Best Entree to Order If You Actually Get Into Casa Bonita 2024 | Taco Salad | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Entree to Order If You Actually Get Into Casa Bonita

Taco Salad

Molly Martin

"Change nothing, improve everything." That was the motto behind South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone's revamp of the famed pink palace, which turns fifty this year. The results were revealed in June 2023, when it opened at long last — sort of. In order to get in, you still need to sign up for the email list and wait for an invite to show up in your inbox. But the wait is worth it. Casa Bonita 2.0 is a nostalgic delight, and so is the taco salad. For years, it was the safest option available, and while all the new entrees are vast improvements over the former canned-cheese-laden choices, something just feels right about eating out of a fried tortilla bowl while watching the cliff divers and posing for photos with ManBearPig.

Best Place to Drink If You Can't Get Into Casa Bonita

Lakewood Grill

Molly Martin

This bar, which officially poured its first drinks in 1951, has been around since before Lakewood even became a city (that happened in 1969) and pre-dates Casa Bonita by decades. It's well worn, just like the eatertainment spot was before its reboot, and is the kind of place where regulars randomly break out into sing-alongs and the bartenders really do know everyone's name. Plus, it also has some famed foods of its own, including solid green chile and a few unexpected bar snacks like deep-fried Tutu Rolls filled with ground pork, bean thread noodles, carrots, Chinese mushrooms and onions.

Best New Food Trend

The Bagel Revolution

Molly Martin

For a decade, Rosenberg's has been the local gold standard for people craving East Coast-style bagels, but in 2023, some competition emerged when D.C.-born Call Your Mother arrived in the Mile High. Next came Rich Spirit, a Wheat Ridge shop from the owner of Bakery Four where the naturally leavened bagels offer a different and delicious take on this breakfast favorite. Soon, New Jersey native Miles Odell will open Odell's Bagels, adding yet another option to the mix. We're here for all of it: Bring on the bagel revolution!

Best No-Frills Breakfast Burrito

20th Street Mexican Cafe

Teague Bohlen

The Okuno family had run the 20th Street Cafe since 1946 before the pandemic pushed up the owners' retirement plans. The beloved downtown eatery sat empty until last April, when the family that had formerly run Tarahumara in a Colfax strip mall brought the cafe back, with a new focus on Mexican fare. There are no fancy tricks used in the eatery's breakfast burrito — it's a straightforward take with tender, thick slices of potatoes, scrambled eggs and meat of your choice. Handhelds are available, but we prefer this baby smothered in a generous amount of cheese and 20th Street's bright-orange-hued green chile, which has just a bit of heat and a whole lot of flavor.

Best Vegan Breakfast Burrito

January Coffee

The metro area has a lot of breakfast burrito options, but plant-based versions are hard to come by. Among the few spots that cater to the vegan crowd, many add health-forward ingredients like kale and black beans, which don't quite hit the spot in the same way. But January Coffee understands that vegan breakfast burritos don't need to be fussy or nutrient-dense. Rather, it dishes out a toasted flour tortilla filled with plant-based Just Egg, Impossible sausage, tater tots, vegan cheddar, chipotle aioli, and green chile with the perfect amount of heat. Pair it with any of several espresso beverages; almond and oat milks don't cost extra here.

Best Waffles

Stowaway Kitchen

Stowaway

Stowaway's name is a playful homage to the travels of its owners, wife-and-husband team Amy Cohen and Hayden Barnie, as well as their distinct cultures: Cohen is half Japanese and Barnie hails from New Zealand. Here you'll find an eclectic, mostly healthy-leaning menu of breakfast and lunch offerings that you can enjoy in a light, bright and breezy space in RiNo. For those craving something sweet, rotating waffle flavors celebrating the bounty of Colorado's fruit seasons is sure to satisfy. Last fall, Stowaway dished out its hearty heirloom grain sourdough waffles with kabocha pumpkin mousse and candied walnuts. In the late summer, there were plum, almond and meringue waffles. If that's any indication of what's to come this year, we can't wait.

Best Brunch With No Wait

Tacos, Tequila, Whiskey

In a city where brunch lines can feel more like waiting at the DMV, one of the best-kept secrets is the weekend menu at Tacos, Tequila, Whiskey. The recently renovated Highland spot known for its gringo take on Mexican street food has a simple five-taco brunch and an even simpler process for getting a seat: Just show up. We love an extra side of the gooey green-chile Hollandaise over the crispy carnitas on the Pinche Hash and the just-spicy-enough Bloody Mary mix — and everything tastes even better when getting a table takes seconds instead of hours.

Best New Coffee Shop

Glissade Coffee Company

Glissade Coffee opened in early 2023 and has quickly established itself as a go-to neighborhood hangout. Owner Sean Harwin learned the trade of roasting coffee in Seattle before moving to Denver and setting up his own operation, then building out a cafe around it. Named for the act of sliding down a snowy mountainside (on your feet if you're coordinated, on your butt if you're not), Glissade encourages customers to get outside — there's even a weekly run club. All of its drinks are made with house-roasted beans, and small bites pair well with the limited beer and wine menu.

Best Black Coffee

Crema Coffee House

Since 2014, Crema has offered a lot of ways to enjoy black coffee — drip, pour-over, as an americano or iced — each perfect in its own way. That's because it sources its offerings from over 22 different roasters, both local and national, each selected for the flavor profile and brew method. The straightforward coffee is complemented by an inventive food menu, with hearty brunch dishes and fresh pastries made in-house daily. Feel free to add cream and sugar to your cup, but we recommend trying it black first — you might be surprised by how naturally sweet and flavorful the coffee is on its own.

Best Colombian Coffee Shop

LaTinto Café

In 2021, Jorge Aguirre moved his La Chiva Colombian Cuisine across the street to a larger space, but he held on to the lease of the original location and turned it into LaTinto. The coffee options here are made using single-origin beans that are sourced directly from independent Colombian farms and roasted in Colorado. Try the LaTinto Specialty, a latte sweetened with panela and cinnamon, or a campesino with aguapanela, sugarcane that comes in a solid form and is then boiled down. The cafe also offers a variety of pastries along with options like caldo de costilla (a traditional beef and potato stew) and buñuelos (fried fritters made with cheese, cornstarch and yuca flour).

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