CU South Denver

The Wildlife Experience — now part of CU South Denver — is an art and natural history museum that is home to an impressive wildlife art collection and interactive, educational displays including Globeology, Science on a Sphere and special exhibits. Featuring large format films in the Movie Theater.

Luigi’s Italian Restaurant

The Littleton location of the Luigi’s brotherhood (the other restaurant is in Aurora) features photos of celebs such as Marlon Brando with fake testimonials (“Your lasagne is to die for,” Don Corleone wrote), and shelves on the painted exposed-brick walls that overflow with old clocks, plastic flowers and Chianti baskets. During the day, this Luigi’s […]

Wingin’ It

This little storefront sports bar is the only local eatery serving fried Twinkies, a cardiologist’s nightmare. Sure, it makes other things — good chicken wings, for example, with an ungodly number of sauces (47, if you want to be specific) — but the fried Twinkies (and candy bars and bananas and funnel cake) are reason […]

Taste of Philly

The original six-seater takeout place on Colorado Boulevard was founded by a guy from Pennsylvania, and even though Taste of Philly is now owned by folks from South Jersey, they still know how to make a real Philadelphia cheesesteak. All in all, it’s a perfect sandwich in every way. As an added bonus, there’s a […]

Venice Ristorante

While owner Alessandro Carollo’s restaurant in LoDo gets most of the attention, his Venice in Englewood is almost always packed – and with good reason. Once you walk in the door of this elegant restaurant, it’s easy to forget that you’re in a strip mall. The surroundings are sumptuous, with white linen on every table […]

Brothers BBQ

A born-and-bred Colorado chain founded by the British O’Sullivan brothers in 1998, Brothers offers everything a traditional barbecue joint must: ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken and hot links, to be slathered with any of the array of homemade sauces. You can order those meats on sandwiches or in plate specials, family packs or even by […]

Mi Cocina

Inside this unassuming but very brightly painted, salmon-toned building, the Sierra family makes fabulous Mexican food. The pork carnitas are melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and the guacamole is always freshly mashed. Our favorite, though, is the crispy chile relleno, a poblano stuffed with Jack cheese and deep-fried, then buried under a blanket of fiery green chile.

Pesce Fresco

This charming, Italian-themed wine bar has wonderful food to match its extensive, reasonably priced wine list. The emphasis is on quality ingredients and rich sauces that pay off big-time on the pasta and fish entr

Tokyo Joe’s

Tokyo Joe’s is all about fast-food Japanese done well. The food really does arrive fast, and the rice bowls are cheap, nutritious and delicious. (Best-bowl honors go to the mahi-mahi bowl, served with lemongrass and macadamia nuts.) Check out the sushi, too: It’s starter sushi consisting almost entirely of rolls, but in a welcome twist, […]

Tokyo Joe’s

Tokyo Joe’s is all about fast-food Japanese done well. The food really does arrive fast, and the rice bowls are cheap, nutritious and delicious. (Best-bowl honors go to the mahi-mahi bowl, served with lemongrass and macadamia nuts.) Check out the sushi, too: It’s starter sushi consisting almost entirely of rolls, but in a welcome twist, […]

Tokyo Joe’s

Tokyo Joe’s is all about fast-food Japanese done well. The food really does arrive fast, and the rice bowls are cheap, nutritious and delicious. (Best-bowl honors go to the mahi-mahi bowl, served with lemongrass and macadamia nuts.) Check out the sushi, too: It’s starter sushi consisting almost entirely of rolls, but in a welcome twist, […]

Tonti’s Italian Restaurant

Tonti’s does not do a standard New York thin-crust pizza. The crust here has been allowed to rise slightly, the bone swelling to at least a blistered inch high. The sauce is sweet, East Coast-style, and the mozzarella cheese a delicious jacket melted thick and unevenly across the slightly chewy crust. Topped with a shake […]

CJ’s Frozen Custard

Soft-serve never tasted so good. CJ’s is a casual mom-and-mom spot run by local neighbors who create three flavors of frozen custard daily, along with sandwiches.

Mimi’s Cafe

Tucked behind Park Meadows Mall, this is a family place that scores high with both kids and parents with its activity-filled menus, inviting atmosphere and top-notch food for all ages. The California-based chain offers a great chicken pot pie, pot roast, salmon and, perhaps best of all, triple-croissant bread pudding for dessert.

California Pizza Kitchen

California Pizza Kitchen originated in Beverly Hills in 1985, riding the “California cuisine” wave that would come to define the culinary decade; the company now boasts 250 locations of casual sit-down eateries with modern, neutral decor and a casual-yet-upscale feel. A pioneer of envelope-pushing fusion pizzas, the chain claims to have invented the now-ubiquitous barbecue […]

The Original Pancake House

The Original Pancake House isn’t your average chain restaurant: It’s been family-owned (with that family now into its third generation) since 1953. In that time, it’s won a James Beard award for outstanding regional restaurant, and racked up minor kudos and baubles everywhere it goes. Every kitchen makes its own batters and its own sauces, […]