From legendary and award-winning restaurants and entirely new, pioneering concepts to an abundance of local craft breweries, Denver’s ever-evolving culinary landscape will be on display over the next couple of months. Innovative, chef-driven restaurants and local breweries take the spotlight in Denver with two amazing events – the highly anticipated Denver Restaurant Week (DRW) and the exclusive, only-in-Denver Collaboration Fest – celebrating the city’s recent culinary and craft beverage momentum, which has positioned Denver at the forefront of the industry.
More than 300 restaurants opened in Denver over the past two years, and more than 50 are already on the horizon for the first part of 2016. The city is on the frontline of several national trends, ranging from chef-driven fast casual restaurants to food halls and marketplaces to upscale and creative ethnic fusions; and these restaurants demonstrate the city’s most cutting edge, rising talent as well as mainstay Denver chefs who have been on the scene for years.
Elway’s
Euclid Hall
Adding to the impressive culinary offerings in The Mile High City are its craft breweries. Denver produces more beer than any other urban region in America – an estimated 200 different craft beers are brewed in Denver every single day – and the city hosts the annual Great American Beer Festival, the largest beer competition in the world, featuring more than 6,700 beers.
Corridor 44 on Larimer Street
Denver Restaurant Week, which takes place from February 26 through March 6, is an annual celebration of the city’s exceptional year-round culinary scene. Now in its 12th year, DRW is an opportunity to enjoy multi-course meals at some of the city’s top restaurants for the tasty price of $30 per person. Reservations throughout the city are highly coveted, and many Mile High hotspots – both iconic local restaurants and new eateries – become fully booked for the 10 days of DRW. Click here to view the menus!
These Denver restaurants show off the city’s most cutting-edge and up-and-coming culinary talent, not to mention the abundance of local products in the nearby area. Denver diners will be wowed by these upscale, epicurean eateries, and the city’s recently progressive food scene in general.
AVANTI FOOD & BEVERAGE, 3200 Pecos St.
A wholly original food concept is playing out at Avanti Food & Beverage in Denver’s Lower Highlands neighborhood, which opened in 2015. A huge two-story warehouse has been converted to shelter a collection of shipping containers, each one a self-contained mini-restaurant. Diners can choose from the variety of cuisines, including a noodle joint, shwarma shop and a torta counter, and enjoy their meal in the communal dining area – complete with stunning views of downtown Denver. A perfect incubator for new flavors and chefs, we fully expect Avanti to set some trends in the national restaurant landscape.
GUARD & GRACE, 1801 California St.
Guard & Grace is a modern, American-style steakhouse that prides itself on serving locally produced meats, cheeses and produce. Chef/owner Tory Guard emphasizes wood-fired dishes for that authentic taste.
THE KITCHEN DENVER, 1530 16th St.
The Kitchen Community is a Boulder-based community of restaurants that has now set up a sister to its world-class neighborhood bistros in downtown Denver. Like the other Kitchen locations, the restaurant on 16th Street boasts a menu that has been sourced from local farmers, ranchers, and purveyors. The Kitchen Denver boasts a seafood bar, a small plates menu, and a main menu with selections like wild char-grilled salmon, oven-roasted sirloin, tagliatelle, and bolognese. Every day from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Kitchen is community hour, with a menu designed to be shared. Don’t miss the quiche and the cocktail du jour.
TABLE 6, 609 Corona St.
This south Capitol Hill restaurant is a popular destination spot for visiting politicos, and for good reason. The 50-seat American eatery makes for a quiet working lunch, or an intimate dinner.Table 6 creates an ambience that is warm and elegant, without being overdone. And then there’s the food: Chef Carrie Shores has created a varied menu that includes everything from comfort food starters (like sloppy joe sliders and tater tots with chorizo and picked peppers) to thoughtful main plates (like duck confit with cherry sage vin and maple smoked pork loin with oat risotto), and Sunday brunch (which features the popular chèvre chantrelle bread pudding.)
Rioja
Fashion + Lifestyle 