The Top 100 Restaurants Near Stampede
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Rank 1. 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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Rank 2. 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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- 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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- Westword 2024 · Best Noodles in a Tea Shop · Best of Denver
- Eater The Best Chinese Restaurants in Denver
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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 11. 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
- Westword The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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Rank 12. Dân Dã
Vietnamese
Dân Dã calls its cooking "comfort cuisine," which undersells a menu that runs from curried beef claypot to salads piled with jellyfish, cuttlefish, and pickled lotus root. It's a Vietnamese restaurant on East Colfax with an enormous menu and a full bar that leans into tamarind, guava, and lychee, so the drinks keep up with the food. The dining room packs in tightly, which gives the whole place an energy that suits the cooking.
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Rank 13. 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 14. 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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Six food stalls share a refugee community center in Aurora, and the hours are loose enough that showing up with a plan is a mistake. On a good day you might land Burmese curry, Haitian fritters, Ethiopian doro wot, and Sudanese semolina cake in a single tray-juggling loop. The room is a folding-chair situation, not a date-night situation, but the cooking makes a strong case for itself regardless.
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Denver
- Westword 2026 · Best International Food Hall · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best International Food Hall · Best of Denver
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Rank 16. 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 17. 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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- Westword 2024 · Best Vintage Beer List · Best of Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
- 5280 Pork Tenderloin · The 17 Best Sandwiches in (and Around) Denver
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Rank 21. Golden Falafel Restaurant
Middle Eastern
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Rank 23. Lucina Eatery & Bar
Pan-Latin Mexican
- 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Denver
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Denver
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Rank 24. 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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Rank 27. 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 29. 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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Rank 33. 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 34. Noodles Express
Sichuan
The menu has a section called "America's Popular," which tells you everything you need to know about where the kitchen's heart actually lies. This counter-service Sichuan spot runs a long list of chile-heavy, mouth-numbing dishes built around Sichuan peppercorns, and the portions are sized for sharing. Come with people, order widely, and leave the safe column alone.
- Westword 2023 · Best Szechuan Fried Chicken · Best of Denver
- Eater The Best Chinese Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 38. Mar Bella Boqueria
Tapas Spanish
A chef's counter built for multicourse tastings anchors the low-lit, warm-toned room, though walk-ins grazing on tapas fill it just as happily. This is a Spanish tapas spot from the chef behind Alma Fonda Fina, and it flies a little under the radar for it, which means a table here is easier to come by. The cocktail list leans saffron-forward, and the wine picks from lesser-known Spanish regions are worth the detour.
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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 47. 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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- 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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Rank 50. Hong Kong Station
Cantonese
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Rank 51. 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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- 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
- Westword 2025 · Best Food Truck Turned Brick-and-Mortar · Best of Denver
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Rank 54. 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 2025 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mountain · Penelope Wong
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mountain · Penelope Wong
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- Eater The Best New Restaurants in Denver
- Westword 2026 · Best Dim Sum Duo · Best of Denver
- Westword The Fifteen Best New Denver Restaurants
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Rank 57. 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 59. 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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- 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 65. 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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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 2026 · Best Place to Worship Whiskey · Best of Denver
- 5280 Top Distillery · Top of the Town
- Westword 2025 · Best New Spirits Tasting Room · Best of Denver
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- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Denver
- 5280 Top Fried Chicken · Top of the Town
- Westword 2023 · Best Southern/Soul Restaurant · Best of Denver
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Rank 72. 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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Rank 73. 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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A binchotan grill, a wood-fired oven, a fermentation program, and a garden out back: the kitchen here builds its multicourse tasting menus from the ground up, milling its own grains and composting its own pretensions into something genuinely novel. The cooking pulls from Chiang Mai, Mexico, and Colorado without really belonging to any of them. Two Michelin stars. The beverage program matches the ambition, cocktails and all.
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Erika Whitaker and Kelly Whitaker - ID EST
- Bon Appétit #10 · America's Best New Restaurants
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Rank 76. Potager
Farm-to-table New American Wine Bar
The hidden back garden patio is reason enough to book a table, but the kitchen earns its own case: a farm-to-table wine bar in Capitol Hill that's been sourcing from local farmers since before that phrase appeared on every menu in Denver. The wine list leans toward sustainable, off-the-beaten-path producers, and the food shifts with what's actually growing nearby. Regulars treat the wintertime cassoulet like a seasonal event.
- Westword The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Farm-to-Table Fare · Best of Denver
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Otis Redding plays through the speakers without skipping, which tells you everything about how much thought went into this coffee shop. Bardo has been open since early morning and late into the night since it opened, with booths, couches, window seats, and a patio covering whatever mood you're in. The coffee is Kaladi Brothers, the baked goods are fresh, and the lighting never makes you feel like you're being interrogated.
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Rank 79. Mizuna
French New American
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- Westword 2023 · Best Sandwich Shop · Best of Denver
- 5280 Muffuletta · The 17 Best Sandwiches in (and Around) Denver
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Rank 82. Hop Alley
Sichuan
The name references Denver's original Chinatown, but the room itself is all polished RiNo cool, dark and loud in the way that makes you feel like you're already having a good time. Hop Alley is a sleek Sichuan-leaning restaurant where the kitchen takes familiar Chinese formats and torques them sideways. The bar holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and was a James Beard semifinalist for its drinks program, which leans into Asian ingredients and geeky natural wine with equal conviction.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Denver
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The underground RiNo dining room glows with neon, and the menu swings just as freely, pairing global flavors across courses in combinations that shouldn't work as well as they do. This is a casual but serious dinner spot where the cocktails lean on dates and balsamic vinegar and the kitchen hosts pop-ups for emerging local chefs. Westword named it among Denver's top fifty restaurants, and Eater puts it on their city essentials list.
- 5280 The 13 Best New Places to Eat and Drink in Denver
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
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Rank 87. Luchador Tacos & More
Mexican
Murals cover the walls of this Whittier neighborhood taco spot, and the name delivers exactly the disclaimer it promises: yes, tacos, but also slow-braised rabbit barbacoa in mole over heirloom masa, and beef cheeks in pasilla negro adobo with handmade tortillas. The chef has a Food Network face and the kitchen to back it up. Named one of Denver's 25 best restaurants by 5280, it's the kind of Mexican place that makes ordering feel like a commitment.
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Rank 89. 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 90. Xiquita
Mexican
The menu at this Uptown Mexican restaurant isn't fully translated into English, which the staff treat as a feature rather than a bug. Chef Erasmo Casiano's cooking runs from dry-aged hamachi crudo to duck carnitas tacos, and the cocktails lean on prickly pear, tomatillo, and jicama. Esquire named the Martini Cochinero among the best martinis in the country, which tells you something about where the bar program sits.
- Esquire Martini Cochinero · The Best Martinis in America
- Westword 2025 · Best New Restaurant · Best of Denver
- 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 92. El Taco De Mexico
Mexican
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
- Westword 2023 · Best Mexican Breakfast · Best of Denver
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Rank 94. The Porchetta House
Italian
A small Uptown sandwich shop where the menu is short and the pork is the whole argument. The porchetta here comes out of the oven crackling-crisp on the outside and genuinely juicy inside, piled onto ciabatta with arugula and a pink peppercorn Kewpie mayo. The room is tight, the menu is tight, and the cravings that follow are not. A counter-service spot that keeps it simple and lets the roast pork do the talking.
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Pozole comes in five broths here, which is already an argument. This no-frills Mexican restaurant on Larimer holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and landed on the New York Times Restaurant List, with dark wood floors, vivid walls, and an extensive mezcal selection to keep things interesting. The chef was a James Beard nominee two years running. Weeknight deals keep the regulars cycling through more than once a week, which tells you something.
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mountain · Jose Avila
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The New York Times The Restaurant List
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A tiny kitchen tucked inside a bar on Colfax, Misfit Snack Bar runs a menu that changes so freely you'd be foolish to plan ahead. The chef sends out small plates and bigger dishes that skip cheerfully across any notion of culinary tradition, the balance swinging between delicate and audacious. One constant: a burger that regulars order without looking up. A James Beard Emerging Chef semifinalist in 2023.
- Westword 2023 · Best Bar Snacks · Best of Denver
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Emerging Chef · Bo Porytko
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- Westword 2023 · Best Bar Decor · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best Neighborhood Bar That Feels Older Than It Is · Best of Denver
- Eater The Best Bars in Denver
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Rank 100. Tavernetta
Italian
Parked at the edge of the Union Station train tracks, Tavernetta is a polished Italian restaurant from the Frasca Hospitality Group, whose wine list alone draws a certain kind of devoted regular. The room is bright and roomy, with a comfortable bar up front and an open kitchen in the back. The menu runs classic, cacio e pepe and lamb ragu with rigatoni, prepared with real care. The Michelin Guide has given it a Bib Gourmand, and lunch is a particular moment to go.
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mountain · Cody Cheetham
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Denver