Eight Places to Warm Up With French Onion Soup

On a snowy day (or any day, really), nothing is quite as good as a piping hot bowl of French onion soup. Rich broth paired with melty cheese is the kind of comforting combo that will make you forget all about how many layers you need to put on before you can step outside.

Here are eight of our favorite places for a French onion soup fix in Denver:

Bistro Vendôme
2267 Kearney Street
303-825-3232
After moving out of its longtime spot in Larimer Square on New Year's Day 2023, this French eatery has settled nicely into its new home in Park Hill, where it debuted last February. French onion soup has long been a staple on the menu, and this current iteration is an herb-forward, beefy broth topped with broiled Gruyère over crunchy croutons.
Brasserie Brixton
3701 Williams Street
720-617-7911
This unstuffy neighborhood eatery is hardly French in the traditional sense, with a playful menu that takes cues from around the world. The offerings change often, but there are a few staples, including the French onion soup, which doesn't stray from the classic preparation. It leans on the sweet side and comes topped with a slice of bread completely covered with a mix of Swiss and Gruyère cheeses. Pair it with a baguette and butter for an indulgent comfort-food fix.
Bull & Bush Brewery
4700 Cherry Creek Drive South
303-759-0333
This English-style pub is over fifty years old, and part of its longtime appeal is that its food is as good as its selection of brews. Along with Colorado-style mashed potatoes smothered in green chile and prime rib, the French onion soup is a customer favorite. It offers a slight twist on the traditional take, with a pile of crispy fried onion strings atop the Gruyère cheese. Pair it with a Man Beer or Stonehenge Stout at a table by the fire for a completely cozy escape.  Chop Shop Casual Urban Eatery
Three metro Denver locations
Chef/owner Clint Wagness has grown his upscale, fast-casual concept to three locations, with outposts in Lowry, Broomfield and on South Broadway in Englewood. A staple through the years, though, is the Onion Bliss soup, which he makes using a sous vide method, vacuum-sealing and cooking onions in a low-temperature water bath to coax out every last ounce of flavor as they are slowly caramelized over 72 hours. It's served with a thick layer of bubbly Gruyère studded with herbs with crostini on the side rather than wallowing in the broth, which is rich, sweet and umami-packed.

Jacques
3200 Tejon Street
720-925-2332
Jacques opened in September 2023 in the former LoHi SteakBar space. The classic bistro with an elegant edge comes from a trio of owners: Simon Rochez, who is originally from France and helped open many notable local restaurants, including Le Bilboquet in Cherry Creek; CFO William Steck; and Brasserie Brixton co-founder Nicholas Dalton, who is the executive chef. As at Brasserie Brixton, the French onion soup here quickly became a fast favorite. The vegetarian version is topped with a melty layer of mixed cheeses, including Gruyère and Emmentaler. This dish is also on the happy hour menu for just $10.
Le French
4901 South Newport Street
720-710-8963
846 Albion Street
303-558-0875
We love this spot for the Senegalese spin it puts on many dishes, but both locations also do excellent renditions of straightforward French classics. The French onion soup is made with vegetable broth loaded with caramelized onions and then topped with baguette croutons and Gruyère.
Pony Up
1808 Blake Street
720-710-8144
We appreciate Pony Up for many reasons, including its selection of French dips and the fact that you can order them until 1 a.m. (2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays). the current menu includes not only straight-up French onion soup, but also a dip inspired by it that is loaded with roast beef, Gruyère, thyme and crispy onions and served with French onion au jus. Oui, oui!
ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro
1555 Blake Street
303-353-5223
YumCha
1520 16th Street
1691 Raleigh Street
303-997-6680
Chef/owner Lon Symensma's French tribute to Chinese xiaolong bao is one of the most celebrated dishes in Denver. The little packages pack all the goodness of French onion soup into expertly folded wrappers for a truly satisfying bite. The trick to making these soup dumplings? The oniony broth is cooked down and enriched to the point that it forms a gelatin when chilled, allowing it to be scooped onto circles of dough — along with pungent Gruyère — before being sealed with pinched pleats. A few minutes of steam liquefies the soup inside the delicate pouches so that they burst on your tongue in a cascade of savory sweetness. Now you can also get a taste of these at the two locations of Symensma's more casual dumpling concept, YumCha, which has locations next door to ChoLon downtown and in Central Park and offers an endless soup dumpling special from 5 p.m. to sold out on Wednesdays.