Best Saganaki 2024 | Lookin Good Restaurant and Lounge | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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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.

Best Taco Tuesday

Don Carlos Taco Shop #3

There are taco specials aplenty in the metro area, but this food truck in a liquor store parking lot does them for just one dollar on Tuesdays, including the al pastor off the spit. These aren't small street tacos, either. Served on double corn tortillas, they're packed with protein and self-serve add-ons that include raw and sautéed onions, cilantro, lime, two different salsas, radish and roasted jalapeños. Don Carlos recently added a second deal: 99-cent al pastor tacos on Saturdays — quite the steal for a premium business day. Expect a line, but it moves quickly, as the team has really honed its skills over the past few months.

5216 Marshall Street, Arvada

Best Den-Mex Eats at a Bar

Brewery Bar II

Kenzie Bruce

Brewery Bar has a long history in Denver. It was founded by Abe Shur in 1954 at the Tivoli Brewery — hence the name. In 1974, Shur moved it to Kalamath Street, and it was purchased by current owner Doug Lundstrom in 1994, who added Brewery Bar III in Lone Tree in 2003. Last year, we got a scare when that outpost shut down, but Lundstrom assured panicked fans that the OG spot wouldn't be going away anytime soon. And it's a good thing, because the fiery, red-hued green chile here is some of the best in town, especially when smothering Den-Mex favorites like crispy chiles rellenos and Mexican hamburgers.

Best Budget-Friendly Mexican Restaurant

Taqueria La Familia

Taqueria La Familia falls into the "If you know, you know" category — and north Denver knows. This twelve-year-old location is owned by a father (Freddy) from Zacatecas and his sister, daughter and son, and it's the family's celebration of the vibrant flavors of Mexico. You'll find a humble interior with just four tables, but if you're looking for cozy, authentic food with lots of vegetarian and gluten-free options, this is the perfect spot — especially on a sunny patio day or when you're grabbing food to go. You'll always be greeted warmly with complimentary chips and two kinds of salsa while you peruse the menu of smothered burritos ($8.99), fajitas ($14.99), taco plates (five for $11.99) and more, plus breakfast plates that start at $6.99.

2642 West 32nd Avenue
303-433-2332

Best Tacos Árabes

El Sampa Taqueria Bar

Family owned and operated, El Sampa Taqueria Bar has been serving authentic Mexican cuisine for twelve years. With an extensive menu of tacos, tortas, burritos and other Mexican staples, there's something here for everyone. But El Sampa also has something you don't typically find at other spots: the elusive tacos árabes. This specialty was created by Middle Eastern immigrants in Mexico and mirror the shawarma tradition, made with thinly sliced, spit-roasted pork seasoned with cumin and oregano and a spicy chipotle sauce on a thick flour tortilla that's reminiscent of pita. We can't get enough of them.

  • 2321 W. Evans Ave., Denver, 80223 Map

Best Machetes

Machetes Gourmet

Broc Smith

Jossy Flores grew up in Zacatecas, Mexico, where she loved eating machetes — a long, folded masa shell crisped up on a flat-top and filled with your choice of meat or vegetables and cheese. It was a dish that she didn't see any other food trucks doing, so she launched Machetes Gourmet. What truly makes these Mexico City-style machetes special is the housemade masa shell, which is perfectly thin and crispy — not the thicker, cake-like ones used by some restaurants in town. If you're having trouble choosing which filling to go with, don't worry: There's so much tortilla real estate to work with, you can get yours half-and-half.

machetesgourmet.com

Best Carnitas

Mi Tierra Caliente

Tony White

Since opening last May, Mi Tierra Caliente has amassed a loyal following that spreads far beyond its Arvada address. Many diners come specifically for the carnitas, delectable slow-cooked pork that's simmered in oil for hours. This delicacy hails from the Mexican state of Michoacán, the home of co-owners Ayax Silva and two longtime friends, sisters Sandra and Fernanda Calderon. For years, they sold their carnitas directly to friends out of Sandra's garage, but both demand and ambitions grew, leading them to open their first restaurant, where they continue to serve up the specialty — just with more space and a lot more clients. Whether you get the carnitas in a taco for lunch or by the kilo to go on Sundays, it doesn't get any better than this.

Best Take-Home Flour Tortillas

Panaderia San Antonio

If you're rolling out of bed for Mexican pastries or stocking up on telera bread for a feast of homemade tortas, Panaderia San Antonio is a solid bet in southwest Denver. Fruit-filled empanadas, pig-shaped marranito cookies and brightly colored conchas fill shelf after shelf for shoppers armed with plastic trays and metal tongs. But a stop at the crowded little shop isn't complete without a bag or two of fresh-made flour tortillas, tinted pale amarillo from lard and dotted with dark blisters from the hot comal. These are soft and chewy, but not puffy like supermarket tortillas, and they're perfect warmed and slathered in butter or rolled into a breakfast burrito awaiting its bath of green chile.

facebook.com/panaderiasanantonio

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