6 Best Restaurants in Greater Denver, Denver

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.

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.

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.

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.

Originally a food truck, the name of this taqueria showcases exactly what it specializes in: queso a la plancha tacos and seared ahi tuna tacos, with house-made salsas and tangy margaritas. Get to know your fellow diners at the communal tables or the long bar, or sit on the patio that opens from the dining area through the garage door. There's a second location in City Park.

Holistic health guru Dr. Andrew Weil has opened restaurants in select locations in 17 states, and this venture in Cherry Creek, where his intensive focus is on anti-inflammatory preparations and antioxidant ingredients prepared with an international flair, has met with great success. Don't expect all-vegetarian, however; the menu offers plenty of meat, particularly lean bison and turkey, as well as fish, tempeh, and other meat substitutes. Trendy cocktails—cucumber margarita or blueberry acai mojito, for example—and natural sodas add to the appeal for the younger crowds that flock to the communal tables for small plates and thin-crust pizzas. The kids' menu is impressively healthy and appealing with its mini grass-fed burger and chicken teriyaki bowl.