Eater Denver - All

17 Winning Spots to Watch Sports in Denver

2024-02-08T13:25:12-07:00

Game day–worthy eats at Rhein Haus. | Rhein Haus

No matter the sport, these bars are some of the best in the city for cheering your favorite teams

While all sports bars are great places to catch the big game, not all great places to catch the big game are sports bars. The Mile High City is chock-full of sprawling, multilevel beer halls where television tuned in to football, basketball, baseball, and more plaster every square inch of space, but it’s also home to its share of neighborhood pubs where regulars gather to cheer on their team in cozier, more laid-back fashion.

Since Denverites know perfectly well where to find the former type of establishment — they’re concentrated around Coors Field, naturally — this map, organized geographically from north to south, focuses more on the latter while ensuring there’s something for every sports fan (and maybe even non–sports fans) to appreciate.

The Hottest Restaurants in Denver Right Now, Winter 2024

2024-01-24T16:45:24-07:00

Carne asada at Alma Fonda Fina. | Shawn Campbell

The most exciting new restaurant and bar openings in Denver and its surrounding metro area

Amid the darkest, dreariest days of winter, Denverites can still bask in the light of the hottest restaurant and bar openings around town. Unlike the Eater 38, which is meant to serve as a guide to the best of the best, this quarterly updated roundup aims to introduce readers to the best of the new: what’s popular, what’s promising, and what’s poised for success in the weeks to come. Included here in geographical order from north to south are 10 noteworthy spots that all opened, or reopened after a long hiatus, within the past six months.

Here Are Colorado’s 2024 James Beard Award Semifinalists

2024-01-24T11:08:05-07:00

James Beard Foundation

Thirteen of the state’s best chefs and restaurants received nods

The results are in, and 13 Colorado-based chefs, restaurateurs, and restaurants received semifinalist nods for the 2024 James Beard Foundation Awards. The James Beard Awards are often considered one of the most prestigious honors in the food industry, and each year, chefs and restaurants who make the semifinalist round hope to progress to receive finalist nominations.

Denver and its surrounding cities saw many chefs receive semifinalist recognition, including Best Chef: Mountain semifinalists Diego Coconati and Erasmo Casiano of Lucina, whose menu crosses many Latin cuisines and genres; duo Aminata “Ami” Dia and Rougui Dia of modern bistro Le French; Bo Porytko of the experimental Eastern European restaurant Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails; and Penelope Wong of Park Hill dumpling destination Yuan Wonton. Kenneth Wan, of contemporary Cantonese restaurant MAKfam, is a semifinalist in the Emerging Chef category, which recognizes someone who is “likely to make a significant impact in years to come” while currently contributing meaningfully to their community. Carolyn Nugent and Alen Ramos of Parker, Colorado’s Poulette Bakeshop received recognition in the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker category.

The Mile High City also received recognition in the Beard Foundation’s restaurant categories: Compact and compelling chef’s counter destination Beckon is a semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant, while East Colfax Vietnamese stunner Sắp Sửa garnered a semifinalist nod for the Best New Restaurant category. Wine bar Sunday Vinyl was tapped as a semifinalist in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages category. In the Outstanding Restaurateur category, Kelly Whitaker of Boulder-based Id Est Hospitality group, whose lauded restaurants include the Wolf’s Tailor and BRUTØ, received a semifinalist nod.

Finalists will be announced on April 3, followed by an awards ceremony to reveal winners on June 10, 2024. Here are the James Beard 2024 semifinalists for Colorado:

Outstanding Restaurateur

Kelly Whitaker, Id Est Hospitality Group (The Wolf’s Tailor, BRUTØ, Basta, and others), Boulder, CO

Outstanding Chef

Barclay Dodge, Bosq, Aspen, CO

Outstanding Restaurant

Beckon, Denver, CO

Emerging Chef

Kenneth Wan, MAKfam, Denver, CO

Best New Restaurant

Sắp Sửa, Denver, CO

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker

Carolyn Nugent and Alen Ramos, Poulette Bakeshop, Parker, CO

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

Sunday Vinyl, Denver, CO

Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)

Theo Adley, Marigold, Lyons, CO
Diego Coconati and Erasmo Casiano, Lucina Eatery & Bar, Denver, CO
Aminata “Ami” Dia and Rougui Dia, Le French, Denver, CO
Bo Porytko, Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails, Denver, CO
Matt Vawter, Rootstalk, Breckenridge, CO
Penelope Wong, Yuan Wonton, Denver, CO

Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards.

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Denver

2024-01-11T18:38:05-07:00

Herring with juiced herbs and grated horseradish at Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails. | Ruth Tobias

Here’s what’s elevating the Mile High City dining scene right now

Welcome to the Eater 38, a seasonally updated guide to restaurants that represent the growth and ingenuity of Denver’s culinary community. Since its launch in 2012, this map has traced the city’s evolution from what many outsiders dismissed as a cowtown to an ever-growing, prismatic dining destination that has earned a place in the national conversation for its youthful energy and freewheeling creativity.

Any given update, then, is designed to reflect what’s defining and redefining the scene now. Spanning a variety of cuisine types, price points, and neighborhoods, it centers on the cornerstones of the landscape — hence the word “essential” — while highlighting more recent arrivals that are extending Denver’s horizons. The fact that it can’t include every place fitting those descriptions is the nature of the beast; removal from the Eater 38 doesn’t mean that a restaurant isn’t still important and won’t return in the future.

Note, too, that while the map — which is organized geographically from north to south — may include the occasional Boulder establishment as well as food trucks and pop-ups with fixed addresses, it does not include mobile or pop-up vendors (so here’s a shoutout to stars in that category like Mukja and Little Arthur’s Hoagies). It also does not include bars, which have their own map, as do bakeries. And typically, it doesn’t include restaurants that are currently on the Eater Denver Heatmap, although there are some exceptions in this edition. For all the latest dining intel, subscribe to Eater Denver’s newsletter.

24 Must-Try Chinese Restaurants in Denver

2023-12-22T11:28:03-07:00

Crispy fish with pickled cabbage at Meet and Eat Bistro. | Ruth Tobias

Skip the sesame chicken in favor of the regional specialties and modern translations served up across the Mile High City

Back in the late 19th century, Denver’s Chinatown — known as Hop Alley and located in what’s now LoDo — was just beginning to flourish when it was decimated by racism-fueled riots; to this day, the city lacks a comparable enclave. But that doesn’t mean restaurants devoted to the distinct regional traditions that define Chinese cuisine don’t exist — in fact, they’re everywhere. Here are 24 essentials, ordered geographically from west to east.

Note that this map doesn’t include Boulder establishments, so a special shoutout goes to Taiwanese treasure Formosa Bakery & Kitchen and You & Mee Noodle House (order from the traditional menu).