If you are looking for the best places to eat in Denver, you can easily build an entire day around food and still feel like you barely scratched the surface.
I would not attempt to cram ten full meals into one day (like me ha). The better strategy is to choose a few standout restaurants and work coffee, pastries, pizza slices, and smaller bites in between.
We tried a LOT of food during our time in Denver, from breakfast burritos and giant pastries to hot dogs, pizza, Michelin-starred tasting menus, and a veggie dish at Hop Alley that I am still thinking about.
Based on what we actually ate, this is how I would plan a DIY Denver food tour.
Onefold has a really interesting breakfast and lunch menu that mixes Mexican, Asian, and classic brunch flavors.
Everything is made from scratch, and they use ingredients from local producers when possible. Instead of vegetable or seed oils, they cook with things like duck fat, animal fat, and avocado oil.
We ordered the fresh-squeezed orange juice, breakfast burrito, and breakfast sandwich.
The breakfast burrito comes with organic pressed-to-order tortillas, eggs, a white cheese blend, duck-fat fried potatoes, and house-made green chile, with your choice of protein.
The breakfast sandwich is a little more familiar, with scrambled eggs, Tillamook cheddar, and your choice of bacon, sausage, or barbacoa.
The breakfast burrito is probably the signature move here, although the bacon fried rice and congee also get a lot of love.
Stowaway Kitchen was my favorite breakfast in Denver.
What I really liked about it was that the menu felt different from the typical brunch menu. There were Japanese and other globally inspired flavors, seasonal ingredients, and combinations I would not normally think to put together, but everything felt really well thought out.
We ordered the sherry plum + Basque cheesecake waffle, blue corn cornbread with peaches, and Scram sandwich.
If you only have time for one sit-down breakfast, this would be my pick. I go into everything we ordered and what I would get again in my Stowaway Kitchen Denver Review: Is It Worth the Hype?
Izzio Bakery is inside Denver Central Market, and the pastries look Instagram-famous because they basically are.
The pastries are definitely the main draw here, especially the croissants, laminated pastries, and Queens. It is also one of those bakeries where you are going to want to order way more than you actually need.
We ordered the Raspberry La Roulette, Raspberry Cheesecake Colorado Queen, and Farmer’s Bowl.
If you want a closer look at what we ordered and which pastry I would choose first, read my Izzio Bakery Denver Review: What to Order.
If you are already at Denver Central Market, stop at Crema for coffee.
I ordered the house-made caramel latte, and it was exactly what I wanted with breakfast.
This is an easy stop to pair with Izzio if you want to make your own mini breakfast crawl instead of sitting down for another full meal.
Denver Central Market is one of my favorite places in RiNo because you can try several vendors in one stop.
For breakfast, I would combine:
Then share everything. That is basically my ideal version of breakfast anyway.
I have a much more detailed breakdown of the vendors and what I would order in What to Eat at Denver Central Market.
Huckleberry is another good coffee stop if you are staying near Dairy Block or Union Station.
I would use this more as a coffee-and-pastry stop than a full breakfast, especially if you already have a bigger meal planned later.
LoDough Bakery is another easy addition if you are around Dairy Block.
They are known for croissants, pain au chocolat, danishes, monkey bread, baguettes, and sourdough, so it works well when you want something small between meals.
Billy’s Gourmet Hot Dogs is a casual, old-school stop that works really well if you want something quick, interesting, and delicious.
The restaurant grew out of owner Bill Feid’s lifelong love of hot dogs. Growing up in Chicago, hot dogs were part of his family traditions, and that obsession followed him into adulthood as he searched out great hot dogs everywhere he traveled.
Eventually, he turned that love into Billy’s, which feels like a full-on tribute to the hot dog.
We tried several different options.
The Buffalo Bratwurst is a juicy brat split and grilled, stuffed with jalapeños and creamy cheddar, then topped with grilled onions, sauerkraut, and spicy brown mustard.
This was my favorite.
I loved the sauerkraut with the brat because the tangy, salty vinegar flavor cut through the richness of the sausage and cheese. The mustard added even more tang, while the onions and jalapeños brought a little spice. Brad wasn’t a fan of the vinegar flavor, but I thought the whole combination was perfectly balanced.
The Seattle Dog is a split and grilled hot dog served over cream cheese and topped with grilled cabbage, onions, and chilled BBQ sauce. The cream cheese made it rich and creamy, while the cabbage and onions added a little texture, and the BBQ sauce brought in that sweet, smoky flavor that tied everything together.
Brad loved this one and definitely preferred it over the Buffalo Bratwurst.
If we went back, I’d probably try their Chicago Dog, which is one of their most popular options, or the Tijuana Dog.
The Tijuana Dog is a bacon-wrapped grilled hot dog topped with fresh pico de gallo, avocado, grilled jalapeños, and sour cream. Because bacon, avocado, jalapeños, and pico all on one hot dog sounds like something I need to try at least once.
Sliceworks does not look like much when you first walk in.
You order at the counter, and the pizza slices are already sitting out on display. At first glance, they honestly look like they have been there for a minute. Then they pop them back into the oven, heat them up, and somehow completely bring them back to life.
The pizza was actually excellent. The biggest surprise was the Big Mac pizza.
I really did not think I was going to like it. It sounded weird, did not look especially pretty, and then somehow ended up being one of the slices I would absolutely order again.
We also tried the jalapeño pizza with cherry jam, which was really good if you like a little heat and sweet.
Sliceworks works particularly well for a food crawl because you can order individual slices instead of committing to an entire pizza.
Save this for later on Pinterest so you don’t forget it.
Denver Central Market works just as well for lunch.
I would get something from Green Seed for a salad or something fresh, something savory from Lunchboxx, and then stop at Temper for chocolate afterward.
It is easy, casual, and everyone in your group can get something different.
If you are combining your Denver trip with a day trip to Golden, The Golden Mill would be my lunch stop. The Golden Mill has several food vendors, tons of seating, a rooftop, creekside patio, and a self-pour tap wall.
We tried Sushi Sora, Tacos Al Chile, and Happy Cones.
My favorites were the Rock and Roll Roll, birria taco, and Salted Caramel Oreo ice cream. Weekend crowds can be intense, so just know that going in.
If you are planning to eat here, my Golden Mill Review: Where to Eat at Golden’s Food Hall covers what we tried in more detail.
This is where Denver really showed off.
There is a huge difference between these restaurants, so I would choose dinner based less on which restaurant is “best” and more on what type of night you want.
If you want dinner to be the actual event of the night, BRUTØ is the one.
This is a Michelin-starred tasting experience built around food research, fermentation, preservation, and Colorado ingredients.
We had everything from steelhead trout and mushroom tempeh to lamb cappelletti, bison, sourdough, and a sake-inspired dessert.
BRUTØ is expensive, but I would look at it as an experience rather than just dinner. If you are trying to squeeze as many restaurants as possible into your Denver itinerary, this probably isn’t the night to schedule a bunch of additional food stops.
Give this dinner its own space.
Corsica was one of my favorite meals in Denver.
The menu is built around French and Italian-inspired small plates, which is exactly how I like to eat because I can sample half the menu without admitting that was always the goal.
Some of the dishes that seem to get the most love are the mushroom arancini, tuna carpaccio, Caesar salad, whipped ricotta toast, gigante beans, beef dishes, and almond cake. After eating there, I get it. We tried several of those, and there really was not a bad dish on our table.
The atmosphere also hits a really nice balance. It feels upscale enough for a date night or special dinner, but it is still warm and homey.
Tavernetta is a great pick if you want a more classic special-occasion dinner. The restaurant feels polished and warm, with a smart-casual dress level and a strong Italian menu.
We really liked the fireplace area, open kitchen, and the overall warm feel of Tavernetta. The pasta is also a big reason people come here. It is made in-house, and dishes like the lamb rigatoni, gnudi, rabbit tagliatelle, and other rotating pastas get a lot of praise.
I love Hop Alley for the bold, creative flavors. The beef and celery dumplings, fried rice, duck rolls, ribs, and Dragon Whiskers all get a lot of praise, but surprisingly, the veggie dish stood out to me the most.
The atmosphere is also a big part of it. It is lively, a little loud, and very RiNo, with good music and an industrial feel that keeps dinner casual even though the food feels much more special.
You can see everything we ordered in my Hop Alley Denver Review: What to Order and What to Expect.
I obviously enjoy planning where I am going to eat down to an unreasonable level, but you definitely do not have to create your own Denver food tour.
If you would rather have someone else plan the stops, Secret Food Tours offers a guided Denver food tour, and this is a company I highly recommend.
I have done more than three Secret Food Tours in different places around the world, and they have consistently been great.
It is a good option if you want to try several foods while also learning more about the city from a local guide, especially if this is your first trip to Denver and you do not feel like piecing together all of the restaurants yourself.
There were also several Denver restaurants I did not get to try that I would keep on my list for another trip.
Alma Fonda Fina would be high on my list for an elevated Mexican dinner.
If you want something special but do not want a full tasting-menu experience, this would be one I would seriously consider.
Mizuna is more of a classic fine-dining option and would fit well for a romantic dinner or anniversary.
Yuan Wonton is another restaurant I would keep on the radar, especially if you love dumplings and Asian-inspired food.
FiNO is the sister restaurant to Run for the Roses and focuses more on Mediterranean-inspired shared plates and drinks.
I would think of this as a fun evening stop rather than a big formal dinner.
If I were building one full food day in Denver based on everything we tried, this would be my itinerary:
Breakfast: Stowaway Kitchen
Coffee + Pastry Stop: Izzio Bakery + Crema Bodega
Lunch: Sliceworks or Denver Central Market
Dinner: Corsica or BRUTØ, depending on how much you want to splurge
That gives you a really good mix of the best food in Denver without making the entire day feel like one giant eating contest.
Although, to be fair, I would not be completely opposed to that either.
Yes. I actually left Denver with more restaurants on my list than I had when I arrived.
The biggest thing that stood out was the variety. We could have a completely casual pizza lunch, share small plates in RiNo, and then do a Michelin-starred tasting menu that night. I would absolutely plan another trip around eating here.
Mostly because I still need another Colorado Queen.
And those pea tendrils.
If you end up booking anything for your trip, using my affiliate links helps support my blog at no extra cost to you. I spend a lot of time researching and writing these guides, so I really appreciate the support.
If you are still figuring out how to organize your trip, start with A Weekend in Denver Colorado: The Perfect First-Time Itinerary.
You can compare flights through Skyscanner, and if you plan to explore outside downtown Denver or add Golden to your trip, I usually compare rental cars through Discover Cars.
For a central Denver hotel, read my The Maven Hotel Denver Review: What to Expect.
You can also compare Denver hotels through Booking.com.
If you want to explore more of the neighborhood where several of these restaurants are located, use my One Day in RiNo Denver: Where to Eat, Shop, and Explore.
For a guided food experience, check current Denver options with Secret Food Tours.
Flying into DEN can be a little confusing the first time, so my Denver Airport Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Denver International Airport covers what we learned using the airport ourselves.
“Outside Terminal 3” is not a pickup location at PHX.
Before your driver pulls in, text them four things: your terminal, north or south side, door number, and inner or outer curb. Grab your bags first, then call them in. Drivers can wait free in the cell phone lot instead of circling. Getting through security is easy; getting picked up is the hard part.
Save this for your Phoenix trip ✈️
Come for the architecture, stay for the view.
The Chapel of the Holy Cross has been built into Sedona’s red rocks since 1956. The outside overlooks get busy, but inside is quiet, with huge windows framing the rocks. It’s free, takes 30-45 minutes, and has a paved, wheelchair-accessible ramp. Make sure to bring water in summer.
Save this for your trip planning!
Order it well done. Trust me.🍑🍕
Peach & Pancetta Pizza at Hideaway House in Sedona: roasted peaches, salty pancetta, ricotta, basil, extra-crispy crust. Split the house salad, grab a prickly pear lemonade, and get a patio table facing the red rocks. Skip the bread if you want room for another slice.
Save this for your Sedona trip✈️
Pack your bags, Denver is not just a mountain layover. RiNo alone can eat a full day between the murals, food, and bars. Skip the concert and hit Red Rocks midday instead, you’ll basically have it to yourself. Golden’s a 30-minute trip if you want a change of pace, and if food drives your travel like it does mine, Denver Central Market and BRUTØ deserve real time on the calendar. Give it three days minimum, four if you’re eating your way through it. Save this.
Stayed at The Maven in Denver’s Dairy Block and the location alone sold me, walking distance to Union Station and most of downtown, string lights right outside at night. The room was spacious and quiet, even had a swing in it. Real talk though, there’s a $28 daily resort fee and parking isn’t cheap, valet ran us $59 a day. Bed was a little firm, but that’s the only complaint I’ve got. Save this before you book.
Follow @travelwithwendyplummer for Beautiful Beach Destinations, City Guides, Foodie Spots, and Luxury Hotel Recommendations.
