Best Place to Buy Small-Batch Mezcal 2024 | Destilados de Agave at Golden Liquors | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Place to Buy Small-Batch Mezcal

Destilados de Agave at Golden Liquors

Briana Austin

After working as a bartender for years, Nate Austin wanted a career change, so he and his wife, Briana, bought Golden Liquors, a small shop located across from Coors Brewery. When Proposition 125 passed, allowing the sale of wine in grocery stores, many shops like Golden Liquor were worried about its impact on sales. The Austins worried, too, so they decided to revamp the store as an agave spirits destination, inspired by their travels to Oaxaca and stocked with many hard-to-find labels. A visit to Destilados de Agave will yield not only a great bottle section, but also stories behind the spirits. And yes, you can still buy Coors here, too.

golden-liquors.com

Best Rotating Weekly Margarita

Fellow Traveler

Fellow Traveler

Every Tuesday, this Englewood bar with a vegan food menu bangs out consistently clever concoctions in the form of different tequila- or mezcal-based margaritas that are reliably delicious and colorful in equal measure for just $6. Past marg recipes have drawn inspiration from balancing contrasting flavors, creating a veritable Venn diagram of sweet and spicy notes including cantaloupe and habanero; pineapple and guajillo; or mango and poblano with ginger. On Tuesdays you can also sample pours from Fellow Traveler's deep agave spirits collection for $1 off.

Best Soul Food

Blazing Chicken Shack II

Molly Martin

If there are two things you should eat in Denver before you die, it's the oxtails with rice and the caramel cake at this homey Park Hill restaurant and bar. Timing is critical on both, as the succulent oxtail is only served Thursday through Saturday, and the caramel cake sells out quickly, so be sure to order a slice at the beginning of your meal. But both represent the soul of soul food — the kind of cooking that beckons you in like a dinner bell and makes you stay like a grandma's admonitions until you're beyond stuffed. Of course, everything at Blazing Chicken Shack tastes great and comes with a generous side of Southern hospitality, whether it's the extra-crunchy and not-too-fussed-with fried chicken, the steaming slabs of catfish or the surprising gumbo.

Best Banana Pudding

Chef Zorba's

Courtesy of Chef Zorba's

This dessert is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S. This longtime Congress Park staple is best known for its Greek fare and breakfast favorites, but be sure to save room for a sweet treat, too. Chef Zorba's pastry case is lined with options like thick slices of chocolate cake and baklava, but the sleeper hit is the ultra-creamy banana pudding, with just the right amount of banana chunks and wafers that manage to still retain a bit of crunch.

Best Place to Get a Whole Slow-Smoked Hog

Frank's Bar-B-Que

Frank's Bar-B-Que

The Volkmer family has been smoking meats since 1969, when they founded their family business in Bay City, Texas. In 1980, they moved to Denver and have been serving 'cue in the Mile High ever since. While Frank's specializes in Texas-style beef brisket, the real showstopper is the whole roasted pig, a specialty it has been perfecting for over thirty years. The preparation is simple: A whole hog is loaded into the smoker and cooked low and slow for upwards of eighteen to twenty hours. Orders have to be placed in advance, but this is one hell of a way to feed a big group that's down to go whole hog.

franksbbq.com

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.

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