Two Colorado Spots Ranked Among 50 Best Restaurants in U.S.

On Monday, September 8, just a week before the third edition of Colorado's Michelin Guide is set to be released, the New York Times dropped its annual list of the 50 Best Restaurants in the U.S.

The NYT has a pretty solid track record in recent years with its local picks for this prestigious national list. In 2023, it recognized two of our Denver favorites: La Diabla and Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails. Last year, the NYT lineup included Sắp Sửa and Yuan Wonton, as well as Meander Eatery in Pagosa Springs.

This year's edition highlights two Colorado restaurants: chef Johnny Curiel's Mezcaleria Alma, the sister restaurant of one Michelin-starred Alma Fonda Fina in Denver; and chef Josh Nierenberg's Bin 707 in Grand Junction, which moved into new digs last year after operating as Bin 707 Foodbar since 2009. Both Curiel and Nierenberg were also 2025 James Beard finalists — Alma Fonda Fina in the Best New Restaurant Category, while Nierenberg was up for Outstanding Chef.

The 2025 edition of the NYT list asks: "'What does it mean to be a 'best restaurant'? And what to make of a list as wide-ranging as this one? ... 14 of our reporters and editors took 76 flights to eat more than 200 meals in 33 states. What’s behind those stats is the desire to get a true picture of what’s happening in restaurants across the country. With that in mind, we show up unannounced and make reservations the old-fashioned way (through an app on our smartphones). We pay for all of our food, and we don’t accept freebies. We eat like you do, with the same hope for a meal to remember, to be welcomed and delighted. These are 50 places where we found just that."
Of Mezcaleria Alma, author Brian Gallagher writes, "The chef Johnny Curiel earned a Michelin star last year at the small-but-mighty Alma Fonda Fina, with dishes inspired by his family’s cooking. Just next door, his mezcaleria is the vivacious younger sibling, inspired by the worldly cuisine of Mexico City. A cocktail is table stakes, and a mezcal old-fashioned with fig and tamarind notes will do the trick. Everyone in the room will order the tostada de toro — made with the tuna belly hanging in the drying fridge behind the bar — as should you. The richness of the fatty fish and smashed avocado is punched up with charred habanero mayonnaise and sesame chile oil. The aguachile, made with Santa Barbara uni, Hokkaido scallops and mandarin orange, holds the briny lushness of the seafood in suspension with sweet, tangy citrus notes. But the sneaky star was the burrita de chicharrón. It’s just crisp skinned pork, pickled white onions and guacamole wrapped in a housemade flour tortilla. And it’s everything."

"There are no words to express how grateful I am for our team," Curiel, who has been racking up accolades since Alma Fonda Fina's debut in late 2023, says of this honor. "This recognition belongs to each and every one of them, and to the way they cook with soul, day in and day out. Mexico City has always been — and always will be — my favorite place on earth, and I’m so grateful to share a small piece of what makes it so special with Denver.”

Of Bin 707, Gallagher says, "The menu here raises an intrigued eyebrow. The chef Josh Niernberg goes for playful, even risky, flavor combinations, and you will wonder if he can pull them off. He does. Mr. Niernberg calls his cooking 'seasonal Colorado cuisine,' which means dashes of Southwestern and Mexican flavors throughout. Sunchoke hush puppies, made with nixtamalized corn from in-state, were paired with whipped Cotija cheese and guajillo orange honey. A maitake mushroom pizza was topped with ricotta — no surprise there — but also epazote. And the truly exceptional Angus 'filet,' actually a rib cap roulade, came atop a shallow pool of Jasper Hill cheese reminiscent of a queso and was acidified with a miso chimichurri. It’s just a magnetic restaurant, with the most stylish dining room this side of the Rockies, or at least on the Western Slope."

"I don’t have a clue how we ended up on this list of incredible restaurants," Niernberg shares in an Instagram post announcing the Bin 707 news. "But I do know if anyone could do it, our team could. Thank you to our teams past and present for creating and building these special restaurants. Thank you for finding us @nytimes and thank you to our guests for allowing and supporting us while we find our way!"