The Best Places to Eat in Denver, by the Record
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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 98. Mister Oso
Mexican
Coconut rice arrives in a cast-iron skillet at this creative taco shop on Larimer, which should tell you this isn't a strictly traditional taqueria. The menu roams through Latin American and international territory, everything served family style so the table fills up fast. The Michelin Guide has given it a Bib Gourmand, and a second location followed soon after. Come hungry enough to share a few things.
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Rank 98. 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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Rank 98. The Ginger Pig
Chinese
The food truck still parks out front, a reminder of how this lively Chinese restaurant on Lowell got its start. The chef spent years eating her way across Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, and Bangkok, and the cooking shows it: dumplings arrive dressed in chili oil, and the heat throughout is not decorative. A Michelin Bib Gourmand, the room is rustic and casual, the kind of spot where the food moves fast and the spice level is taken seriously.
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The coffee here is sourced directly from Guatemala, and the Latin-inspired food menu follows the same ethos. This West Highland coffee shop takes its name from the tradition of gathering around food and drink, which explains a lot about the room: murals on the walls, a crowd that includes Central American immigrants and neighbors who've clearly been coming since week one, and a general feeling that someone thought hard about what welcome looks like.
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Rank 105. EDGE Restaurant & Bar
Steakhouse
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Rank 105. Kiké's Red Tacos
Birria Mexican
The consommé-soaked, cheese-crisped birria taco is the reason this place exists, and most tables seem to know it. Kiké's is a taco shop that grew out of a food truck into a full brick-and-mortar with a bar, which means you can now chase the drip with a proper drink. Carnitas and al pastor round out the menu for anyone who needs convincing, but the birria is still running the room.
- 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Move From Food Truck to Brick-and-Mortar · Best of Denver
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Rank 105. Pablo's Coffee
Coffee
Pablo's Coffee on Sixth Avenue has no wi-fi, a policy that feels radical in 2024 and probably felt radical then too. This indie coffee shop has been roasting its own beans since before Denver caught the craft-coffee bug, and the room still has the lived-in feel to prove it: couch-filled corners, a small bar top facing the baristas, and the ambient noise of people who are, against all odds, talking to each other.
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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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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 119. 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 Best for Day Drinking · The 23 Best Bars in Denver
- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Place to Drink With a View · Best of Denver
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Rank 119. Cart-Driver
Neapolitan Pizza
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in America
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Place to Eat Tinned Fish · Best of Denver
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Rank 119. Casa Bonita
Mexican
The pink palace on Colfax has cliff divers, a cave, a waterfall, and enough square footage to get genuinely lost in. Trey Parker and Matt Stone bought and revived this sprawling Mexican restaurant, bringing in chef Dana Rodriguez to fix the food while keeping every piece of the spectacle intact. The taco salad is the order. Come for the sopapillas, the nostalgia, or the sheer commitment to controlled chaos, all at once.
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Wishes for a Smooth Opening · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Entree to Order If You Actually Get Into Casa Bonita: Taco Salad · Best of Denver
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Rank 119. Chef Zorba's
American Greek
Avgolemono on a menu full of green chile cheese fries and omelets sets the tone at this neighborhood diner tucked onto a quiet, tree-shaded block just off Colfax. Chef Zorba's has been around forever, and the regulars who walk over from Congress Park carry themselves like they've never needed to look at the menu. Westword handed it Best Soup for a Hangover, which is either high praise or a very specific clientele study.
- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Soup for a Hangover · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Banana Pudding · Best of Denver
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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 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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Rank 119. Lucile's Creole Cafe
Cajun & Creole
Beignets dusted in powdered sugar and a personal bottle of sparkling juice set the tone at this Louisiana-inspired breakfast and lunch spot in Denver's Capitol Hill. The walls are loaded with Creole country kitsch, and the silverware arrives wrapped in bright fabric. The chicory coffee and housemade hot sauce are the real throughlines. A local chain, but one that has regulars debating grits versus potatoes, which is exactly the right argument to be having.
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- Westword The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
- 5280 Juicy Lucy · The 17 Best Sandwiches in (and Around) Denver
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- Westword 2025 · Best Restaurant That’s Worth the Drive · Best of Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Restaurants in Denver Right Now
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mountain · Theo Adley
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Rank 119. 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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Rank 119. Work & Class
American
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- Westword 2025 · Best Breakfast Burrito · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Expansion · Best of Denver
- 5280 The 11 Best Breakfast Burritos in Denver and Beyond
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Rank 134. Bánh & Butter Bakery Cafe
Asian-fusion Bakery
- Westword 2023 · Best East-West Bakery · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best Breakfast Sandwich · Best of Denver
- 5280 Bánh Mì · The 17 Best Sandwiches in (and Around) Denver
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- Westword 2024 · Best Den-Mex Eats at a Bar · Best of Denver
- Eater Green chili · Denver’s 20 Most Iconic Dishes
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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 134. Dio Mio
Italian
A pasta production table sits at the center of the kitchen, visible from the dining room, which tells you everything about priorities here. Dio Mio is a fast-casual Italian spot where two chefs with fine-dining backgrounds chose to make fresh pasta the whole point instead. The menu is short and seasonal, the room is relaxed, and the combinations run from cacio e pepe to shrimp with dill, which is either alarming or intriguing depending on your mood.
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Rank 134. Hong Kong Station
Cantonese
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Rank 134. Mercantile
Modern New American
Tucked into the ground floor of Union Station, Mercantile has the kind of room that makes you slow down: wood floors, tufted leather banquettes, and a brown-and-blue palette that somehow manages to feel calm rather than corporate. The menu runs modern American with enough global riffs to keep things interesting, and the lunch prix fixe is a genuinely useful option when you want a proper sit-down without committing to dinner hours.
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- 5280 Top Chinese · Top of the Town
- Westword 2024 · Best Non-Traditional Hamburger · Best of Denver
- Eater The Best Chinese Restaurants in Denver
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Rank 134. Ukiyo
Japanese
You find it through an unmarked alley door, down into a basement, which is exactly the kind of entrance that makes people feel very pleased with themselves. Ukiyo is an omakase-style tasting restaurant with two seatings a night, the menu rooted in Japanese technique but pulling freely from Southeast Asian and Peruvian traditions. Nigiri runs from otoro with scallion to minced chicken with lemongrass, and dessert has featured uni ice cream over roasted apples.
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- Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
- Westword 2024 · Best Philly Cheesesteak at an Iron Maiden Bar · Best of Denver
- 5280 Cheesesteak · The 17 Best Sandwiches in (and Around) Denver
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- Westword 2023 · Best Beer to Drink Ringside: Helles · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Brewery to Take Visitors · Best of Denver
- Westword 2026 · Best Brewery Upgrade · Best of Denver
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- Westword 2026 · Best Cafe That’s Also a Bakery · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best Pastries at a Coffee Shop · Best of Denver
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- Westword 2026 · Best Cafe That’s Also a Bakery · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best Pastries at a Coffee Shop · Best of Denver
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- Westword 2024 · Best Delicious Date Night · Best of Denver
- Eater Ice cream · Denver’s 20 Most Iconic Dishes
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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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Rank 156. Bastien's Restaurant
Steakhouse
The neon Googie sign out front has been promising sugar steak to Colfax drivers for longer than most Denver restaurants have existed. Bastien's is an old-school steakhouse with a sunken bar, mid-century bones, and servers who've been around long enough to know your order. The sugar steak earned a spot on Eater's list of Denver's most iconic dishes, and the dirty martini situation won a Westword award in 2023, which feels about right for a room this committed to its era.
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Rank 156. King of Wings
Barbecue
- Westword 2026 · Best Restaurant for Craft Beer · Best of Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Chicken Wings · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Comeback · Best of Denver
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- Westword 2026 · Best Restaurant for Craft Beer · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best Wings and Tenders · Best of Denver
- Westword 2024 · Best Comeback · Best of Denver
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Rank 156. Music City Hot Chicken
Nashville Southern
Nashville hot chicken shop tucked inside TRVE Brewing on Broadway, where the menu runs from classic spicy tenders to a green chile heat option that leans decidedly Colorado. The sandwiches are big and juicy in the way that requires a full stack of napkins and no white shirt. Vegan versions and a lineup of sides round things out for groups who can't agree on anything except that they're hungry.
- Westword 2023 · Best Chicken Sandwich · Best of Denver
- 5280 Fried Hot Chicken · The 17 Best Sandwiches in (and Around) Denver
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Rank 156. 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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The neon chef flipping pancakes above the door has been a landmark on East Colfax long enough to outlast everything around it. Pete's Kitchen is a classic diner, the kind that keeps the grill going through the night on weekends for whoever needs a gyros omelet or a green chile smothered burrito at 3 a.m. The crowd that fills the stools tends to tell a story. Westword named it Denver's best late-night diner.
- Westword 2026 · Best Diner That Survived the Colfax Construction · Best of Denver
- Westword 2023 · Best Late-Night Diner · Best of Denver
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- Westword 2026 · Best Secretly High-Tech Cocktails · Best of Denver
- Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar
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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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- Westword 2026 · Best Culinary-Inspired Cocktails · Best of Denver
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar
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Rank 181. Coperta
Southern Italian
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- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
- 5280 The 11 Best Breakfast Burritos in Denver and Beyond
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- 5280 The 43 Best Places to Brunch in Denver
- 5280 The 11 Best Breakfast Burritos in Denver and Beyond
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