Best Food Truck/Cart 2020 | Yuan Wonton | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Food Truck/Cart

Yuan Wonton

Penelope Wong

If you haven't been following chef Penelope Wong's scarlet-and-black food truck around town, you'd better start — stat — because you're missing out on some of the best food in Denver, period. The chef loads steamers full of dumplings and pans full of potstickers; garlic-chile wontons, pan-fried soup dumplings, and adorable bao in the shape of pigs and pandas are all on the menu. In the coming weeks, Yuan Wonton will offer pre-order service and then appear occasionally at locations with parking lots big enough to allow pick-up from your car window. Check @penelopewong and @yuanwonton on Instagram for updates.

facebook.com/yuanwonton

Best Food Hall

The Denver Central Market

Launched in 2016, the Denver Central Market is more than just an overly ambitious food court: The various vendors sell baked goods, meats, specialty foods and pantry items for home use, and the restaurant counters offer pizza, sandwiches, charcuterie boards, raw oysters, ice cream, coffee and other breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes. The market is a vibrant grocery stop for a fast-paced neighborhood, and it's still open for business, even though you can't dine inside.

denvercentralmarket.com

Best Help for the Hungry

The GrowHaus

The GrowHaus has been an ambitious oasis in the food deserts of north Denver for the past decade. Despite facing a double shutdown challenge (its building, housing a greenhouse and community market, was forced to close in February due to structural issues), the GrowHaus isn't about to stop helping now. Instead, it's expanding its CSA-like food program, which delivers boxes packed with local organic veggies, fruit, eggs and bread to the doorsteps of Denver residents every week. Basic memberships start at $15 to $20 per week and will help the nonprofit fund other efforts to combat food insecurity, including delivering free emergency food packages to residents of the 80216 zip code.

thegrowhaus.org

Best Upscale CSA

Aspen Moon Farm CSA

Community Supported Agriculture has always been a great idea, helping farmers survive by essentially investing in their farms while providing customers with a regular supply of vegetables fresher and brighter than any found in the stores during normal times, much less these — as well as an occasional new item to sample and experiment with. The folks at Aspen Moon Farm are dedicated organic growers who use biodynamic techniques to raise everything from bok choy in spring to raspberries in fall — and a host of gorgeous vegetables in between. Cost for a weekly share is $700, or $375 for biweekly. Sign up now, then get ready to start picking up orders this spring.

aspenmoonfarm.com/csa

Best CSA for Chicken and Eggs

Jodar Farms

Perhaps you like chicken but have been upset by articles about the filthy and inhumane way the birds are raised and slaughtered. The solution: a Jodar Farms summer CSA membership. The Fort Collins farm allows the birds to roam the pasture, resulting in delicious, full-flavored meat. The CSA, which has pick-ups in Fort Collins, Longmont, Boulder and Denver, offers members a list of products to choose from: eggs, breasts, legs and thighs, a chicken soup kit (there's nothing like homemade stock), and bulk pork sausage. Cost is a $15 membership fee and a minimum of $375 for the five-month season, which begins in June.

jodarfarms.com

Best Coffee, Comics andConversation To Go

Mutiny Information Cafe

Courtesy Mutiny Information Cafe

No bookstore, venue or comic shop supports Denver creatives like Mutiny Information Cafe. The all-ages space has long served as a hub for DIY shows, cyphers, poetry readings, podcasts and book tours. And even though the shop itself is closed for browsing, Mutiny has blown a hole through the wall to create a to-go window, where you can buy coffee, candy, comics, records and more, all helping support local artists in the process. You can also order directly from Mutiny's website.

mutinyinfocafe.com

Best Cidery for Takeout

St. Vrain Cidery

Courtesy St. Vrain Cidery

Located in downtown Longmont, St. Vrain Cidery is the largest all-cider taproom in Colorado, with more than 36 rotating ciders, both housemade and from other cideries around the state. St. Vrain's own elixirs are made from natural, local ingredients: Pink Guava, Dry Ginger and Blackberry Botanical all provide a pleasing punch of flavor in differing levels of sweet and dry. For a good excuse to get out of the house while maintaining social distancing, St. Vrain is selling four-packs and growlers to-go, and also has an online store.

stvraincidery.com

Best Margaritas To Go

Adelitas Cocina y Cantina

Danielle Lirette

The popular Adelitas was already doing a pretty good to-go business on its popular food items, everything from tacos to enchiladas to even steaming molcajete. But when Governor Jared Polis allowed restaurants to add alcohol to their curbside and delivery offerings, it was a game-changer. Adelitas is offering not just cans and bottles of beer, as well as wine, but "pitchers" of its award-winning margs ($30 for a container that holds six drinks). Adelitas took top prize for Best House Margaritas in its first year of business, and this deal is definitely a blast from the past.

adelitasco.com

Best Distillery With a Secret

The Block Distilling

Molly Martin

Head distiller and co-owner Kraig Weaver is such a nerd about making spirits, it's not surprising that he likes to converse with other enthusiasts looking for something unique and rare. The Block's members-only club, 225, sprang up as a result, offering quarterly bottle releases such as rose liqueur, peach eau de vie and genever, and this year the 225 people lucky enough to snag a spot will get to try an amaro, cask-strength straight bourbon and peach brandy. Membership runs $275 a year, but also includes discounts on all bottles and a leather key chain made by local artisan Clever Luck. The distillery is currently open for to-go orders, whether you're a member or not. Purchase online for pick-up of your bagged or boxed order.

theblockdistillingco.com

Best Distillery

Golden Moon

Courtesy Golden Moon

When Stephen Gould and Karen Knight started their distillery in 2008, they first created an award-winning gin. Twelve years later, Golden Moon produces an array of spirits, from absinthe to dry curaçao to applejack — and that's just for starters. Last year, the distillery moved into a larger space and ramped up production, adding a single-malt whiskey that just launched in 2020. Many of the recipes come from Gould's extensive research into the subject, thanks to his library of rare books on distillation and booze, some more than 500 years old. The distillery is open for bottle sales, as is the Golden Moon Speakeasy, the distillery's tasting room at 1111 Miners Alley in Golden. You can also look for Golden Moon products at the best liquor stores in metro Denver.

goldenmoondistillery.com

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