The Best Places in Denver
Sections
- Eat , on. Show only this section 595
- Drink , on. Show only this section 87
- Stay , on. Show only this section 23
- Do , on. Show only this section 262
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Rank 787. 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 787. 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 787. 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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Rank 787. R & R Denver
Dive Bar
The gleaming neon martini sign outside has been pulling people off East Colfax since the bar was basically a secret, back when "mixed" was code for something. Now it's out and proud, a classic dive bar with cheap drinks, a pleasantly deteriorating interior, and the kind of regulars who keep it honest. If you're looking for polish, Colfax has other options.
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Rank 787. Stoney's Bar and Grill
Pub American
A ski-lift chair salvaged from Keystone sits in the front of this sprawling Denver sports bar, which tells you everything about the vibe: proudly, unironically Colorado. Two full bars pour local taps, a stage hosts live music, and somewhere in the back there's a miniature bowling alley that shouldn't exist but does. The Slopper, a Pueblo green chile sandwich situation, is the menu's main argument. Westword named it Denver's best bar for watching games in 2023.
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Tucked under the historic Daniels & Fisher Clock Tower, this variety nightclub runs the full spectrum from burlesque and drag to stand-up and live music, sometimes in the same week. The European-style room is dim and intimate enough for a date, loud and loose enough for a bachelorette party, which about covers the range of people you'll find there. A full bar keeps things moving. Shows run Wednesday through Saturday.
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Rank 787. The Irish Rover Pub
British Beer Bar
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Rank 787. The Monkey Bar
Dive Bar
Sticky floors, cheap drinks, and a back patio where beer pong and giant Jenga coexist peacefully: Monkey Bar is a no-frills dive that has held its ground in Denver's Santa Fe art district as everything around it got progressively fancier. Darts, pool, ping-pong, foosball, N64, and four-person Pac-Man are all free to play, first-come basis. Dogs are welcome, and the house move when someone loses is apparently a round of pickle shots.
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A crowdfunded warehouse in Denver's Art District on Santa Fe, Town Hall Collaborative runs as a bar and coffee shop that doubles as an event space for performances, workshops, expos, and fundraisers. The whole project was built around being a genuine gathering place for women, BIPOC, and queer communities, which shapes everything from the programming to the vibe on an ordinary Tuesday.
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- Westword 2023 · Best LGBTQ+ Safe Space and Bar · Best of Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best All-Ages Club · Best of Denver
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Rank 787. Wonderland Brewing Co
Beer Bar
A 9,000-square-foot taproom with a basketball court tends to set expectations, and Wonderland Brewing's beer menu swings just as wide, running from Belgian-style and barrel-aged English ales to high-IBU IPAs and wild sours. The Broomfield brewery keeps a permanent food truck on-site, so there's no rush to leave, which is convenient given that there's also ping-pong. A good place to spend a longer afternoon than you planned.
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Rank 850. Adobo
Filipino Mexican
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- Westword 2023 · Best New Mexican/Filipino Mashup · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Chicken Wing Deal · Best of Denver
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The cheesy masala fries, available plain or loaded with chicken, lamb, or cheesesteak, are the late-night argument this fast-casual Indian spot makes for itself. Gaia Masala runs a broad menu of straight Indian dishes alongside burgers and Mediterranean staples, but the real draw is the fusion edge: tikka masala cheesesteaks, burgers dressed with mint and cucumber. The kitchen keeps late hours, which in Denver puts it in a category of roughly one.
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- Westword 2023 · Best French Fries · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Restaurant for Late-Night Munchies · Best of Denver
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Rank 850. Reckless Noodle House
Vietnamese Noodle Shop
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- Westword 2023 · Best Shrimp · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best West Coast Transplant · Best of Denver
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Rank 897. Atomic Cowboy & Fat Sully's
New York-style Pizzeria
A floppy, grease-translucent New York-style slice shares menu space with a biscuit sandwich called the Franklin, which is exactly as chaotic as it sounds. Atomic Cowboy and Fat Sully's is a cocktail bar and pizzeria on East Colfax that has quietly annexed breakfast and turned the whole operation into a cheerful monument to comfort food. The crowd arrives thirsty and leaves very full, which seems to be the plan.
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Rank 897. Bar Dough
Italian
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Rank 897. Bistro Vendôme
French
A shady patio and a menu that runs from onion soup and escargot to whatever the season suggests: this is a proper French bistro, not a beret-and-accordion situation. The team behind it has a reputation for warm rooms and real hospitality, and the Park Hill dining room earns it. Order the steak frites or linger over happy-hour bubbles; the pacing is entirely up to you.
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