See also: - Best of Denver 2013 Readers' Poll: The first round of Shopping & Services finalists - Denver's ten best sushi restaurants - Denver's five best expense-account restaurants
The finalists listed below are by no means shoe-ins -- meaning that in the next (and final) round of voting, you can either vote for your favorite finalist or start over with a completely different entry. The final deadline for both print and online voting is 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20, at which point we'll close the poll and calculate the results one last time. You'll be able to read both Westword and Readers' Poll winners when our annual Best of Denver issue hits stands on March 28.
In the meantime, let us know what you think of the first-round finalists in the comments section below. And don't forget to vote! Note: If a category is "new" (Best New Restaurant, for example), limit your answers to restaurants that opened in 2012.
The standings as of Monday, February 24:
Best bakery: Denver Bread Company Buffalo Doughboy The Shoppe Wooden Spoon Cafe & Bakery Happy Cakes
Best pancakes: Snooze The Original Pancake House DJ's Berkley Cafe Jelly IHOP
Best chicken and waffles: Pink Tank Euclid Hall Steuben's Vegan Van Lola
Best brunch buffet: Dazzle Brown Palace Hotel The Broadmoor (Colorado Springs) Washington Park Grille NoNo's Cafe
Best burrito: Diego Zhang's DJ's Berkeley Cafe Breakfast King Santiago's Mexican Restaurant Sam's No. 3
Best breakfast burrito -- to go: Santiago's Tacos Rapidos Jalapeno's Bubba Chinos Gomez
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Best ice cream: Sweet Action Little Man Ice Cream Sweet Cow Scrumptious Bonnie Brae
Best food truck: Pink Tank Eighty Ate Slyderman Vegan Van Uncle Fred's Franks
Best food cart: Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs Taste of the Philippines Slyderman Hey PB&J Caveman Cafeteria
Best restaurant patio: Linger Lola My Brother's Bar Ace Denver Beer Co.
Best rooftop patio: The Tavern Downtown Linger The Fainting Goat LoDo's Bar & Grill The Irish Rover
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Best chef: Alex Seidel (Fruition) Jennifer Jasinski (Rioja and Bistro Vendome) Frank Bonanno (Osteria Marco, Bones, Luca) Troy Guard (TAG) Matt Selby (Corner House)
Best bartender: Tim Harris (Jax Fish House) Kyle Knox Josh Burbank (Jax Fish House) Cody Floyd (Arvada Beer) Gerald Collier (Corner House)
Best new bar: Punch Bowl - Social Food & Drink Sidewinder TRVE Brewing Corner House Arvada Beer Company
Best new brewery-tap room: River North Brewery Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew TRVE Brewing Arvada Beer Company Renegade Brewing
Best new brewery-tap room -- beer: TRVE Brewing Denver Beer Co. Black Shirt Brewing River North Brewery Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew
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Best new brewery-tap room -- ambience: TRVE Brewing Denver Beer Co. Renegade Brewing Arvada Beer Company Black Shirt Brewing
Best draft beer list: Falling Rock Tap House Denver Beer Co. Renegade Brewing Yard House Hops & Pie
Best bottle beer list: Freshcraft Falling Rock Tap House Old Chicago The Kitchen Denver The Cheeky Monk
Best wine bar: Indulge The Village Cork Cru Caveau Silver Vines Winery
Best contemporary cocktail bar: Williams & Graham The Cruise Room Green Russell Corner House Forest Room 5
Best barrel-aged cocktail: Vesta Dipping Grill Bittersweet Williams & Graham Wazee Supper Club Root Down
Best martini: The Cruise Room Martini's Bistro The Robusto Room The Capital Grille Green Russell
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Best Bloody Mary bar: Max's Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar The Hornet Dazzle Restaurant & Lounge The Tavern Uptown
Best margarita: Lola Pinche Taqueria Rio Grande Wahoo's El Noa Noa
Best sandwich shop: Cheba Hut Snarf's Fat Jack's Supersubs Masterpiece Delicatessen Drew's Deli
Best vegetarian restaurant: City, O' City WaterCourse Foods Vegan Van Eden The Garden
Best veggie burger: Ted's Montana Grill Root Down Diego Zhang's Vine Street Pub & Brewery Highland Tap and Burger
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Best burger: Hamburger Mary's Park Burger Cherry Cricket Elway's My Brother's Bar
Best french fries: Ted's Montana Grill Park Burger TAG Burger Bar Smashburger Manneken Frites
Best fried pickles: Eighty Ate City, O' City Governor's Park Fire on the Mountain TAG
Best hot dog: Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs Steve's Snappin' Dogs Mustard's Last Stand Mile High Vienna Stand Uncle Fred's Franks
Best barbecue: Moe's Original BBQ Brothers BBQ Brickyard BBQ Big Papa's BBQ Yazoo Barbeque Company
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Best fried chicken: Carrie's Place Steuben's White Fence Farm Popeye's KFC
Best wings: Fire on the Mountain Wingman Big Hoss Bar-B-Q Piper Inn Buffalo Wild Wings
Best macaroni and cheese: Steuben's The Hornet Hops & Pie Dazzle Restaurant & Lounge Big Hoss Bar-B-Q
Best pizza: Slice Works Hops & Pie Lucky Pie Pizza & Taphouse Sexy Pizza Beau Jo's
Best specialty pizza: Slice Works Hops & Pie Basic Kneads Mellow Mushroom Fired Up
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Best spaghetti and meatballs: Gaetano's Citygrille Patsy's Carmine's Maggiano's
Best Italian restaurant: Maggiano's Gaetano's Il Posto Carmine's Luca D'Italia
Best taqueria: Pinche Taqueria El Taco de Mexico Tacos Jalisco Tacos y Salsas Baja Fresh
Best free chips and salsa: Lola Rio Grande Benny's Restaurante y Cantina Blue Bonnet El Camino
Best green chile: El Taco de Mexico Pinche Taqueria Tacos y Salsas El Camino Blue Bonnet
Best red chile: Little Anita's El Taco de Mexico Lola Santiago's Rocky Mountain Chili Bowl
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Best nachos: Rio Grande Governor's Park Cap City Tavern Illegal Pete's Old Chicago
Best steak house: The Keg Elway's Morton's Ted's Montana Grill Texas Roadhouse
Best seafood restaurant: Jax Fish House Ocean Prime Oceanaire Lola McCormick's
Best sushi: Sushi Den Sushi Sasa Sushi Hai Izakaya Den Blue Fin Sushi Den
Best Japanese restaurant: Domo Sushi Den Izakaya Den Amu Sake Bar & Restaurant Sushi Sasa
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Best Chinese restaurant: Imperial P.F. Chang's Ming's Dynasty Tea Garden Star Kitchen
Best dim sum: Star Kitchen Ace China Jade Imperial Empress Seafood
Best Vietnamese restaurant: New Saigon Parallel Seventeen Pho on 6th Saigon Bowl Pho 95
Best Thai restaurant: Phat Thai Wild Ginger Thai Basil US Thai Cafe Spicy Basil
Best Indian restaurant: Little India Yak and Yeti Namaste Masala Jai Ho
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Best Colorado snack Goldfish and cheetos Rocky Mountain Oysters beer Noosa Yoghurt green chile
Best new coffee house Weathervane Cafe Happy Coffee Roostercat Coffee House Pablo's on Pennsylvania Black Eye Coffee Shop
Best eggs benedict: Snooze DJ's Berkeley Cafe Jelly Wild Eggs Corner House
Best lunch under $5: Slyderman Santiago's Tacos Rapidos Taste of the Philippines Uncle Fred's Franks
Best dinner under $10: Wahoo's Fish Taco Pho-Natic Masterpiece Delicatessen Chipotle Odelay Tacos
Best expense-account dinner: Vesta Dipping Grill Sushi Den Zengo Linger Fruition
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Best pie: Humble Pie The Shoppe Village Inn Wednesday's Pie Mermaid's
Best milkshake: Sweet Cow Steuben's Scrumptious H Burger Sweet Action
Best restaurant for a first date: Steuben's Z Cuisine Linger Root Down Corner House
Best restaurant for a break-up: Taco Bell Lola Ace Tamayo Racine's
Best after-midnight menu: Pete's Kitchen Fat Jack's Supersubs Tom's Urban 24 Fat Sully's Sputnik
Best 24/7 restaurant: Tom's Urban 24 Pete's Kitchen Denver Diner McCoy's Restaurant Waffle House
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Best diner: Tom's Diner Pete's Kitchen Denver Diner Mama's Cafe Tom's Urban 24
Best chef's counter: TAG|RAW Bar Ace Bones Uncle Charcoal
Best late-afternoon happy hour: Lou's Food Bar Lola Lucky Pie Pizza & Tap House Corner House Elway's Downtown
Best late-night happy hour: Mezcal The Fainting Goat Irish Snug Corner House Sputnik
Best dive bar: P.S. Lounge hi-dive Don's Club Tavern Candlelight Tavern Local 46
Best tap room glassware: Black Shirt Brewing River North Brewery TRVE Brewing Arvada Beer Company Prost Brewing
Best brewpub: Vine street Pub & Brewery West Flanders Brewing Wynkoop Brewing Company Breckenridge Brewery Dad & Dudes Breweria
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Best wine by the glass: Row 14 Solera Cru Rioja Lala's
Best wine shop: Silver Vines Argonaut Mondo Vino Applejack Divino
Best salad bar: Mad Greens Fourleaf Chopped Salads Sweet Tomatoes ModMarket Souper Salad
Best vegetarian dish in a non-vegetarian restaurant: Little India Rioja Jerusalem Twelve Euclid Hall
Best fried rice: Benihana Mt. Fuji P.F. Chang's Wokano Swing Thai
Best neighborhood Italian restaurant: Gaetano's Undici Ristorante Shells & Sauce Carmine's Cafe Jordano
Best salsa bar: Tacos Y Salsas Lola Baja Fresh Diego's Rubio's
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Best vegetarian green chile: Diego's Rocky Mountain Chili Bowl Wynkoop Brewing Company Little Anita's Santiago's
Best cheap steak: Texas Roadhouse Columbine Steakhouse LoHi SteakBar Outback Steakhouse Simms Steakhouse
Best noodle bar: Uncle Bones Oshima Ramen of America Pho on 6th Lao Wang Noodle House
Best Korean restaurant: Shin Sa Dong Seoul BBQ Uoki Dae Gee Han Kang
Best Central/South American restaurant: Cafe Brazil Limon Empanada Express Grill Buenos Aires Cebiche
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Best Ethiopian restaurant: Mataam Fez The Nile Arada Queen of Sheba Ras Kassa's
Best Middle Eastern restaurant: Jerusalem Damascus Ali Baba Grill Marrakech Grill Sahara
Best German restaurant: Golden Europe Cafe Berlin Helga's Karl's Deli Uber Sausage
Best French restaurant: Le Central Bistro Vendome Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar Mizuna Z Cuisine
Best neighborhood restaurant: Steuben's Corner House Highland Tap and Burger Ted's Montana Grill Hops & Pie
Best sports bar for watching games: Stoney's Blake Street Tavern Swinger's Sports Column Three Lions
Best sports bar for playing games: 1UP Blake Street Tavern Wynkoop Three Dogs Punch Bowl - Social Food & Drink
Best sports bar for food and drink: Stoney's Tailgate Tavern and Grill Three Lions Buffalo Wild Wings Swinger's
Best new restaurant: The Populist Grillin' Wings & Things Ace Corner House True Food Kitchen
Best restaurant neighborhood: Highland Cherry Creek South Pearl Uptown LoDo
It's your turn to weigh in! Vote for one of these finalists -- or any other favorite -- in the second (and final) round of the Best of Denver 2013 Readers' Poll.
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