On your way to the mountains this year, make sure to set aside some time to Eat & Drink in Denver

From a culinary vantage point, Denver has exploded in restaurants over the past decade, following a huge millennial population influx from both east and west coasts. There are scores of highly innovative neighborhood restaurants to visit and Denver is considered the craft beer capital of the United States.

Our chefs put together a list of culinary musts while visiting the Mile High City:

AM

Black Black Coffee

This hard core espresso spot is for serious coffee drinkers only. You might be judged for ordering the wrong thing but they feature a great rotation of both local and national micro roasters brewed to perfection.

3459 Ringsby Ct

Denver, CO 80216

https://www.blackblackcoffee.com/

Sweet Bloom Coffee

Owner Andy Sprenger was the runner-up in the World Brewers Cup Championship, 2013 US Aeropress Champion and is certified Q-Grader (like a sommelier, but for coffee). All that make this out of the way coffee shop worth a trip if you have the time.

1619 Reed St

Lakewood, CO

https://sweetbloomcoffee.com/

Nickel and the Study @ Hotel Teatro

Not only does the Nickel Restaurant serve great southwestern inspired breakfasts, the Study serves great local coffee from Method roasters in a super comfortable room.

1100 14th Street

Denver, CO 80202

https://www.hotelteatro.com/nickel-restaurant-menus

Thump Coffee

Oregon-based Thump Coffee opened its Capitol Hill Roastery in 2013 and has been serving excellent farm to cup coffee since.

1201 E 13th Ave

Denver, CO 80218

https://thumpcoffee.com/

Mercantile Dining and Provisions

A few blocks from the convention center, Mercantile features great coffee from Commonwealth Roasters.  It’s also a great place to grab a quick breakfast, a house made pastry or a sandwich for lunch. It’s also a fantastic dinner option.

1701 Wynkoop St

Denver, CO 80202

https://mercantiledenver.com/

Little Owl Coffee

This tiny spot located in LoDO in the Sugar Cube building offers a farm-to-cup experience with single-origin and single-estate coffees, manual brew methods, craft espresso and pastries from Babettes.

1555 Blake Street

Denver, CO 80202

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Owl-Coffee/115728555270816

Glazed and Confuzed Doughnuts

Glazed & Confuzed does donuts with a twist. From some of the signatures like the maple and bacon infused glaze to specialties like the strawberry shortcake or mojito donut, there's always something new to try.

5301 Leetsdale Dr

Denver, CO, 80246

www.gcdonuts.com

Voodoo Doughnuts

Voodoo Doughnut offers over 50 different donuts, known for their sexual innuendos and snarky names, customers are sure to get a good laugh and an even better donut. Voodoo takes the donut craze to the next level, using cereals, candies and powders to make donuts that have a pop. Bonus: the shop is open 24/7.

1520 E Colfax Ave

Denver, CO 80218

https://voodoodoughnut.com/

Denver Biscuit Company

Serves gourmet biscuits sandwiches on fresh-baked buttermilk biscuits with all the house-made fixings you could want to help keep you warm on a cold winter day.

Multiple Locations

https://www.denbisco.com/

 

 

PM

Acorn

Acorn’s culinary and inspirational foundation is its oak-fired oven and grill, which produce a seasonal, ever-changing menu of craveable, family-style small plates and entrées.  Some consider it to be the best restaurant in Denver. In addition, they have a great cocktail program which has been featured in many national magazines such as GQ.

3350 Brighton Blvd

Denver, CO 80216

https://www.denveracorn.com/

Williams and Graham

Williams and Graham won Spirited? Awards 2015 Best Bar in America. It’s a speakeasy type cocktail bar that attracts some of the best mixological talent and is a serious place for drinks. They take reservations Sunday to Wednesday so you can avoid the wait.

3160 Tejon St

Denver, CO 80211

https://williamsandgraham.com/

Cholon

Chef Lon Symensma, a speaker at this year’s RCA Conference, is a world-travelled chef who opened Jean-Georges Shanghai and spent several years at NYC's award winning, Buddakan.  Since 2011, he’s been serving innovative cuisine at one of Denver’s top restaurants.

1555 Blake St.

Denver, CO 80202

https://www.cholon.com/denver/

Beetle Bar

Beetle Bar, the hidden gem upstairs at Southside Bar Kitchen, is a craft cocktail & rare/craft beer spot in the heart of the Bluebird District which despite offering great cocktails doesn’t take itself too seriously.

3014 East Colfax Avenue

Denver, CO 80206

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beetle-Bar/336210919783982?fref=ts

Ace

Where else could you eat some excellent Japanese food, have a great cocktail and play an intense game of Ping-Pong?

501 E 17th Ave

Denver, CO 80203

https://www.aceeatserve.com/

Argyll Gastropub

This Uptown gastropub features an impressive list of whiskeys and beers and a creative cocktail list. It also won 5280’s 2015 Best Steak in Denver Award and offers a variety of British Pub Snacks.

1035 E. 17th Avenue

Denver, CO 80218

https://argylldenver.com/

Saint Ellie

Self-described as a beautiful and seductive cocktail bar with an “average Joe” attitude, Saint Ellie is a great place to grab a vintage cocktail, a burger or a caviar service.

1553 Platte Street

Denver, CO 80202

https://www.saintellie.com/

Cart-Driver

Built inside old shipping containers, Cart-Driver is a great place to grab a pizza and a glass of wine or some oysters. They also do a gluten free chickpea pizza for people who are in to that kind of thing…

2500 Larimer Street

Denver, CO 80205

https://cart-driver.com/

Rioja

Winner of a 2013 James Beard Award, this Mediterranean restaurant features seasonal fare in a warm inviting space. Widely considered one of Denver’s best.

1431 Larimer St

Denver, CO 80202

https://www.riojadenver.com/

Colt and Gray

Colt & Gray emphasizes nose-to-tail concept dining, offering one of the city's best selections of charcuterie and offal.

1553 Platte St

Denver, CO 80202

www.coltandgray.com

 

 

Beast and Bottle

A restaurant that is comfortable in every way yet modern and elevated at the same time. There are great apps, dinner specials, a well-curated wine and cocktail list, and desserts one should save room for.

719 E 17th Ave

Denver, CO 80203

https://beastandbottle.com/

Pinche Tacos

Considered by some to be one of the best Mexican restaurants in the country, Tacos, Tequila and Whiskey (AKA Pinche Tacos) makes delicious tacos (including a delicious pork belly taco) and margaritas.

1514 York St

Denver, CO 80206

https://tacostequilawhiskey.com/

 

Sushi Den

A fantastic place for some of the freshest sushi around (weird right), Sushi Den flies fish in daily from markets around the world and have an employee in Japan to select fish fresh every morning.

1487 S Pearl St

Denver, CO 80210

https://www.sushiden.net/