When it comes to restaurants, we love to write about what’s new, what’s different and what we’re looking forward to. But our staff, like anyone in metro Denver, has its favorites, too. The places we return to over and over, whether it’s because we’re looking for comfort, we want to impress friends or family, or because we are creatures of habit, and we know what is good.
Where can you find a terrific tea room, the best blackberry scone, or can’t-fail pho? Here are 23 recommendations that our staff has found to be tried and true.
The papaya salad from Bird Craft, inside Outer Range Brewing Co. in Frisco, is a guiltless meal for road trippers along I-70. (Provided by Chase Givin)
Bird Craft
Eating healthy on the road can often feel like a chore. But drivers traveling on Interstate 70 near Summit County don’t need to work hard to find an option beyond fast food. Even better: It’s from a local company.
Bird Craft opened a quick-service counter inside Outer Brewing Co. in 2020, when the brewery expanded its taproom. While its specialty is “Thai-ish” fried chicken, the kitchen serves a tasty papaya salad ($15) that offers a guiltless meal option for road trippers. The salad features green papaya, cabbage, chilled vermicelli noodles, peanuts, tomato and a chili-lime vinaigrette topped with fresh herbs. Add fried chicken ($4) and pair it with one of Outer Range’s delicious beers to make the most of your pitstop. — Tiney Ricciardi
Bird Craft is located inside Outer Range Brewing Co., 182 Lusher Court, Frisco, 970-455-8392. Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. outerrange.com
Wooden Spoon Cafe & Bakery
Wooden Spoon, in the Highland neighborhood, is known for its breakfast sandwiches (starting at $11.50). But its pastries might just be better than the sandwiches, especially the scones and danish (all around $5 each). My favorites are the blackberry-lemon scones and cherry danish. Wooden Spoon is the perfect place to pick up a quick breakfast and coffee (but get there early; they do run out of items). — Jessica Seaman
2418 W. 32nd Ave., Denver, 303-999-0327. Open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday. woodenspoondenver.com
The Cake Bar
Today, I’m craving a Funfetti cake. Tomorrow, I may want lemon strawberry. Either way, I can have whatever cake creation that pops into my mind at the Cake Bar. The bakery’s plant-based menu has a cake-in-a-cup option. Think of it as a frozen yogurt shop but for cake lovers. Choose a cake base from carrot to gluten-free vanilla confetti. Select a frosting like chocolate buttercream or caramel-espresso. Finish your dessert with up to three toppings like bee-free honey, strawberry Oreo crumbles and roasted peanuts. — Tamara Dunn
214 E. 13th Ave., Denver, 303-568-9752, thecakebardenver.com.
Pho 65
This strip mall Vietnamese eatery will not knock you over with atmospherics — the booth benches with thick slabs of tape to cover rips and tears are a testament to that — but who cares? The pho at Pho 65 is crazy good.
I typically order Tai Chin (rare steak and brisket) every time I go; it’s that good. The broth is spot on, and the thinly sliced meat and rice noodles are perfectly cooked. Served with a generous heaping of mung bean sprouts, fresh sprigs of basil and juicy lime wedges (I skip the hot peppers), this pho ($11.95 for small, $14.95 for large) is mouth-watering. — John Aguilar
6530 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, 720-702-0158. Open Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. pho65.com
Caddywampus Comfort Foods
Caddywampus is a great late-night place in downtown Denver, perfect for after plays or concerts or if you aren’t ready to call it a night just yet. Try the crunch wraps, especially the Chicken Caesar ($15). The space is shared with Gold Point, a bar with wonderful drinks and mocktails. It can get a bit loud, but what a fun vibe. — Helen Richardson
3216 Larimer St. Open Thursday and Sunday 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday 6 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Closed Monday-Wednesday. caddywamp.us
Cracovia Polish Restaurant & Bar
Cold night? Big appetite? Adventurous tastes? Visit family-owned Cracovia for hearty soups, pierogies, sausages and other Polish dishes. The zupa ogókowa, a creamy pickled soup with veggies and diced potatoes ($8 for a cup, $13 for a bowl), is a go-to for me. Bonus: They offer housemade, flavored vodkas. Order a flight! — Noelle Phillips
8121 W. 94th Ave., Westminster, 303-484-9388. Open 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Sunday. cracoviarestaurant.com
Some of the dishes offered at La Bouche for brunch. (Provided by La Bouche)
La Bouche
La Bouche is a unique wine bar experience from wife-and-husband owners Alexandra and Alexis Tréton. This French-style bistro really transports you to Paris. The food (including $22-$37 for cheese and meat boards) and wine are great (especially at happy hour). And during the summer, there’s an outdoor patio — Helen Richardson
1100 E. 17th Ave., 303-830-3967. Open 4-10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. labouche.wine
Corvus Coffee
A coffee snob’s destination, Corvus is known for its direct-from-the-farmer beans and sustainability practices. It’s not the place for a grande white chocolate mocha piled with whipped cream and caramel sauces. It’s the coffee shop for a nice cup with no need for sugary accessories to hide any bitterness or a weak brew. — Noelle Phillips
Multiple locations and hours of operation. corvuscoffee.com
George’s Cafe
George’s quietly serves the best burger in town. The half-pound Greek burger ($13) includes mint, parsley and onion mixed into the ground beef, and is served on a big bun with feta cheese, tzaziki sauce, lettuce and tomato. It comes with your choice of soup, salad, slaw, fries or onion rings.
This neighborhood diner closes at 2:30 p.m. daily, so plan accordingly. — Noelle Phillips
6504 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, 303-467-1002. Open seven days a week, 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. arvadageorgescafe.com
Tea time at the Brown Palace includes tea, house made scones and pastries, house made chocolates, devonshire cream, and tea sandwiches. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)
Tea at the Palace
The hottest ticket in town is not for an Avs or Nuggets playoff game or Taylor Swift’s latest tour. It’s Christmas Tea at the Brown Palace. Want to go on a weekend during the six weeks leading up to Dec. 25? You are going to need to set your phone alarm and call as soon as the 2026 dates open, usually in January 2025. (And that’s long gone.)
And like other hot tickets, checking this off your bucket list will cost you. The Signature Tea with tea, finger sandwiches, scones, Devonshire cream, preserves and pastries is $75. Kids 6 pay $60. There are vegan and gluten-free options for an additional fee and options with more sparkly beverages for the grown-ups with an even bigger fee.
And if you can’t get in for the special Christmas tea, you can make reservations for the rest of the year (at the same prices). — Maureen Burnett
The Brown Palace is at 321 17th St. Call 303-312-8900 for availability; reservations also available at OpenTable. The Signature tea service is Monday-Friday noon to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. brownpalace.com
House of Bread
This is the place for chocolate lovers. Opera cake, a French bar cake with layers of almond sponge cake and coffee buttercream topped with a nice layer of chocolate ganache, is my favorite. This Armenian bakery featuring Eastern European and Middle Eastern dishes and desserts does it right. Every bite is heavenly, and while I have tried multiple desserts there — like their Dubai chocolate treat and Mozart cake — I always come back for the opera cake. — Tamara Dunn
2020 S. Parker Road, Denver, 720) 727-0000. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Closed Wednesday. houseofbreadinc.com
Chautauqua Dining Hall
It was built in 1898 and hasn’t lost any of its charm. If you close your eyes, it’s easy to imagine people from earlier times strolling on the nearby lawn. And the views? Well, the Flatirons are right there. The Chautauqua Dining Hall is first-come, first-served for its popular weekend brunch service (you want the porch if you can get it), although you can make reservations on weekdays.
The big downside is parking. It’s hard to get. It’s paid in the summer months, but the city does run shuttles that will drop you off. Avoid graduation weekends for CU and the local high schools; it’s as popular with the locals as it is with the visitors. — Maureen Burnett
900 Baseline Road, Boulder, 303-440-3776, chautauqua.com.
Unique Indian Cuisine
Located in an old strip mall on South Colorado Boulevard, Unique Indian doesn’t look promising from the pot-holed parking lot. But inside is an oasis of fragrant spices and a restful decor. Go easy when bringing on the heat because their hot is very, very hot. The lentil soup ($7.99) is out of this world — Lee Ann Colacioppo
2246 S. Colorado Blvd., 303-756-0744. Open seven days a week, 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
An employee holds two different iced teas outside In-TEA. The Littleton tea shop offers 170 different teas. (Provided by In-TEA)
In-Tea
Whether you’re looking to buy loose-leaf tea in bulk (starting at $9) or just want to stop at a quaint cafe for a single cup, In-Tea has more than 170 teas to choose from, and the staff are experts at recommending a tea to fit your mood. Want a traditional brew? They’ve got it. Have a kid who wants a sugary boba concoction? They have that, too. Plus, you can enjoy tea-infused cocktails or beers. — Tynin Fries
2440 Main St., Littleton, 720-981-2512. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. https://in-tea.net
The Dushanbe Teahouse
The stunning teahouse was a gift from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to its sister city of Boulder. It was built, carved and painted by artisans there and shipped to Colorado, where it was reassembled.
The menu is filled with dishes from around the globe, with Cuban sandwiches sitting alongside Indian dosa and Korean Pan Fried Noodles. It’s open for brunch, lunch and dinner. It also has an afternoon tea. — Maureen Burnett
1770 13th St, Boulder, 303-442-4993, boulderteahouse.com. Weekdays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; weekends 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Poppies Restaurant & Lounge
Poppies does a lot of food that is fine and a few things that are worth a drive across town. Fried fish! Ribs! Jaeger schnitzel! Eggs Guillermo! But what I crave is their chicken pot pie, generally available at lunch. It comes in its own little pot, stuffed with big chunks of chicken, just the right amount of sauce — and no peas. It’s covered with flaky, never mushy, crust. Not hungry? Poppies’ lounge is a warm, welcoming neighborhood spot to stop in for a cocktail and catch a bit of the big game. — Lee Ann Colacioppo
2334 S. Colorado Blvd., 303-756-1268. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. poppiesdenver.com
The chocolate babka from Grateful Bread Company ($18.65) is both gorgeous and decadent. (Souders Studios, provided by Grateful Bread Company)
Grateful Bread Company
This bakery mostly caters to restaurants but opens to the public for a few hours once a week. Get in line, folks, for artisan breads, danishes, sticky buns, muffins, cookies and more. I make a beeline for the chocolate babka ($18.65). To. Die. For. And slices freeze well, too, so you don’t eat the whole loaf in one sitting (which, I confess, I’ve attempted). Find someone who goes frequently and you might even get her to deliver once in a while (thanks, Kristen). –– Barbara Ellis
421 Violet St., Golden, 303-681-5406. Open Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. gratefulbread.com
Ravshan Abdu is the owner and manager of M&I International Market at Leetsdale Drive and South Oneida in Denver. (Barbara Ellis, The Denver Post)
M&I International Market
This unassuming market along Leetsdale Drive in Denver carries thousands of Eastern European products, including Russian caviar, red sturgeon, crab, pickled herring, Russian root beer, dried German pastas, Polish candies and beer, fresh-made borscht and cabbage rolls, as well as deli cases filled with meats and cheeses galore — including some 300 varieties of sausage. And here’s a secret: It’s the only place I can find Golden Delicious apples (best for pies) year-round. Early in the day, pick up some freshly made Russian piroshki (hand pies) filled with meat or potatoes from the bins on top of the deli counter, then try to resist grabbing a beautiful, freshly baked cake on your way to the checkout. — Barbara Ellis
909 S. Oneida St., Denver; 303-331-1590. Open 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.
Edgewater Public Market
When guests arrive from out of town or there’s a large group with various needs and wants for food, this place is a must. The nearly 20 food and drink stalls can satisfy vegans, those with gluten intolerance and meat-eaters alike. You can choose between the vegan offerings of Gladys or roll lentils and tender lamb into Ethiopian injera at Konjo or find a fried chicken sandwich at The Lucky Bird. Happy Cones ice cream and Black Box bakery satisfy the sweet tooth. Roger’s Liquid Oasis serves beer and fancy cocktails or you can find coffee at Saints and Sinners. There’s plenty of seating for small or large groups, so you don’t feel rushed. And you can pose for silly pictures in a photo booth to remember it all. — Noelle Phillips
5505 W. 20th Ave., Edgewater. Open Wednesday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 11 p.m, and Sunday-Monday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. edgewaterpublicmarket.com
Antojitos at Convivio Café are pictured on Jan. 11, 2023. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
Convivio
Convivio Café is a coffee shop big on community.
The Tennyson neighborhood shop is women-and-immigrant-owned with Guatemalan-inspired snacks and beverages ranging from aguas frescas ($4 each) to authentically spiced house-made chai ($6) to empanadas ($4.50) and a picturesque tostada flight ($12).
Everything at Convivio is warm — the service, the atmosphere, the baked goods. Pull up a chair and join the neighborhood with a cup of something yummy. — Elizabeth Hernandez
4935 West 38th Ave. Open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday-Sunday, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. conviviocafe.com
The tea tour at Celestial Seasonings
Having a guest come visit from out of town is a great excuse to go on a 45-minute tour ($6 per person, must be 5 or older) at Celestial Seasonings, in which you will discover how the famous Boulder brand makes its tea. (The mint room may clear out your sinuses.) There are also complimentary tea samples to try and a tea shop so you can take home a box of your new favorite. — Maureen Burnett
4600 Sleepytime Drive, Boulder, 303-581-1484. Open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. celestialseasonings.com
Denver's La Popular makes the city's best traditional red and green tamales, in addition to lots of other tasty treats. (Provided by La Popular)
La Popular’s tamales
The tamale, a Southwestern staple, gets its full due at downtown Denver’s La Popular — even as it competes for your dollar with a reliable stream of Mexican pastries, masa (great for home cooking; $1.30 per pound), corn chips, spicy salsas, hard shell tacos, burritos and pillowy corn tortillas. Since 1946, the business has been cranking tamales out for loyal customers who know well the pleasures of the toothsome and handmade red pork, spicy green pork, and even sweet varieties of the traditional dish (that last one has raisins, nuts, coconut and pineapple).
A single tamale ($2.50) smothered in green chile, tomatoes and other goodies, is a great snack, depending on your hunger level. But order early if you need a half-dozen ($13-$14, depending on variety) or a dozen ($22.74-$21.75) for your next special event — and don’t expect leftovers. — John Wenzel
2033 Lawrence St., Denver, 303-296-1687. Open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; closed Sunday. lapopulartamales.com
At Gyros & Kabobs, ask for a fried chicken platter with rice, flatbread and a side salad for $10.50. (Tamara Dunn, The Denver Post)
Gyros & Kabobs
When the name of a restaurant spells out its specialty, a diner would expect gyros and kabobs to be its best dishes. But once you step into this Middle Eastern eatery and place an order, it’s the tantalizing fried chicken that first gets a customer’s attention. A one-piece leg quarter is $3.50; eight pieces is $30. To make it a meal, ask for a platter with rice, flatbread and a side salad for $10.50. Don’t expect a trendy sauce or a thick coating on the chicken. Instead, it’s got a light, crispy texture that’s more home-style. — Tamara Dunn
2020 S. Parker Road, Denver, (303) 755-1500. Open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 7:35 p.m. https://gyroskabobs
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