Westbound & Down Brewing Company

Westbound & Down is a brewpub that's worth leaving Denver for, whether you're drinking or not. It deals in sports-bar classics — nachos, pretzels, chili and burgers — and each dish is executed by an exacting hand, resulting in a menu that's elevated in quality but not unnecessarily fancified. This food is immensely comforting, and ideal for pairing with an IPA after a hike or a day on the slopes. Friendly bartenders will set you right, plotting you a course through a trough of green-chile cheese fries littered with pork shoulder and a buffalo burger paved with white cheddar. We never miss the hot fried chicken, either: The poultry comes peppered with lip-tickling spice and sided with a fluffy buttermilk biscuit plus one additional side. Get the mac and cheese: The classic spirals in creamy cheddar are the platonic ideal of the version you loved as a kid.