The Top 100 Places to Eat Near Spruce Mountain Open Space Trail
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Rank 2. Poulette Bakeshop
French Bakery
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Carolyn Nugent and Alen Ramos
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bakery
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Carolyn Nugent and Alen Ramos
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Rank 3. Basil & Barley Pizzeria Napoletana
Neapolitan Pizza
The wood-fired oven is the centerpiece here, visible and working hard, the kind that gives a Neapolitan pizzeria its whole reason for existing. The dough is slow-leavened and properly soft, and the menu runs from certified traditional pies to more creative builds you put together yourself. Craft beers and Italian wines round things out, and the staff actually knows the menu. Roomy enough for families, quiet enough for a date night.
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- Westword 2024 · Best Non-Traditional Hamburger · Best of Denver
- 5280 Top Chinese · Top of the Town
- Eater The Best Chinese Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 14. Hong Kong Station
Cantonese
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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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Rank 30. Kizaki
Omakase Japanese
Toshi Kizaki built Denver's Japanese dining scene over four decades, and this intimate counter omakase is where he's raising his own bar. Around twenty courses move between small plates and nigiri he shapes himself, with Michelin's one-star stamp confirming what regulars already knew. The room is spare and dramatically lit, the pacing unhurried, and the sake pairings handled with care. This is a full-commitment dinner, not a drop-in.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Esquire The Best New Restaurants in America
- Westword 2026 · Best Omakase Restaurant · Best of Denver
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Rank 32. Margot
Contemporary New American
Eight seats at a counter tucked inside a shared space, which tells you almost everything about the vibe before the bread arrives. Margot is a multicourse tasting menu restaurant earning a Michelin star on the strength of cooking that reads as both Colorado and everywhere at once. Each guest gets their own individual loaf of olive oil brioche, freshly baked, which sets the tone for hospitality that somehow manages not to feel performative.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Westword 2026 · Best New Tasting Menu Restaurant · Best of Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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Rank 37. Bosphorus
Turkish
A strip-mall Turkish restaurant in Englewood with four tables and portions that could feed a small village. The menu runs through lamb shish kebabs, börek, pita-wrapped gyros, and the layered iskender, all at prices that make you feel briefly guilty. The team runs the room with the kind of warmth that makes strangers feel like regulars. Finish with baklava and strong Turkish coffee, then figure out how to button your coat.
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Mediterranean Restaurant · Best of Denver
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Rank 38. Tofu Story
Korean
- 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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- Eater The Best New Restaurants in Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
- Westword 2026 · Best New Barbecue Joint · Best of Denver
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- Westword 2024 · Best Noodles in a Tea Shop · Best of Denver
- Eater The Best Chinese Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 52. LaTinto Cafe
Colombian Coffee
- 5280 Denver's 25 Best Coffeeshops
- Eater The Best Coffee Shops in Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Colombian Coffee Shop · Best of Denver
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- Westword The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
- Westword 2025 · Best Custom Cake Shop Serving Hong Kong Eats · Best of Denver
- Eater The Best Chinese Restaurants in Denver
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- 5280 The 11 Best Breakfast Burritos in Denver and Beyond
- 5280 Torta · The 17 Best Sandwiches in (and Around) Denver
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Rank 57. Restaurant Olivia
Italian
House-made pasta runs nearly every plate at this Italian restaurant on South Downing, from bronze-die extruded gemelli to hand-shaped tortellini filled with braised duck. The kitchen moves between classic and globe-trotting without apology, and the flavors stay assertive either way. The cocktail list holds its own as an aperitif program, and the hospitality is warm enough that a James Beard semifinalist nod for it makes complete sense.
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- 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
- Westword 2026 · Best Sushi Restaurant · Best of Denver
- Eater Banana cream pie · Denver’s 20 Most Iconic Dishes
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Rank 59. Golden Falafel Restaurant
Middle Eastern
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- 5280 Top New Restaurant · Top of the Town
- 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best Happy Hour Bite · Best of Denver
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Rank 61. Ochag Bar & Grill
Armenian Middle Eastern
An Armenian and Caucasian grill tucked into an Aurora strip mall, where the khachapuri arrives topped with egg and cheese and the beef dumplings, called khinkali, are large enough to require a small plan of attack. The menu runs from hearty stews and hand-pulled noodles to eggplant rolls stuffed with garlic-walnut spread. Georgian wine, from a region that considers itself the cradle of viticulture, is the right call alongside any of it.
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Rank 62. Yuan Wonton
Chinese
Penelope Wong's Park Hill lunch spot keeps limited hours, which only seems to sharpen the crowd's focus. The menu rotates around dumplings, wontons, and potstickers, with daily specials pulled from her Chinese and Thai background. Wong won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mountain, and the New York Times put this on its restaurant list, which for a weekday lunch counter is the kind of attention that makes Tuesday feel like a reservation you forgot to make.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Winner · Best Chef: Mountain · Penelope Wong
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mountain · Penelope Wong
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mountain · Penelope Wong
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Rank 63. MAKfam
American Chinese
Chicken wings dusted in málà seasoning are the thing people keep coming back for, but the corned beef fried rice is the move that explains this place in one bite. MAKfam is a quick-casual American Chinese spot run by a married couple with roots in Chinatown takeout and a loose definition of tradition. The Michelin Guide gave it a Bib Gourmand, and the James Beard Foundation named the chef a Semifinalist for Emerging Chef.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Westword 2024 · Best New Fine-Casual Restaurant · Best of Denver
- 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 64. Barolo Grill
Northern Italian
White tablecloths, candlelight, and a wine list so deep in Barolo it borders on a personal obsession: this Cherry Creek fine dining room has been a northern Italian anchor in Denver for as long as anyone can remember. The front-of-house team takes annual trips to Europe, and it shows in a warmth that never tips into theater. The four-course degustazione with pairings is the move, though grazing at the bar on a weeknight has its own quiet appeal.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service · Ryan Fletter
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 65. Somebody People
Vegetarian
The dining room runs turquoise, pink, and lemon yellow, which tells you something about the spirit of this vegetarian restaurant in the Golden Triangle. The menu reads simply but the plates arrive complex, the kitchen finding real depth in seasonal produce without announcing the effort. Zero-proof cocktails get the same careful treatment as the wine list, which leans biodynamic. A weeknight tasting menu keeps the tab surprisingly manageable.
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Rank 67. Com Nha Kitchen & Bar
Vietnamese
The move here is mon nhau, Vietnamese bar food that runs to pork-stuffed chicken wings, snails in salted egg yolk, and fries drowning in brisket and garlic butter. The pho shots, vodka and beef broth, set the tone for everything else. This Harvey Park kitchen and bar keeps the pho and bánh mì around for the cautious, but the menu's whole subtext is that caution is overrated. Bring people you like enough to share a three-liter soju tower with.
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Rank 70. Brutø
Nordic Japanese
An omakase counter tucked into the Free Market at Dairy Block, Brutø runs a tasting menu where the hearth does most of the talking. The kitchen blends Nordic and Japanese instincts with a serious fermentation program, and the non-alcoholic pairing is worth ordering without hesitation. Chef Byron Gomez holds a Michelin star and a James Beard Award, which is a lot of hardware for a counter hidden inside a food hall.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Winner · Outstanding Restaurateur · Erika Whitaker and Kelly Whitaker - ID EST
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mountain · Michael Diaz de Leon
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Rank 71. Alma Fonda Fina
Mexican
The agave-roasted sweet potato with salsa macha and fennel-whipped requesón has its own Eater listing, which tells you something about the ambition here. Alma Fonda Fina is a creative Mexican restaurant with a Michelin star, where the chef draws on a Guadalajara upbringing and runs a menu that skips dessert entirely, the logic being you should just order another dish. The chef's counter is the seat to want.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Sunset Restaurants · Where to Eat and Drink
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
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Rank 72. Star Kitchen
Dim sum Chinese
The carts are back, loaded with dumplings, chicken feet, shrimp balls, and sticky rice, and on weekend mornings a line forms outside before the doors open. Star Kitchen is a dim sum parlor tucked into a strip mall on Mississippi, the kind of room that rewards a large, hungry group with a working knowledge of chile oil. Dinner happens too, but the morning rush is the whole point.
- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Chinese Restaurant · Best of Denver
- Eater The Best Chinese Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 74. sắp sửa
Non-Traditional Vietnamese
- Sunset Restaurants · Where to Eat and Drink
- The New York Times Trúng Và Trúng · The Best Restaurant Dishes We Ate Across the U.S.
- Bon Appétit America's Best New Restaurants
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Rank 78. Call Your Mother
NY-Style Bakery
- Bon Appétit The Very Best Bagels in the US (Yes, Outside New York)
- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
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- 5280 Top Distillery · Top of the Town
- Westword 2026 · Best Place to Worship Whiskey · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best New Spirits Tasting Room · Best of Denver
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Rank 83. Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails
Ukrainian Eastern European
East Colfax doesn't usually do "sexy Eastern European," but Molotov Kitschen makes a convincing case for the phrase. The chef, a James Beard semifinalist, roots the menu in Ukrainian cooking, rotating dumplings and borscht alongside dishes that treat radishes and buckwheat like they have something to prove. Horilka cocktails and Balkan wines round things out. Counter seats are the move if you can get them.
- The New York Times The Restaurant List
- Westword 2024 · Best New Restaurant · Best of Denver
- 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
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A long counter in a Scandi-spare RiNo room is where the tasting menu unfolds, the kitchen fully visible and conspicuously calm. Vegetables tend to steal scenes that duck and truffle are supposedly headlining, and desserts run ambitious enough that cocoa nib tuiles and salsify ice cream show up in the same bowl. The wine list is serious, and there's a zero-proof pairing if you'd rather stay sharp. Michelin has awarded it a star, and the James Beard Foundation named it an Outstanding Restaurant Semifinalist.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- Bon Appétit America's Best New Restaurants
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- Westword 2023 · Best Korean Restaurant · Best of Denver
- Westword 2026 · Best Hot Pot · Best of Denver
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Rank 89. Alteño
Jalisco Mexican
The lamb shank arrives bone-in so you can pull it apart and build your own tacos, which tells you most of what you need to know about this Jalisco Highlands restaurant on Clayton Street. Chef Johnny Curiel draws on the rustic cooking of Los Altos de Jalisco, running from aguachile and kanpachi tostada through soulful mains meant for the table to share. Moody lighting, a lively room, and a Michelin Guide selection.
- Esquire The Best New Restaurants in America
- 5280 Top Chef · Top of the Town · Johnny Curiel
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 90. Tí Cafe
Vietnamese Coffee
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Rank 92. Mezcaleria Alma
Mexican
Tucked next to chef Johnny Curiel's flagship, this agave bar doubles as a serious kitchen, and the two halves push each other into strange, good territory. The mezcal list is long and thoughtful, the cocktails inventive, and the food pulls from Mexico City's restless energy with Japanese and other detours woven in. A Michelin star and a New York Times nod followed quickly. Plan around the bar counter if you can.
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Rank 93. Annette
Seasonal New American
Caroline Glover won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mountain out of this Stanley Marketplace restaurant in Aurora, and the cooking stays grounded enough that the award doesn't feel like it belongs somewhere else. Annette is a seasonal New American spot where the menu shifts with what's good, though a few things hang around because they've earned it. The room is warm and the hospitality matches it.
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Winner · Best Chef: Mountain · Caroline Glover
- 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 94. Johnny Bechamel's
Italian
A vintage Pizza Hut lamp hangs in the dining room, which tells you almost everything about the tone. This Italian restaurant in Wash Park comes from the team behind Dio Mio and Redeemer Pizza, and the menu reads like people who take craft seriously decided to stop pretending they don't also love a good bit. Red sauce shares space with squid ink fettuccine, seasonal crudo, and pizzas topped with sour cream-and-onion dip.
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Rank 96. Molino Chido
Mexican
Corn is ground on-site, which tells you something about how seriously the kitchen takes its tortillas before you've ordered a single taco. Molino Chido is a casual Mexican spot in Aurora where the folding chairs and cement floors make no pretense, but the team behind it comes from serious restaurant kitchens. The menu runs from straightforward carnitas to bison tongue, and a counter tasting menu exists for anyone who wants the full ride.
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in Denver
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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Rank 97. Pig And Tiger
Taiwanese
A Taiwanese restaurant in Denver's Capitol Hill where jellyfish and pickled mustard stems show up on the menu but somehow feel like comfort food by the time they reach the table. The cocktails lean into it too, with an Old Fashioned built around rose jam and black tea. Eater named it one of Denver's best restaurants, and Westword gave it Best New Restaurant honors.
- 5280 The 13 Best New Places to Eat and Drink in Denver
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in Denver
- Westword 2026 · Best New Restaurant · Best of Denver
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A Sicilian family splits the room between a bakery counter stacked with lobster tail pastries and sweet cannoli and a full sit-down dining area with a bar, so you can eat chicken parm and lasagna, then carry dessert home. The savory cannoli, stuffed with sausage, jalapeños, and oozing mozzarella, has earned its own following. Finish with the house limoncello, made cream-style in the Sicilian way, which lands somewhere between a digestif and a milkshake.
- Westword 2025 · Best Sicilian Bakery · Best of Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Old-School Italian Restaurant · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Savory Cannoli · Best of Denver
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Rank 100. Rougarou
Southern
Southern cooking and a cocktail program that pours buttermilk and benne seed into the glass share equal billing at this casual Five Points restaurant and bar. The chef runs with heirloom grits and collard greens but also hot-and-sour catfish and sorghum-tamarind pork shoulder, so the kitchen respects the tradition without being hostage to it. The team behind the preeminent cocktail bar Yacht Club runs the drinks side, which explains the ambition in a room that looks relaxed about the whole thing.
- 5280 The 13 Best New Places to Eat and Drink in Denver
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in Denver
- Westword 2026 · Best New Bar · Best of Denver