Best Diner Resurrection 2024 | Danny Ray's Food & Spirits | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Diner Resurrection

Danny Ray's Food & Spirits

Molly Martin

The number of old-school diners in the metro area has dwindled since the pandemic, and Danny's Carnation faced the same fate in 2023, destined to be knocked down for apartments after more than forty years in business. But instead of calling it quits, owner Danny Hopkins went big on his next plan. He purchased a building nearby and created a revamped version of the classic spot that's bigger — and serves booze — securing a future for his kids in the process. While Danny Ray's is shiny and new, the friendly feeling when you walk inside remains the same, and the food is as comforting as ever.

Best Comeback

King of Wings

Linnea Covington

Nearly a decade ago, Eddie Renshaw and his childhood best friend, Evan Pierce, left their careers in sales and engineering, respectively, to launch a food truck. Despite the pandemic challenges, they debuted their first brick-and-mortar in Wheat Ridge in the summer of 2020, only to have to shut it down after a kitchen fire in December 2021. It was over a year before King of Wings was able to fully reopen last March, and the two friends didn't stop there: They recently added a second outpost in Golden. Now we're just waiting for its popular Snipeburger pop-up to find a permanent home. Long live the King!

Best Move From Food Truck to Brick-and-Mortar

Kiké's Red Tacos

Molly Martin

Enrique Silva Figueroa (aka Kiké) and his family launched their birria-focused food truck in 2021 as the combination of slow-cooked meat and consomé became a social media infatuation. But even as the birria hype online slowed down, people lined up for Kiké's signature tacos. In 2023, the business made the move to a brick-and-mortar, expanding the menu in smart ways, with more meat options plus a full bar menu. Sometimes taking the leap from mobile food to a stationary spot backfires, but in this case, Kiké's has continued to satisfy its original fans while winning over even more.

Best New Bakery

GetRight's

GetRight's

It's been a hell of a journey for Matt Dulin and his wife, Lindsey Judd, who started this business as a cottage bakery during the pandemic. Long permitting delays pushed the opening of the brick-and-mortar GetRight's back nearly a year, but it finally debuted in May 2023 and has only gotten better since. Dulin is constantly testing new creations, and part of the fun is showing up to find out what's on offer that day. Whether it's the completely dreamy jambon beurre that's become a staple sandwich, pastries like the maritozzi (a brioche bun filled with cloud-like vanilla cream), or an indulgent croissant loaded with scrambled eggs and truffle, everything here is 100 percent right.

Best New Fine-Casual Restaurant

MAKfam

Jeff Fierberg

From Hong Kong-style French toast pop-ups in New York City to debuting Meta Asian Kitchen at the Avanti food hall in 2019, Kenneth Wan and Doris Yuen have continued to evolve their culinary adventures. At MAKfam, their first brick-and-mortar, they opted for an order-at-the-counter model. The Cantonese-inspired food comes out fast, but "casual" doesn't quite capture the quality coming out of this kitchen, where MSG is an unapologetic star and there's no skimping on spice in guest favorites like the Sizzling Spicy Noodles with housemade chili oil and málà seasoning.

Best New Chef's Counter

Alma Fonda Fina

Shawn Campbell

Chef Johnny Curiel has worked under some of the local dining scene's most notable names, including Richard Sandoval, Dave Query and Troy Guard. His first solo venture, Alma Fonda Fina, is an intimate spot in LoHi that he co-owns with wife Kasie Curiel, decked out with thoughtful design details, just a few tables and an eight-seat chef's counter. There, diners can order à la carte from a menu that's inspired by Curiel's Mexican heritage and travels, all while getting insight from the team of skilled chefs who create magic — even without a range in the tight workspace. We'll raise an avocado margarita to that.

Best Move From Pop-Up to Brick-and-Mortar

Sap Sua

Casey Wilson

Usually when a new restaurant opens, there's a question of it living up to the hype — and the hype around Sap Sua was big; it even landed on Bon Appétit's radar. But this opening was different, because owners Ni and Anna Nguyen spent time developing their take on Vietnamese fare through the lens of Ni's experience as a first-generation Asian American and sharing it with guests long before the doors actually opened — first from a food cart in Longmont, and later in a series of pop-ups in the Denver area. Dishes like the now-staple charred cabbage anchored the opening menu, which has continued to evolve in exciting and delicious ways.

Best New Restaurant

Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails

Molotov Kitschen

Bo Porytko has built a reputation for doing things differently, and his eatery that debuted at the very start of 2023 is different in a lot of ways. It's tiny, and the best seats surround the equally tiny kitchen just inside the front entrance, under a wall covered in cuckoo clocks. The crew has been known to enjoy shots of horilka — vodka infused with flavors like honey black currant or horseradish — with guests. But it's the food that really brings something special to the scene: playful odes to Porytko's Ukrainian heritage that make us reconsider what we know about Eastern European fare on every visit.

Best Of Denver®

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