The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near Denver Art Museum
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Rank 1. 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 4. Palace Arms
Inspired French
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Rank 5. Mizuna
French/American
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- Wildsam The 50 Most Essential Bars in America
- Westword 2024 · Best Place to Drown Out Your Annoying Friend · Best of Denver
- Westword 2026 · Best Wine and Vinyl Club · Best of Denver
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Rank 10. EDGE
Colorado
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Rank 11. Little Arthur's
Pizza
AJ Shreffler runs this spare beer bar on Seventh Avenue with the precision of a fine-dining kitchen, sourcing each ingredient for his cheesesteaks and Sicilian pies as though they were destined for a tasting menu. The sandwiches cost twenty dollars, the pizzas thirty and up, and every loaded fry and brownie arrives as evidence that ambition has no dress code.
- Westword 2025 · Best Pop-Up Turned Brick-and-Mortar · Best of Denver
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Denver
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 14. 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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Rank 15. 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 16. 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 17. El Taco De Mexico
Mexican
Since 1985, this stripped-down Santa Fe Drive taqueria has drawn steady crowds for its straightforward tacos and everything drowned in a bright, tingling green chile that defines the place. No frills, minimal service, maximum devotion—the James Beard Foundation named it an American Classic in 2020, and you'll understand why the first time you taste the salsa.
- Westword 2023 · Best Mexican Breakfast · Best of Denver
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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- Westword 2026 · Best Underground Sushi Restaurant · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best New Omakase · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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Rank 24. Panzano
Italian
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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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A Capitol Hill corner where the kitchen has quietly pursued local sourcing since 1997, building menus around what grows near Denver rather than what trends elsewhere. The wine list roams toward lesser-known sustainable producers with the same principled restraint that shapes each plate.
- Westword 2023 · Best Farm-to-Table Fare · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 39. Tonantzin Casa de Café
Indigenous/Latin-Inspired
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Rank 42. Room For Friends
Midwestern
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- Westword 2023 · Best Pickle Shots · Best of Denver
- Thrillist The Best Bars in Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
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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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Rank 47. MAKfam
American Chinese
The narrow room hums with the casual precision of a kitchen staffed by people who grew up around stoves, serving fried wontons stuffed with crab and cheese alongside hand-shaped potstickers that taste like someone's memory made edible. Málà chicken wings and corned beef fried rice arrive with the confidence of dishes that have been thought through, not merely assembled.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Emerging Chef · Kenneth Wan
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mountain · Kenneth Wan
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
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- Westword 2026 · Best Cafe That’s Also a Bakery · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best Pastries at a Coffee Shop · Best of Denver
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Rank 51. Coperta
Southern Italian
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Rank 52. 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 2023 · Best Patio for Tortured Writers · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
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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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Rank 57. The Cruise Room
Art Deco Cocktail Bar
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. West
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Denver
- Eater The Best Bars in Denver
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- Westword 2024 · Best Vintage Spirits List · Best of Denver
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Denver
- Eater The Best Bars in Denver
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Rank 66. Brutø
Contemporary
Chef Byron Gomez's counter in the Dairy Block marries Japanese and Nordic traditions through a fermentation program and a mastery of the hearth that chars each course with intention. The sea urchin with butternut bisque and the non-alcoholic pairings reveal a kitchen thinking seriously about locality and narrative.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Winner · Outstanding Restaurateur · Erika Whitaker and Kelly Whitaker - ID EST
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Matt Husted, Erika Whitaker, and Kelly Whitaker - ID EST Hospitality Group
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- Westword 2025 · Best New Neighborhood Bar · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
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Rank 72. Ukiyo
Japanese
A basement speakeasy accessible only through an unmarked alley door, Ukiyo serves two seatings nightly of Japanese-rooted tasting menus inflected with Southeast Asian and Peruvian accents. Nigiri ranges from traditional otoro to lemongrass chicken, while desserts like uni ice cream over roasted apples defy expectation.
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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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- 5280 The 11 Best Breakfast Burritos in Denver and Beyond
- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
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Rank 76. Reckless Noodle House
Vietnamese Noodles
A Capitol Hill noodle shop with playful decor and a drink program that's clearly taken seriously, Reckless pulls from Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai and Chinese kitchens with equal confidence. The cocktail menu splits between classics and house inventions, and the kitchen rewards adventurous orders just as much as the bar does.
- Westword 2023 · Best Shrimp · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best West Coast Transplant · Best of Denver
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Rank 77. 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 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Wine Enthusiast 2023 · Forward 50 Restaurants
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Rank 81. The Porchetta House
Italian
A tight dining room in Uptown yields roast pork of such clarity and juiciness that the Original—arugula, pink peppercorn Kewpie mayo, crispy ciabatta—needs nothing more. Chef AJ Paloni's sandwich shop proves that restraint and a single ingredient done right can overwhelm the senses.
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Rank 86. 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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Rank 87. Hell or High Water Tiki
Tiki Cocktail Bar
A tiki bar hidden on the mezzanine of a deliberately haunted spirit house, this place commits fully to its theme with phallic totems and the general aesthetic of a gay pirate ship. The tropical cocktails arrive built with surprising ingredients, and the intimate party atmosphere rewards those willing to embrace the flamboyance.
- Westword 2023 · Best Use of a Leopard Speedo · Best of Denver
- Thrillist The Best Bars in Denver
- 5280 2024 · Best for a Big Night Out · The 23 Best Bars in Denver
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A fast-casual spot that treats Indian spices as the secret weapon for late-night cravings, Gaia Masala slings tikka masala cheesesteaks, burgers with mint and cucumber, and cheesy masala fries that don't need much to justify themselves. The menu also covers straight Indian dishes and Mediterranean options, but the real draw is watching the kitchen remix familiar fast food through a boldly spiced lens.
- Westword 2023 · Best French Fries · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Restaurant for Late-Night Munchies · Best of Denver
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Rank 90. Pablo's Coffee
Coffee
Pablo's is a craft-coffee institution where the lack of wi-fi is actually the point—conversation and eye contact happen naturally here, aided by good espresso and a couch-filled corner that feels like someone's living room. One of Denver's first indie roasters, it's been around long enough to have watched the city catch up to what it already knew.
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Rank 93. Tí Cafe
Vietnamese Coffee
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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 96. 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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- Westword 2025 · Best New Bar Where Everything Is $5 · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
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