Bus It: Eat Your Way Down East Colfax on Route 15

During all of July and August, riders can take any bus and light rail line for free thanks to RTD's Zero Fare for Better Air program. Many of the routes traverse some of the city's best areas for eating and drinking, so we're breaking down some highlights. This week, take a ride on the 15 bus.

Route details: The 15 runs every eight to fifteen minutes, depending on the time of day, from Union Station to Aurora via East Colfax Avenue. The 15 Limited (15L) runs a similar schedule but goes farther west out of downtown and skips stops for a faster ride across town. See the full schedule for the 15.

Neighborhoods: Downtown, Capitol Hill, City Park West, East Colfax, Aurora

Where to eat and drink: Colfax is well known as the longest continuous commercial street in the country, and it's chock-full of restaurants as diverse as the people you'll see along the way. You can find food at nearly every stop, so we've rounded up some favorites.

There are a number of Colfax classics that all Denverites should hit between Race and Garfield Streets, including Bastien's Restaurant, famed for its sugar steak; Pete's Kitchen, which is one of the only 24-hour diners left in town — at least on weekends; Tommy's Thai; and PS Lounge, where all ladies still get a rose upon entering.
Looking for a unique pub crawl? There are a number of breweries along the busy line, including Bruz Off Fax (Josephine stop), Fiction Beer Company (Oneida), Lady Justice Brewing (Dayton) and Cerebral Brewing (Garfield), which also just opened a weekend pop-up taproom at the Dayton stop.

Although one longstanding Ethiopian staple, Axum on Colfax and Hudson, recently closed, there are still plenty of other options along the route for those craving the cuisine, including Ethiopian Restaurant (Josephine); Africana Restaurant and Cafe (Eudora); Abyssinia and Queen of Sheba (both at Glencoe); and, near the Quebec stop, Mesob and Lucy.

There are at least three Honduran restaurants, as well. Jump off at Uinta Street to visit Lempira, or at Beeler for Honduras Breeze. At the Syracuse stop is El Tamarindo, a festive little spot with a full bar and a huge menu that includes pollo guisado (a chicken stew), chuletas entomatadas (pork chops in creole sauce), carne asada (steak) and dishes served with sides of green banana chips, salads, rice and beans. Every table gets tortilla chips and salsa. Diners won't be disappointed by the shrimp cocktail, served in a huge cocktail glass with small shrimp floating in a gazpacho-like cold broth, served with avocado and saltine crackers. El Tamarindo's pupusas are warm and gooey, and one option is stuffed with loroco, an El Salvadoran flower that looks like a little green pod and tastes a bit like a sweet green chile.

El Tamarindo's bar serves the standard bar fare as well as some notable non-alcoholic drinks, like marañon (cashew water), papaya shakes and horchata. Guests can mix and match a six-beer bucket for $24, which is a fun option thanks to its selection of Mexican and Central American bottles.

At the corner of Colfax and Pearl, it is impossible to walk by without a whiff of Bourbon Grill, a chicken joint that has been in business for over 25 years, 21 of those on Colfax. The Bourbon Grill serves a simple menu, but that's how you know they do the little they do right. Chef and owner Lien Vo came up with the recipes over a six-month period, says her husband, Tom Leiber, who taste-tested them all. The grill used to serve sandwiches, but at the new location, which opened six years ago, the counter is too busy. Patrons get wings in five different sauce options, or a styrofoam clam of charbroiled bourbon, barbecue or blackened chicken with any number of sides. The sides include Asian options, like an egg roll or spicy noodles, and Southern sides, like Cajun potatoes or mac and cheese.

Another fun Colfax stop was Good Bread, a bakery and part-time pizza stop off the 15 at Cook Street. Tucked behind a parking lot on Colfax, Good Bread opens at 8 a.m. and serves bread and pastries through noon or until supplies run out, and they often do. As the website encourages, get there early! The pastry selection includes staples like croissants, baguettes and fat loaves of rye, and some rotating items based on the time of year, like in-season fruit Danishes. In March, Good Bread launched a twice-weekly pizza night that feels like a speakeasy for pizza pie. Guests can DM a reservation via Good Bread's Instagram (look for announcements) for the eat-in-only dining experience on Thursday or Friday nights. The dark, wood-covered dining room in this house-turned-restaurant adds to the exclusive feel. The menu includes garlic knots and a salad for apps, round pies and thicker square pizza by the slice, plus a selection of canned craft beers, wine and a few cocktails.

There are a number of diners still left along Colfax, but one of the most noticeable from the bus is the Ranch House Cafe. You can't miss it's classic Colfax-esque roadside sign, bright yellow with a lantern on top. There is a traditional diner bar and booths, a white board with specials that rotate as needed and good coffee in thick mugs. The fries come with a bit of seasoning, diners can order breakfast all day and the green chili is some of the best I've tried.

Bonus stops: Route 15 passes music venues such as the Bluebird Theater, Lost Lake, the Lion's Lair, the Ogden Theatre and Fillmore Auditorium. There are necessities like Walgreens and Sprouts; vets and urgent care; pet stores and gardening centers. Theater-goers can get a small, intimate theater experience at the Aurora Fox Arts Center, which also has a number of foodie spots nearby, and a variety of entertainment at the nearby People's Building.