Denver's Best New Restaurant — Every Year for the Past Two Decades

By Westword Staff

Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at 5:29 a.m.

Danielle Lirette 12@Madison was awarded Best New Restaurant in 2017. 1/27

Danielle Lirette 12@Madison is located at 1160 Madison Street in the Congress Park neighborhood. 2/27

Danielle Lirette Hop Alley is located at 3500 Larimer Street. 3/27

Danielle Lirette Mercantile Dining & Provision was awarded Best New Restaurant in 2015. 4/27

Danielle Lirette Mercantile Dining & Provision is located at 1701 Wynkoop Street, inside Union Station. 5/27

Danielle Lirette Lower48 Kitchen was awarded Best New Restaurant in 2014. 6/27

Danielle Lirette Lower48 Kitchen was located at 2020 Lawrence Street but closed in 2015. 7/27

Linnea Covington Uncle won Best New Restaurant in 2013. 8/27

Westword Uncle is located at 2215 West 32nd Avenue. 9/27

Mark Manger Pinche Tacos won Best New Restaurant in 2012. 10/27

Mark Manger Pinche Tacos changed its name to Tacos Tequila Whiskey but is still located at 1514 York Street, with additional locations at 215 East Seventh Avenue and 3300 West 32nd Avenue. 11/27

Westword Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen won Best New Restaurant in 2011. 12/27

Westword Euclid Hall is located at 1317 14th Street. 13/27

Westword Argyll won Best New Restaurant in 2010. It was located at 2700 East Third Avenue before moving to 1035 East 17th Avenue. That location closed in 2016. 14/27

Westword Bones won Best New Restaurant in 2009. 15/27

Westword Bones is located at 701 Grant Street. 16/27

Mark Antonation Izakaya Den won best new restaurant in 2008 in its original location, at 1518 South Pearl Street, before moving to 1487 South Pearl Street in 2013. 17/27

Westword Fruition won Best New Restaurant in 2007. 18/27

Westword Fruition is located at 1313 East Sixth Avenue. 19/27

Westword Frasca won Best New Restaurant in 2005. 20/27

Frasca Frasca is located at 1738 Pearl Street in Boulder. The restaurant team gathered for a 2010 photograph before an extensive remodel that year. 21/27

Facebook/Icehouse Tavern Brasserie Rouge won Best New Restaurant in 2004. It was located in the Icehouse, at 1801 Wynkoop Street, but is now closed. 22/27

Cassandra Stiltner Opal won Best New Restaurant in 2003. It was located at 100 East Ninth Avenue but closed in 2017 after a long decline. 23/27

Westword Deli Tech won Best New Restaurant in 2002. It was located at 8101 East Belleview Avenue but closed in 2011. 24/27

Mark Antonation Triana won Best New Restaurant in 2001. It was located at 1039 Pearl Street in Boulder, which is now home to The Kitchen. 25/27

Cassandra Stiltner Radex won Best New Restaurant in 1999. it was located at 100 East Ninth Avenue, which would later become home to Opal. 26/27

Danielle Lirette Palettes won Best New Restaurant in 1998 and closed in 2017, but only because the building at the Denver Art Museum was slated for demolition. 27/27

Denver's Best New Restaurant — Every Year for the Past Two Decades

We're about to serve up the Best of Denver 2018, so we're whetting your appetite with a look back at twenty years of Best New Restaurant picks. Enjoy this culinary tour of the places with the best food, the hottest chefs and the coolest decor that caught our attention from 1998 to 2017. This afternoon, we'll reveal this year's winner at westword.com/best-of — or you can pick up the print edition, which will hit the streets later today.

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