Best Chicken Wings 2019 | GQue Championship BBQ | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Chicken Wings

GQue Championship BBQ

GQue Championship BBQ

When you love barbecue as much as Kansas City native Jason Ganahl does, it's only natural to surround yourself with the stuff. After winning numerous competitions around the country with his meats, Ganahl went on to open not one, but two barbecue joints. Good as his barbecue is, it's his dry-rubbed chicken wings that really fly. Each batch gets slow-smoked over hickory logs until the flesh is smoky and juicy; a last-minute dip in the fryer gives the wings a crispy skin, as well.

Readers' Choice: Fire on the Mountain

Best Fried Chicken

Welton Street Cafe

If sweet tea isn't on the menu, you probably aren't getting the city's best fried chicken. Luckily for diners, the Dickerson family's Five Points spot has both. While you sip on that tea, choose from thighs, legs, wings and breasts, all coated and seasoned with a secret shake. The Welton Street Cafe is a no-frills place (unless you count the lacy curtains covering windows looking out onto Welton Street), and no one will blink an eye if you polish off half a bird by yourself; in fact, it's encouraged. Sides of collards, beans, fried okra and mashed potatoes add even more Southern goodness to the picnic-style spread.

Readers' Choice: The Post Brewing Co.

Best Hot Chicken

The Budlong Hot Chicken

When someone spends as much time researching the proper way to do things as the Budlong Hot Chicken owner and chef Jared Leonard did, you know the result is going to be good. The Chicago transplant studied Nashville-style hot chicken across the South, starting with Prince's in Nashville (where the style originated), then testing recipes until he perfected his version. He launched Budlong last year, serving spicy bone-in chicken and sandwiches from a food truck parked outside various breweries and events. But now you can get that chicken from a brick-and-mortar spot in Zeppelin Station; fans can also find the bird at AJ's Pit Bar-B-Q, Leonard's Texas-style barbecue joint in the Overland neighborhood.

Best Hamburger

Old Major/Royal Rooster

Mark Antonation

Despite the many toppings, techniques and trends in the burger world, there are really only two kinds of hamburgers: the quick, greasy and compact style that can be eaten in a few bites, and the big, sloppy monstrosity that you can't put down even if you wanted to, because it would simply implode. Beef boss Justin Brunson somehow manages to marry the two in a wobbly tower of twin four-ounce patties and squishy potato bun glued together by layers of American cheese and his own special sauce. There's a secret to how the chef maintains the soft, juicy texture of a half-pound patty in two smaller rounds (okay, we'll squeal: He deep-fries them!). Originally available at Royal Rooster's lunch incarnation at Old Major, the chef's LoHi restaurant, Brunson's "double-double" can now be tracked down at the new Royal Rooster inside Broadway Market.

Readers' Choice: Park Burger

Best Hot Dog

Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs

Molly Martin

The workhorse hot dog becomes far more than just a cookout, ballgame and kids' party requirement in the hands of Jim Pittenger, who built his tube-steak empire from a single pushcart to a nationally renowned brand from 2005 to the present day. Folks flock from all over for a taste of what Ludo Lefebvre, Andrew Zimmern and even the late, great Anthony Bourdain praised on their TV shows. What they all loved were the wild-game dogs topped with Biker Jim's signature cream cheese and Coca-Cola onions, or any number of other over-the-top combos. Not one to take it easy, Pittenger is always experimenting with new ideas and adding to his menu. Case in point: the fried pickled onions that add crunch and tang to the Drunken Pirate. Late nights in the Ballpark neighborhood are best with a Biker Jim's hot dog in hand.

Readers' Choice: Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs

Best French Fries

Pete's Kitchen

Danielle Lirette

Decades of hungry folks searching for a late-night fix of French fries can testify that those mounded alongside burgers, gyros and souvlaki at Pete's Kitchen are the pinnacle of potato perfection. Don't talk to us about hand-cut heirloom potatoes; stop waving your limp, unpeeled fries in our face. We don't care if these come from a bag or a big waxed cardboard box; they're exactly what's needed to absorb our whiskey sodas and draft lagers — drinks already down the hatch and any soon to follow in the long night ahead. Pinkie-thick, crispy on the outside and pillowy on the inside, Pete's fries miraculously maintain their crunch even when cold. Not that ours ever last that long; we're stealing yours when you're not looking.

Readers' Choice: Park Burger

Best Onion Rings

Steve's Snappin' Dogs

Cassandra Kotnik

Steve Ballas has made it okay for Colfax Avenue hipsters to feel like kids at a carnival, with a hot dog in one hand, a cold beer in the other, and mustard on their shirts. (What, you didn't drink Bull & Bush's special Steve's Snappin' Ale with your dog when you were a kid? For shame!) And at Steve's Snappin' Dogs, he's made onion rings to match. Panko breadcrumbs give the wide-wale rings extra crunch, and they're cooked long enough so that the onion inside is soft and not stringy. Can't decide between these glorious onion rings and the more ballpark-style fries? Listen to your inner kid and shout out an order of frings!

Readers' Choice: Flying Pig Burger Co.

Best Poutine

Au Feu

Poutine is a Canadian dish consisting of melty cheese curds, French fries and umami-rich gravy. Au Feu, a Montreal-inspired eatery run by Chicago transplant Jared Leonard (he of the Budlong Chicken) in Zeppelin Station, ups the ante by making its poutine with twice-fried pub fries, fresh cheese curds and luscious veal demi-glace gravy. Order it straight or add a pile of smoked brisket to make this already indulgent dish that much better.

Best Mac and Cheese

FNG

Though adding Goldfish cheddar crackers to macaroni and cheese might sound odd, it was a brilliant move by the team at FNG, Troy Guard's eatery in Highland. Like a classic breadcrumb crust, the cheesy crackers add a pleasing crunch to the gooey, rich, delicious four-cheese pasta dish; they also look neat. And that's just the start of the fun: You can enhance the dish with rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, bacon, tomato jam, jalapeños and more.

Readers' Choice: Max's Wine Dive

Best Tacos

La Calle Taqueria y Carnitas

Mark Antonation

Some Mexican restaurants boast long rosters of dishes that take up page after page. La Calle's menu is lengthy, too — but it's nearly all tacos. Regional styles representing Yucatán, Campeche, Mexico City and other centers of taco excellence abound, and the menu is divided into how the fillings and tacos are cooked. Want something slow-cooked and stewy? Get the birria de chivo or borrego listed under "De la Olla." For something sizzling, look under "Del Sombrero," for meats seared on a sombrero-shaped grill. While all your favorites — tacos al pastor, carne asada, carnitas and chorizo — are there, we suggest branching out with unctuous Campechano (carnitas with pork skin), bold cochinita pibil (shredded pork in a tangy, fiery sauce), lengua or cabeza, all taqueria standards in their home country...and done deliciously right here.

Readers' Choice: Tacos Tequila Whiskey

Best Of Denver®

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