Highland spot worry-free.

Readers' choice: Vesta Dipping Grill

Best Asian-Italian Fusion

Bones

Upon receiving a delightful, fragrant bowl of Bones's carbonara ramen, you may notice that it doesn't look much different from a normal serving of tonkotsu ramen. But looks can be deceiving when it comes to Asian-Italian fusion, because instead of pork stock, this ramen consists of a rich parmesan-and-black-truffle broth filled with pork belly, broccoli, a poached egg and, of course, expertly prepared noodles. It's the ultimate in comfort-food fusion, and it also speaks to owner Frank Bonanno's Italian background and love for ramen and noodles as a whole.

Best Asian-Southern Fusion

Uncle

Courtesy Uncle

One doesn't normally think of Asian food and Southern cuisine as being compatible, but at Uncle, chef Tommy Lee has created the perfect pairing of the two cultures with its Fried Green Tomato Bao Bun. It's a classic cornmeal-crusted green tomato stuffed into a fluffy, sweet Chinese bao bun, then spruced up with miso-infused mayonnaise, Thai basil and tangy pimento. Chances are that neither a Southern grandmother nor a Chinese lao lao would approve of the creation, but for those looking to add a little culinary adventure to their plate, this appetizer is a winner. Lee has also offered Louisiana-style ramen, composed of gumbo broth, crawfish, smoked andouille, okra, pasilla chiles and spicy sour cream, at the restaurant. It's all a reflection of the Chinese-American chef's continued interest in marrying tastes for the ultimate sensation. Pair these two dishes together, and you have the ultimate in Asian-Southern fusion.

Best Asian-Mexican Fusion

Zengo

Zengo chef/owner Richard Sandoval knows his Mexican food, given that he owns more than thirty establishments across the country. So it stands to reason that he's earned the right to start playing with the cuisine, as he does with his Latin-Asian eatery in LoDo. One dish that showcases this experimentation well is the bulgogi ribeye tacos, a set of corn tortillas stuffed with cucumber kimchi, sesame and, of course, bulgogi — Korean-style marinated meat. When ingredients are paired this way, it's easy to see the similarities between Mexican and Korean cooking. Both use a lot of spice and heat, they tend to feature beef and pork, and each highlights a specific chile-based sauce. Next time you go, be sure to try these delicate and hearty bites, as well as Sandoval's other fusiony delights.

Best Asian Fusion

Asian Cajun

If you were asked to seamlessly blend East and West, Asian and Cajun would probably not be the first combination to come to mind, but it's exactly that element of surprise that makes this oddball fusion cuisine so great. Really two restaurants in one offering year-round seafood boils, Korean plates, Cajun favorites and hybrid creations, Asian Cajun makes your biggest obstacle narrowing down the choices (hint: bring friends).

Best Banh Mi

Vinh Xuong Bakery II

Molly Martin

It's hard to find a good lunch special that's a true bang for your buck, but Vinh Xuong Bakery manages to leave customers with a full belly and a still-full wallet. For just $4.50, expert banh mi artists will slice a full loaf of French bread in half and fill it with pickled vegetables and your choice of grilled pork, barbecued pork, chicken, ham, pork meatball or a combination thereof, all to make the perfect Vietnamese sandwich. On weekends and special occasions, duck, tofu and brisket make the menu, too. Vietnamese iced coffee pairs perfectly with the banh mi; the sweet concoction is only $3 for a regular size, or it can be super-sized for $5 for people looking for an instant energy boost. Stretch your dollar and your appetite at Vinh Xuong, located in the northwest corner of Alameda Square Shopping Center.

Best Sushi Bar

Sushi Den

Sushi Den

Year after year, Sushi Den owners Yasu and Toshi Kizaki not only rise to the challenge of serving the freshest fish in town, but they also continue to innovate to exceed customers' already high expectations. That means serving in-season seafood from coastal and international waters, whether it's scallops shipped live from Boston, the best wild salmon from Alaska and Scotland, or glistening specimens still pristine from the cold waters off Japan. Beyond the simplicity of carefully sliced sushi and sashimi, there are also smart creations and reimaginings, like a wild yellowtail roll topped with black truffle, or kara-age (Japanese fried chicken) made with monkfish instead of the standard poultry. Each visit to the South Pearl shrine of sushi reaffirms that the Kizaki brothers still know how to put the Den in Denver.

Readers' choice: Sushi Den

Best Octopus

Bar Dough

Kayla Jones

Like bone marrow and foie gras, octopus divides people into two camps: those who hate it, and those who can't get enough. Regardless of which category you're in, run, don't walk, to Bar Dough, where Max MacKissock's Sicilian-inspired preparation will have everyone singing this cephalopod's praises. True, you might never get over the look of those creepy arms, but trust us, you'll still love the octopus itself, which arrives tender, not rubbery, with a hint of char from mesquite and a cheery dose of lemon. Accented with charred eggplant, caponata and a pistachio-celery salad that does wonders for the plate's overall texture, the dish is a natural lead-in to whatever follows, be it braised lamb shank or pizza.

Best Oysters

Stoic & Genuine

Danielle Lirette

A fresh, ice-cold oyster served with nothing but its own liquor is a wondrous treat, somehow both elegant and primitive from the moment you tip the shell to your lips. Union Station's bivalve boutique teems with life and energy like a tropical reef, even if the star of the platter comes from chillier waters to the north. Sample the house specials: the bright and briny Stoic from Long Island, or the lush Genuine from Totten Inlet, Washington — each raised especially for the restaurant. Other varieties come and go like the tides, but they're all impeccably presented. Even an oyster can be dressed up for a night out, as the kitchen proves with fancy toppings, from frozen Aperol or lychee-sake granitas to a classic champagne mignonette.

Readers' choice: Jax Fish House

Best Of Denver®

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