40 editor picks in Denver.
40 mid-range places in Denver, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good restaurants in Denver, with real cooking and no surprise on the bill. All Denver food.
Bar Dough in Denver is Max MacKissock's wood-fired pizza and pasta room in Highland since 2015, with a Neapolitan-trained oven and house-made pastas.
OrderThe cacio e pepe and a Margherita pizza; the kitchen runs daily seasonal pasta specials.
TipWalk-in at the bar usually works; the patio is busy on summer weekends. Brunch on Sunday with carbonara is a draw.
Work and Class in Denver is Tony Maciag and Tabatha Knop's family-style Latin American room on Larimer in RiNo since 2014, a James Beard semifinalist.
OrderThe roasted half chicken with chimichurri or the steak frites.
TipWalk-in only; weekend nights hit 60-minute waits by 7 pm. The bar pours one of the city's best mezcal lists.
Sweet Bloom Coffee in Lakewood is Andy Sprenger's award-winning roastery, a US Brewers Cup champion with direct-sourcing relationships and a flagship Reed.
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project in Denver is Chad Yakobson's RiNo wild-ale brewery, a Brettanomyces specialist and a national craft benchmark.
La Loma in Denver is a Castro-family Mexican kitchen since 1973, moved from its longtime Osage Street Victorian to Broadway in 2018, the Denver template.
OrderSmothered green chile burrito with sopapillas.
TipThe bar pours classic margaritas; ask for the Pueblo green chile (hotter than the mild version).
Root Down in Denver is Justin Cucci's vegetable-forward dining room in a former 1950s service station in Highland since 2008, with a walk-in patio side.
OrderThe sweet potato falafel and the veggie burger; the bar runs an inventive cocktail menu with house syrups.
TipBrunch on weekends is the room's busiest service; the patio side runs walk-in until 5 pm.
Corvus Coffee Roasters in Denver is Phil Goodlaxson's South Broadway roastery and cafe with direct-trade sourcing in Colombia and Ethiopia since 2010.
Cerebral Brewing in Denver is the City Park neighborhood brewery on Monroe Street, a 2015 hazy-IPA specialist with rotating barrel-aged stouts and a tight.
OTOTO in Denver is the Kizaki brothers' South Pearl third room beside Sushi Den and Izakaya Den, a casual ramen and rice-bowl counter since 2018.
OrderThe tonkotsu ramen and the chicken karaage; the bao buns are the easiest snack with a beer.
TipWalk-in only at lunch; the dinner counter takes reservations on Resy. Tap room next door pours sake by the glass.
Osteria Marco in Denver is Frank Bonanno's basement-set Italian room on Larimer Square since 2007, with house-pulled mozzarella and a wood-fired pizza.
OrderThe house mozzarella plate (pulled to order) and a pizza; the cocktail bar runs a strong negroni list.
TipLarimer Square is a 5-minute walk from Union Station. The mozzarella class runs Sunday afternoons in 2026.
Huckleberry Roasters in Denver is the Sunnyside roastery and cafe, a 2011 third-wave shop with single-origin sourcing and a wholesale program for Front Range.
Cohesion Brewing in Denver is Eric Larkin's Clayton-neighborhood Czech lager house since 2021, serving side-pour pilsners and tank tmave from a Prague-style.
Rioja in Denver is Jennifer Jasinski's Larimer Square Mediterranean dining room with a weekend brunch service, lobster benedict and bottomless mimosas.
OrderThe lobster benedict and bottomless mimosas.
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.
TipThe patio runs three rounds of seating on summer nights; the bar walks in if you arrive by 5:30 pm. The taro chips are bottomless if you ask.
White Pie in Denver is Tony Maciag's Uptown pizza room since 2017, named for its signature ricotta-and-garlic white pizza, with a tight Italian wine list.
OrderThe signature White Pie and the hot honey pepperoni pie; the kitchen runs a daily pasta special at dinner.
TipWalk-in at the bar usually works; the patio takes reservations on Resy. Closed Mondays.
Novo Coffee in Denver is the Patterson family's third-generation roastery on Glenarm Place, with direct-sourcing trips to Ethiopia and a flagship downtown.
Boxcar Coffee Roasters in Boulder is the Pearl Street micro-roastery and cafe with direct-trade beans and a Denver wholesale wing supplying RiNo cafes.
Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver is the RiNo German-lager specialist in the Rackhouse, a decoction-mashed brewery with one of the country's best Slow Pour.
Welton Street Cafe is five points' caribbean and soul food kitchen, run by the smith family since 1986, in a neighborhood most visitors skip.
TipThe Tropical Banquet plate (jerk chicken, oxtail and rice) is the must-order; the kitchen runs Wednesday to Sunday.
OneFold in Denver is the Uptown breakfast counter on 18th Avenue with a tight modern American menu, a queue-up walk-in policy and a strong chilaquiles plate.
OrderHouse-cut hash browns and a chilaquiles plate.
Ace Eat Serve in Denver is Justin Cucci's pan-Asian dining room on 17th Avenue since 2012, set in a former 1880s carriage house with ping-pong tables.
OrderThe pad see ew and pork bao; the kitchen runs late on weekends until 11 pm.
TipThe patio takes walk-ins and the ping-pong tables are first-come; bar in the dining room takes reservations.
Snooze A.M. Eatery in Denver is Jon Schlegel's mod-flagship breakfast room on Larimer since 2006, the Front Range chain start before it grew nationally.
OrderA pancake flight (sample four cakes) and the Bella! Bella!
TipThe 90-minute weekend wait is normal at the original; new locations across LoDo and South Broadway absorb the overflow.
The Greenwich in Denver is Caleb Schiff and Lucas Whyland's RiNo dining room since 2019, with a wood-fire kitchen and an in-house cocktail bar that runs late.
OrderThe wood-fired vegetables and a daily pasta; the cocktail program runs deep on agave spirits.
TipThe bar takes walk-ins; reservations recommended for Friday and Saturday. Closed Mondays.
Kaladi Coffee Roasters in Denver is the University Hills roastery on Evans Avenue, a Front Range pioneer since 1995 with single-origin sourcing and a quiet.
Blue Sparrow Coffee in Denver is the Park Hill roastery with cafes on Platte Street and at Aviano Coffee, a small-batch operation focused on Ethiopian.
Wynkoop Brewing Company in Denver is Colorado's oldest brewpub, opened by John Hickenlooper in 1988 in a historic LoDo warehouse near Union Station.
Spangalang Brewery in Denver is the Five Points jazz-quarter brewery on Welton Street since 2015, a Black-owned brewery with Belgian and English-style ales.
Pete's Kitchen in Denver is the Contos family's East Colfax Greek-American diner, running 24 hours Friday and Saturday nights for burritos and gyros.
OrderSmothered green chile breakfast burrito at 2 am on a weekend.
TipThe kitchen runs all night on Friday and Saturday only; the rest of the week it closes at 9 pm, so check the day before a late-night run.
Jerusalem Restaurant in Denver is the University-area Middle Eastern kitchen since 1979, open 24 hours Friday-Saturday with halal kebabs and a hookah lounge.
OrderFalafel combo with hummus and baba ghanoush.
TipThe hookah lounge is the room's late-night gathering point; the back garden patio opens in summer.
Rosenbergs Bagels and Delicatessen on East 26th in Five Points is the NYC-style water-boiled bagel shop Denvers mid-Atlantic transplants treat as essential.
TipThe everything bagel with house-made lox is the most ordered; the matzoh ball soup runs the lunch trade.
Sassafras American Eatery in Denver's Highland serves a Cajun-Southern brunch inside an 1889 Victorian: biscuits and gravy, shrimp and grits.
OrderFried chicken and biscuit with sausage gravy.
Watercourse Foods in Denver is the 17th Avenue vegan brunch room since 1998, with vegan biscuits and gravy, breakfast burritos and vegan pancakes.
OrderVegan biscuits and gravy with seitan sausage.
Linger in Denver is Justin Cucci's rooftop global street food room in the old Olinger Mortuary in Highland, with a 360-degree city view and a small-plates.
OrderThe bison meatballs and the banh mi sliders; the room's name is a play on the Olinger neon sign upstairs.
TipThe rooftop patio is the room's draw; book by 5 pm or wait at the bar. Closed for service on Mondays in 2026.
Steuben's Uptown in Denver is Josh and Brandon Wolkon's regional American diner on 17th Avenue since 2006, modeled on the Wolkon family's Steuben's of Boston.
OrderThe Maine lobster roll on Friday and Saturday, the cubano sandwich the rest of the week.
TipHappy hour 3 to 6 pm at the bar runs $5 plates; sister room Vesta two blocks away takes the dressier crowd.
Pablo's Coffee in Denver is Craig Conner's roastery and cafe, the city's longest-running independent coffee operation since 1994, with two Capitol Hill cafes.
Strange Craft Beer Company in Denver is Tim Myers's Sun Valley brewery since May 2010, the first taproom brewery in the city with rotating seasonal beers.
Chubby's in Denver is the West Highland Mexican counter on 38th Avenue, a 1971 family shop open until 3 am for the bar-and-shift-worker burrito trade.
OrderSmothered chorizo burrito at 1 am.
TipDrive-through line runs longer than the walk-in counter on Friday nights; bring cash for the fastest service.
City O' City in Denver is the 13th Avenue vegan diner since 2008, the city's only late-night vegan kitchen with diner plates until 2 am on weekends.
OrderVegan biscuits and gravy and a cocktail.
TipThe bar takes the late-night crowd; the patio at midnight on summer weekends is one of the city's most active.
Nile Ethiopian Restaurant (Ethiopian) in Denver: Order the vegetarian combination on injera for the table; the kitchen is closed Wednesdays so plan around it.
TipOrder the vegetarian combination on injera for the table; the kitchen is closed Wednesdays so plan around it.
Snooze A.M. Eatery in Denver is Jon Schlegel's modern brunch flagship on Larimer since 2006, with pancake flights, breakfast pot pie and a 90-minute weekend.
OrderSweet potato pancakes and the pancake flight.
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...