The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near Cohesion Brewing Company
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- Punch 2025 · The Who’s Who of Beer Cool
- Westword 2023 · Best Beer Service · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best Place to Get a Mug of Foam on Purpose · Best of Denver
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service · McLain Hedges and Mary Allison Wright
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Bar Team
- 50 Best 2026 · #67 · North America's 50 Best Bars
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Rank 3. Hop Alley
Sichuan Chinese
A sleek dining room channels Denver's Chinatown past while the kitchen reinvents it: gai lan arrives grilled with schmaltz and duck salt, dan dan noodles swim in fiery Sichuan peppercorn broth, shrimp toast gets mustard gastrique and tiger vinaigrass. Bold, playful, contemporary Chinese with cocktails that match its ambition.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Tommy Lee
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
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Rank 4. Brasserie Brixton
Rustic French
A North Denver bistro channeling Montreal's unpretentious wine bars, where steak frites and chicken fricassee share a small menu with more playful turns—blood sausage wontons, a remarkable burger. Rustic room, well-made cocktails, natural wines that taste like thought.
- Westword 2024 · Best Restaurant for a Breakup · Best of Denver
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Denver
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- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar
- Westword 2026 · Best Culinary-Inspired Cocktails · Best of Denver
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Rank 7. Luchador Tacos & More
Mexican
Chef Zuri Resendiz's moody Whittier taquería reaches beyond carne asada with roasted rabbit barbacoa in mole and 24-hour beef cheeks in pasilla negro adobo. The tacos—octopus al pastor, ribeye with grilled cactus—anchor a menu of impressive technical depth.
- 5280 2025 · Top Mexican · Top of the Town
- Westword 2025 · Best New-School Mexican Joint · Best of Denver
- 5280 2025 · The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
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- Westword 2024 · Best Coffee Shop for a Cause · Best of Denver
- 5280 Denver's 25 Best Coffeeshops
- Eater The Best Coffee Shops in Denver
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Rank 14. Temaki Den
Sushi
Temaki Den rolls handmade sushi cones one at a time in a darkened stall within The Source Market Hall, where moody lighting and open sightlines match the precision of its work. Scottish salmon belly with yuzu kosho and crispy shallots, or miso-caramelized eggplant nigiri, arrive warm and intentional—the kind of small, focused menu that rewards repeat visits.
- Westword 2026 · Best First Date Restaurant · Best of Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Sushi Restaurant · Best of Denver
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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A spare, elegant room in RiNo devoted entirely to the cooking of Emilia-Romagna—where bison mortadella meets tigelle and Lambrusco flows easy. The whey-braised pork shoulder with polenta arrives as a kind of argument for why this corner of Italy has always known what it's doing.
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Rank 18. Rougarou
Southern
Chef JohnDavid Wright channels the South through boiled peanuts and collard greens, then tilts the lens with hot-and-sour catfish and sorghum-glazed pork. His sister and her husband calibrate cocktails with buttermilk and benne seed, making this Five Points spot feel like a family project where tradition meets playful invention.
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar
- 5280 The 13 Best New Places to Eat and Drink in Denver
- Westword 2026 · Best New Bar · Best of Denver
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Rank 20. Safta
Israeli Mediterranean
Chef Alon Shaya's first restaurant outside Louisiana channels Israeli cooking with unusual clarity—hummus arrives with chanterelle mushrooms and chermoula butter. The airy dining room, annexed to a coffee counter, pairs playful salatim and harissa chicken with genuine originality rather than nostalgia.
- Sunset 2024 · Restaurants · Where to Eat and Drink
- Westword 2023 · Best Brunch Buffet · Best of Denver
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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- Westword 2026 · Best Rooftop Restaurant · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 26. Point Easy
Global
- Westword 2024 · Best Restaurant for a First Date · Best of Denver
- 5280 2024 · The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 27. Smōk
Barbecue
Counter service at the Source Hotel where an Austin-trained pitmaster builds brisket and jalapeño sausage with restraint and smoke that suggests rather than shouts. The sides fade beside the meat, though a Nashville hot chicken sandwich and sweet potato tots tempt those still hungry.
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Rank 28. Dio Mio
Italian
Two fine-dining veterans run a stripped-down pasta counter on Larimer Street where a visible production table becomes the show. The menu pivots with seasons, moving from classical cacio e pepe with pink peppercorn to unexpected turns—casarecce tangled with shrimp, dill, and toasted parmesan—each one testing the limits of what pasta can hold without ceremony.
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Rank 29. Welton Street Cafe
Southern
- Westword 2025 · Best New Digs · Best of Denver
- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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Rank 30. Mister Oso
Mexican
At Mister Oso, a spare dining room fills with the clatter of a kitchen unafraid of Latin American detours—ceviches, salads, ambitious sides—where tacos are the vehicle, not the destination. Smoked lamb cheek wrapped in tortilla with pickled onion and avocado salsa, coconut rice in cast iron bridging sweet and heat, suggest a chef cooking with real invention.
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Rank 32. Beckon
Contemporary
Chef Duncan Holmes's counter in a minimalist RiNo space delivers seasonal cooking of striking restraint, with vegetables and desserts that justify the focus. Seared duck with black truffle and a chocolate dessert anchored by salsify ice cream show how discipline and precision can feel generous.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outsdanding Restaurant
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Denver
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- Westword 2025 · Best Distillery for Cocktails, With or Without Booze · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
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- Westword 2024 · Best Black Coffee · Best of Denver
- Eater The Best Coffee Shops in Denver
- 5280 Denver's 25 Best Coffeeshops
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- Westword 2026 · Best Brewery Upgrade · Best of Denver
- Westword 2026 · Best Pro Wrestling Show · Best of Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Beer to Drink Ringside: Helles · Best of Denver
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- Westword 2024 · Best Bar for Good Vibes · Best of Denver
- Eater The Best Bars in Denver
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Denver
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Rank 43. Whittier Cafe
African
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Rank 44. Marigold
European
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mountain · Theo Adley
- Westword 2025 · Best Restaurant That’s Worth the Drive · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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Rank 45. Noble Riot
Wine Bar
Noble Riot is a wine bar where candlelit evenings and gorgeous vintage maps of wine regions set the scene for serious drinking without the stuffiness. The wine list rewards both adventurous tasting and comfortable favorites, and the fried chicken here is good enough to be the reason you came.
- Westword 2023 · Best Fried Chicken · Best of Denver
- Thrillist The Best Bars in Denver
- Eater The Best Bars in Denver
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The neon-lit basement dining room signals chefs Harrison Porter and Rema Maaliki's refusal of restraint: their menu pivots seasonally through global territory, pairing fried sweetbreads with blue cheese one moment, red snapper crudo the next. Cocktails built around dates and balsamic vinegar match this restless spirit, anchored by genuine warmth and a rotating showcase of local talent.
- 5280 The 13 Best New Places to Eat and Drink in Denver
- Westword 2026 · Best Bread and Butter · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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Rank 48. Major Tom
New American
Chef Duncan Holmes's cosmic-themed restaurant next to his Michelin-starred tasting menu concept offers a looser, more playful take on the same kitchen's ambitions. The concise à la carte menu—savory babka, hanger steak, overnight cabbage with red miso—reads like proof that serious cooking doesn't need to take itself seriously.
- Westword 2023 · Best Pork Chop · Best of Denver
- 5280 2025 · The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
- 5280 2024 · The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
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- 5280 2025 · Top Steakhouse · Top of the Town
- 5280 2024 · The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
- 5280 2025 · The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 50. Alma Fonda Fina
Mexican
Chef Johnny Curiel mines his Guadalajara childhood with technical precision, transforming humble ingredients—scallops in tomato butter, sweet potato with salsa matcha—into something both grounded and alive. The menu resists hierarchy; skip dessert and keep ordering, each dish a small argument for restraint's pointlessness.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- 50 Best 2025 · #45 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mountain · Johnny Curiel
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Rank 51. The Wolf's Tailor
Contemporary
Chef Taylor Stark builds a multicourse narrative from global influences and local Colorado ingredients, opening with canapés that telegraph his kitchen's resourcefulness and closing with dishes like bison loin glazed in dried shrimp caramel. The beverage program matches the food's ambition—cocktails and wines composed with equal rigor and intelligence.
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Erika Whitaker and Kelly Whitaker - ID EST
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Emily Thompson
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- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Bar Team
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. West
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- Esquire 2023 · The Telegraph · The Best Martinis in America
- Thrillist The Best Bars in Denver
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Denver
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Rank 54. Mezcaleria Alma
Mexican
Chef Johnny Curiel channels Mexico City's restless creativity into a narrow mezcal bar where herbaceous ceviches and slow-cooked duck meet dill and mandarin in a single, surprising breath. The agave cocktails are inventive enough to match the food's ambition.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Bon Appétit 2025 · America's Best New Restaurants
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
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Darren Chang and Travis Masar channel Taiwanese cooking through a lens of textural audacity and playful restraint, where fermented garlic and jellyfish sit beside dishes of disarming ease. A fried chicken thigh glistens with schmaltz rice and hot honey; a cocktail arrives spiked with rose jam and black tea—each telling the same story of serious ambition wrapped in approachable warmth.
- 5280 The 13 Best New Places to Eat and Drink in Denver
- Westword 2026 · Best New Restaurant · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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Rank 60. Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails
Ukrainian Eastern European
Owner Bo Porytko elevates humble Eastern European staples—beets, buckwheat, radishes—into refined dishes like salt-baked celery root with creamed sorrel and porchetta paprikash with herbed spaetzle. Counter seating at this snug East Colfax room pairs the cooking with horilka cocktails and wines from the Balkans, all of it executed with a confidence that makes the rustic feel luxurious.
- The New York Times 2023 · The Restaurant List
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mountain · Bo Porytko
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mountain · Bo Porytko
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Rank 61. Palace Arms
Inspired French
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Rank 63. sắp sửa
Non-Traditional Vietnamese
The Nguyens' white dining room on East Colfax channels Vietnamese brightness through unexpected ingredients—veal sweetbreads with salsa verde, egg yolk swimming in brown butter and fish sauce—that feel both playful and assured. Cheeky cocktails like the Tiger's Milk, a gin drink perfumed with orange and dill, match the kitchen's refusal to stay still.
- Bon Appétit 2024 · America's Best New Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
- The New York Times 2024 · The Restaurant List
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Rank 64. Yuan Wonton
Chinese
Chef-owner Penelope Wong runs this Park Hill lunch spot with infectious energy, moving between wonton stations and a rotating menu that pivots on her Chinese and Thai instincts. The twice-fried pork with caramelized pineapple and crispy garlic noodles arrive as proof that constraint—limited hours, small space—breeds invention.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mountain · Penelope Wong
- The New York Times 2024 · The Restaurant List
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mountain · Penelope Wong
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Rank 67. Rioja
Mediterranean
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
- Eater Fresh bacon · Denver’s 20 Most Iconic Dishes
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Rank 68. EDGE
Colorado
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- Westword 2026 · Best Mac and Cheese · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best Food Truck Turned Brick-and-Mortar · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Fried Chicken Biscuit on Wheels · Best of Denver
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- Huckberry The 50 Best Dive Bars in America
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Denver
- Eater The Best Bars in Denver
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- Westword 2026 · Best Dim Sum Duo · Best of Denver
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Fifteen Best New Denver Restaurants
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Rank 72. Xiquita
Mexican
Erasmo Casiano's Uptown restaurant layers Mexican sophistication with deliberate opacity—the untranslated menu becomes an invitation to explore, aided by staff who decipher dishes like dry-aged hamachi crudo with salsa negra and duck carnita tacos with equal fluency. Cocktails built from prickly pear and jicama match the kitchen's refusal to simplify.
- Esquire 2024 · Martini Cochinero · The Best Martinis in America
- Westword 2025 · Best New Restaurant · Best of Denver
- 5280 2025 · The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 73. Barolo Grill
Northern Italian
Barolo Grill anchors Denver fine dining with Northern Italian cooking that balances classical technique—spinach soufflés, handmade pastas—against seasonal invention. The wine program, steeped in Barolo and stewarded by an unusually knowledgeable staff, matches the kitchen's ambition without pretension.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service · Ryan Fletter
- Westword 2025 · Best Crème Brûlée · Best of Denver
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 74. Guard and Grace
Steakhouse
An oak fire blazes in the open kitchen of this downtown steakhouse, where floor-to-ceiling wine towers and polished modernism frame the serious business of beef. The filet arrives with lime smashed potatoes and chili butter—a dish that justifies the setting's architectural ambition.
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The fortress-like exterior on a side street near MLK Boulevard gives way to genuine warmth and a kitchen that knows its business with fried chicken, gumbo, and collard greens shot through with ham hock and cabbage. This is a no-frills neighborhood spot where the soul food is built on real technique and care, not nostalgia.
- Westword 2024 · Best Soul Food · Best of Denver
- 5280 2025 · Top Fried Chicken · Top of the Town
- Westword 2023 · Best Southern/Soul Restaurant · Best of Denver
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Rank 76. Mizuna
French/American
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Rank 77. The Cruise Room
Art Deco Cocktail Bar
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. West
- Eater The Best Bars in Denver
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Denver
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Rank 78. Sunday Vinyl
Wine Bar
This Union Station wine bar takes its cue from sommelier Bobby Stuckey's Sunday-night ritual of spinning records and opening great bottles, translating that intimate celebration into a lively downtown room bathed in music. The programming is playfully eclectic—Wednesday flight nights pair wines with everything from Billie Eilish to Jimi Hendrix, turning what could be a stiff tasting into something genuinely fun.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Wine Enthusiast 2023 · Forward 50 Restaurants
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- 5280 The 11 Best Breakfast Burritos in Denver and Beyond
- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
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- Westword 2025 · Best Pastries at a Coffee Shop · Best of Denver
- Westword 2026 · Best Cafe That’s Also a Bakery · Best of Denver
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- Thrillist The Best Bars in Denver
- 5280 French Dip · The 17 Best Sandwiches in (and Around) Denver
- Eater The Best Bars in Denver
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- Westword 2024 · Best Vintage Spirits List · Best of Denver
- Eater The Best Bars in Denver
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Denver
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Larimer Street's La Diabla trades polish for color and conviction, with dark wood floors beneath vibrant walls where chef Jose Avila's five-variation pozole—from smoky black to mushroom-forward white—arrives in bowls built for customization and comfort. A mezcal selection deepens the spell.
- The New York Times 2023 · The Restaurant List
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mountain · Jose Avila
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
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Rank 85. Lucina Eatery & Bar
Pan-Latin
Erasmo Casiano and Diego Coconati turned their cooking-school partnership into this vibrant Latin spot named for Casiano's mother, where the menu roams from Mexico to Miami by way of Argentina, Peru, and Venezuela. Mofongo and mussels with chorizo anchor the repertoire, while weekend paella rotates through the kitchen's moods.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mountain · Erasmo Casiano and Diego Coconati
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mountain · Erasmo Casiano and Diego Coconati
- Westword 2024 · Best Latin Restaurant · Best of Denver
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- Wildsam The 50 Most Essential Bars in America
- Westword 2026 · Best Wine and Vinyl Club · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Place to Drown Out Your Annoying Friend · Best of Denver
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Rank 88. Alteño
Jalisco Mexican
Chef Johnny Curiel channels his Jalisco roots through bold seafood and regional Mexican cooking, anchored by standout dishes like kanpachi tostada and braised lamb shank. The moody dining room honors traditional flavors while respecting ingredient quality with unsentimental rigor.
- Esquire 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Westword 2026 · Best Cornbread · Best of Denver
- 5280 2025 · Top Chef · Top of the Town · Johnny Curiel
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Rank 89. Tavernetta
Italian
Tavernetta commands Union Station's grand arrival hall with the ease of a place that knows its worth. Cacio e pepe and lamb ragù rigatoni arrive with the kind of careful execution that justifies the Frasca Hospitality Group's reputation, while the wine list rewards curiosity. An affogato with honey gelato closes the evening in a room that feels both spacious and intimate.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Denver
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Denver
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- Westword 2025 · Best Avocado Toast · Best of Denver
- Eater The Best Coffee Shops in Denver
- 5280 Denver's 25 Best Coffeeshops
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- Westword 2025 · Best Upscale Thai Restaurant · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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Rank 92. Reunion Bread Co
Portuguese Bakery
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Ismael de Sousa
- Bon Appétit 2019 · America's Best New Restaurants
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- Westword 2025 · Best New Omakase · Best of Denver
- Westword 2026 · Best Underground Sushi Restaurant · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar
- Westword 2026 · Best Secretly High-Tech Cocktails · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
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Rank 95. A5 Steakhouse
Modern Steakhouse
A5's corner room glows with retro warmth, its bar a natural gathering spot while Chef Max MacKissock tends to steakhouse classics with small, deliberate flourishes. The Denver steak from Blackhawk Farms arrives flawlessly executed, reason enough to book a table back.
- Westword 2023 · Best Steakhouse · Best of Denver
- 5280 2025 · Top Burger · Top of the Town
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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- Westword 2026 · Best Bar Programming · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
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