The Best Late-Night Food Available After Midnight

Nearly five years after bars and restaurants were forced to close because of the pandemic, effectively taking out the nightlife scene — and late-night dining along with it — people are going out again. And someone has to feed them.

Yes, we've lost pretty much every 24/7 joint (RIP, Breakfast King and the Denver Diner), and those that remain continue to have limited hours. But more and more eateries are staying open later, looking to capture a crowd that's hungry once again for 1 a.m. munchies.

For the past several years, 24/7 Mexican drive-thrus have been the savior for those with late-night cravings, and we couldn't have gotten through without them. Sometimes, though, you want to sit down inside a restaurant at 1 a.m. and scarf French dips or gyros or fries loaded with chicken masala. And you can.

What is open in Denver after midnight? Here are our current favorite go-to's:

Caddywampus Comfort Foods
3126 Larimer Street
Open 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Sunday
Serving out of RiNo bar Gold Point, Caddywampus is all about playing with comfort foods, which is exactly the kind of fare we want to indulge in well after dark. It serves its entire menu until close — current options include Korean street corn dip and a chicken Caesar Crunchwrap.

Da Sauce
2907 Huron Street
720-328-8742
Open until 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday and 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday
Fans of Chicago tavern-style pies, take note. Da Sauce, our 2024 Best of Denver winner of Best Chicago-Style Eats, serves its thin, square-cut beauties late-night along with other staples such as Italian beefs, Chicago dogs and its own housemade ice cream if you're craving a sweet treat.
Funny Plus
2779 South Parker Road, Aurora
303-745-3477
Open 4 p.m. to midnight Sunday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday
This spot in the H Mart shopping center is known for its Korean fried chicken, but that's just one of the many dishes you can choose from; others include Korean barbecue and hibachi, and they're all served until it closes. The place is pretty low-key during earlier dinner hours, but the pop music playlist-fueled energy really turns up as the night gets darker and the soju flows.
Gaia Masala
609 Grant Street
720-779-0762
1530 Blake Street
303-993-2976
Both locations are open 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily
Our 2023 Best of Denver pick for Best French Fries also happens to be one of the only spots to grab late-night food in Cap Hill, and now it has a second location near Union Station. Its Indian fusion offerings represent some of the most fun food in town no matter what time you're eating. Of course, the masala-topped fries are a must, but you can also dig into straight-up Indian dishes, a smattering of Mediterranean entrees like falafel and shawarma, burgers topped with tikka masala sauce, and the neon-orange tikka masala cheesesteak.

Inga's Alpine Tavern
5151 Leetsdale Drive
720-389-6203
Open 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily
This kitschy bar serves a menu stacked with options after midnight every day of the week. The Bavarian plate with sausage and a soft pretzel is a favorite, as is the burger smothered with green chile, but Inga's serves everything from tacos and pizza to wings and fried pickles. If it's nice out, you can even enjoy your meal on the back patio — because fried food and fresh air are a combo that just hits different late-night.
Jerusalem Restaurant
1890 East Evans Avenue
303-777-8828
Open 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily
A longtime Middle Eastern staple near the University of Denver, Jerusalem used to shut down for just a few hours every day. When the pandemic hit, it scaled way back, but it's now pushing closing time later and later as the bar crowds return. Our go-to here is the Combination Super Plate, a feast that can serve two — or ensure that you have some leftover hummus, falafel and dolma to munch on in the morning. A few treats from the bakery case are never a bad call, either. 

Little India
330 East Sixth Avenue
303-871-9777
Open 24/7
Simeran Baidwan opened the first Little India with his parents in 1998 on East Sixth Avenue. Since then, he's continued to expand the business. Now the original is open all day and night, serving a full menu of masalas, kormas, curries and more.

Baidwan also recently expanded the hours at his Lil Coffea Shop which has a location in the nearby strip mall at 300 East Sixth Avenue as well as one at 2450 South Downing Street to 24/7. Offering more than just a caffeine fix, the shop also offers freshly baked pastries, sandwiches, pizza and specialties like a chicken tikka masala calzone.

Mario's Speakeasy Pizza
1410 Market Street
720-515-7571
Open until 2:30 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday and 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday
Mitchell Santee has been serving East Coast-style pies on Market Street since he launched Mario's Speakeasy Pizza from the kitchen inside Pour House in 2023. Now, he's taken over the entire bar, offering slices, wholes pies, wings and more with a promise to always be consistently open until after the booze stops flowing downtown.
My Brother's Bar
2376 15th Street
303-455-9991
Open 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday
The oldest watering hole in town (it opened as the Highland House in 1873, when Denver was just fifteen years old), My Brother's Bar is known for its deep history, lack of TVs and killer burgers. After cutting back hours during the pandemic, it finally brought late-night food back in March 2023 — at least on weekends. The condiment caddies are back, too, so stop in for a stiff drink and a jalapeño cream cheese-covered Johnny Burger.

Now Pho
1195 South Federal Boulevard
720-739-3939
Open 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday
After a 2023 remodel, Now Pho is back with not only flavorful traditional pho, but a lineup of dishes that are hard to find at other Vietnamese eateries around town, like its rice cake omelet, all of which are served past bar closing time on weekends.
Pete's Kitchen
1962 East Colfax Avenue
303-321-3139
Open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. Friday through 9 p.m. Sunday
While it’s only open 24 hours on weekends these days, Pete’s Kitchen remains a Denver classic. Unassuming, comfortable and reliable, it's been sobering up late-night revelers for decades and is the crown jewel of the late Pete Contos’s restaurant empire — which includes the Satire Lounge next door. On the menu: diner favorites and items with a Greek flair, from pancakes and omelets to chicken kabobs and the gyros melt. Pony Up
1808 Blake Street
720-710-8144
Kitchen open 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily
Since it opened in 2018, the mission of this LoDo bar and restaurant has remained the same: to provide a place for those in the restaurant industry to gather, drink and eat French dips and other hot, filling bites after work. But you don't have to be part of the industry to appreciate the spot, which is known for both delicious eats and stellar service — as well as an imposing portrait of owner Angela Neri’s dog done up as French royalty.  Thank Sool Pocha
2222 South Havana Street, Aurora
720-485-3682
Food is served 4 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Thursday through Sunday and 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday
Settling in for a meal at Thank Sool Pocha is just plain fun. The place is hopping, especially during its late-night hours, when groups of all ages are focused on knocking back tiny glasses of soju and digging into dishes that range from steamed sea snails and cow-stomach barbecue to tamer picks like mix-your-own rice balls, kimchi pancakes and Korean fried chicken.