33 Best Restaurants in Denver
A few years ago, the national food media began buzzing about Denver as though it sprang up overnight. For them, locals had a question: What took you so long? It’s true the city's dynamic dining scene is still young by the standards of, say, New York or San Francisco (very few of the restaurants that might be considered its modern cornerstones are more than 20 years old). But the heritage it draws from is a rich one, encompassing a long history of game hunting, mountain fishing, orchard growing, and cattle and sheep ranching established by Colorado’s Native inhabitants and Hispanic settlers as well as a brewing tradition stretching back to the Gold Rush era.
This list of top restaurants covers just the tip of the iceberg—or, more aptly, Rocky Mountain. For every place on it, five deserving others await your discovery, with five imminent arrivals peeking out behind them (including in nearby Boulder, which is not covered here). But in its mix of old favorites and new sensations, down-home joints and white-cloth destinations showcasing local and global cuisines, it offers a balanced look at what Denver does best. So pack a fork among your hiking boots and ski equipment, and get ready to dig in.
Read our complete Denver travel guide here.
Every restaurant on this list has been selected independently by Condé Nast Traveler editors and reviewed by a local contributor who has visited that restaurant. Our editors consider both high-end and affordable eateries, and weigh stand-out dishes, location, and service—as well as inclusivity and sustainability credentials. We update this list as new restaurants open and existing ones evolve.
Courtesy Annette'srestaurantAnnette
$$Located in a former aviation factory out in Aurora, the Stanley Marketplace is basically a mall—not where you’d expect to find a contemporary American restaurant run by the 2022 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Mountain Region. But that’s Annette for you. CIA-trained chef-owner Caroline Glover’s heartfelt attention to detail, as well as her skill in wood-fired cooking, reveal themselves in sophisticated signature dishes like the grilled, sliced beef tongue with marrow toast and the roast chicken with PX Sherry vinegar and escarole. And yet, for all her professional craft, desserts—from hand pies to ice-cream sandwiches—underscore the homey, handmade charm that suffuses Annette’s entire repertoire.
Lucy Beaugard/Courtesy The BinderyrestaurantThe Bindery
$$Humming with activity from early morning until bedtime, this ambitious yet welcoming café, bakery, and restaurant in a former book bindery plays the part of both a neighborly hangout for all ages and a civilized retreat for grown-ups. By day, The Bindery's market counter is lined with ever-changing pastries and pantry items galore. By night, the kitchen works its magic with the most uncompromising of seasonal ingredients and far-flung influences. Raspadura? Santa Claus melon? Black sapote? Taboon? Don’t shy away from the unfamiliar here; the point of the experience is to, well, experience. Take smoked rabbit, a specialty with earthy sweetness that chef (and owner) Linda Hampsten Fox likes to showcase against the sharper tang of mustard, cheddar, and pecans, or Turkish-style börek, a savory cheese pastry accompanied by a pomegranate molasses–laced tomato salad called ezme.
restaurantBrasserie Brixton
$$What does it take to open an eclectic homage to the bistros of Montreal and wine bars of Paris smack in the middle of a sleepy residential neighborhood like Cole? It’s right there in the name: brass. That’s just what this place exudes from stem to stern—not that there’s much room in between, with all of 55 seats in a corner space that makes for a tight squeeze. Walking in, you can imagine that, a century ago, Brixton would have been a speakeasy frequented by artists of all stripes—it’s got that anything-goes aura. The menu proffers its fair share of the classics: Fabulous onion soup, coq au vin, and steak frites land you squarely in bistro territory if that's where you want to be. But beyond that comfort zone is a cosmopolitan playground, with golden-brown wontons filled with blood sausage and dotted with chili crisp, and seasonal vegetables yielding compositions as complex as they are colorful.
Courtesy El Taco De MexicorestaurantEl Taco de Mexico
$It looks like any other taqueria—stucco façade, counter lined with stools, a few booths. The menu, too, looks nothing out of the ordinary: tacos, burritos, tortas. There’s no liquor license. So what makes El Taco de Mexico, a 30-plus-year-old institution, so special—like James Beard America's Classics Award special? That’s a delicious secret. Despite the fact that its longtime cooks do their thing in an open kitchen, day in and day out, in full view of the tiny dining room, they’re notoriously tight-lipped about—well, everything, but especially their recipes. The chile-relleno burrito turns every first-timer into a future long-timer; it's stuffed with tender beans, spiced rice, and a pepper that’s itself stuffed with cheese. Get it smothered in El Tac’s green chile, which represents the gold standard of the Southwestern staple. As for the tacos, they're served on ever-so-lightly griddled tortillas; you can’t go wrong with carnitas and lengua—both as crisp as they are velvety.
Megan Swann/Courtesy SpuntinorestaurantSpuntino
$$Spuntino is the quintessential date-night spot. On the one hand, it exudes old-fashioned romance: It's small, low-lit, filled with weathered wood and glowing copper, and run by a warm, cheerful husband-and-wife team. On the other, it’s an adventure, with a seasonal menu that sometimes colors way outside the lines of traditional Italian cuisine and an uncommon, uncompromising wine list that makes grape geeks swoon. Even the background music—as anyone who’s listening closely knows—splits the difference between soothing and edgy. The offerings change all the time, but recurring signatures include creamy housemade ricotta with pillow-soft rosemary focaccia; elk tartare; and Colorado-raised goat, which might be braised over mascarpone polenta with gremolata or incorporated into a Bolognese gracing hand-cut pappardelle.
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Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs
$Watch any food channel's travel shows, and you’re bound to catch a segment on Biker Jim’s at some point, because it’s a TV magnet for its character as well as its food. Named for owner Jim Pittenger, an Alaskan-born ex-repo man with a taste for hogs on wheels and hogs—as well as just about every other animal—in buns, this is a rocking hangout at all hours, complete with burnouts (tire marks) from his own motorcycle on the floor for decoration. If you want a classic taste of Biker Jim’s, get the elk-jalapeño-cheddar dog topped with cream cheese and caramelized onions; after all, it’s what transformed his business from a humble street cart into a whole fleet of them, anchored by this brick-and-mortar institution in the Ballpark neighborhood. A visit here is something of a Denver rite of passage, which means you’ll find a cross-section of the city. Tourists cram between gaggles of Rockies fans en route to Coors Field just a few blocks away; families chow down alongside students; and on weekends, carousers taking a breather from their bar crawls fill every inch of available space.
Courtesy NoisetterestaurantNoisette
$$What chef/owners Tim and Lillian Lu call cuisine bourgeoise, you might call homemade haute: The food here is elegant but not precious, complex but not convoluted, and served on vintage china that underscores its charms. Little indulgences come in the form of hors d’oeuvres like smoked eel daubed with white sturgeon caviar atop a mound of kohlrabi and vol-au-vents, or puff-pastry shells, filled with lobster and celery root in vermouth-spiked cream sauce. On the heartier side, entrees balance traditional preparations with seasonal inspirations to striking effect. Skate wing is strewn with chanterelles, cherry tomatoes, and baby fennel in anchovy béarnaise on one visit, while leek-pistachio pistou and breakfast radishes dot beurre fondue–glazed rabbit leg marinated in mustard, caramelized onions, and Muscadet the next.
Courtesy Farmhouse ThairestaurantFarmhouse Thai Eatery
$Can you operate on autopilot here with your usual order of satay, tom yum, and pad Thai? Yes. Should you? Heck, no: There’s a reason one section of the menu is labeled “Must Try.” Here you’ll find vibrant seasonal salads, intensely aromatic stews, and other specialties you’re not likely to see anywhere else on the Front Range: yen ta fo, for instance, brimming with plump shrimp, calamari, fish balls, and rice noodles as well as bok choy and scallions in a red bean broth that’s at once lightly sweet, markedly sour, and electrifyingly spicy. All that said, the kitchen prepares everything with aplomb, vegans and celiacs can find plenty to eat, and so can diners with low spice thresholds.
Courtesy Chelsea Chorpenning/Somebody PeoplerestaurantSomebody People
$At Somebody People, the seasonal dinner menu tops out at about 12 dishes, but there’s not a weak link among them. A typical meal here might start with a handsomely plated snack of pesto-daubed almond skordalia served with crudités beneath a cap of shaved fennel; continue with charred broccolini atop roasted eggplant puree amid dollops of golden-raisin gremolata; and culminate in a handmade pasta. The flavor combinations are complex yet crystal-clear from beginning to end.
James FloriorestaurantEl Five
$$Looking like a cross between a midcentury cinema and a souk, this pan-Mediterranean lounge is as sexy as they come in Denver. The kitchen turns out tapas, meze, and paellas that only enhance the date-night experience par excellence; the same goes for the bar, with its flair for flamboyant cocktails and a wine list that whisks you to far-flung lands. Before booking a reservation with anyone here, ask yourself one key question: Would you go on a vacation with them? If so, prepare for your mini–Mediterranean escape right here in Denver—no packing required.
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House of Bread
$In a small shopping plaza on the far southeast side of town, the kind you wouldn’t notice if you weren’t looking for it, is a cafe and bakery whose generic name isn’t likely to give you a moment’s pause either: House of Bread. But make no mistake—the goods are destination-level. Take the ajarski, a kayak-shaped bread bowl with a well-structured crust and a soufflé-like center of feta topped with sunny eggs. Or the megruli khachapuri—an equally eggy and cheesy, golden-brown puff of dough whose layers are somehow as light and fluffy as the flavors are intensely rich. Or the pizza-like flatbread known as lahmajun, topped with ground beef, spices, and herbs.
Brittni Bell WarshawrestaurantUchi Denver
$$$James Beard Award winner Tyson Cole chose Denver for his first restaurant outside of Texas because he was attracted to the lifestyle here. But if he's taking advantage of all the city has to offer, he's also contributing to it immensely: Since its opening in Fall 2018, Uchi has raised the local bar for Japanese cooking. The sushi—including ever-changing specials like star butterfish from Toyosu Market or Santa Barbara sea urchin—stuns, as do painterly composed plates such as the signature yellowtail in ponzu with orange segments and Thai chilies. The old adage that you get what you pay for doesn’t always hold up, but it sure rings true here: Meticulously sourced ingredients, inspired flavor combinations, and exquisite presentations ensure that every last morsel is worth every last dime.
Courtesy Barolo GrillrestaurantBarolo Grill
$$Located in swanky Cherry Creek, this longtime Northern Italian destination stands as a bastion of refinement on Denver’s ultra-casual scene; you'll begin feeling indulged just walking in. White cloths on the tables, check. A smattering of elaborate floral arrangements and colorful vintage liquor posters, check. A fireplace in one corner and a marble-topped bar in the other, check. Ambient jazz in the background, check. It all adds up to a classic wining-and-dining experience. Though chef Darrel Truett takes a decidedly contemporary approach to his seasonal menu, he doesn’t stray outside Italy's border; fusion this is not. Nor is it fussy, for all its intricacies. The signature agnolotti dal plin could be made with ramp dough, stuffed with a sunchoke-pecorino mixture, and garnished with marinated baby artichokes, or it could contain butternut squash puréed with amaretti cookies, set in a pool of sage brown butter. Luxuries being Barolo Grill’s stock in trade, you’d do yourself a disservice not to opt for foie gras, lobster, or shaved truffles when available; go for the multi-course tasting, and you may well get to have them all, paired with wines from owner Ryan Fletter’s legendary cellar.
Mike Thurk/Courtesy TavernettarestaurantTavernetta
$$The vintage Slim Aarons photographs of Italy’s mid-century jetsetter class that splash the walls of Tavernetta also set the mood: fabulous. As the James Beard Award–winning founders of Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, Bobby Stuckey, and Peter Hoglund had a high bar to hurdle when they opened this Italian ode to la dolce vita, located at the edge of the Union Station railway platform, in 2017. They cleared it. More casual than Frasca, Tavernetta is also a bit more free-wheeling in its culinary approach—albeit with no less luxurious results. Even the simplest dish on chef de cuisine Cody Cheetham's seasonal, pan-regional menu will convey his attention to detail, be it a pristine snapper crudo beneath a sprinkle of grilled lemon and capers or the roast chicken for two, itself a wonder of textures, from the crisp skin to the juicy meat to the crunch of the accompanying chicory salad. But it's the pasta that really stands out. Meanwhile, Stuckey is a Master Sommelier, so it's no surprise that Tavernetta’s cellar shines. In short? Show us somebody who isn’t impressed by Tavernetta and we’ll show you somebody who’s lying.
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African Grill & Bar
$$Way out west in the suburb of Lakewood, there’s a building in the parking lot of a bowling alley that looks like it might house a Mexican restaurant. It doesn’t. Within that façade is African Grill and Bar, run by Ghanaian-born, Nigerian-raised Theodora Osei-Fordwuo and her charming husband Sylvester. As indefatigable as she is talented, Theo cooks, and she cooks, and she cooks some more. The result is several pages’ worth of specialties from her former corner of the world: egusi, chakalaka, tuo zaafi, yassa, and so on. Stews and soups make up the better part of the menu, accompanied by an array of starches for sopping them up. Often lumped together as fufu but going by many names, these start with the likes of cassava, cornmeal, plantains, and yams, which come boiled, pounded, and formed into a dough-like ball or cylinder that serves as a soothing counterpart to the flavor blasts from the stews. Sensational starters include lamb samosas; kelewele, chunks of sweet plantain fried with ginger and topped with peanuts; and spiced turkey-gizzard kebabs. Go when you’ve got some free time and some close friends to join you.
Mariya IllinerestaurantFortune Wok to Table
$Ritzy and homogenous Cherry Creek is the last place most Denverites would expect to find a Chinese restaurant with an avid cult following. Nevertheless, here it is—and better still, it’s actually two places in one, serving up nothing but Shanghainese-style dumplings, noodles, fried rice, and a couple of other dishes downstairs and an ever-changing multicourse feast for a minimum of six people by reservation only upstairs. The limited selection is a sign that chef CJ Shyr takes quality seriously, and the food itself is proof. His dumplings are things of beauty—their supple, silken skins structured to keep all the juices in until you take that first bite, while his noodles spring under your chopsticks.
Courtesy Eric DonzellarestaurantA5 Steakhouse
$$Here’s one thing you don’t usually call a steakhouse: a hoot. But this place is. Defying every dark, stuffy, serious convention of the genre, A5 looks like a 1970s-era fern bar that collided with a Western saloon (in a good way). As the vibe goes, so goes the kitchen, simultaneously upholding and upending expectations for what a steakhouse menu should be. Naturally there’s a wedge salad—but it’s shaped like a disk and topped with toasted quinoa and farro, avocado, and pickled red onions as well as bacon lardons, confit tomato, and Roquefort dressing. By all means stick to a classic rib-eye with Bordelaise sauce and a side of whipped potatoes if that’s your jam—but you could also go for the gusto and order the namesake Wagyu strip loin with veal ponzu and bacon-kimchi fried rice.
Mike ThurkrestaurantSafta
$$RiNo was already making headlines as one of the nation’s hottest food and drink neighborhoods in 2018 when it scored not one, not two, but three coups in the form of James Beard Award–winning arrivals: Texas’ Tyson Cole (see: Uchi), New York–based partners David Kaplan and Alex Day (see: Death & Co.), and New Orleans mega-star Alon Shaya. Famed for his modern take on the cuisines of the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, the Israeli-born Shaya opened Safta at The Source Hotel to instant acclaim, and its following has only grown larger and more fervent since. Rightly so: Safta, which means “grandmother” in Hebrew, turns out Shaya's famous wood-fired pita bread and impossibly creamy hummus topped with your choice of options like spring asparagus and black truffles or lamb ragu as a prelude to a whole menu evocative of the land of milk and honey.
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Fruition
$$Because Fruition’s reputation as a capital-D destination has long preceded it, you may be surprised to set foot in a dining room that’s as unassuming as it is snug. Bare wooden tables and floorboards glow in warm light; hues of cream and beige are subdued; artwork amounts to a few black-and-white illustrations depicting, for instance, cookware hanging in a kitchen—and all in all, it feels more homey than haute. Could this be the place that helped earn chef/owner Alex Seidel a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2018? It could and it is. Just like Seidel before him, exec chef Jarred Russell is a talent to watch. Whether he’s spooning luscious lamb tartare onto crostini with horseradish and celery leaf, topping soft-scrambled eggs with snappy asparagus and crisped prosciutto, or draping fettuccine alla chitarra in a robust sauce of tomato-braised octopus and ’nduja, his style is clear and direct. To hear everything they have to say, consider the five-course tasting menu (whose $90.90 price reflects the fact that 1 percent of every sale is donated to Zero Foodprint, a nonprofit that provides grants to farmers aiming to convert to regenerative farming practices. All the more reason to indulge.)
Jonnie SirotekrestaurantBeckon
$$$When Beckon opened in a converted RiNo bungalow with all of 18 seats around a three-sided chef’s counter, an eight-course tasting menu, and a prepaid-reservation system back in late 2018, staunchly casual Denverites had never seen the likes of it. A few things have changed since then. One, following the pandemic, a gorgeous covered patio studded with planters and fire pits now seats 14 more people; two, it’s no longer the only prix fixe game in town. What hasn’t changed is the way this tiny destination lives up to its name, run as it is by two outsize talents—chef Duncan Holmes and hospitality director Allison Anderson—with all the skill and discipline expected of them as alumni of Boulder’s famous Frasca Food and Wine. Holmes's menus are vegetable-forward in the warmer seasons, a little more protein-centric in the colder ones, but meticulously prepared and presented with an eye toward nuance all year round. You can expect to spend well over two hours here, if not longer; you can also expect the time to pass in a flash.
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Lucina Eatery & Bar
$$Part Latin American and Caribbean, part Spanish, all corazón y alma (heart and soul). That much is clear from a glance around this instant Park Hill charmer. The phrase "mi casa es su casa" comes to mind. You’ll feel less like a restaurant patron than a guest at a dinner party in here: Packing the house night after night, the crowd exudes the kind of conviviality that indicates many of them are neighborhood regulars, schmoozing with their servers and each other as the sounds of clinking glasses and laughter fill the air. It’s a good feeling. Everything from the mounted photos of Cuba and Colombia to the music in the background reveals just where that sense of home comes from. And from the first bite of, say, yuca frita to the last of dulce de leche, you’ll be immersed in it too.
Courtesy New GururestaurantThe Wolf’s Tailor
$$$At first glance, The Wolf’s Tailor looks like countless other contemporary restaurants around the country: Open kitchen, multi-toned wood and brick, clean lines criss-crossed by glass and steel, lovely garden out back. But look a little closer, and you get the sense that something unusual is afoot. Kelly Whitaker, one of Denver’s most forward-thinking chef-restaurateurs to date, has pulled together a team of like-minded talents to realize his vision of breaking ground in every sense of the phrase: growing and even foraging as many vegetables and herbs as possible, milling heritage grains, utilizing whole animals, and putting them all in the service of a low-waste, preservation-driven culinary program that stitches together Western, Eastern, and most notably Coloradan ingredients and influences to defy both classification and expectation. Yet it all fits together beautifully on a tasting menu that’s tailored to make perfect sense.
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Tocabe, An American Indian Eatery
$What’s a no-frills fast-casual operation located along a largely residential stretch of the Berkeley neighborhood doing on a list like this? Being awesome, that’s what. In 2008, Osage Nation member Ben Jacobs and his partner Matt Chandra opened Tocabe as one of the only restaurants in the country to showcase American Indian culinary traditions. Whether stuffed or in the form of an Indian taco, fry bread’s the way to go for first-timers. But now that that’s decided, you’ve got a dozen more decisions left to make. (That’s only a slight exaggeration.) Pinto, black, or chili beans? Bison, beef, or chicken? If the former, spice-rubbed and shredded or ground with sage? Yes or no to cheese and lettuce? Which two of six topping combos will it be: maybe the Osage Hominy with cranberries, red onions, and cilantro and the Hot Tomato with roasted jalapeños and habaneros, chili powder, and garlic? (Still others involve pumpkin and sunflower seeds, green chiles, sweet corn and radishes, and more.) And what will be the finishing touch: sour cream and ancho-chipotle sauce, elderberry vinaigrette, or maple vinaigrette? Whew, you can work up an appetite just placing an order here—which is just as well, because portions are enormous.
restaurantRoaming Buffalo Bar-B-Que
$Colorado may not have earned its place in the pantheon of regional barbecue yet, but Roaming Buffalo, a storefront smoke shack, stands as Exhibit A in the case for its future inclusion. Owners Coy and Rachael Webb bill their style as “Colorado Craft BBQ,” and the tight space reflects as much in pops of Southwestern turquoise and decorations that include a painted state flag, local license plates, and a buffalo pelt. It all sets your expectations for the menu at the counter. The Webbs' woods of choice, Texas pecan and oak, lend a softer, gentler smokiness to everything from wings to brisket to ribs to daily specials like pork-belly burnt ends. But Coy's rightful pride and joy comes in the form of Colorado lamb—namely the dark, rich, and juicy pulled shoulder—and meaty bison back ribs with a glistening crust. And it extends to the silken-textured, hearty venison sausage best showcased in the Bambi sandwich, sliced and piled on a bun with cilantro-lime slaw and a squirt of chipotle aioli. Anyone who worships at the altar of the smoker is going to get a kick out of Roaming Buffalo—perhaps all the more if they’re of the misguided opinion that Colorado’s not ’cue country.
Courtesy Jeff FierbergrestaurantBRUTØ
$$$At first blush, there doesn’t appear to be much to BRUTØ. The snug corner space it occupies in the Free Market downtown is mostly taken up by an open kitchen, around which a two-sided chef’s counter is lined with 18 seats, supplemented by a lone four-top. But when that kitchen is cranking right in front of them, the guests filling those seats will discover there is indeed very much to BRUTØ. Chef Michael Diaz de Leon’s six-course tasting menus reflect myriad inspirations and influences: his Mexican heritage, for one, as well as broader Latin American and Asian cuisines. Your meal might start with a duo of panipuri filled with stone fruit–chile broth and corn panisse alongside corn, bean, and squash chow chow or heart of palm–Pink Lady apple ceviche in coconut leche de tigre. It might end with a spice-dusted, funnel cake–like buñuelo garnished with persimmon caramel or slices of confit delicata squash and hibiscus-poached pear. In between, you might receive braised bison short rib atop mole negro–infused congee in a black-garlic demi or roasted-cauliflower birria accompanied by housemade tortillas, an array of pickles inspired by Korean banchan, and refried adzuke beans.
Courtesy Work & ClassrestaurantWork & Class
$$“A square meal and a stiff drink at a fair price.” That’s been the tagline of Work & Class since day one, and chef-owner Dana Rodriguez (along with her now-retired partner, Tony Maciag) has been living up to it with gusto ever since. The "square meal" part takes shape in the vibrant Mexican-meets–heartland American menu, which is centered on meats by the pound; the "stiff drink" part manifests in a creative-yet-unfussy beverage list. As for the "fair price" part: Even heavy eaters and drinkers might struggle to drop much more than $50 apiece. Rodriguez's centerpiece selection of à la carte meats changes a little from time to time; brisket marinated in whiskey and Coke one day might morph into red wine–braised short ribs the next. But to remove the lemon–brown butter chicken or coriander-roasted lamb would be to rip out the beating heart of the menu. So don’t be shy—get some of each, along with housemade tortillas for scoops.
Courtesy CopertarestaurantCoperta
$$There’s only one problem with choosing Coperta for date night: You need more bodies around the table to explore every section of the menu. Even the selection of salumi and formaggi, a token gesture at far too many restaurants, is special here, incorporating numerous house-made items as well as such delightful stuff as spuma di lardo and sottocenere al tartufo. And while the kitchen does a bang-up job of classics like calamari fritti, cacio e pepe, and pollo alla diavola, it’s the seasonal creations that make lasting impressions. Maybe it’ll be luscious prosciutto-wrapped octopus dotted with cannellini and diced fennel in a pool of Sherry-sage vinaigrette that moves you. Maybe it’ll be a sprightly bite of green garlic casarecce tossed with lemony goat cheese and pickled walnuts or confit duck leg over soft polenta, brightened by a dollop of apricot-pine nut relish and a sprinkle of lemon balm.
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Woody's Wings & Things
$If you’re looking for a good old American chicken shack, you’ve come to the wrong place. All the better for you. While this offbeat little gem in a Westminster strip mall does whip up a mean pile of wings, it’s the so-called things that make it worth the trip. Never mind, then, that the dining room isn’t much to look at—the decor’s about as generic as it comes—because your attention is going to be wholly captured first by a selection of Chinese, Thai, Laotian, and Cambodian specialties so enormous it takes a good five minutes to read through the menu and second by the fact that, somehow, the kitchen manages to nail every last dish. To single out, say, the simultaneously earthy and sprightly duck larb; the delightfully chewy lort, a short Cambodian rice noodle fried with your choice of protein; or the crunchy-tender roast pork belly tossed with snappy blistered green beans is perhaps to inadvertently steer you away from dozens upon dozens of other equally stellar dishes.
Adam Bove/Courtesy Hop AlleyrestaurantHop Alley
$$Denver doesn’t have a Chinatown today, but it did in the 19th century: Hop Alley. In homage to that local history, chef-owner Tommy Lee took the name for this modern Chinese restaurant in RiNo. At Hop Alley, the kitchen crew treats Chinese cooking with due respect while adding their own spin, and it shows in the balanced complexity of the food. Take the signature chilled tofu: Bathed in sesame bang-bang sauce and topped with cucumbers, peanuts, and herbs, it’s soothing and stirring by turns. Seasonally, you might find pork loin with green tomatoes and peaches, capturing the essence of China’s sweet-and-sour dishes, or luscious shrimp toast brightened by mustard gastrique; fried rice enriched with bone marrow is a year-round indulgence. You really can’t go wrong except by coming alone—the ultimate Hop Alley experience depends on sharing lots of dishes with lots of people.
Courtesy Nicole Rezner/Molotov Kitschen & CocktailsrestaurantMolotov Kitschen + Cocktails
$$It’s like walking into grandma’s house—if grandma happens to be a bit of a punk rocker from Eastern Europe. From one angle, lace curtains and a collection of cuckoo clocks lend the space a quaint air; from another, torn posters plastered across one wall exude post-Soviet dive-bar energy. But it’s from a third angle, where a sculpture made of flowers and wheat stalks represents a headdress called a vinok and a hand-painted mural evokes folk art, that the big picture begins to form: However incendiary the name, this little restaurant is a heartfelt ode to chef-owner Bo Porytko’s Ukrainian heritage. You’re in for the likes of pelmeni, patychky, and pampushky as well as the kind of good time that comes from doing perhaps one too many toasts in the spirit of the motherland (“Budmo budmo budmo—hey hey hey!”).
Jennifer OlsonrestaurantRioja
$$$In a notoriously male-dominated industry, in a town long ignored by the national food media, Jennifer Jasinski was the first Denverite to break the Mile High glass ceiling and win a James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest in 2013. If you know that, it’s no doubt the reason you’ve come to Rioja, a modern Mediterranean fixture on Larimer Square; if you don’t, you’ll figure it out soon enough. The artichoke tortelloni here, bathed in white-truffle brodo, is a signature delicacy; so is the cardamom-scented pork belly over garbanzo puree. But the juxtaposition of robust and almost dainty elements, vitality and delicacy, in both the artful plating and the play of flavors extends to Rioja’s entire repertoire, best paired with a Spanish wine from partner Beth Gruitch’s smart list.
Courtesy Andi Whiskey/Twist & tailorrestaurantLa Diabla Pozole y Mezcal
$The old carved-wood bar and scuffed floor planks, the mismatched lanterns, the walls hung with Aztec-inspired decorations and old masks: Were the rowdy environs of the Ballpark district not just beyond the door, you might think you’ve ambled into a cantina in some tucked-away little neighborhood of Mexico City. At times you can chalk the downright chill vibe up to the specialty of the house: A big, steaming bowl of pozole is not, after all, meant to be bolted down but rather savored slowly. At other times—like when the trompo is spinning outside, manned by a cook expertly slicing the al pastor meat right off the spit—the taco-driven hordes descend, but even then the mood is easygoing. Either way, La Diabla feels like Denver’s own little slice of CDMX.
James Florio/Courtesy UltreiarestaurantUltreia
$$$Taking its design cues from the historic architecture of Union Station, Ultreia, a tapas bar from James Beard Award–winning chef Jennifer Jasinski and her partner Beth Gruitch, positively radiates Old World glamour. Jasinski and her team do the classics justice, so if you’ve got a hankering for patatas bravas or pan con tomate accompanied by jamón iberico de bellota sliced to order off the leg, knock yourself out. The house creations are also spectacular, from Moorish-spiced pork ribs to roasted-garlic soup. When on the Iberian Peninsula—or at least as close as you can get without leaving Denver—do as the Spanish and Portuguese do. That means sipping gin tonics (as they call them), tricked out with butterfly pea and pomegranate or pineapple and elderflower. It means eschewing the Colorado craft beer just this once in favor of Basque cider. And it definitely means drinking wine.
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