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$$$$ | Downtown |
This dining room in Hotel Monaco is filled with fresh flowers and windows that let in natural light, making the space cheerful and bright. The focus is on true, multilayered Italian cuisine, such as grilled flatbread topped with cheese, prosciutto, truffle oil, and balsamic vinegar; or risotto made with an ever-changing and ever-pleasing variety of cheeses and fresh produce. The breads are baked in-house. The superior service and accommodating staff make for a pleasant dining experience. The large, roomy bar is available for dining, too.
909 17th St., Denver, Colorado, 80202, USA
Known For
- House-baked breads
- Roomy bar
- Elegant brunch
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$$$ | South Denver |
With a sister restaurant in Japan (and another, Izakaya Den, next door) and owners who import sushi-grade seafood to the United States, it's easy to see why this chic sushi bar is the one Denverites count on to provide the best quality available. The sushi chefs here can meet your every request, and the cooked dishes are just as well prepared—don't miss the steamed fish baskets. Check out the tony crowd and feast your eyes on the luxurious fabrics and well-designed furniture. There's almost always a wait to get in, and parking can be a hassle, but for serious sushi-heads this is the place to be. Plan far in advance to sit at the Chef's Table for an even more elevated experience and special fresh-fish selections that are unavailable on the regular menu.
1487 S. Pearl St., Denver, Colorado, 80210, USA
Known For
- Inviting patio
- Impeccable sushi
- Extensive sake list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch, Reservations required
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$$$$ | |
This adobe structure near Red Rocks Amphitheatre, complete with flickering luminarias and a pinyon-pine bonfire in the courtyard, is a perfect reproduction of Bent's Fort, a Colorado fur-trade center. Buffalo meat and game are the specialties. The buffalo filet mignon with prairie butter and grilled quail with huckleberry preserves are especially good. Intrepid eaters might try the buffalo bone-marrow appetizer, fiery peanut-butter-stuffed jalapeños, or Rocky Mountain oysters. Costumed characters from the fur trade wander the restaurant, playing the mandolin and telling tall tales.
19192 Hwy. 8, Morrison, Colorado, 80465, USA
Known For
- Authentic Old West atmosphere complete with costumed characters
- Gunpowder cocktails
- Buffalo steaks and Rocky Mountain oysters
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Reservations essential
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$$$$ | LoDo | Modern American
Owner Gene Tang seems to be one of the hardest-working men in the restaurant business, judging by the personal attention he gives the tables in his two-story place. Walking past the first-floor bar gives diners the feeling of being someplace important, as locals hang out and take in the scene. Once upstairs, though, it's all business, with efficient servers bringing a succession of world-beat fare that's highly structural and eminently flavorful. Slow-cooked Colorado lamb shares space on the menu comfortably with duck prepared three ways, and trendy ingredients complement textbook preparations. The menu includes a few vegetarian options, meat lovers have several impressively prepared steaks from which to choose, and the wine list is a wonder—affordable and daring.
1515 Market St., Denver, Colorado, 80202, USA
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch Sat., Mon., Tues., Reservations essential
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$ | Downtown | Pizza
This two-story dive, with a standing counter as well as a sit-down dining area upstairs crammed with ramshackle chairs and tables in various stages of disrepair, is the closest Denver gets to a New York slice. Fold each triangle in half, tilt it to let it drip, and inhale. Sweet- and spicy-sauced spaghetti with a side of meatballs offers an alternative for those who don't want pizza.
1550 California St., Denver, Colorado, 80202, USA
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Reservations not accepted
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$ | Capitol Hill | British
A gastropub that didn't make it the first time around in Cherry Creek, Argyll is definitely better in its second incarnation uptown, with the ideal roomy lounge space that sprawls beyond an inviting bar. The menu, created by beloved local chef John Broening, features tender-inside, crisp-outside fish and steak-fry-style chips so good some people plan their week around them. The menu is expectedly British and a tad on the heavier side—bangers and mash, Scotch eggs, green curry—but there are salads and surprises, such as "spot of tea," a broth with ramen noodles and gooey egg. The lamb burger is a marvel of moistness and flavor, complemented by a yogurt-cucumber relish. Not surprisingly, the beer roster is brilliant and nicely priced; same goes for the whiskeys. Brunch is not to be taken lightly; the corned beef hash is the dish to have.
1035 E. 17th Ave., Denver, Colorado, 80218, USA
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Cherry Creek |
This restaurant looks like a chic Italian farmhouse, with dried flowers in brass urns, hand-painted porcelain, and straw baskets everywhere. The food isn't pretentious in the least, however; it's more like Santa Monica meets San Stefano—bold yet classic, healthy yet flavorful. Duck braised with red wine; fresh pastas, including veal-stuffed agnolotti; and risotto with mixed wild mushrooms are all well made and fairly priced. The reasonably priced four-course tasting menu is the only option on Friday and Saturday, but it is a smart way to sample more of the kitchen's talents; adding the wine pairings ups the cost, but it improves the value. On weekdays, the à la carte menu is available on request, in addition to the prix-fixe menu.
3030 E. 6th Ave., Denver, Colorado, 80206, USA
Known For
- Tasting menu with wine pairings
- Charming fireplace table
- Excellent duck braised in red wine
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch, Reservations essential
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$$ | South Denver | Mexican
Its location out of the tourist loop, southeast of downtown, doesn't stop the crowds (mostly tourists) from lining up early for this restaurant. The early Western, Naugahyde decor and fantastic jukebox set up an upbeat mood for killer margaritas and some of the best burritos and green chile in town.
457 S. Broadway, Denver, Colorado, 80209, USA
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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$$ | Five Points | American
Years before Coors Field moved in, Breckenridge Brewery set up shop with its top-notch brews and some snacks to go with. It has stayed the course, renaming this location and now offering about three-dozen made-in-Colorado microbrews, as well as a solid roster of big, juicy burgers (which can be made with bison, too), hefty sandwiches (the pulled pork is nice and spicy) and other pub grub befitting a spacious, noisy, TV-filled sports bar.
2220 Blake St., Denver, Colorado, 80205, USA
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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$$$ | Highland |
This always-packed spot is worth the trip to Highland for such South American fare as shrimp and scallops sautéed with fresh herbs, coconut milk, and hot chilies or feijoada completa, the Brazilian national dish of black-bean stew and smoked meats, accompanied with fried bananas. With its vivid paintings and colorful traditional masks, it always seems to be a festive party here. It's frequented by locals in the know, especially those looking to try one of their 75-plus rums on hand.
4408 Lowell Blvd., Denver, Colorado, 80211, USA
Known For
- Cozy bar
- Extensive rum selection
- Fresh seafood
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.–Tues. No lunch, Reservations essential
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$$$ | Washington Park | Italian
It's hard to pick out this house from the ones that surround it in this cozy neighborhood, but the steady crowds streaming in and out of its art-lined dining rooms are a sure sign that this isn't a private residence. They come for the family-style servings—entrée prices are for four-serving portions—of outstanding Italian fare. Tomatoes, garlic, basil, and good-quality olive oil make up the base of many of the meals, and the sauces are good: puttanesca, Bolognese, carbonara. The menu is written out on chalkboards, and there's a private back room for big groups.
92 S. Pennsylvania St., Denver, Colorado, 80209, USA
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch, Reservations essential
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$$ | Downtown | American
If it's martinis and jazz you're after, come to this casually elegant space (larger and snazzier after a move to the historic Baur's Building), which features comfort foods with a twist and small plates. Live music most nights makes this a laid-back spot. The cocktail roster, printed inside old jazz albums, is one of the most intricate around, and the Sunday jazz brunch swings.
1512 Curtis St., Denver, Colorado, 80203, USA
Known For
- Extensive cocktail roster
- Mac-and-cheese
- Sunday jazz brunch
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch
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$$ | Downtown |
This is a cozy, casual spot for live jazz and blues six nights a week downtown. The location, in the historic Baur's Building, offers a classy setting and exceptional acoustics as well as updated takes on classic comfort food before and during shows. DownBeat magazine has named it one of the 150 best jazz clubs in the world.
1512 Curtis St., Denver, Colorado, 80203, USA
Known For
- Extensive cocktail roster
- Excellent mac and cheese
- All ages until 10:30 pm
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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$$$$ | Cherry Creek |
You won't see the big guy very often here—or at the company's downtown Ritz-Carlton–Denver, Denver International Airport, or Vail locations, either—but that doesn't keep sports fans from packing it in, hopeful. And when the toothy-grinned former Broncos QB (and current executive vice president of football operations) John Elway doesn't show, diners console themselves with some of the best steak-house fare in town, particularly the porterhouse (big enough for half a football team) and the huge side of chunky-creamy Yukon gold mashed potatoes. While you eat, ease back into the intimately set-up, camel-color suede booths and watch waterfalls cascade over granite slabs, choose from the pricey but appealing wine list, and save room for make-your-own s'mores.
2500 E. 1st Ave., Denver, Colorado, 80206, USA
Known For
- Plush seating
- Lamb "lollipops"
- Packed happy hour
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential, Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch
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$ | Capitol Hill | Diner
This jumping Capitol Hill spot is a breakfast and lunch hangout. Weekend brunch draws crowds of bicyclists and newspaper readers in search of the croissant French toast, "health nut" pancakes, and colossal omelets. Even bigger are the scrumptious one-dish skillets; a popular one tops grilled pork chops with home fries, chili, cheddar, and eggs. They're open weekdays at 6 am and weekends at 7 am; closed each day at 2 pm.
1400 E. 18th Ave., Denver, Colorado, 80218, USA
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner, Reservations not accepted
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$$ | South Denver | Chinese
Papier-mâché lions greet you at the entrance of this sleek Szechuan stunner, which is probably the best Chinese restaurant within a 500-mile radius. Seafood is the specialty. Try the steamed sea bass in ginger or the spicy, fried Dungeness crab, or spring for the Peking duck. The elegantly appointed dining room, filled with gleaming, lacquered furniture, is spacious and usually filled with families and large groups.
431 S. Broadway, Denver, Colorado, 80209, USA
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Sun.
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$$$$ | South Denver |
This larger space from the brothers who own Sushi Den next door, Izakaya Den is supposed to be like a Japanese izakaya, an informal and inexpensive drinking place where snacks are served. Instead, its menu is nearly identical to its sister eatery's, with a more extensive roster of tapas-style sushi offerings, and they share the same executive chef. That said, the high quality of fish imported from the owners' market in Japan is unparalleled in Denver, and several dishes—the hamachi, the crispy tuna, and the Wagyu carpaccio—are stellar.
1487-A S. Pearl St., Denver, Colorado, 80210, USA
Known For
- Impeccably fresh seafood
- Summer rooftop parties
- Lively atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch, Reservations essential
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$ | North Denver | Mexican
The friendly family that runs this small, pepper-decorated place moved to Denver from New Mexico, and they brought their love of chilies with them. The green chili is fire-breathing spicy, and the red is a smoky, complex brew. The best item, though, is the plate of chicken or beef vaquero tacos, slathered with a sticky-sweet barbecue sauce and served on buttery tortillas. Get it with a bowl of freshly roasted corn off the cob. Lunch is always packed, so arrive early, and don't be afraid to tackle a gigantic breakfast burrito, either. There's a mean margarita and there are cervesas, too.
2524 Federal Blvd., Denver, Colorado, 80211, USA
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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$ | West Denver | Chinese
Like a Chinese eatery in New York or San Francisco, King's Land does dim sum to perfection, serving it daily during the week for lunch and during their crazy, jam-packed weekends. Choose from dozens of dumplings, buns, and steamed dishes that are wheeled to you on carts, or go with the regular menu, also available at night, which includes delectable duck and seafood specialties. The dining room is huge and always noisy, and the staff doesn't speak much English, so just close your eyes and point. Reservations are accepted for parties of six or more.
2200 W. Alameda Ave., Denver, Colorado, 80223, USA
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$$ | Central Denver | French
A real find, this homey bistro serves excellent mussel dishes and provincial French specialties, including beef bourguignon (braised in red wine and garnished with mushrooms and onions), salmon en croûte (wrapped in pastry and baked), and steak au poivre. You can depend on Le Central for fabulous food, great service, and a surprisingly low tab. Weekend brunch is a big favorite.
112 E. 8th Ave., Denver, Colorado, 80203, USA
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential