Best Cure for a Case of the Mondays 2024 | Odyssey Italian Restaurant Pasta Deal | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Cure for a Case of the Mondays

Odyssey Italian Restaurant Pasta Deal

Molly Martin

Thanks to capitalism, just the thought of Monday strikes dread in the heart of those who work a traditional schedule — but the thought of a delicious bowl of pasta waiting at the end of the day can help most people get through it. If that bowl of pasta comes with bread and a Caesar salad for just $11.95, it's an even better way to banish the horrors of the first workday of the week. Odyssey, which operates out of an old Victorian home, offers just that, along with a stellar waitstaff and an endearing atmosphere.

Best Spaghetti and Meatballs

Dio Mio

Danielle Lirette

It says a lot that with all the creative and seasonal pastas Michelin-recommended Dio Mio churns out, its spaghetti and meatballs is such a standout. Digging into the heaping portion of noods taps into nostalgia, but what keeps us coming back is the taste. Dio Mio cooks its pasta al dente, yielding a perfectly chewy, tender-firm texture that pairs well with its rich, velvety Bianco DiNapoli tomato sauce, which has a bright sweetness and well-balanced acidity. The meatballs are made with Colorado-raised pork and beef and are a savory, sweet, slightly garlicky topper to the housemade spaghetti.

Best Savory Cannoli

Gallo Italian Supper Club and Bakery

Molly Martin

In Denver, "cannoli" can refer to the classic Italian dessert, but often it's actually a bready roll stuffed with meat and sometimes a strip of chile. A few old-school Italian joints like Lechuga's shorten it to "canoli," but at Gallo Supper Club, it's spelled the same as the sweet version available from its bakery case. While it's listed on the menu as being "mini," this is a hefty snack filled with sausage, strips of jalapeño and plenty of mozzarella oozing out of the thin dough.

Best Unexpected Persian Food

Urban Cafe & Restaurant

Molly Martin

We first tasted Frey Asgari's Persian fare when he was serving it from under a tent in a parking lot on Santa Fe Drive in 2020. Now it's re-emerged in a shiny new cafe that's connected to the Denver Health building. Hospital employees have easy access to Urban's smoothies and cheap breakfast sandwiches in the mornings and unusual lunch sandwiches (like the pistachio cream, burrata and mortadella option), but anyone can, and should, dine here. Our favorite order so far: the zereshk polo — slow-cooked chicken in a mild tomato sauce alongside a heaping platter of saffron rice — paired with a float made with carrot juice and Persian ice cream that's infused with saffron, rose and bits of clotted cream.

Best One-Vendor Food Court

Mordy's Falafel & Grill

Mark Antonation

Mordy's Falafel has been serving Israeli street food since before the pandemic, primarily the namesake falafel jammed into fluffy pita with all manner of tangy, salty, spicy and crunchy toppings. Late last year, the truck shifted just around the corner to a new position, wedged against the side of what was once a dry cleaner. Now, instead of baking in the sun or freezing on an icy winter day, you can simply step inside the building, order and pay for your food at a self-serve station, then pick up your grub from a window that opens onto the truck. The sign on the door reads "food court," but this is a food court of one, and we love it that way.

mordysfalafel.com

Best Instagram Pop-Up

Sambusak's Kitchen

The latest project from Tamir Danon, co-owner and head brewer at Novel Strand Brewing Company, is his love letter to the flavors of Israel offered with his trademark, no-nonsense approach to creating a menu: focusing on a few simple, well-executed items. While the Instagram crowd drools over Sambusak's custom towers of grass-fed lamb and beef on vertical spits, the real MVPs are his freshly made falafel and sauces. Between the tangy ahmba, spicy skhoug and creamy tahina, each bite builds on the previous one, leaving you hungry for seconds.

instagram.com/sambusakskitchen

Best Pita Sandwiches

Sonny's Mediterranean

Molly Martin

After moving to Denver in 2019, David Schloss landed a gig as a chef at Safta, but his ultimate goal was to open his own place. In 2023, that became a reality when, after two years of delays, the fast-casual Sonny's Mediterranean debuted in LoHi. It's named for the Great Pyrenees dog that belongs to Schloss and his fiancée, Sonny's co-owner Lena Young. But the pita sandwiches are the real monsters here, nearly as big as the pup that often makes appearances at the eatery. Bursting with ingredients like hummus, Israeli pickles, harissa aioli and fries, they're available in three varieties and come stuffed with a choice of falafel or, our favorite, Sonny's flavorful rotisserie chicken. It's tough to eat these without making a mess, but you'll be so satisfied, you won't mind at all.

Best Saganaki

Lookin Good Restaurant and Lounge

Molly Martin

This family-owned diner has been in business since 1978 and is filled with nods to the King. Among the mix of American, Mexican and Greek options on the menu is one starring appetizer. We're not sure if Elvis liked saganaki, but we sure do — especially when served at Lookin Good, by friendly servers who bring a thick round of salty, Greek cheese out on a metal skillet, carefully pour just the right amount of brandy and then light it on fire tableside. Other spots in town offer saganaki, too, but where else can you pair it with a Bloody Mary and a breakfast concoction dubbed the Mad Greek Volcano? Opa!

Best French Restaurant With a Bakery

Noisette

Noisette

A kind of hush hangs over the dining room at Noisette, the French restaurant from husband-and-wife duo Tim and Lillian Lu. Not from a lack of customers, but because people are so intent on their food that conversation becomes secondary. Dinner should start with a housemade baguette with cultured butter, but if you skip that, you'll still find plenty of Lillian's baked goods on various plates, whether alongside foie gras torchon (sometimes brioche, sometimes a nut-studded quickbread) or the little chimneys of puff pastry that make up the vol-au-vent with sweetbreads. Or swing by in the morning and hit the bakery side of the space, where croissants, rustic sourdough boules and other delights await. Saturdays — when you can pick up breakfast sandwiches, tartines and a simple jambon beurre — feel like a neighborhood secret.

Best Latin Restaurant

Lucina

Molly Martin

Lucina opened in Park Hill in 2022 and combines influences from a variety of Latin countries including Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Dining here is a vibrant adventure, and the team is always adding something new to the mix. This year, chefs and co-founders Erasmo Casiano and Diego Coconati were recognized for their work at Lucina by the James Beard Foundation when they were named semifinalists in its Best Chef: Mountain category. The only thing more exciting than that is Casiano's upcoming project with chef Rene Gonzalez Mendez, a Mexican eatery called Xiquita.

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