The Best Places to Eat and Drink in Denver
Sections
- Eat , on. Turn off 596 Only Eat
- Drink , on. Turn off 88 Only Drink
- Stay , off. Turn on 23 Only Stay
- Do , off. Turn on 262 Only Do
Tap to add or drop a section. At least one stays on. All sections
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
Rank 462. 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
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
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.
The awards
- Westword 2023 · Best Distillery Taproom · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best Distillery to Visit If You Have a Shamrock Tattoo · Best of Denver
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
Rank 540. Ay Papi
Caribbean Cocktail Bar
The awards
-
The awards
-
Rank 540. Dough Counter
Sicilian Pizzeria
The awards
-
Rank 540. Emerald Eye
Caribbean Cocktail Bar
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
-
-
Rank 540. The Lazy Greyhound
British
The awards
-
The awards
-
Rank 540. Wolf + Wildflower
Wine Bar
The awards
-
The awards
-
Rank 551. 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
-
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.
The awards
-
Rank 551. CODA Brewing Co.
Beer Bar
The awards
-
Rank 551. 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.
The awards
-
Rank 551. 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.
The awards
-
Rank 551. 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.
The awards
-
The awards
-
Rank 551. 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.
The awards
-
Rank 551. 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.
The awards
-
Rank 551. 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.
The awards
-
Rank 551. The Irish Rover Pub
British Beer Bar
The awards
-
Rank 551. 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.
The awards
-
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.
The awards
- Westword 2023 · Best LGBTQ+ Safe Space and Bar · Best of Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best All-Ages Club · Best of Denver
-
Rank 551. 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.
The awards
-
The awards
-
Rank 566. Adobo
Filipino Mexican
The awards
- Westword 2023 · Best New Mexican/Filipino Mashup · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Chicken Wing Deal · Best of Denver
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
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.
The awards
- Westword 2023 · Best French Fries · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Restaurant for Late-Night Munchies · Best of Denver
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
Rank 566. Reckless Noodle House
Vietnamese Noodle Shop
The awards
- Westword 2023 · Best Shrimp · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best West Coast Transplant · Best of Denver