The Best Breakfast Near Chef Zorba's, by the Record
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Rank 1. Chef Zorba's
American Greek
Avgolemono on a menu full of green chile cheese fries and omelets sets the tone at this neighborhood diner tucked onto a quiet, tree-shaded block just off Colfax. Chef Zorba's has been around forever, and the regulars who walk over from Congress Park carry themselves like they've never needed to look at the menu. Westword handed it Best Soup for a Hangover, which is either high praise or a very specific clientele study.
- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Banana Pudding · Best of Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Soup for a Hangover · Best of Denver
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Rank 2. Le French
French
- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mountain · Aminata “Ami” Dia and Rougui Dia
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- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
- 5280 The 11 Best Breakfast Burritos in Denver and Beyond
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Rank 9. Welton Street Cafe
Southern
- Westword 2025 · Best New Digs · Best of Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
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Rank 11. 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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A smoked rabbit and pecan pie with sharp cheddar and mustard gelato will tell you everything you need to know about this LoHi all-day cafe. The chef behind it has cooked her way through Italy, Israel, and Mexico, and the menu shows every mile, running from posole verde at lunch to butterflied branzino at dinner without ever feeling scattered. Come morning for the bakery case, stay because the room earns it.
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Rank 14. Odell's Bagel
Kaiseki Japanese
By day, a bagel shop where the hand-rolled, kettle-boiled rings get topped with things like hamachi, fresh wasabi, and shiso. By night, the Counter flips to a hyperseasonal kaiseki tasting menu, the kind of multicourse journey that shifts entirely with what's good that week. The chef trained in Japan under serious mentors, and it shows. A James Beard semifinalist in 2026, it's also landed on Eater's best Denver restaurants list.
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Rank 15. Odie B's
Mexican Coffee Shop
Tequila-spiked Gatorade on the patio is a real menu choice, and somehow it makes complete sense once you're here. Odie B's is a boisterous Mexican-leaning coffee shop and sandwich counter in Sunnyside where the morning bleeds into afternoon without anyone particularly minding. Focaccia sandwiches, griddled banana bread, and spiced bloody marys keep the regulars cycling back. A second location sits in RiNo for when you're on the wrong side of town.
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Rank 16. Smōk
Barbecue
The smoke here is the point, not the backdrop. This fast-casual BBQ counter inside the Source Hotel takes an Austin-leaning approach to brisket and jalapeño cheddar sausage, where the smoke reads as seasoning rather than spectacle. The Nashville hot chicken sandwich has its loyalists too. Sides like slaw and mac and cheese are present and accounted for, though nobody's lining up for them. The Michelin Guide has it on their list, if that helps calibrate expectations.
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Rank 19. Lucile's Creole Cafe
Cajun & Creole
Beignets dusted in powdered sugar and a personal bottle of sparkling juice set the tone at this Louisiana-inspired breakfast and lunch spot in Denver's Capitol Hill. The walls are loaded with Creole country kitsch, and the silverware arrives wrapped in bright fabric. The chicory coffee and housemade hot sauce are the real throughlines. A local chain, but one that has regulars debating grits versus potatoes, which is exactly the right argument to be having.
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- 5280 Best for Day Drinking · The 23 Best Bars in Denver
- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Place to Drink With a View · Best of Denver
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Rank 22. 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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- 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 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
- 5280 The 11 Best Breakfast Burritos in Denver and Beyond
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Rank 38. Ototo
Japanese
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- Westword 2025 · Best Breakfast Burrito · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Expansion · Best of Denver
- 5280 The 11 Best Breakfast Burritos in Denver and Beyond
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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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A glassed-in butchery room off the dining floor sets the tone at this polished American restaurant from Hosea Rosenberg, a James Beard semifinalist. Seats at the counter face the open kitchen, and the bar is well-stocked for lingering. The charcuterie comes from in-house, the pasta is inventive, and the donuts have a way of becoming the whole point of the meal.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
- 5280 The 11 Best Breakfast Burritos in Denver and Beyond
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Rank 83. Burrito Express
Mexican
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