Best Place to Escape for a Midday Meal 2024 | Bodega | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Place to Escape for a Midday Meal

Bodega

Bodega Denver

In 2022, longtime hospitality pro Cliff Blauvelt introduced Bodega, a funky little Northside sandwich shop that's quickly become a beloved neighborhood staple. Whether you're popping by at 11 a.m. for its spin on a chopped cheese made with breakfast sausage, a late-afternoon cheeseburger fix or one of its tantalizing specials, it's a daytime slam dunk every visit — especially when paired with its mixed bag of fries on the side. Soon, RiNo will have its very own Bodega: Blauvelt will debut a second outpost in the Novel RiNo building this fall.

Best Place to Splurge on Dinner

Stone Cellar Bistro

Molly Martin

When we want to go out for a special occasion or just want a regular night to feel a lot more special, Stone Cellar Bistro, founded by longtime friends Jordan Alley and Brandon Kerr in 2022, always delivers. You could come in just for the Wildfire Fried Chicken — inspired by Kerr's time cooking at Husk — and leave very happy. But why stop there when every single thing on the menu is a hit? Order generously and you'll be rewarded with more than just a stellar meal, because an experience here is one you'll remember long after.

Best New Neighborhood Market

Congress Park Market

What happens when longtime hospitality pros decide to turn their attention to nourishing people via neighborhood markets instead? Very good things, it turns out. Husband-and-wife team Jake Riederer and Cecelia Jones became part-owners of Spinelli's after years in the restaurant industry and followed up that move by revamping a longtime market in Congress Park in 2023, giving the place new life with a smartly curated selection of household staples, specialty items, fresh produce, wine and a new deli counter with some top-notch sandwiches. Now they're getting ready to debut a third, brand-new market in Aurora that will also bear the Spinelli's name, and we're sure they'll do it proud.

2620 East 12th Avenue
303-333-7094
spinellismarket.com

Best Old-School Butcher Shop

Oliver's Meat Market

Molly Martin

Stepping inside Oliver's is a nostalgic experience. It's the kind of classic butcher shop that there aren't many of these days, and even more impressive is that it truly is a classic. The shop celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023 and is still run by founder Ed Oliver's great grandsons Rich and Jim, who dole out cuts of beef, lamb, pork and housemade sausages from behind the counter, trading quips with each other and customers as they work. As much of Denver continues to change, it's places like this that we hold on to even more dearly.

Best Place to Buy Salmon

Alaskan Salmon Company

Evan Semón

Duffy Fanganello knows how to tell a good fishing story — and he also knows good fish. At an easy-to-miss shop called Town & Country that was once a convenience store run by his uncle, the salmon man of East Colfax gets deliveries of Alaskan salmon and other sea creatures from his network of suppliers that he's built relationships with for decades. Those in the know stop by year-round for big filets of the good stuff and a chat with Fanganello, whose family roots in Denver run as deep as his love for supplying fish to his many loyal customers.

4300 East Colfax Avenue
303-333-4298
alaskansalmon.com

Best Vegan Bakery

The Cake Bar

Although the Cake Bar opened less than a year ago, it has already become a well-established mecca for vegans with an insatiable sweet tooth. All of the bakery's cakes and frostings are nut-free, plant-based, vegan and certified kosher, with gluten-free options available, as well. Peanut buddies, macarons and brownies abound, but the best part of the Cake Bar are the build-your-own cakes available in three sizes with a variety of flavors, frostings and toppings to choose from. Craving red velvet with maple vanilla frosting and sprinkles? No problem. Plus, you'll get a dessert so decadent, you'll forget it's vegan.

Best Vegan-Friendly Spot for Special Occasions

El Five

Danielle Lirette

El Five ensures that every guest can indulge on holidays, birthdays and other special occasions, regardless of their dietary restrictions — or lack thereof. Its Spanish and eastern Mediterranean menu will please omnivores and vegan diners equally, which is a rarity among many upscale restaurants. Savor plant-based plates like crispy harissa eggplant fries, charred carrot hummus with house-baked pita and a mouthwatering paella made with local Carbon Culture mushrooms. These and other specialties, including large-format sangria and several gin and tonics, are served within a dimly lit, lively atmosphere complete with skyline views.

Best Vegan Pop-Up

The Easy Vegan

The Easy Vegan

The Easy Vegan makes magic out of whole, plant-based ingredients — without associating itself with any health trends. Rather, its unpretentious street food is fun, flavorful and constantly rotating based on the whims of co-owners Alexi Mandolini and Taylor Herbert. Last year, their culinary creativity and business savvy earned them $50,000 when they won The Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network. The duo has teased opening a brick-and-mortar space, but for now, you can get pierogi, elote-inspired loaded potatoes, kimchi melts and more by pre-ordering and picking up from its South Broadway kitchen and at farmers' markets.

Best Surprisingly Vegan Bar Food

The Crypt

Molly Martin

With metal music bouncing off darkly painted walls covered in zombie mannequins and scary clowns, the Crypt might be the last place you'd expect to find intentional, affordable vegan fare. But its kitchen, which is open until midnight daily, dishes out an array of housemade vegan comfort food like spicy cauliflower fritters and a poutine with mushroom gravy and housemade vegan provolone. The kitchen isn't entirely vegan (though it is nut-free), but the menu includes a little bloody knife next to items containing meat, noting that "something was murdered" for that dish.

Best Bar Without a Name

2043 South University Boulevard

Phil Zierke knows bars. He worked at watering holes like Candlelight Tavern and the Horseshoe Lounge for years before opening Englewood Grand, a neighborhood spot that feels decades older than it is. In March 2023, he and his wife, Erika, added a second bar near the University of Denver — and decided not to give it a name. While other spots in the area cater to college students, this is a low-key place for anyone who simply wants to belly up and sip their cocktail of choice. And since no one should drink on an empty stomach, the bar also serves BYOB (that's bring your own (meat)balls or bread) spaghetti with house red sauce, and it's all-you-can-eat on Sunday and Monday.

2043 South University Boulevard

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