Restaurants in Denver
Denver abounds with Mexican holes in the wall, chain eateries, steak joints, and even a few bison joints, and the restaurants in LoDo and Cherry Creek become more like those in Los Angeles and Manhattan every year. Below, I’ve listed primarily independent restaurants, unique to this area and a cut above others in their price ranges.
If you'd like to get a taste of several restaurants, Culinary Connectors (tel. 303/495-5487; www.culinaryconnectors.com) leads walking tours of Denver on Friday and Saturday afternoons, as well as other tours in both Denver and Boulder. Pricing is typically $99 per person.
Inexpensive
Downtown -- In addition to the options listed here, there are a number of great breakfast spots in the downtown area. Snooze, 2262 Larimer St. (tel. 303/297-0700), is a great breakfast and lunch spot in the Ballpark neighborhood, serving delicacies like pineapple upside-down pancakes and bison meatball subs. Established in 1942, Pete’s Kitchen, 1962 E. Colfax Ave. (tel. 303/321-3139), is a prototypical urban diner, with checkerboard floors, a breakfast bar, booths, plenty of local color, and killer breakfast burritos. Pete’s is open 24 hours on weekends, making it a favorite of the barhopping crowd. And there is perhaps no more remarkable value-oriented restaurant than the nonprofit SAME Cafe, 2023 E. Colfax Ave. (tel. 720/530-6853), where there is no cash register: Customers pay donations of their own choosing for a healthy lunch. The socially conscious proprietors are committed to alleviating hunger and promoting healthy eating for all.
Outside Downtown -- For burrito aficionados, the world’s first Chipotle is located near the University of Denver, at 1644 E. Evans Ave. (tel. 303/722-4121).
Family-Friendly Restaurants
Casa Bonita -- If the kids aren’t concentrating on the tacos, the puppet shows, high divers, fun house, and video arcade will enthrall them.
Wynkoop Brewing Company -- With a dining area separate from the bar, this pub and restaurant has a loud, bustling atmosphere and plenty of kid-friendly menu options.
A Good City for Green Chile Fiends
Green chile (green chil-ay) n. a fiery-sweet stew made of chile peppers and other ingredients, often but not always including chunks of pork, tomato, and onion. Denver’s eateries serve bowl after bowl of good green chile, stuff that ranges from merely spicy to flat-out nuclear. If you have a serious weakness for a bowl of green (as I do), here are six hot spots in the Mile High City, in no particular order:
1. Brewery Bar II, 150 Kalamath St. (tel. 303/893-0971): Inconspicuously nestled in a warehouse district, the Brewery Bar serves some of the hottest green chile in Denver. It also happens to be some of the tastiest. There are also two Brewery Bars in the south suburbs.
2. El Tejado, 2651 S. Broadway (tel. 303/722-3987): This locals’ favorite in the southern reaches of the city serves a unique thick green chile plate as well as some of the best authentic Mexican dishes in the Rockies.
3. Jack-N-Grill, 2524 N. Federal Blvd. (tel. 303/964-9544): Sweet and typically served in a bowl with beans, Jack Martinez’s green chile is excellent, as is his red. There is a second location in Littleton.
4. Las Delicias, 439 E. 19th Ave. (tel. 303/839-5675): A Denver tradition, Las Delicias serves some of the city’s best green chile from its downtown location among its four metro-area eateries.
5. Little Anita’s, 1550 S. Colorado Blvd. (tel. 303/691-3337): Relatively new in Denver, this longtime Albuquerque eatery offers wicked green chile from a strip mall in southeast Denver and three other metro-area locations.
6. Lime, 1414 Larimer St. (tel. 303/893-5463): Almost too hip for its own good, Larimer Square’s Lime eschews pork for chicken and dresses up the bowl with tortilla strips. Defying tradition tastes pretty good.
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24 Results
- New American
Beatrice & Woodsley
This is one of the most quirky and creative restaurants you are going to find, and the food is uniformly excellent. Aspen trees sprout from the floor in the front of the room as part of a wilderness-meets-city motif, the bathrooms are perplexingly camouflaged and marvels of design,…$$$Baker - American/Hot Dogs/Game
Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs
Jim Pittenger, a.k.a. Biker Jim, got his start selling hot dogs from a cart on the 16th Street Mall. Not just any hot dogs: wild boar hot dogs, reindeer hot dogs, pheasant hot dogs, buffalo, rattlesnake, you name it. Pittenger still has the cart (and a food truck), but he also opened…$Downtown - Steaks/Game
Buckhorn Exchange
No eatery in Denver has the historic cachet of the Buckhorn Exchange. Open since 1893, the place earned its name for cashing the checks of miners and others fresh off the adjacent railroad. Buffalo Bill drank here, and it has the first electric beer sign on the planet in the bar…$$$Downtown - Steaks/Seafood
Elway’s
No. 7 worked wonders with a pigskin, but John Elway has demonstrated he knows how to make a restaurant score as well with his eponymous Cherry Creek steakhouse. This is just the place to see and be seen, with a focus squarely on top-quality beef and fresh seafood as well as comfort…$$$Cherry Creek - Gastropub
Euclid Hall
Plating up the best in comfort foods from the owners of Rioja, Euclid Hall is a bustling two-story restaurant off Larimer Square that balances a casual—and often loud—atmosphere with delectable fare. Housemade pickles, sausages, and poutines are complemented by chicken and waffles,…$$Downtown - New American
Fruition
Alex Seidel has been on the front end of the farm-to-table charge since opening Fruition in 2010. He raises everything from bees to lamb at Fruition Farms in Larkspur, about 50 miles south of Denver, and sources a wide range of local produce. He lets the ingredients shine in dishes…$$$South of Downtown - New American
Fuel
This new restaurant at the TAXI redevelopment in River North (a new mixed-use rebirth of a former run-down taxi HQ) is an interesting place a bit out of the way, but right off the Platte River Trail if you are on bike or foot. The colorful, contemporary, industrial interior is a nice…$$River North (North of Downtown) - New Mexican
Jack-N-Grill
There is a credo that Jack Martinez, proprietor of Jack-N-Grill, lives by: “Comida sin chile, no es comida,” meaning “A meal without chile is not a meal.” This means few options are lacking this key ingredient, roasted on the premises every September during harvest season and stocked…$Highlands - Gastropub
Jonesy's Eat Bar
Cuisine doesn't get much more comforting than this: cashew curry and Thai ginger fries, lamb, beef, and shrimp sliders, and roasted beet salads are complemented by bigger plates like low country grits with crawfish and meatloaf (or meatless loaf). Beer is another strong point: The…$$Uptown - New American
Linger
In the historic Olinger Mortuary, Linger is knowns for several superlatives: the city views, especially from the rooftop patio; the creative menu of “globally inspired street food,” ranging from fish tacos to wagyu sliders to shrimp and grits; and the slick décor, equal parts…$$Highlands - Seafood/Mexican
Lola
Lola planted its flag in the Lower Highlands neighborhood in 2007 and, in the time since, it has emerged as one of the best places for a meal or just a margarita with a city view. Start off with guacamole, prepared fresh table-side, and then take your pick of one of the delectable…$$Highlands - Mexican
Lucha Cantina @ the Red Ram
Lucha Cantina @ the Red Ram is a good casual option, offering historic barroom atmosphere and good Mexican grub, steaks, and burgers, as well as a slate of unique grilled cheese sandwiches. Main courses are $9 to $17.$Georgetown - Italian/New American
Mizuna
Dinky Mizuna is the apex of Frank Bonanno's ever-growing Denver restaurant empire, spanning no less than 9 establishments. The small space turns out to be the perfect stage for some of the headiest fare in the West. He calls it “a food laboratory,” and the menu—which changes…$$$South of Downtown - Italian
Panzano
The best Italian eatery in the city, Panzano is a terrific pick for a downtown dinner that balances a casual, contemporary atmosphere with inventive fare inspired by the cuisine of Northern Italy. Chef Elise Wiggins has helmed the kitchen here since 2004, with reliably electrifying…$$$Downtown - Russian/New American
Red Square Euro Bistro
Tucked in the back of Writer Square, Red Square elevates Russian standards with an dollop of contemporary world cuisine. That means the menu has Russian standards like golubtsi (a cabbage roll stuffed with ground beef) and stroganoff alongside pan-seared swordfish and a mean veal…$$Downtown - Mediterranean
Rioja
Rioja chef-owner Jennifer Jasinski took top honors for best chef in the Southwest at the 2013 James Beard awards in New York. It's easy to see why when you visit the sleek Larimer Square spot, with a menu brimming with creativity and unexpected flavors. The Mediterranean serves as a…$$$Downtown - New American
Root Down
What was until recently an abandoned garage is now one of the best eateries in Denver. Perched on an off-the-beaten Highlands location, Root Down is colorful inside and out, but perhaps best defined by a single hue: green. This is one of the most sustainable restaurants I've ever…$$Highlands - Sushi/Japanese
Sushi Den
Brothers Toshi and Yasu Kizaki are the masterminds behind the best sushi joint in the Mile High City, if not the West. The key is fresh fish, flown in daily from Fukuoka, Japan, complemented by fresh greens from the Den Farm north of the city. With these ingredients in hand, the…$$$Washington Park Platt Park - New American
TAG
Chef-owner Troy Guard is one of Denver's most prolific restaurateurs. He's also one of the best. His flagship—open since 2009 and named for his initials—TAG is a brick-laden, contemporary space that meshes Guard's experience under the legendary Roy Yamaguchi in Hawaii and his love…$$$Downtown - Steaks/Game
The Fort
The grand dame of Colorado's wild game restaurants, this replica of Bent's Fort near Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison opened its doors in 1963 and has been on Denver's short list ever since. Known for elk, quail, and buffalo (the kitchen plates up 80,000 dishes of the latter…$$$West of Downtown - New American
The Happy Cooker
The Happy Cooker serves soups, sandwiches on homemade breads, crepes, quiches, and more substantial fare such as frittatas and eggs Benedict, for breakfast and lunch in a converted home in Georgetown’s historic business district. Prices are in the $5 to $10 range.$Georgetown - New American
The Squeaky Bean
After a stint in the Highlands, the Squeaky Bean relocated to LoDo in 2012, where it remains one of the most creative eateries in Denver. In a space bedecked with an electric Bingo board (it is in use during the standout Sunday brunch), the restaurant ihas a fun atmosphere, and the…$$$Downtown - Vegetarian
WaterCourse Foods
Serving a 100 percent vegetarian menu with plenty of vegan options, WaterCourse is a Denver institution. The bright and cheery space, bedecked with original art depicting rabbits and bison on an idyllic prairie, is perfect for the superlative food. Breakfast burritos are available…$Uptown - American/Brewpub
Wynkoop Brewing Company
This is ground zero for the amazing revitalization of LoDo. In 1988, the 1888 warehouse was converted into one of the best brewpubs anywhere, and the place has now been pouring first-rate suds and plating up an eclectic menu of inventive pub grub for a quarter-century. Get mac and…$$Downtown
