The Duffeyroll Cafe started out as a pushcart on the 16th Street Mall and opened its first permanent cafe in Happy Canyon on Hampden Avenue in 1986, turning out the flaky, buttery cinammon-smacked breakfast treats Denver has embraced as an icon of the city's unique culinary offerings. Expanding slowly over the years to its current four locations, Duffyroll also offers muffins, breakfast sandwiches and light lunch fare, but the coils of crisp, sweet perfection are what keep us coming back.
See also: Duffeyroll Cafe is on a roll, with a new store off the 16th Street Mall
Duffyrolls come in six varieties: original — with a belly button of crunchy cinnamon sugar, orange, Irish cream (the one with the emerald sprinkles), maple, English toffee, and vanilla pecan. They're small enough — especially the minis — that you can try more than one; we're partial to the original and the orange-glazed.If Duffeyrolls had been created in the current decade, they'd probably be called "cro-cinnamon rolls," owing to the layered dough that's more akin to French pastry than the standard bready Midwestern monsters. Light, delicate and only slightly chewy, a Duffeyroll or two (or three) are made for sunny mornings with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. But you'll also find them furtively smuggled into cubicle warrens in offices around town — furtive because cinnamon-savvy desk jockeys aren't about to let the secret out to the rest of the floor.
In advance of the Best of Denver 2015, we're already loading our plates with contenders for the best dishes in the city. And over the next nine months, we'll be sharing many of them with you, counting down (in no particular order) one hundred of our favorite dishes before the the Best of Denver 2015 hits the streets on March 26. In the meantime, if there's a dish you think we need to try, tell us about it in the comments section below, or shoot us an e-mail at [email protected].
Hungry for more? All the dishes in our 2014 countdown are linked below.
No. 100: Chile Relleno at La Fiesta No. 99: Gurage Kitfo at Megenagna Ethiopian Restaurant No. 98: Cochinita Pibil at Work & Class No. 97: The Greggers Tongue Sandwich at Olive & Finch No 96: Baum Cakes at Glaze by Sasa No. 95: Goat hot pot from Viet's No 94: Head cheese from Beast + Bottle No. 93: Kettle Chips from Amerigo Delicatus No. 92: Pork Belly Confit at Solera Restaurant and Wine Bar No. 91: Tacos Campechanos from La Calle Taqueria No. 90: Biscuits from Denver Biscuit Co. No. 89: Clams and Chorizo at Gozo No. 88: Aburi Sushi at Sushi Den and Izakaya Den No. 87: Kimchi and Sausage Torta at City, O' City No. 86: Mar y Tierra Molcajete at Paxia No. 85: Crispy Pork Spare Ribs at Table Top No. 84: Chips and Dip at Euclid Hall No. 83: Chile Relleno Burrito at El Taco de Mexico No. 82: Scallop Crudo at Stoic & Genuine No. 81: Ceylon Curry Dosa at Khazana No. 80: The Lambada Torta at La Torteria No. 79: Pork Bulgogi at Dae Gee No. 78: the Pulled Pork Pig Pen Sandwich at Boney's No. 77: IPA Mac & Cheese at Hops & Pie No. 76: Chiles en Nogada at Chili Verde No. 75: Udon Noodle Bowl at Bones
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