Best Neighborhood for Dining 2024 | LoHi | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Neighborhood for Dining

LoHi

This neighborhood was our pick for the Best Restaurant Neighborhood in the 2011 edition of Best of Denver, and many of the spots we loved then are still around. Other parts of town have been getting more buzz in recent years, but a slew of new additions have brought fresh energy to LoHi's dining scene. Sonny's Mediterranean, Kawa Ni, Jacques, Nana's Dim Sum & Dumplings, Kumoya and Alma Fonda Fina all debuted in short order over the last year. Combined with more established favorites like Bar Dough, Root Down and Duo, LoHi once again has the highest concentration of dining hot spots.

Best Reason to Visit Longmont

Cheese Importers

Mark Antonation

Whether you've been searching for a certain fromage, like Castello's Tickler Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese with Chilis & Peppers, or just want to browse the wide world of cheese, head to Longmont's Cheese Importers to experience the promised land. Lyman and Linda White started selling cheese from a VW pickup bus in 1976; the business moved into its current home in 2012 and is still run by their kids. In addition to a staggering selection in its chilly cheese room, there are shelves of crackers, jams, olives, candies, chocolate, honey and more from around the world. Peruse the kitchen wares and small but curated wine selection, then pretend you're in Paris and people-watch while enjoying your treats on the pretty patio.

Best Small-Town Dining Destination

Lyons

What used to be a place for a pit stop at Oskar Blues on the way to Estes Park has emerged as a culinary destination in recent years. In the summer of 2022, chef Theo Adley opened Marigold in the small town, a restaurant serving dishes that highlight the freshest local ingredients. Next came Farra, a lively Latin spot from a husband-and-wife team with a passion for flamenco and salsa dancing. Music and dancing are a highlight at Ranch House West, too, a piano bar from Shauna Lee Strecker, who is also reviving the world's first butter bar, Bella La Crema, in the space. Soon, Lyons could get even more recognition, as Adley was named one of the 2024 James Beard semifinalists for the Best Chef: Mountain award.

Best Bus Line for Dining

RTD Bus Route 44

While nearly all of RTD's more than fifty local bus lines pass by longtime restaurants and new haunts, neighborhood watering holes and destination breweries, the 44 stands out as a food lover's route. Traveling hourly from the 40th & Colorado RTD station to Wheat Ridge, it passes directly through a number of restaurant-filled hubs, including downtown, RiNo and LoHi. Favorite stops include Little Man Ice Cream, breakfast joint Sunny's, Cafe Brazil and My Brother's Bar, plus breweries, dives with cheap drinks and more.

rtd-denver.com

Best Expansion

Blackbelly Market

Blackbelly Market

Last year was a big one for chef Hosea Rosenberg's decade-old Boulder restaurant Blackbelly, as it debuted an expansion that included a bigger market side and racked up several honors in Colorado's first Michelin Guide, among them a green star for sustainability and the Colorado Culinary Professional award for its butcher, Kelly Kawachi. Blackbelly also has a brand-new market in Denver after recently taking over the former Il Porcellino retail space. Along with Blackbelly's popular breakfast burritos and sandwiches, it's providing room for Kawachi to expand the cured-meats program — a win for the team and for hungry diners, who can pop in for the top-notch charcuterie.

Best Location Change

La Fillette Bakery

Molly Martin

For years, we made early-morning treks to La Fillette in the Hilltop neighborhood, delighting in its breakfast sandwiches and the cozy bakery's ability to perfect pastries — so when an imminent move was announced, it was bittersweet. But we had no reason to worry: La Fillette's new home is in an even more convenient location, and with a lot more space to work with, it now serves one of the best brunches in the city, with a menu that includes everything from omelets, quiche and French toast to a burger on a flaky croissant bun.

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.

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