30 essential food spots, dining options

How does one measure the quality of a restaurant? Is age a factor? What about the style of its cuisine or the number of awards it has won? Does it capture the moment, or is it timeless? And what makes it essential to the people who live nearby?

For this list of Denver’s 30 required restaurants, we considered all of those variables and more. This list might have been different if we’d written it a year ago, and it might be different in a year’s time. But for now, these are the restaurants that feel like required eating in the Mile High City.

A5 Steakhouse

A5 Steakhouse is a far cry from the stuffy velvet booth and white tablecloth trend that defined steakhouses for decades. The funky ’70s-style space serves Japanese A5 wagyu with a side of bacon kimchi rice for the adventurous, while still reserving a classic New York strip with whipped potatoes for the traditional. Restaurateur and owner Juan Padro received a Michelin recommendation in the inaugural Colorado guide for this take on steak.

1600 15th St.; a5denver.com

Annette

Annette’s been serving made-from-scratch comfort food so good that you’ll want to peek into the kitchen to see if your grandmother’s doing the cooking. Inside the Stanley Marketplace, chef Caroline Glover’s laid-back take on fine dining earned her a 2022 James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Mountain Region, and guests will reserve a spot months in advance just for the signature grilled beef tongue with bone marrow toast or the wagyu burger.

2501 Dallas St., Aurora; annettescratchtotable.com

Bakery Four

Bakery Four garnered a cult following for its naturally leavened sourdough and laminated croissants when it opened in 2020. But constant demand — people sometimes line up at 6 a.m. — has helped it grow from owner Shawn Bergin’s basement during the pandemic to a sprawling space on Tennyson Street. Get there early to secure some monkey bread made from croissant scraps, cinnamon-dusted morning buns and chocolate croissants made with European butter.

4150 Tennyson St.; bakeryfour.com

Barolo Grill

Barolo Grill has almost as many regulars as it does bottles of wine, in part because the fine-dining restaurant has kept things consistent since it opened in 1992. Owner Ryan Fletter, who received the 2023 Colorado Sommelier Award from Michelin, considers it to be part of Denver’s old guard. Barolo Grill serves northern Italian cuisine inspired by the staff’s annual trip to Barolo, Italy, and boasts a wine collection of 15,000 bottles, ranging from $40 to $7,000.

3030 E. 6th Ave.; barologrilldenver.com

Beckon

When Beckon opened in 2018, it was the first modern, tasting-only restaurant in Denver (meaning each day’s menu is selected by the chef rather than the patron). Now, there are several. The move paid off when Beckon won one of the first Michelin stars ever awarded in Colorado in 2023. Chef Duncan Holmes runs the intimate, $195 experience, during which 18 diners sample ever-changing seasonal dishes at a U-shaped walnut counter.

2843 Larimer St.; beckon-denver.com

Bistro Vendome

They say the classics never go out of style, and it doesn’t get any more classic than Bistro Vendome. This 21-year-old French restaurant, founded by Denver dining innovators Jennifer Jasinski and Beth Gruitch, serves dishes that would make the critic in Ratatouille weep with joy, from Duck à l’Orange to steak frites to escargot in garlic butter sauce. For most of its life, Bistro Vendome held down a charming space in Larimer Square, but moved to Park Hill in 2023.

2267 Kearney St.; bistrovendome.com

Cart-Driver

No one can deny Denver’s love for Cart-Driver. After all, there’s nothing better than a pillowy, slightly blackened Neapolitan-style pizza crust topped with littleneck clams and a side of a dozen oysters. Noted also for its tinned sardines, Italian-style spritzes and location inside a shipping container, it was one of the River North Art District’s earliest and hippest hangouts when it opened in 2014, and it remains a first stop on many people’s lists.

2500 Larimer St. and 2239 W. 30th Ave.; cart-driver.com

The Cherry Cricket

Denver claims to be the birthplace of the cheeseburger, and The Cherry Cricket loves to keep that legacy alive. The beloved institution, once owned by now-Sen. John Hickenlooper, has been stacking as many ingredients as it can fit on top of a beef patty since 1945 — and stacking up awards and contest wins nearly as fast. But the Cricket has expanded, and you can now find its burgers downtown and in Littleton, with another location on the way north of Denver.

2641 E. 2nd Ave., and other locations; cherrycricket.com

ChoLon Modern Asian

Like many chefs, Lon Symensma fell in love with the cuisine of Southeast Asia after a trip to Vietnam, and as a result decided to open a restaurant in Denver that re-wrapped the flavors and food he’d eaten with his own experience as a fine-dining chef. The move paid off. ChoLon earned immediate attention nationwide in 2010 for his interpretation, and in particular his French onion soup dumplings, which were a novelty in Denver at the time. Today, Cholon, now with two locations, remains an elevated dining experience, both because of its food and its service.

1555 Blake St. and 1691 Raleigh St.; cholon.com

The Original Chubby’s Burger Drive-in

Green chile is one of Colorado’s most famous dishes, and its history is rooted in Denver’s north side where the late Stella Cordova founded The Original Chubby’s Burger Drive-In in 1967. Today, the restaurant, which expanded in 2016 and is a melting pot of communities and local culture, continues to dish out burgers, fries and Mexican food covered in that oh-so-spicy green stuff.

1231 W. 38th Ave.; theoriginalchubbysdenver.com

Denver Biscuit Co.

Denver Biscuit Co. makes a lasting impression. Founded as a food truck in 2009, and now encompassing seven Colorado storefronts, the breakfast spot wows customers with massive buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches – like Nashville hot, Korean-style, ham-and-Swiss, and sausage-and-gravy – served on scratch-made biscuits. And although you’ll be very full, don’t skip the head-sized cinnamon buns, either.

Multiple locations. theatomiccowboy.com/denbisco

El Taco de Mexico

One part colorful diner, one part old-school taqueria and 100% the soul of the city, El Taco de Mexico has been serving Mexican food classics – like its cheese-dripping chile relleno burrito and green chile – since 1985. Unfussy and unfettered by changing times, this Denver pillar became an American classic in 2020 when the James Beard Foundation included El Taco de Mexico in its America’s Classics category.

714 Santa Fe Dr.; facebook.com/eltacodemexicodenver

Hop Alley

Set against a soundtrack of old-school hip hop, this lively, Michelin-recommended hotspot — which takes its name for the bigoted term for Denver’s former Chinatown — specializes in cheffed-up and flavor-packed versions of Chinese classics, like bone marrow fried rice, Beijing duck roll, la zi ji Sichuan chicken thigh, and the stunning sirloin steak bavette with egg yolk. Order a cocktail, drink wine from a porron and dig into a unique marriage of Denver history and modern magic.

3500 Larimer St.; hopalleydenver.com

La Loma

The Mendoza family built La Loma’s beloved reputation out of a small brick house beginning in 1973. Even though the green chile wonderland has since changed hands and locations, the recipes from Grandma Savina Mendoza and fluffy homemade tortillas have remained the same. La Loma, now in the heart of downtown with a second location in Castle Rock, embodies the true spirit of Denver’s original Mexican food scene with an upscale touch.

1801 Broadway and other locations; lalomamexican.com

La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal

Chef Jose Avila has created a rollicking, vibrant atmosphere with exquisitely crafted Mexican-style street tacos served on tortillas made with corn that has been nixtamalized — an ancient way of grinding that preserves flavor and a piece of culture. Avila is part of a wave of chefs who are harkening back to their Mexican heritage in Denver. Take things further with one of a rainbow of posoles or street taco specials. And if you’re lucky, you’ll be there for one of La Diabla’s special nights involving mole, cricket tacos or chocolate-covered scorpions.

2233 Larimer St.; ladiabladenver.com

Leven Deli Co.

Known for its 12-day cured pastrami, house-baked breads, pastries, and weekend lines that snake out the door, Leven Deli is worth the lunch rush wait. The Reuben is the standard bearer at this Jewish deli from owner Anthony Lygizos, but you’ll also find offerings like chicken shawarma on flatbread, smoked beets on toasted rye, smoked ham with caramelized onion jam on a baguette. Luckily for Denver, Leven recently added a dedicated bread-baking facility so that it can begin an expansion plan involving a new store and possibly a new restaurant.

123 W. 12th Ave.; eatleven.com

MAKfam

Kenneth Wan and Doris Yuen wrote a “love letter to ABCs (American Born Chinese),” as they termed it, by opening of MAKfam, a restaurant serving Cantonese-style dishes like dumplings, scallion pancakes, bao buns and spicy Sichuan noodles. Taking their ethos and aesthetic from “neon-lit Hong Kong noodle parlors” and New York City’s Chinatown, their menu is addictive, and not just because it gleefully employs MSG, but because of Wan’s skill in the kitchen. MAKfam added to its renown by winning a Michelin Bib Gourmand award in 2024.

39 W. 1st Ave.; makfam.co

Mercantile Dining & Provision

When Alex Seidel opened Mercantile inside Union Station in 2014, he aimed to help people connect. An upscale grab-and-go market and deli during the day, Mercantile turned into a fine-dining restaurant at night, serving meat, pasta and vegetable-based dishes good enough to land him a James Beard award for best chef in the Southwest region. But with his own farm and ranch, he also connected diners to the places where their food comes from in a way that hadn’t been done before. Today, you’ll find that ethos (and former Mercantile chefs) throughout Colorado, although the restaurant itself is now owned by Sage Hospitality.

1701 Wynkoop St.; mercantiledenver.com

My Brother’s Bar

Everyone’s got a brother in Denver in this 150-year-old building, which has been a bar during all of that time — and the past 55 or so as My Brother’s bar. But My Brother’s, which has seen it all from the corner of 15th and Platte streets, is also one of your best bets for burgers in Denver. They come grilled, wrapped in parchment paper, and served with a condiment caddy so that customers can build them the way they like them. Dark on the inside, with an English pub feel, but with an oasis of a patio out back, this is the kind of place we hope will never close.

2376 15th St.; mybrothersbar.com

Pete’s Kitchen

Pete’s Kitchen is many things to many people. A hangover-breakfast spot, a lunchtime diner, an after-hours, after-show, after-party hangout where you can soak up the booze with a patty melt, breakfast burrito or a gyro with fries. But it’s also a vestige of Colfax Avenue’s neon-lit past when all-are-welcome Greek restaurants dominated this section of the street. Open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays, Pete’s is a tradition for multiple generations in Denver.

1962 E. Colfax Ave.; petesrestaurants.com

Odie B’s

Odie B’s (formerly called Bodega) whips up some of Denver’s tastiest breakfast burritos, sandwiches and cheeseburgers to the tune of Wu-Tang Clan. The Dirty Denver, for instance, is green chile braised short ribs with cheese curds and crispy onions on a hoagie. The neighborhood hotspot — frenzied but friendly — also elicits lines of early birds craving a playful take on anything you can dream of ordering at a corner bodega. Owner Cliff Blauvelt is planning to spread the love with a second location opening in the River North Art District this winter.

2651 W. 38th Ave.; odie-bs.com

Osaka Ramen

Jeff Osaka was already a respected chef and restaurateur when he opened Osaka Ramen as part of a new wave of sleek, noodle-centric ramen bars in Denver. Mixing tradition with his own take on cooking, Osaka serves classic dishes like tonkotsu and spicy miso along with bowls featuring green chile and chorizo or Thai coconut green curry. There are now dozens of ramen shops in the metro area, but Osaka’s still stands out as a benchmark for comparison.

2611 Walnut St.; osakaramendenver.com

Restaurant Olivia

Restaurant Olivia has “one of the city’s hottest tables,” according to Colorado’s inaugural Michelin guide. Chef/owner Ty Leon’s specialty is his modern take on classic pasta dishes, like the French onion ravioli, which tastes just like a warm bowl of French onion soup. Every ingredient is well thought out and sourced, like the burrata shipped two days after it’s made on a farm in Italy, or venison from a conservation organization in Maui that’s only served at two other U.S. restaurants.

290 S. Downing St.; oliviadenver.com

Safta

For most Safta diners, it’s love a first bite when it comes to the Israeli restaurant’s woodfired pita bread. Chef Alon Shaya and his wife, Emily, opened their first restaurant outside of Louisiana in The Source Hotel in 2018. The setting is perfect for groups or just a couple of empty stomachs looking to dip into a table full of hummus, labneh, baba ganoush or tabbouleh — all inspired by Shaya’s grandmother’s recipes.

3330 Brighton Blvd., #201; eatwithsafta.com

Sap Sua

Sap Sua is an homage to chef/owner Anthony (Ni) Nguyen’s experience as a first-generation Vietnamese American, and it features family recipes with a twist, such as bắp cải luộc, a charred cabbage dish with anchovy breadcrumbs and an egg yolk sauce, inspired by his mom’s humble boiled cabbage and rice recipe. His goal is to give every first-generation kid the chance to see the recipes they also grew up with in a more upscale setting.

2550 E. Colfax Ave.; sapsua.com

Steuben’s Uptown

This upscale diner always welcomes you with open arms, leather booths and heaping portions of comfort food — and when Steuben’s opened in 2006, it made waves by redoing many American classics with a chef-forward spin. But the nostalgia you’ll get when ordering a milkshake (which comes with the leftover ice cream in a mixing cup) or digging into an ooey-gooey cheese pull after a bite of a patty melt, comes straight from the collective heart of Americana.

523 E. 17th Ave.; steubens.com

Sushi Den

Sushi Den and its sister restaurants are sure to impress even the most well-traveled sashimi and nigiri lovers. That’s because the restaurants ship in heaps of fresh tuna, mackerel and scallops from the Nagahama fish market in Japan every day. Brothers Toshi and Yasu Kizaki started “Den Corner,” as their block is sometimes called, in 1984 with the opening of Sushi Den. They added Izakaya Den, a Japanese gastro pub, and followed with Ototo, which serves up Japanese robata-style tapas. (And keep an eye out for their fourth, Denchu, an omakase spot opening next year).

1487 S. Pearl St.; sushiden.net

Tamales by La Casita

This mainstay has been serving some of Denver’s favorite tamales for nearly 50 years. Every day, Tamales by La Casita makes 18,000 tamales from scratch with corn husks directly sourced from Mexico. People travel near and far to stock up on green chile and cheese or classic red chile and pork tamales. That’s why it’s one of the first (or last) stops for Denver visitors, who can also get Las Casita’s tamales in Denver International Airport’s Concourse C.

3561 Tejon St.; tamalesbylacasita.net