The Best Places in Denver
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Rank 632. Right Cream
Ice Cream Shop
Every mix-in at this Denver ice cream shop is made from scratch, which explains why the flavors change weekly and why people follow the Instagram just to see what's coming next. The team builds their own base, loads the pints accordingly, and sells them for pickup alongside draft beer, which is either a genius pairing or an obvious one depending on how you feel about it. A Westword Best Ice Cream pick two years running.
The awards
- Westword 2023 · Best Ice Cream/Gelato Shop · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best Savory Food at an Ice Cream Shop · Best of Denver
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Talnua bills itself as America's first single pot still whiskey distillery, a style the founders fell for on their honeymoon in Ireland and then brought back to an industrial suite in Arvada. The taproom leans hard into the Old Fashioned as a format, then uses it to do things like peanut-butter-and-plantain whiskey or wasabi-popcorn gin. Whether that sounds like fun or chaos probably tells you everything you need to know about yourself.
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- Westword 2023 · Best Distillery Taproom · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best Distillery to Visit If You Have a Shamrock Tattoo · Best of Denver
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Rank 754. Ay Papi
Caribbean Cocktail Bar
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Rank 754. Dough Counter
Sicilian Pizzeria
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Rank 754. Emerald Eye
Caribbean Cocktail Bar
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Rank 754. The Lazy Greyhound
British
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Rank 754. Wolf + Wildflower
Wine Bar
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Rank 765. Bodega
American
The bacon, egg, and cheese on a Kaiser roll has its own following at this Sunnyside daytime spot, a casual counter-service cafe where breakfast and lunch overlap in the best low-maintenance way. Burritos, rotating sandwiches, and a burger that regulars treat as non-negotiable fill out the menu. The kind of place where the line out front is just part of the deal.
The awards
- Westword 2023 · Best Breakfast · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Place to Escape for a Midday Meal · Best of Denver
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Cannonball Creek doesn't distribute cans, so if you want these hop-forward IPAs and crisp lagers, you're making the drive to Golden. It's a taproom with rotating food trucks and an easy outdoor vibe that pairs well with whatever trail or climb you just finished. The range stretches from pilsners to saisons to Belgian golden ale, which gives non-IPA people something to do. Westword named it Best Brewery in 2023.
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Rank 765. CODA Brewing Co.
Beer Bar
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Rank 765. Danico Brewing Company
Beer Bar
The turquoise mountain mural running behind the bar sets the tone at this east Denver brewery taproom: a little outdoorsy, a little groovy, comfortable enough to settle in for several rounds. A dozen or so rotating taps cover the range, with porters and Munich dunkels among the regulars. Food trucks pull up outside when hunger strikes. The bar stools have backs, which sounds minor until you've spent an afternoon somewhere they don't.
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Rank 765. Happy Camper Pizza
Pizzeria
Slice shop meets cocktail bar on a busy North Denver corner, loud enough that whatever conversation you're having will stay between you and the ceiling. Happy Camper runs casual and crowded, the kind of place where the noise does you a favor. The menu leans big, sloppy pizza and stiff drinks, and the room fills fast most nights, which suits the regulars just fine.
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Rank 765. Hits The Spot Diner
American
The self-proclaimed home of "the fastest egg in the West" is a classic American diner on Colfax that holds the line while Denver's old-school spots keep disappearing. Cinnamon roll French toast and a six-pound breakfast burrito smothered in green chile are the kinds of details that explain why regulars don't bother with the menu. The green chile is gluten-free, which the burrito's sheer scale makes feel almost responsible.
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A neighborhood grocery that renovated an old hardware store into something you'd actually drive across town for. Marczyk Fine Foods sits on East Colfax and stocks the kind of produce, cheese, and charcuterie that make you feel guilty about your regular supermarket. An attached wine shop handles the obvious next step. Friday nights in summer bring a Burger Night that regulars plan around, which says something about a grocery store.
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Rank 765. Origins Sports Bar & Grill
American
A door off the alley and a staircase down puts you in a basement sports bar that feels like a secret the Wash Park neighborhood has been quietly keeping. Screens everywhere, local taps, and a kitchen that stays focused no matter how loud the room gets. A Westword Best Sports Bar pick, and the kind of place where losing doesn't sting quite as much when the food and drink tabs are this manageable.
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