Restaurants

Vesper Lounge, which replaced Lancer Lounge, is a good bar — but what has happened to Denver’s great dive bars?

Colin Argys began working at Turley’s Kitchen — the long-lived and much-loved Boulder eatery that’s scheduled to close for good at 3 p.m. this Sunday — in 2010, when he was still in college. “They were kind of the original health food restaurant in Boulder,” he says, “with a varied set…

If you’re looking for hot new restaurants or new offerings from familiar favorites, here are this week’s picks. We know Coloradans are clamoring for Hawaiian poke, so we checked out a tuna-and-rice bowl at a well-known sandwich shop that recently got a menu makeover. For the newest pizza joint in…

Yelp! A useful platform for crowd-sourced restaurant information, right? Or perhaps it’s just another online outlet for angry, hate-filled elitists to vent their ugly world views under the guise of a “review.” Feel free to show your worst self on Yelp or other online platforms; it’s just more entertainment for…

The stretch of Broadway between 10th and 13th avenues isn’t exactly known for its restaurants; the zone is more of a late-night clubland with a few fast-casuals scattered in between. But signs are up at 1134 Broadway, right next door to music venue City Hall, announcing the imminent arrival of…

Back in February, we mused over Denver’s sudden infatuation with Hawaiian poke, the glistening dish of diced fish and Pacific Rim flavors that was once the territory of sushi bars looking to use up less attractive cuts of tuna and salmon. But in just the past two months or so,…

With so many great restaurants to choose from, cash-strapped Denver newcomers — challenged with rising rents and skinny paychecks — are finding it hard to have a fun night out without blowing the bank. Twenty- Something for Twenty-Somethings will help you find hot destinations where you can enjoy cutting-edge cuisine…

When Elise Wiggins opened Cattivella in April, she made good on her lifelong goal to have her own restaurant. “Better late than never,” she jokes. At her new eatery in Stapleton, which features an open kitchen anchored by a wood-fired oven, she’s offering her signature take on Italian food, showcasing regional specialties seen infrequently here in the States.

Apollo Peak, the Denver-based maker of Cat Wine and its aptly named canine counterpart, Dog Wine, has a new product that will hit pet-store shelves this week. It’s called Fur Loco, and it’s kind of like an energy drink for your four legged-friends who have already graduated to the hard…

Brothers Kris and Jason Wallenta like to tell stories with food. Their first restaurant, Dos Santos Taqueria de Mexico (1475 East 17th Avenue), captures the flavors of their mom’s Mexico City upbringing. And their new venture, White Pie (1702 Humboldt Street), will serve wood-fired pizza in the style of their…

Opening chef Nicholas Petrilli is back at Gozo, the Italian/Spanish-inspired restaurant that opened in March 2014 at 30 South Broadway. He’s back, but he has a new boss: Curt Sims and his wife, Pam Savage Sims, familiar faces in Denver’s restaurant/club world for the past thirty years, took over the place a month ago, bringing lots of local connections to the concept.

The miles of Colfax Avenue stretching from the city center past the Denver-Aurora line maintain a certain chaotic character. But just off the main drag on the many north-south streets that weave together Denver’s neighborhoods — the warp to Colfax’s weft — the pace and flow of life feels drastically different, and restaurants have a slower, more neighborly pace.

Chef Amos Watts joined Justin Brunson’s Old Major team in January 2016, after opening Acorn in 2013 with owners Steve Redzikowski and Bryan Dayton. Watts recently departed Old Major for a new gig, so Brunson is promoting some young blood at his four-year-old LoHi eatery. William Mack, who was hired…

Today Chipotle has more than 3,000 locations around the world, but that original Chipotle remains a popular stop for University of Denver students, residents of the surrounding neighborhoods and tourists seeking a fat bite of fast-casual history. But history is about to change: the very first Chipotle will close its doors on Thursday, May 18, for a major renovation.

Zengo and La Guera just closed; this reader thinks chef/owner Richard Sandoval could use a refresher course in good service.

Restaurant critic Gretchen Kurtz takes restaurant reviewing seriously, so she always follows three important rules before pen ever hits paper (or fingers hit keyboard): She works anonymously, she eats at the restaurant she’s reviewing several times, and she waits at least three months after a place opens before going public…

If you’re looking for what’s new, what’s hot and what’s adventurous in the Denver dining scene, you’ve come to the right place. We’re scouring the city for the best bites in the most exciting or unexplored eateries for the weekly watch list. This week, we have two seafood dishes that…

Café Byblos Mediterranean Grill, at 400 Corona Street, has been a neighborhood staple since 2013, but recently it’s gotten a new lease on life. New owners, a completely new menu and a bit of a remodel have given the Greek/Lebanese cafe a cool new vibe. Cousins Yousef (Joe) and Justin…

Denver has been craving the creative confections of chef Ian Kleinman ever since he had to close the Inventing Room at 2201 Lawrence Street last fall. A four-day doughnut pop-up at Fruition last month sated our sweet tooth temporarily, but a person can only go so long without exploding whipped…

Dina Castillo has been working on overhauling the former Rosa Linda’s Cafe space at 2005 West 32nd Avenue for the better part of the year, and now she’s nearly ready to unveil her new Highland neighborhood eatery, Bremen’s Wine & Tap. One of the last steps before opening was hiring…