The Golden Mill is one of the stops I would absolutely include on a day trip to Golden, Colorado. It is part food hall, part rooftop hangout, and part self-pour taproom, so it works especially well if you are traveling with people who all want something different.
There are five different food concepts, more than 50 self-pour taps, indoor seating, a rooftop, and a large creekside patio. The Golden Mill also regularly hosts live music, trivia, rooftop yoga, pop-ups, and other community events, so it feels more like a local gathering spot than somewhere you stop just to grab lunch.
If you are planning a full day in town, my One Day in Golden Colorado: The Perfect Day Trip from Denver shows how I would work the Golden Mill into the rest of your day.
We went on a weekend and it was crazy busy, so that is the first thing I would know before going. There were lines for food, and finding a table took some work. I asked a local about it, and they said weekdays are much more manageable.
I would still go on a weekend. Just set your expectations accordingly.
The ordering system at The Golden Mill is a little different from most food halls. You do not just walk in and start ordering. First, you check in at the host stand, where they give you a Golden Mill card and put your credit card on file.
You then use that one card at all of the food vendors and the self-pour drink walls. Tap it whenever you order, and everything gets added to the same running tab.
When you are finished, there are boxes near the exits where you drop your Golden Mill card. I dropped mine in and almost immediately got the receipt on my phone. It was actually kind of impressive.
There is also an 18% service fee added to food and drink purchases, and The Golden Mill does not accept additional gratuities.
Wendy’s Tip: If the entrance is packed, go around toward the back of the building on the side opposite the creek. The lines there were shorter when we visited.
One of the biggest things that makes the Golden Mill different from a standard food hall is its self-pour system. There are more than 50 rotating self-pour taps spread between the main level and rooftop.
You insert your Golden Mill card at the tap wall, pour however much you want, and are charged based on how much you pour.
That means you can try a small amount of something instead of committing to a full drink, which is especially useful when there are that many choices. Options can include beer, cider, wine, kombucha, house-made cocktails, sangria, sake, and nonalcoholic drinks.
If drinks are a big part of your Denver plans too, I also have a full guide to the Best Cocktail and Mocktail Bars in Denver Colorado.
We tried food from Sushi Sora, Tacos Al Chile, and Happy Cones, which gave us a pretty good mix of what is available inside the Golden Mill food hall.
I ordered the Garden Roll, made with avocado, asparagus, cucumber, yamagobo, pickled daikon, mixed greens, and shiso.
Brad ordered the Rock and Roll Roll, made with unagi, cucumber, and tamago, then topped with avocado, strawberries, and eel sauce.
If I could only order one again, I would choose the Rock and Roll Roll.
The strawberries sound a little unexpected on sushi, but it worked beautifully.
At Tacos Al Chile, we started with the chips, salsa, and guacamole, which comes with tortilla chips and three house-made salsas: salsa roja, salsa verde, and molcajete salsa.
One of those salsas was so spicy I basically had to admit defeat.
We also tried two tacos:
Al Pastor — roasted pork marinated in achiote and chile pasilla
Birria — slow-cooked beef with garlic and guajillo peppers
The birria was incredible.
If I were ordering only one taco, that would easily be my pick.
If food is one of your main reasons for visiting the area, my DIY Denver Food Tour: Best Places to Eat in Denver Colorado has more places I would add to a food-focused trip.
Save this for later on Pinterest so you don’t forget it.
For dessert, we went to Happy Cones, which serves both American-style scoops and New Zealand-style ice cream.
The New Zealand-style ice cream blends sweet cream with fruit, with combinations including strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, mixed berry, raspberry pineapple, and strawberry banana.
If you want something more traditional, there are flavors like Hokey Pokey, Salted Caramel Oreo, Mint Chocolate Crack, Honey Lavender, and Cookies and Cream. There are also vegan options including coconut cream, caramel Oreo, and dark chocolate.
I ordered Hokey Pokey, which is vanilla ice cream with caramelized toffee honeycomb, and Salted Caramel Oreo.
The Salted Caramel Oreo was so freaking good.
Brad went with chocolate and Hokey Pokey.
If I could choose only one flavor again, I would get the Salted Caramel Oreo without hesitation.
If you are trying to narrow down what to order, these were my favorites from each place:
Sushi Sora: Rock and Roll Roll
Tacos Al Chile: Birria taco
Happy Cones: Salted Caramel Oreo
Everything we tried was good, but those were the three standouts for me.
The Golden Mill has quite a bit of seating spread across indoor tables, a creekside patio, and the rooftop.
The outdoor area looked really nice, and I definitely would have sat outside if it had not been raining during our visit.
The atmosphere is casual and social, which is part of why I think the Golden Mill works well for different types of trips. I would come here with a group of friends, as a couple, or with a family.
Large walk-in groups are welcome too, although I would arrive early if you are coming with a lot of people, especially on a weekend.
If Golden is only part of a longer Colorado trip, my Spend a Week in Colorado: The Perfect Denver and Golden Itinerary combines Golden with several days in Denver.
Based on our visit, weekends can get extremely busy. We had reasonable lines for food, and finding a table took some work even though there is a lot of seating throughout the property.
A local told me weekdays are noticeably easier, so I would choose a weekday if your schedule is flexible and you want a more relaxed experience.
If your Golden itinerary puts you here on Saturday or Sunday, I would still go. I would just avoid showing up expecting a quiet lunch.
The Golden Mill is located at 1012 Ford Street in downtown Golden, one block north of Coors Brewery.
There are several nearby parking options, including paid lots and some free daytime parking. Pay attention to the posted signs because availability and restrictions vary depending on the lot and time of day.
Also, do not park along Ford Street.
It is a bike lane.
If you are visiting Golden as part of a Colorado road trip and need a car, you can compare rental car prices with Discover Cars.
Definitely.
I think the Golden Mill is one of the best lunch stops to work into a Golden day trip, especially if you are traveling with people who all want different things to eat.
The variety of Golden Mill restaurants makes ordering easy for groups, the Clear Creek setting gives you several different places to sit, and the self-pour setup adds something different from a standard food hall.
My only real warning is the weekend crowd. We still really enjoyed it, but if you have the option to visit during the week, I think the experience would be much more relaxed.
And if I went back tomorrow, I would be getting another birria taco and Salted Caramel Oreo ice cream.
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 flying into Colorado, use Skyscanner to compare flight options, and read my Denver Airport Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Denver International Airport before you go.
For more ideas to build around your Golden day, see my Top Things to Do in Denver Colorado.
If you want to stay in Denver and visit Golden as a day trip, you can compare hotels through Booking.com.
You can also read my The Maven Hotel Denver Review: What to Expect if you are considering staying downtown.
If you want to add another easy stop near Golden, read my Red Rocks Amphitheatre Guide: What to Know Before You Visit.
You can also browse Colorado tours and activities through Viator.
Pack your bags... ✈️🧳My hiking and road trip gear shop just got a refresh, and this is everything that actually earns a spot in my bag. The dry bag pulls double duty for beach days and trail days, the Osprey backpack is the one I grab for anything motorcycle or day-hike related, and the GoPro comes with me literally everywhere at this point.
Nothing on this list is filler it’s all stuff I’ve used, packed, and repacked more times than I can count. Full shop linked in my bio if you want to build out your own kit before your next trip.
Filing this one under “go now before it gets cold.” Bonneville Hot Springs is one of those trips where fall access is honestly the sweet spot the campground road is open, the hike in is short, and you skip the snow-and-gate situation we dealt with when we went in March.
September and early fall mean clearer trails, easier parking, and pools that are just as good without the extra mile of hiking to earn them. Fewer than 10 people out there when we visited, a rustic changing booth, zero amenities, and pools that range from “relax” to “actually scalding” until you move some rocks around and mix in river water. Small waterfalls feeding in, mountains in every direction, not polished, and that’s exactly the point.
Full breakdown on parking, what to pack, and timing it right is linked in my bio.
Summer’s not even over and I already have the itch. Fall hiking season is calling and I am answering.
Save this if you feel the itch too.🍁
Columbus hotel roundup because “just find something downtown” isn’t a strategy✈️
I stayed across the price spectrum on this one so I could actually compare notes. Hotel LeVeque is the splurge Art Deco lobby, marble bathrooms, and a restaurant (The Keep) worth visiting even if you don’t book a room. If you want to walk everywhere, Le Méridien puts you right in the Short North with murals and shops outside your door. And if budget’s the priority, Aloft gets you clean and modern near Ohio State without the markup.
Want a full escape from the city instead? Hocking Hills lodges and Gervasi Vineyard are both an easy drive out and worth the detour.
Not every hotel on this list is for every trip... that’s kind of the point. Full breakdown by neighborhood and budget, link in bio 🍂
Thousands of motorcycles, decades of history, and one very hot infield. 🏍️
I went into Mid-Ohio Vintage Motorcycle Days expecting a bike show. What I got was closer to a small town that pops up once a year camps stretched across the hills, swap meet tables piled with parts I couldn’t name, and bikes older than some of the people admiring them parked next to restorations that looked showroom-fresh.
Fair warning: this is not a quick stop. Give yourself the whole day, wear real shoes, and don’t skip the racing watching pre-war machines and modern superbikes share the same track is worth the sunburn.
Ohio keeps surprising me. Full recap on the blog link in bio. 🔗
Follow @travelwithwendyplummer for Beautiful Beach Destinations, City Guides, Foodie Spots, and Luxury Hotel Recommendations.
