Green chile, Rocky Mountain trout, and a James Beard kitchen on every block.
Free cancellation on most tours, with live prices on the partner's site.
Denver eats like a Rocky Mountain capital that runs on green chile, smoked trout and high-altitude bread. The defining plate is a smothered breakfast burrito, the chile coming down from Pueblo growers since the 1920s, the tortilla rolled tight, the cheese melted under a ladle of ranchero. Federal Boulevard's taquerias run a long Mexican corridor from Alameda to West 38th. Larimer Street holds the trophy kitchens: Frasca's Friuli-driven dining room, Tavernetta's wood-fired pastas, Bruto's wood-grilled tasting counter. RiNo and Five Points carry the brewery boom that Wynkoop started in 1988; the Great American Beer Festival has filled the Colorado Convention Center each October since 1982. South Pearl Street keeps Sushi Den on the marquee, a Tokyo-trained kitchen that has shaped Denver Japanese since 1984. People come for the chile and stay for the lamb, the trout, the Olathe corn in August, and the Palisade peaches.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Join a local foodie for this 3-hour walking tour featuring 5 tastings at top Denver restaurants while learning the history of Denver. Try delicious local dishes and le...
Guided tour · 2.5 hours
See how beer is made, learn about its history, and try a range of flavorful craft beers on this guided walking tour through downtown Denver.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Taste Denver’s Wild West heritage and modern food scene - from elk sausage and green chili to Big Mac pizza and craft beer - while exploring historic LoDo and the Mile...
The plates that define eating in Denver.
Battered and deep-fried bull testicles, sliced thin, served with horseradish cream and cocktail sauce; a ranch-country bar snack that survived in old-Denver steakhouses.
Where Bull and Bush Pub, The Buckhorn Exchange
Where to eat Rocky Mountain oysters in Denver →A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Denver.
Tavernetta in Denver is Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson's regional Italian dining room in Union Station's Crawford Hotel, the sister.
OrderThe tagliatelle al ragu and any whole-fish course.
Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder is Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson's James Beard-winning Friulian dining room since 2004, the kitchen.
OrderThe four-course Friuli tasting menu and the frico caldo to start.
Sushi Den in Denver is Toshi and Yasu Kizaki's South Pearl sushi house since 1984, with fish flown daily from Toyosu Market in Tokyo via the brothers'.
OrderSit at the bar and order omakase.
Mister Oso in Denver is Blake Edmunds's playful Latin American room in RiNo, with masa tacos, Caribbean cocktails and a wood-grill program built around.
OrderThe octopus al pastor on a fresh blue-corn tortilla.
Rioja in Denver is Jennifer Jasinski's James Beard-winning Mediterranean dining room on Larimer Square since 2004, a flagship of the Crafted Concepts group.
OrderThe artichoke tortelloni and the goat cheese ravioli, both on the menu since opening.
Mercantile Dining and Provision in Denver is Alex Seidel's farm-to-table dining room and provisions counter in Union Station, sourced from his Fruition Farms.
OrderThe Colorado trout from the live-fire hearth and the house-made charcuterie board.
The brick-warehouse historic district between Union Station and 20th Street, the city's denser dining corridor with Tavernetta, Rioja, Tamayo and the Cooper Lounge stacked along Larimer and 17th.
Best for: Tasting menus, Italian, Cocktails
The former industrial strip north-east of downtown, now Denver's brewery and food-hall corridor. Avanti, Denver Central Market, Cerebral, Crooked Stave and The Source anchor the area along Larimer and Brighton.
Best for: Breweries, Food halls, Wine bars
The hill north-west of downtown across the Platte. Mister Oso, Linger, Root Down, El Five and Bar Dough cluster along 32nd and Pecos with patio-heavy tables and Front Range views.
Best for: Bistro, Brunch, Wine bars
Quiet north-west neighbourhood along Tennyson Street between 38th and 46th. Vital Root, Hops and Pie, and a long line of cafes carry the food map; Sloan's Lake park sits on the southern edge.
Best for: Pizza, Brunch, Cafes
Dense residential grid east of downtown around Colfax and 17th Avenue. Pete's Kitchen, Steuben's, Ace Eat Serve, Spuntino and the old-Denver dives carry the strip; 24-hour and late-night kitchens run here.
Best for: Late night, Diner, Cocktails
Also: uptown
The Platt Park dining strip running south from Louisiana to Iowa along Pearl Street. Sushi Den, Izakaya Den and OTOTO sit one block apart; the Sunday Old South Pearl farmers market anchors the strip.
Best for: Sushi, Japanese, Farmers market
Rocky Mountain oysters
Battered and deep-fried bull testicles, sliced thin, served with horseradish cream and cocktail sauce; a ranch-country bar snack that survived in old-Denver steakhouses
LoDo (Lower Downtown)
The brick-warehouse historic district between Union Station and 20th Street, the city's denser dining corridor with Tavernetta, Rioja, Tamayo and the Cooper Lounge stacked along Larimer and 17th
RiNo (River North)
The former industrial strip north-east of downtown, now Denver's brewery and food-hall corridor
Highland (LoHi)
The hill north-west of downtown across the Platte
Federal Boulevard
Denver's longest Mexican corridor, running north-south from Alameda to West 38th
A sample of Denver hotels from our booking partner, who list 532 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.
Days Inn by Wyndham Denver Downtown
A stay at Days Inn by Wyndham Denver Downtown places you in the heart of Denver, steps from Ogden Theater a...
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Super 8 by Wyndham Denver Stapleton
With a stay at Super 8 by Wyndham Denver Stapleton in Denver (Northeast Park Hill), you'll be a 3-minute dr...
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MainStay Suites Near Denver Downtown
A stay at MainStay Suites Near Denver Downtown places you in the heart of Denver, within a 5-minute drive o...
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AmericInn by Wyndham Denver Airport
Located in Denver, AmericInn by Wyndham Denver Airport is in the business district, within a 15-minute driv...
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Comfort Suites Near Denver Downtown
A stay at Comfort Suites Near Denver Downtown places you in the heart of Denver, within a 5-minute drive of...
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Sleep Inn & Suites Denver International Airport
Located in Denver, Sleep Inn & Suites Denver International Airport is within a 10-minute drive of Rocky Mou...
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Comfort Inn Denver East
A stay at Comfort Inn Denver East places you in the heart of Denver, within a 5-minute drive of Rocky Mount...
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Courtyard Denver Airport at Gateway Park
With a stay at Courtyard Denver Airport at Gateway Park in Denver (Gateway), you'll be a 4-minute drive fro...
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Also compare: Holidu in Denver from USD 66/night · LateRooms in Denver · Expedia in Denver
Stays are listed by our booking partners, not editor picks. We earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Denver, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Peak food season: May through October, plus February-March in ski-season weeks. Avoid late November to early February for restaurant openings; many small kitchens close on Sundays year-round. Pueblo green chile season runs late August to mid-October.
Local dining hours: Lunch 11:30-14:00, dinner 17:30-21:30. Breakfast counters open 06:30 (Pete's Kitchen runs 24 hours on weekends). Brewery taprooms typically run 11:00-22:00 with kitchens closing earlier. Sunday closures are common at small bistros.
Tipping: 20 percent on pre-tax total at full-service restaurants is the baseline. 18 percent for adequate service, 22 to 25 for great. Coffee counters and taquerias: round up a dollar or two on a small order. Tip jars at brewery counters are common and used.
Denver's signature dishes include Smothered green chile burrito, Pan-seared Rocky Mountain trout, Denver omelet, Colorado bison burger, Palisade peach pie. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
TableJourney editors map Denver by district. LoDo (Lower Downtown), RiNo (River North), Highland (LoHi), Berkeley / Tennyson are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Editor picks in Denver include Beckon, The Wolf's Tailor, Frasca Food and Wine, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
TableJourney covers 7 editor-picked food tours in Denver, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
TableJourney's Denver dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free, halal, kosher venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.
