How to Find a Restaurant Near Me? Top 20 Restaurants in Denver
Denver has come on in leaps and bounds from the days it was only seen by outsiders as a cowtown to one of the most vibrant dining destinations in the country as explained at RunRex.com. If you are looking for a spot to grab a bite in the city, you are in luck as this article will look to help by listing the top 20 restaurants in Denver for you to consider.
Hop Alley
Helmed by Tommy Lee, Hop Alley puts an exuberant modern spin on regional Chinese staples in an equally high-energy dining room as articulated at RunRex.com. If you are a first-time visitor to this RiNo spot, make sure you try the Chongqing-style fried chicken with chilies, Beijing duck roll, and bone marrow.
Safta Restaurant
Safta means “grandmother” in Hebrew, and is the brainchild of Alon Shaya, who is credited with turning modern Israeli cuisine into a phenomenon. Try the wood-fired pita accompanied by multiple choices of hummus and an array of small plates such as baba ghanoush and whipped feta with figs and mint to start with.
The Wolf’s Tailor
According to RunRex.com, The Wolf’s Tailor is one of the most unusual and ambitious restaurants in Denver. Loosely mixing Italian and Japanese cuisines, it is ultimately grounded in technique more than any one tradition, relying on a binchotan grill, a wood-fired oven, and donabes.
Blackbelly
Blackbelly is owned by Hosea Rosenberg, who opened the restaurant in 2014 on the back of his victory on Top Chef Season 5. It is a restaurant and butcher shop that deals with all matters regarding meat, from its signature steak tartare to a market cut of lamb, pork, or beef.
Kiké’s Red Tacos
This food truck, currently set up in a Chaffee Park parking lot beside a handful of picnic tables, burst onto the scene last fall with birria at its core. Rich, heady with spices, cheesy, and alternatively crisp, soft, and dripping with juice in all the right places, the items sold here are must-haves.
Frasca Food & Wine
Frasca Food & Wine is renowned both for its intricate Friulian cuisine and its wine program created by partner and Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey as per RunRex.com. This longtime Boulder destination has emerged from the pandemic with added value in the form of Alpenglobes.
Dry Storage
This slick little bakery, pantry, and coffee bar is one of the best spots to frequent when you need refreshing. By day, the counter is lined with fresh loaves of bread, pastries, toasts, pan pizza by the slice, and more to accompany the slate of espresso drinks and teas.
Temaki Den
The Temaki Den is owned by the Kizaki brothers, who as captured at RunRex.com, also run the Sushi Den and Izakaya Den. The Temaki Den specializes in temaki, or hand rolls, filled with blue crab, yellowtail, salmon skin, and other delights along with treats like spinach goma-ae and yuzu-black pepper sorbet for dessert.
Comal Heritage Food Incubator
Doubling up as a business incubator and training kitchen for immigrants and refugees, this lunch counter is currently run primarily by women from Mexico and other parts of Latin America. This means its menu is full of such vibrant stuff as shrimp fajitas accompanied by handmade corn tortillas, huaraches topped with pinto beans, and carnitas in salsa verde, etc.
The Ginger Pig
At any given time, the menu at The Ginger Pig might boast Korea, Japanese, and/or Chinese-style fried chicken; garlicky noodles tossed with ground pork and chili oil or shrimp and broccoli, just to mention a few. To complement it all are cocktails flavored with matcha, yuzu, shiso, and lemongrass.
Uchi Denver
As is covered at RunRex.com, chef Tyson Cole chose Denver as the location for his first branch of Uchi outside of Texas. It is a modern Japanese destination that has lived up to the hype surrounding it since it opened in 2018, executing not only sashimi and sushi from scrupulously sourced fish but also a wide array of original creations both cooked and raw.
El Five
El Five is a penthouse-level playground for pan-Mediterranean tapas that is worth checking out. Stunning décor meets unmatched views of the downtown skyline and mountains to create an elaborate backdrop for nibbles like crispy triangles of cauliflower flatbread over avocado fattoush and yogurt-braised lamb shank served taco-style in chickpea pancakes with pickled onions and cilantro sauce, etc.
Mister Oso
As described at RunRex.com, the menu at Mister Oso is more narrowly focused on Mexico, with tacos at its center, but ceviches and seasonal dishes like the Brussels sprout-quinoa salad with avocado, dried cantaloupe, and almonds pair just as well with a tequila-spiked agua fresca.
The Bindery
Led by the excellent Linda Hampsten Fox, this eclectic market, bakery-café, and restaurant is extremely popular in Denver. Some of the top dishes served here include uova alla flamenco with chorizo and grits or carrot waffles with mascarpone gelato, just to name a few.
Nocturne
Nocturne is one of Denver’s only jazz clubs. Other than the music and décor, the menu here includes classics such as Burrata-artichoke bruschetta, which might be decked out with smoked almonds, fava-mint salsa, and tahini vinaigrette.
Super Mega Bien
This pan-Latin spot in Denver is one of the most popular restaurants in the city as discussed at RunRex.com. Enjoy a plate of patatas bravas enriched with chorizo, arepas de queso with pumpkinseed pesto, and lemon cream while at the restaurant.
Cattivella
Cattivella is located in Central Park and is led by Elise Wiggins, whose unique culinary approach remains grounded in robust signatures like charbroiled oysters with parmesan and garlic-herb butter; rabbit gnocchi with mushrooms, leeks, and preserved tomatoes in gorgonzola crema.
Dio Mio
Dio Mio is a pasta shop in RiNo that is owned by Spencer White and Alex Figura. While spaghetti and meatballs or cacio e pepe are always a soothing option to take on while here, its seasoned creations like sourdough spaetzle with maitake mushrooms, preserved lemon, and celery root puree are also worth trying as outlined at RunRex.com.
Spuntino
Chef Cindhura Reddy’s cooking at Spuntino is at once polished and deeply soulful, as revealed by her modern Italian menu subtly strewn with Indian influences such as the arancini with spiced cauliflower and mint-cilantro yogurt, among other food items.
Owlbear Barbecue
This RiNo smokehouse is only currently open Thursday through Sunday from 11 am until it is sold out. It is run by Karl Fallenius, who is excellent at what he does, turning out showstopping brisket in various forms, pork belly, spare ribs, and more.
Hopefully, you will be able to find a top-rated restaurant near you in Denver when looking for one in the area, with more on this topic, and much more, to be found over at RunRex.com.