Best Chicago-Style Eats 2024 | Da Sauce | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Chicago-Style Eats

Da Sauce

Molly Martin

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

Best Pizza Buffet

Woody's Wood Fired Pizza

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.

Best Classic Chicken Wings

CD's Wings

Molly Martin

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.

Best Chicken Wing Deal

Adobo

Molly Martin

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.

Best Chicken Tenders and Fries Combo

Knockabout Burgers

Molly Martin

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.

Best Fried Chicken Entree

Duo

Molly Martin

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."

Best Fresh Salads

Farm & Market

Molly Martin

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.

Best Porchetta Sandwiches

The Porchetta House

Molly Martin

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.

Best Meatball Sandwich

Belfiore Italian

Molly Martin

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.

Best Philly Cheesesteak at an Iron Maiden Bar

Aspen Lodge Bar & Grill

Molly Martin

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.

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