The Best Places in Baker & around

Chicken wings dusted in málà seasoning are the thing people keep coming back for, but the corned beef fried rice is the move that explains this place in one bite. MAKfam is a quick-casual American Chinese spot run by a married couple with roots in Chinatown takeout and a loose definition of tradition. The Michelin Guide gave it a Bib Gourmand, and the James Beard Foundation named the chef a Semifinalist for Emerging Chef.

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A vintage Pizza Hut lamp hangs in the dining room, which tells you almost everything about the tone. This Italian restaurant in Wash Park comes from the team behind Dio Mio and Redeemer Pizza, and the menu reads like people who take craft seriously decided to stop pretending they don't also love a good bit. Red sauce shares space with squid ink fettuccine, seasonal crudo, and pizzas topped with sour cream-and-onion dip.

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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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2. Westword 2023 · Best Late-Night Coffee Shop · Best of Denver

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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2. Westword 2023 · Best Collard Greens · Best of Denver

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.

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1. James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Tommy Lee

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Parlor Doughnuts builds its doughnuts from laminated dough, which gives them a tall, layered cross-section and a richness closer to a croissant than a cruller. The Denver outpost of this Indiana-born chain carries flavors like French toast and raspberry pistachio, all draped in icing and clearly not interested in restraint. A doughnut shop for people who find regular doughnuts a little too subtle.

1. Westword 2023 · Best Doughnuts · Best of Denver