The Best Places to Eat and Stay in Denver
Sections
- Eat , on. Turn off 595 Only Eat
- Drink , off. Turn on 87 Only Drink
- Stay , on. Turn off 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
-
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
-
Rank 435. The Electric Cure
Tiki Bar
The awards
- Westword 2024 · Best Satanic Gay Tiki Bar · Best of Denver
- Eater The Best Bars in Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
- Westword 2024 · Best Bar on a Snowy Night · Best of Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
- Westword 2023 · Best Bar/Restaurant for a First Date · Best of Denver
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
Rank 519. Dough Counter
Sicilian Pizzeria
The awards
-
Rank 519. Traveling Mercies
Jazzy Cocktail Bar
The awards
- Esquire Esquire: The Best Bars in America
- 5280 5280: The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
- Eater Eater: The Best Bars in Denver
- Esquire The Best Bars in America
- 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
- Eater The Best Bars in Denver
-
The awards
-
Rank 521. 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 521. CODA Brewing Co.
Beer Bar
The awards
-
Rank 521. 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 521. 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 521. 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 521. 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 521. 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 521. 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
-
The awards
- Westword Westword: 2023 · Best Punk Bar · Best of Denver
- Westword Westword: The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
- Westword Westword: 2023 · Best New Club · Best of Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Punk Bar · Best of Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
- Westword 2023 · Best New Club · Best of Denver
-
Rank 521. The Irish Rover Pub
British Beer Bar
The awards
-
Rank 521. 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 521. 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 537. 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 Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Denver
- Eater Eater: The Best Bars in Denver
- Westword Westword: The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Denver
- Eater The Best Bars in Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
-
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 537. Reckless Noodle House
Vietnamese Noodle Shop
The awards
- Westword 2023 · Best Shrimp · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best West Coast Transplant · Best of Denver
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
The awards
-
Rank 583. 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.
The awards
-
Rank 583. Bar Dough
Italian
The awards
-
Rank 583. 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.
The awards
-
The awards
-
Rank 583. Carrera's Tacos
Mexican
The awards
-
The awards
- Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
- Westword 2023 · Best Patio for Tortured Writers · Best of Denver
-
The bar and patio at City Park Golf Course overlooks the fairways and the Denver skyline, which is a combination most dedicated nineteenth holes can't claim. It's a casual sports bar setup with TVs inside and cold, cheap beer either direction, drawing golfers waiting for a tee time and golfers celebrating surviving one. The food is solidly fine. The view does most of the heavy lifting, and at a municipal course, nobody's complaining.
The awards
-
Rank 583. Cucina Bella
Italian
The strip-mall address on East Alameda is doing this Italian restaurant no favors, but the inside goes full fine-dining with veal marsala, house pasta, and pizzas that take themselves seriously. The kitchen also folds in the brothers' Mexican heritage on the brunch menu, which keeps things from getting too reverent. Regulars apparently start with the calamari and work backward from there.
The awards
-
The awards
- Thrillist The Best Bars in Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
- Westword 2023 · Best Pickle Shots · Best of Denver
-
Rank 583. Dragonfly Noodle
Pan-Asian Noodle Shop
Noodles pulled and cooked in-house is a rarity in Colorado, and Dragonfly Noodle makes them on the premises, which gives the ramen a texture that dried product simply can't fake. This casual noodle shop on the 16th Street Mall works its way across Asia, moving from Japanese ramen to Singaporean, Vietnamese, and Taiwanese dishes. The broths run deep and traditionally built, with just enough tinkering to keep things interesting.
The awards
-
A walk-up sandwich counter tucked at the end of a thin alley in Five Points, with old photos of famous Dukes lining the path to the window. The menu runs to four sandwiches, which sounds like a dare until you see the chopped cheese, a New York import of griddle-smashed beef and white cheddar on a soft hoagie with pepperoncini. Naming your place "Good Sandwiches" is either false modesty or excellent bait.
The awards
-
A food hall just west of Denver where you can walk in for tacos, stay for Ethiopian, and leave with a new tattoo if the afternoon really gets away from you. The layout is easygoing enough that grabbing a drink first while you decide where to eat feels like the obvious move. Vendors rotate and grow, so there's usually something new to investigate alongside the regulars.
The awards
-
Rank 583. El Tejado
Mexican
The green chile here is a gravy-thick, pork-studded Colorado classic that regulars order straight up with tortillas, no plate required. El Tejado is an old-school Mexican diner on South Broadway, and the room does look a bit like a cartoon cave, which somehow suits it. The hot version of that chile is a separate proposition entirely, built in layers rather than just spiked, and it will find your limits.
The awards
-
The Spring Fling cake, a zucchini bread layer frosted with cream cheese icing and piled with fresh fruit, was the calling card of a beloved Denver institution for decades. When that place closed, the head baker struck out on his own, and now his family-run bakery in west Denver keeps the recipe alive year-round. People fly in from out of state for that cake alone, which is either a testament to nostalgia or to zucchini bread's untapped potential.
The awards
-
Rank 583. Fish N Beer
Wood-fired Seafood
Oysters grilled over open fire are the opening argument at this wood-fired seafood spot in RiNo. The kitchen runs on smoke and a crowd that seems constitutionally opposed to sitting still, with counter seats for ceviche and mussels and bigger plates when you're feeling ambitious. Beer-battered cod and whole striped bass share the menu without any pretense of fine dining. Loud, casual, and comfortable with itself.
The awards
-
Rank 583. Golden Saigon
Vietnamese
The curry is the reason regulars keep coming back, which surprises people who think of Vietnam and curry in the same sentence as a typo. This strip-mall Vietnamese spot in Aurora has been serving pho and homey staples forever, but the house curry, built on madras powder, coconut milk, and a heavy hand with lemongrass, lands somewhere all its own. Nothing Thai about it, nothing Indian, just a dish that makes the menu feel longer than most.
The awards
-
Rank 583. Haykin Family Cider
Beer Bar
The awards
-
Rank 583. Hell or High Water Tiki
Tiki Bar
The awards
- Thrillist The Best Bars in Denver
- 5280 Best for a Big Night Out · The 23 Best Bars in Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Use of a Leopard Speedo · Best of Denver