Modern Japanese$$$$rino
Uchi in Denver is Tyson Cole's Hai Hospitality sushi room in RiNo since 2019, the Austin original's third location with the same omakase template and modern Japanese plates.
Signature: Hama chili, Maguro sashimi, Brussels sprouts
Order: The hama chili and the maguro sashimi to start, both signatures of the Uchi template; sit at the sushi bar for the chef's hand-built omakase.
Tip: Happy hour at the bar runs Sunday-Friday with a $5 sushi list; cheapest way into a Hai Hospitality kitchen.
Modern American$$$stanley-marketplace
Annette Scratch to Table in Stanley Marketplace is Caroline Glover's James Beard-winning wood-fired neighbourhood kitchen, a small dining room and patio with daily-changing menu.
Signature: Wood-fired chicken, Smoked beet salad, Pasta of the day
Order: The wood-fired half chicken with smoked vegetables and the pasta of the day; menu changes daily by what arrives from Front Range farms.
Tip: Stanley Marketplace is a 12-minute drive from RiNo. Brunch on Sunday is the busiest service; the patio runs through October.
Seasonal American$$$capitol-hill
Potager in Denver is Teri Rippeto's market-driven dining room in a Capitol Hill row house since 1997, a daily-changing menu built around Front Range farm produce.
Signature: Seasonal vegetable plate, Rabbit pasta, Cassoulet
Order: Whatever pasta is on the chalkboard and the seasonal vegetable plate; Rippeto built the city's farm-to-table playbook here.
Tip: The patio garden is the room's draw spring through fall. Closed Sundays and Mondays in 2026; book a week ahead for Saturday.
Italian (Northern)$$$highland
Spuntino in Denver is Cindhura Reddy's Highland neighbourhood trattoria and gelateria since 2012, a tight pasta-and-aperitivo room with house-made gelato to finish.
Signature: Hand-cut pastas, Burrata, Gelato
Order: The agnolotti and the ricotta gnudi; the gelato counter runs eight flavors made daily, with a strong sour-cherry stracciatella.
Tip: The bar pours Italian aperitivos and a tight natural-wine list. Gelato counter is open to walk-ins after dinner service.
Italian$$$lodo
Tavernetta in Denver is Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson's regional Italian dining room in Union Station's Crawford Hotel, the sister to Boulder's Frasca since 2017.
Signature: Hand-cut pastas, Wood-grilled lamb, Tagliatelle al ragu
Order: The tagliatelle al ragu and any whole-fish course; the pasta is made by hand each morning by Carlo Alberto Mascia.
Tip: Book the chef's counter for a view of the pasta station. The Italian-only wine list runs deep on Friuli and Piemonte growers.
Italian (Friulian)$$$$boulder
Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder is Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson's James Beard-winning Friulian dining room since 2004, the kitchen that started the Tavernetta program.
Signature: Friulian tasting menu, Frico caldo, Cjarsons
Order: The four-course Friuli tasting menu and the frico caldo to start; Stuckey's wine pairings are the room's most distinctive feature.
Tip: Boulder is a 40-minute drive from Denver. Frasca Caffe next door runs walk-in pasta and aperitivo without a reservation.
