Best Brunch With No Wait 2024 | Tacos, Tequila, Whiskey | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Brunch With No Wait

Tacos, Tequila, Whiskey

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.

Best New Coffee Shop

Glissade Coffee Company

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.

Best Black Coffee

Crema Coffee House

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.

Best Colombian Coffee Shop

LaTinto Café

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).

Best Coffee Shop for Conversations

Hello Darling

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.

Best Coffee Shop for a Cause

Prodigy Coffeehouse

Chelsea Keeney

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.

Best Coffee Shop and Bar Combo

Queens Eleven

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.

Best Gluten-Free Pastries

Rivers and Roads Coffee

Danielle Krolewicz

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.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie

Port Side

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.

Best Specialty Coffee Drink

Moonflower Coffee

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.

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