“Eating in a restaurant does more than just satisfy your hunger — it creates a huge multiplier effect that helps our local economy. The money you spend allows students to pay for college, kids to earn some spending money busing tables, cooks to buy snow tires and dishwashers to pay their rent.”
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, April 8, announcing the Colorado Restaurant Association’s “Fork the Recession” campaign
Choose one of these local restaurants, or pick a favorite in your neighborhood, and get out to eat today.
AMERICAN
Bastien’s Restaurant
3501 E. Colfax Ave., 303-322-0363
Small plates $5.95-$9.95; entrees: $15.95-$22.95. Bastien’s Restaurant, which has been around for what seems like forever, sits on East Colfax Avenue at Madison Street, serving cold martinis and big steak dinners to a fiercely dedicated clientele. The cornerstone of Bastien’s menu is its famous New York Sugar Steak, which is coated with a brown-sugar-based herb rub before it hits the grill. Here’s a fast-dying concept: Your dinner salad and side order of potatoes are actually included in the price of your meal. Last reviewed June 2006.
Beatrice & Woodsley
38 S. Broadway, 303-777-3505,
Small plates all under $20, but you’ll order a few. The dishes on what is perhaps Denver’s most creative menu usually score, with rare exceptions. Settle in for a couple of hours and order a succession of dishes; everything’s meant to be shared. But guard your Hair of the Frog cocktail (gin, chartreuse and soda) for yourself.
Cherry Crest Market & Restaurant
5909 S. University Blvd., Centennial 303-798-2600
Starters $3.25-$8.95; entrees $8.95-$18.95. This small, ramshackle strip-mall seafood shack serves some of Denver’s simplest fish dishes: lemon-baked cod, broiled walleye with dill, boiled whole Maine lobster with drawn butter. A steady stream of regulars keeps the dining room busy even in off hours. Doubles as one of the area’s better fish markets; take home a pound of cockles to steam later in the week.
Duffeyroll Cafe
Two Locations: 1290 S. Pearl St. (at Louisiana), 4994 E. Hampden Ave. (at Happy Canyon). Both locations share one phone number: 303-753-9177.
Nothing over $10. An object lesson in the nobility of executing a narrow mission exquisitely, the Duffeyroll Cafe excels in the art of grown-up, but naughty, cinnamon rolls. Light, flaky and not too gooey — a great commuter’s breakfast. Good thing it’s located next to the light rail.
Empire Restaurant and Lounge
816 Main St., Louisville, 303-665-2521,
Small plates about $5-$12; entrees about $13-$20. The clear-thinking kitchen at this contemporary, casual American restaurant puts forth intelligent, affordable cuisine with an eye to the season. Some of the best items on offer come from the creative bartenders.
Fruition
1313 E. Sixth Ave., Denver, 303-831-1962 Starters $7-$12; entrees $19-$24. In theory, Fruition serves comfort food. In practice, it serves some of the area’s most exquisitely crafted, meticulously detailed dishes, like rich pasta carbonara with house-made cavatelli and perfectly braised pork belly, and crisp- skinned roasted duck breast over delicate carnaroli risotto. Affordable wine list, excellent vanilla pudding, pleasant and hospitable service. Reservations highly recommended.
O’s Restaurant
10600 Westminster Blvd., Westminster, 303-410-5000
Starters $7-$14; main courses $20 and up. Best known for chef Ian Kleinman’s molecular cuisine, O’s also turns out consistent “conventional” fare — steaks, burgers, fish and more. If you’re fired up for molecular cuisine (think liquid-nitrogen sorbet and foam), come on a weekend and call ahead to make certain it’s available.
Platte Canyon Grill
60629 U.S. 285, Bailey, 303-838-1112
Starters $3.50-$6.25; sandwiches $6.50-$7.95; entrees $11.95-$23.25. New Orleans cuisine in the Colorado high country? You bet. This sounds like a steak-and-burger house, but this kitchen, headed up by native Louisianians, turns out soulful, rib-sticking Creole and Cajun fare, from etouffee to gumbo to po-boys. A great suppertime pit stop on the way home from a rafting adventure or hike.
Root Down
1600 W. 33rd Ave., 303- 993-4200,
Plates $7-$22, with most around $9-$11. Since opening in late fall 2008, Root Down has quickly become one of Denver’s most popular restaurants. An eclectic menu of innovative, flavorful small dishes (many of which are vegetarian) drives this forward-thinking eatery and watering hole, fashioned from a reclaimed garage.
Shazz
4262 Lowell Blvd., 303-477-1407,
Appetizers $7-$11; mains $24-$35. Chef Benny Kaplan is one of Denver’s best, and his commitment to locally sourced, sustainable food is commendable. Don’t miss the braised oxtail appetizer, served over asiago grits, and don’t miss a few minutes at the bar for a signature cocktail mixed with housemade ingredients such as grenadine and orgeat. Last reviewed April 2009.
Table 6
609 Corona St., 303-831-8800
Appetizers $9-$14; entrees $17-$22; $30 for steak. If you live within walking distance of Table 6, you’re lucky indeed; this charming neighborhood once-a-weeker features accessible (but special) food and a smart, affordable wine list. Choose the duck confit if it’s chilly outside, and wash it down with a glass of smooth pinot noir. Every neighborhood should have such a smart spot for a cozy dinner.
Tables
2267 Kearney St., 303-388-0299
Sandwiches $6-$6.50; entrees $16-$26. Sure, it’s a neighborhood restaurant, but it’s worth driving across town to eat at Tables, a tasteful Park Hill bistro. The menu changes frequently, but flavors are always fresh and satisfying. The kitchen is particularly successful with fish dishes. Small, nicely priced wine list. Great patio for fine- weather dining.
Twelve
2233 Larimer St., 303-293-0287,
Entrees $22-28. Wedged into a tiny storefront in the northern reaches of LoDo, this newcomer changes its menu monthly — 12 times a year. So don’t get attached to a favorite dish. Instead, have your socks knocked off by chef Jeff Osaka’s brilliant technical skills and instinctive flavor-play.
Venue Bistro
3609 W. 32nd Ave., 303-477-0477,
Appetizers $5-12; main courses $16-21. An instant hit in its Highland neighborhood, this tiny, welcoming restaurant specializes in comfortable service and food, both expertly provided. Perfect for walk-to suppers on evenings when cooking’s out of the question.
The Weber
233 Clayton St. (at the Inn at Cherry Creek), 303-377-8577
Appetizers $6-12; entrees $18-26. Tucked into the ground floor of the unassuming Inn at Cherry Creek, The Weber is a focused, intelligent and tiny restaurant with caring service and a decent wine list. A pleasant, relaxing antidote to the Cherry Creek North mayhem.
EUROPEAN
Brasserie Felix
3901 Tennyson St., 303-953-2401,
Appetizers $5.95-$12.95, mains $14.95-$20.95. A great example of the Americanized French Brasserie, with accessible and relevant fare like steak frites, mussels and croque monsieurs. Small but serviceable wine list. Great sunny room looks even better at lunchtime.
Farro
8230 S. Holly St., 303-694-5432,
Almost nothing over $15. The southern suburbs are awash in restaurants, but precious few of them are any good. Enter Farro, at the corner of Holly Street and County Line Road, which serves homey, substantial fare with a casual-elegant twist. Good wine list too.
GB Fish & Chips
1311 S. Broadway, 720-570-5103
Fish and chips $4.95-$16.50; pork pie $4.50; bangers $5.95. Top-drawer fish and chips are hard to come by in the Mile High City, making GB (Get Battered) a welcome addition to its South Broadway neighborhood. House specialty (and best bet on the menu) is the lightly battered cod and chips. A half-meal, at $7.95, is plenty big for lunch. Counter service and nonstop soccer on the television add to the casual vibe. Bring the kids.
Il Posto
2011 E. 17th Ave., 303-394-0100
Starters about $8-$10; pastas about $11-$15; entrees about $18-$22. Bustling Il Posto, casual but sophisticated, is a perfect fit in its casual but sophisticated Uptown neighborhood. Locals gather to peruse the frequently changing chalkboard menus for modern, seasonal takes on traditional Italian fare. Some of the best gnocchi around. Smart wine service. Great for dates.
Osteria Marco
1453 Larimer St., 303-534-5855,
Small plates $3-$10; pizzas $8-$12; big plates $15-$19. This sexy subterranean wine-salumi-pizza bar features an affordable all-Italian wine list and a range of little plates meant for sharing. Fill up on cured meats and house-made cheese, or come on Sunday for roast suckling pig.
Pesce Fresco
6600 S. Quebec St., Centennial, 303-290-9705
Appetizers $7-$14; main dishes $16-$29. Sometimes dinner out isn’t about being wowed by innovative cuisine; sometimes it’s about settling into a comfortable chair in a comforting restaurant and dining on simple, straightforward food. This neighborhood Italian, long popular in the south ‘burbs for pasta and fish, ups the ante with a quirky wine list.
Shells & Sauce
2600 E. 12th Ave., 303-377-2091
Most plates under $20. Every neighborhood should come equipped with a bustling Italian trattoria, packed with groups and couples who’ve strolled over for a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine. Congress Park’s Shells & Sauce restaurant fits that bill, with decent fare and reasonable prices.
Vita
1575 Boulder St., 303-477-4600
Small plates $6-$12; main courses $17-$28. Prepare to be surprised by the clear, simple Mediterranean flavors at this otherwise glitzy-glam restaurant. The crispy polenta sandwich stuffed with pork confit is a standout. Skip the silly martinis and order a straightforward gimlet, or stick to the ample list of wines offered by the glass.
ASIAN
Chopsticks China Bistro
2990 W. Mississippi Ave., 303-936-1506 Starters $2.99-$7.95; entrees $7.95-$23.95. Relaxed, casual, family- friendly neighborhood Chinese restaurant with a menu that balances familiar fare like juicy pork dumplings with more exciting stuff like salt-and-pepper frog. Hospitable service overcomes any rough edges. Spicy dan dan noodles make a perfect $3.95 lunch.
Hoong’s Palace
10333 E. Costilla Ave., Englewood, 303-792-5528 Small plates $2.95-$12; entrees $8.50-$32.95 and up; lunch specials $7.50-$11.50. Sprawling, spotless suburban restaurant specializing in seafood. Live crabs and lobsters linger in a tank awaiting your order; sizzling seafood platters are perfect for sharing. Meat lovers’ Mongolian grill specials and classic noodle dishes round out the big, affordable menu. Large bar area bustles on weeknights.
Imperial Chinese
431 S. Broadway, 303-698-2800 VAppetizers $4.50-$13.50; main courses $10.75-$30. One of Denver’s most popular and long-lasting Chinese restaurants, Imperial has been famous for its sesame chicken and Imperial rolls for 20 years.
Iwayama Sushi
5500 S. Simms St., Littleton, 303-948-1199 Sushi $4 and up; entrees $12.50 and up. This suburban strip-mall gem offers fresh, well-cut sushi and hearty Hawaiian cuisine in a charming and spotless room. Standout dishes include the cuttlefish (squid) salad, mango-tuna nachos and, believe it or not, burgers. The energy (and noise) picks up at suppertime.
Osaka Sushi
3940 E. Exposition Ave., 303-698-9919, Most dishes under $15. The Belcaro neighborhood is lucky to have the friendly, easygoing Osaka Sushi. Good-quality fish and even better noodle bowls make this crowd-pleasing place a preferred gathering spot for young families and groups of friends.
Spice China
269 McCaslin Blvd., Louisville, 720-890-0999$2-$19.95, with most plates $8-$9. Shanghainese dishes like squid with bok choy and chicken with jellyfish share menu space with more familiar sesame chicken and chow fun noodles at this Chinese-food mecca. It’s all about sharing dishes here. Don’t miss the sauteed watercress with garlic. Booming happy hour. Takeout available.
Sushi Sasa
2401 15th St., 303-433-7272
Sushi a la carte $4-$6; appetizers and small plates $3.50-$12; entrees $6-$12; omakase menu from $60. Sushi Sasa serves some of the finest sushi in Denver. The best seat is at the bar in the back, where you can watch the skilled crew — looking cool enough to hang with Gwen Stefani after hours — assemble intricate but straightforward Japanese fare with careful precision. Order the omakase tasting menu if you’re feeling flush.
US Thai Cafe
5228 W. 25th Ave., Edgewater, 303-233-3345
Appetizers $3.95-$5.95; entrees $7.50-$13.95. Curries stand out on the menu at US Thai, especially the evocative, complex green curry — smoky but smooth, soft but sharp, spicy but soothing, entirely irresistible. Get it with a green papaya salad and Thai iced tea. Kids love this place. Takeout available.
MEXICAN/ SOUTHWESTERN
Brewery Bar II
150 Kalamath St., 303-893-0971
Nothing over $10. Part sports bar, part dive, all soul, the Brewery Bar II smothers most of their excellent combination plates in some of Denver’s tastiest green chile. Brewery Bar II won’t win awards for being fancy, but it will win hearts for being consistent, friendly and cool. Closed Sundays.
El Tapatio
7301 W. Alameda Ave., Lakewood, 303-239-9872 Combo plates $10 or less; nothing over $18. Just across the street from mundane megachains Ted’s Montana Grill and P.F. Chang’s, this inexpensive family Mexican restaurant proves independents still exist. (They just have smaller signs.) Sip a margarita while you decide between tacos al carbon and huachinango (fried snapper). Plenty of TVs for game night.
El Tepehuan
3457 S. Broadway, Englewood, 303-781-0243 Nothing over $12. This classic, friendly neighborhood restaurant features Ameri-Mex combo plates, a full suite of breakfasts, salsa that’s actually spicy, and plenty of cold beer. Open seven days a week.
Lola
1575 Boulder St., 720-570-8686,
Small plates $4-$12; entrees $18-$31. You’d have a hard time finding a restaurant in Denver that’s busier than Lola, where on Friday nights the wait for a table can be epic. Come on a weeknight, when the refreshing, sophisticated, seafood-focused cuisine has a little elbow room, or come on a weekend for a late brunch.
Mezcal
3230 E. Colfax Ave., 303-322-5219
Appetizers $4.95-$7.95; entrees $6.95-$15.95. Contemporary Denver dining wouldn’t be what it is without Mezcal, the seminal East Colfax Mexican taqueria-tequilaria-hangout, where hipsters and their admirers linger late into the night over combination plates of tamales and shots of tequila with PBR chasers. The smoking ban has transformed this favorite into an entirely tolerable place to hang out. Lunch, too.
CARIBBEAN
Eight Rivers Lodo
1550 Blake St., 303-623-3422,
Appetizers $7-$13; mains $15-$19. Denver’s very best rum list anchors this downtown homage to Jamaican cuisine. Think jerk chicken, jerk pork, jerk steak and a beautifully rich-spicy oxtail stew. Happy hour on weekdays.
LATIN
Limon
1618 E. 17th Ave., 303-322-0898
Entrees mostly under $20. Set on a hopping strip of East 17th Avenue, Limon serves innovative, contemporary Peruvian food and classic, refreshing cocktails, most notably traditional pisco sours.
PIZZA
Buenos Aires Pizzeria
1307 22nd St., 303-296-6710,
Empanadas $1.75 each. Pizzas: 12-inch $9.75 and up, 16-inch $13.95 and up. Casual-but-sexy Buenos Aires Pizza, which feels from the inside like it could be in Miami, New York or even Buenos Aires itself, is a small restaurant with a small mission: to satisfy neighborhood cravings for Argentine- style pizza. Specific? Yes. Delicious? Definitely. Think chimichurri, salsa golf and plenty of pork. Buttery empanadas and affordable Argentine wine on the side.
McKinners Pizza Bar
2389 W. Main St., Littleton, 303-798-8500,
Pizzas $9.25 and up; salads $6.25-$9. Downtown Littleton is one of the area’s most pleasant town strips, studded with boutiques and wine shops and restaurants and, happily, McKinners, a favorite watering hole, pizza joint and gathering place for locals.
Virgilio’s
7986 W. Alameda Ave., Lakewood, 303-985-2777
Pizzas (14- or 18-inch) $8.99-$19.49; appetizers and sides $1.99-$8.99. As good as the garlic knots are, don’t fill up on them because you’ll need room for pizza. Virgilio and his staff throw a mean pie. Crusts are buttery, salty and nicely cooked. Toppings are straightforward and simple, particularly the Mama’s Favorite (shaved sausage, red onion, garlic) and the margherita (mozzarella, tomatoes, basil).
