The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near Pablo's Coffee
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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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Rank 3. Mizuna
French/American
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Rank 5. 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 6. 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 8. 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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Rank 12. Tí Cafe
Vietnamese Coffee
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In a Wash Park dining room lit by a vintage Pizza Hut lamp, chefs Figura and White play with Italian tradition—squid ink fettuccine with rock shrimp, pizzas topped with sunflower seed pesto—while anchoring every meal with a hoagie salad and Nutella icebox cake. Their sly approach to craft suggests they're having more fun than the tongue-in-cheek name lets on.
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Rank 15. Restaurant Olivia
Italian
At Restaurant Olivia, house-made pasta is the vehicle for assertive flavor combinations that swing from traditional Italian to inventively cross-cultural—bronze-die gemelli with Umbrian sausage, ricotta gnocchi with coconut lobster bisque and black garlic. The room hums with a kind of easy confidence, matched by cocktails designed to provoke rather than merely please.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Hospitality
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- 5280 2024 · The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
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- Thrillist The Best Bars in Denver
- Eater The Best Bars in Denver
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Denver
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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 23. 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
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In 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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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 29. 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 30. La Forêt
French
- Westword 2025 · Best Date Night Restaurant · Best of Denver
- 5280 2024 · The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 41. 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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- Westword 2023 · Best Patio for Tortured Writers · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
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Rank 46. 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 48. Music City Hot Chicken
Nashville Southern
Music City Hot Chicken does the Nashville specialty that's now everywhere, but with the kind of crispy, juicy execution that explains why it opened a Denver location inside a brewery after finding its footing in Fort Collins. The sandwich-focused menu shines across heat levels (green chile version included) and extends to vegan options and sides that don't phone it in.
- Westword 2023 · Best Chicken Sandwich · Best of Denver
- 5280 Fried Hot Chicken · The 17 Best Sandwiches in (and Around) Denver
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Rank 51. Palace Arms
Inspired French
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Rank 62. Room For Friends
Midwestern
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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 65. 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 66. Mar Bella Boqueria
Tapas Spanish
Chef Johnny Curiel's Spanish tapas counter in Cherry Creek trades the reservation frenzy of his other projects for a low-lit room where diners can drift between traditional pan con tomate and creations like coffee-braised oxtail in piquillo peppers. Saffron martinis and wines from lesser-known Spanish regions anchor a menu that reads like an argument for restraint and specificity over spectacle.
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Rank 67. Tonantzin Casa de Café
Indigenous/Latin-Inspired
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Rank 70. 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 74. Lucile's Creole Cafe
Cajun & Creole
A spirited breakfast-and-lunch spot decorated with Louisiana tchotchkes and colored-fabric-wrapped silverware, Lucile's does the full Creole playbook with powdered-sugar beignets, chicory coffee, and fat biscuits with housemade jam. Order the half-grits, half-potatoes side and douse everything in housemade hot sauce for a casual, cheerful trip to the bayou.
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Rank 75. 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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- Westword 2025 · Best Upscale Thai Restaurant · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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Chris Graves spent 25 years annoyed by other coffee shops before opening this one in 2010 with a deliberate fix for every pet peeve—proper Kaladi Brothers coffee, fresh pastries from Burrito Kitchen, impeccable sound system, and lighting that doesn't feel like a dentist's office. The multiple rooms, couches, and window seats mean you can nurse a cappuccino for hours or actually get work done, all while Otis Redding plays without skipping.
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Rank 79. Moonrise Coffee Roasters
Hawaiian
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- Westword 2024 · Best Place to Drink With a View · Best of Denver
- 5280 2024 · Best for Day Drinking · The 23 Best Bars in Denver
- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch 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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- Westword 2025 · Best New Taco Joint · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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- Westword 2024 · Best Den-Mex Eats at a Bar · Best of Denver
- Eater Green chili · Denver’s 20 Most Iconic Dishes
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Rank 87. 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.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
- Bon Appétit 2024 · America's Best New Restaurants
- The New York Times 2024 · The Restaurant List
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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 93. 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 96. EDGE
Colorado
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- Westword 2023 · Best New Club · Best of Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Punk Bar · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Surprisingly Vegan Bar Food · Best of Denver
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