Locations in Denver: Menu

240 Union Blvd., Lakewood West Denver Suburbs

303-989-3562

American, Fusion, New American, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

Longevity is an important word in any restaurateur's lexicon. Every house wants to see its ten-year anniversary in the rearview; most never get there. But 240 Union -- the New American outpost founded in 1989 by Michael Coughlin, Noel Cunningham and chef Matt Franklin -- is still going strong, because this restaurant has never just settled. Food this good doesn't come from coasting; it results when the crew comes to the grills fresh every night, stepping up to each shift as though it were the first one.

9 articles

Applewood Golf Course

14001 W. 32nd Ave., Golden West Denver Suburbs

303-279-3003

Sports and Recreation, Sponsor, Menu

1 event

Athena's Closet

5305 E. Colfax Ave. East Denver

303-997-4336

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

1 article

Balistreri Vineyards

1946 E. 66th Ave. North Denver

303-287-5156

Brewery, Attractions and Amusement Parks, Breweries and Wineries, Community Venues, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

19 articles

The Bardo Coffee House

238 S. Broadway South Denver

303-629-8331

Coffeehouse, Recommended, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

Chris Graves decided to open a coffee shop after 25 years of hanging out in them, all the while taking stock of various details and inconveniences that he would change at his own place. "There were just little things about them that bothered me," he explains. "Like, why is the CD player skipping, why is it so cold or so hot, why is the coffee bad, why are the baked goods dry? All these little things just drove me nuts." And from the moment he opened Bardo CoffeeHouse in April 2010, he's paid attention to all the details – opening early and staying open late, and serving Kaladi Brothers coffee and baked goods provided by Burrito Kitchens along with more substantial fare. He also clearly spent time researching proper coffee-shop ambience, because Bardo has everything: booths, couches, meeting tables, two-tops, window seats, movable tables, multiple rooms, even a patio. The lighting isn't intrusive, the artwork is minimal and tasteful, and Otis Redding can be heard through the speakers (without skipping) at all hours of the day and well into the night.

7 articles

Bastien's Restaurant

3503 E. Colfax Ave. Central Denver

303-322-0363

Steakhouse, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu, Slideshow, Readers' Choice, Essentials

With its iconic sign, sunken bar and mid-century aesthetic, Bastien's is a holdover from times past — and we wouldn't have it any other way. The family-run business dates back to the 1930s, but the current restaurant was constructed from scratch in 1958. That sign outside the Googie-style building touts the famed Bastien’s sugar steak, but there are twelve other preparations to choose from. And whether or not you splurge on a full steak dinner, nothing beats sipping Colfax dirty martinis delivered by friendly servers who've been working at this classic for years.

23 articles

Beau Visage Skin Care and Spa

5988 S. Holly St., Greenwood Village Southeast Denver Suburbs

303-779-5002

Salons and Spas, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

1 article

Birdsall & Co

1540 S. Broadway South Denver

303-722-2535

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

1 article

Black Pearl

1529 S. Pearl St. South Denver

303-777-0500

New American, Recommended, Sponsor, Menu

Timing, company and appetite make all the difference when dining at Black Pearl. But mostly, it's appetite. Because the cuisine is rigorously New American, you have to be in the mood for deconstructed clam chowder, for a menu that mixes classical French (such as Black Pearl's moules et frites in Pernod broth) with mac-and-cheese, but Black Pearl's kitchen executes these ideas with fresh grace. The dining room is hip and modern, the wine service is excellent and the place does a booming business on this booming block of Old South Pearl.

20 articles

Bol

141 E. Meadow Dr., Vail Mountains

970-476-5300

Bars and Clubs, American, Pizza, Small Plates, Sponsor, Menu

Caveau Wine Bar

450 E.17th Ave. Central Denver

303-861-3747

Small Plates, Wine Bar, Bars and Clubs, Recommended, Sponsor, Menu

At their worst, wine lists are pompous, stratospherically overpriced, ridiculously long, awkwardly categorized and full of overexposed, yawn-inducing labels. But at Caveau Wine Bar, the 75-bottle list (55 are available by the glass) is an easy-to-navigate document of new discoveries, small producers and familiar but not overrated labels. The polished yet easygoing staff is well-versed in wine education and just as enthusiastic about pushing a $30 bottle of vino as a three-digit one, which is a welcome change to the rigorous sport of upselling. Those prowling for deals know to show up at 4 p.m. for the daily happy hour.

4 articles

The Cup Espresso Cafe

1521 Pearl St. Boulder

303-449-5173

Cafe, Coffee Shops, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

The owners of the Cup Espresso Cafe are deadly serious about their coffee; they get it from Boulder's Conscious Coffees, a roasting company that specializes in organic, fair-trade coffee and works directly with the small farming cooperatives that grow their product. On the Cup website, you'll find detailed descriptions not just of how to brew a perfect cup, but also of regions the coffee comes from and the conditions under which growers work. All of which means you can feel thoroughly virtuous while enjoying the warm, bright atmosphere, pulling apart a flaky croissant and sipping your delicious, artfully drawn brew.

3 articles

D Note

7519 Grandview Ave., Arvada Northwest Denver Suburbs

303-463-6683

Italian, Pizza, Music Venues, Sponsor, Menu

The D Note celebrated its tenth anniversary and a change of ownership in 2012, but this live-music venue and full-service restaurant and bar in Olde Town Arvada is still a favorite local hangout and a tourist attraction for out-of-town visitors. Originally envisioned as a performance space/art gallery, it was expanded to include hot eats and became a hub for local musicians and music enthusiasts. The menu items have some famous names, like the Sinatra salad, the Zappa sandwich and the Penny Lane pasta, and since live-music patrons get hungry too, D Note’s signature pizzas are another edible tribute, with names like Me & Bobby McGee, The Pizza Formerly Known as Prince, and Particle Man. The Hall and Oats dessert plate would make a nice ending to any meal, accompanied by some fine tunes in the D Note's laid-back atmosphere.

12 articles

Dalat Vietnamese Cuisine

940 S. Federal Blvd. Southwest Denver

303-935-4141

Vietnamese, Restaurants, Sponsor, Menu

The kitchen at DaLat Vietnamese Cuisine is run by Ha Tran, a mother of five who infuses a home-cooked feel in every dish listed on the behemoth menu -- make that menus. This embarrassment of riches can make ordering a challenge, if only because there are so many dishes that beg for your attention. Still, while the pages go on...and on...and on, the seafood hot pot is always worth a stop, bubbling with perfectly cooked seafood, crisp vegetables and astringent Vietnamese basil. DaLat’s surroundings may be nothing special, but the food coming out of its kitchen definitely is.

7 articles

Divino Wine & Spirits

1240 S. Broadway South Denver

303-778-1800

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

3 articles

Downtown Aquarium

700 Water St. Northwest Denver

303-561-4450

Seafood, Attractions and Amusement Parks, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

Entertainment and dining complex with public aquarium featuring more than one million gallons of underwater exhibits and more than 500 animal species.

25 articles

The Fort Restaurant

19192 Highway 8 Morrison

303-697-4771

American, Steakhouse, Recommended, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu, Slideshow

The Fort is a theme restaurant. Sure, it's been called better things (a museum of culinary history, a gastronomic time capsule) and worse things (the fabulous obsession of one of the New West's great hucksters), but it's still a theme restaurant — part Old West reliquary, part Planet Hollywood with cowboys. The servers all wear costumes, the walls are hung with artifacts of the trapper/trader/Indian-fighter culture of Olde Timey Colorado, and the menu is an intellectual exploration of the West's close-to-the-land culinary past. On top of all this, the place itself is, well, a fort, a brick-by-brick replica of Bent's Fort. That all said, the kitchen is not to be underestimated: The Fort handles a piece of meat (be it bison, elk or beef) very, very well, and the appetizer board boasts adventurous bites such as bison tongue, raw bison liver and delectable bone marrow.

36 articles

Gaetano's

3760 Tejon St., Denver Highland/Lower Highland

303-455-9852

Italian, Recommended, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

Most of the red-sauce joints that once proliferated in northwest Denver have dried up, but Gaetano’s is now more than seventy years old. Of course, it’s gone through some changes over the decades after being founded by the Smaldone mob family, who installed bulletproof glass in the front door and ran illegal poker games in the basement. Gaetano’s is now run by Ron Robinson as a true neighborhood joint, one flavored by the traditions of the past but still very much ready to go another seventy years as a Denver landmark.

48 articles

Gallery 1261

1412 Wazee St. Downtown Denver

303-571-1261

Art Galleries, Sponsor, Menu, Slideshow

11 articles

Garfinkel's

536 E. Lionshead Circle, Vail Mountains

970-476-3789

Bar, Bars and Clubs, Music Venues, Sponsor, Menu

Garfinkel’s (or Garf’s, as it’s known around Vail) has been a prime bar and grill for locals and tourists since 1992. Located in Lionshead, at the bottom of the mountain, it’s a lively après-ski place as well as a great spot to watch skiers come down the hill. The massive deck, with its many picnic tables, is the perfect place to catch some rays or enjoy a meal: Garf's is one of the few places in the area that serves late, with a menu that includes homemade soups and chili, salads, burgers, sandwiches, ribs and steak.

Glacier Ice Cream

4760 Baseline Rd. Boulder

303-499-4760

Ice Cream, Restaurants, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

Here’s the scoop: Glacier Ice Cream, a Boulder-based chain, offers a seasonal selection of flavors, including caramel Oreo, spicy chai, Junior Mint and dulce de leche. Those flavors are so good that the company earned a Best Ice Cream award in the Best of Denver 2012. And we’re not the only ones who’ve recognized Glacier’s goodness: The company partners with local breweries, cake-makers and eateries to create special one-off batches. There are now several Glacier shops in the metro area, and the company also packages its more popular flavors, which can be found at retail shops around town – and on many restaurant dessert lists.

6 articles

The Gold Pan Saloon

103 N. Main St., Breckenridge Mountains

970-453-5499

Bars and Clubs, Sponsor, Menu

Dating back to 1879, the Gold Pan Saloon is the oldest bar in Breckenridge and still retains a lot of its vintage charm. A favorite spot among locals, the laid-back, casual bar also attracts a number of visitors who come for its food, cocktails and entertainment, including live music on Thursdays and DJs on the weekends. “The Pan” serves breakfast all day and lunch seven days a week, with menu items such as huevos rancheros, breakfast burritos, burgers and sandwiches.

Govnr's Park Restaurant & Tavern

672 Logan St. Central Denver

303-831-8605

American, Bars and Clubs, Recommended, Sponsor, Menu, Slideshow

If you've ever had fantasies of throwing away everything you've got and moving to some small town in the middle of nowhere, Govnr's Park is just what you'd want the one bar in that town to be. It's the kind of place where, if you're having some problem (be it psychological, marital, political or just a broken-down motorcycle), odds are pretty good there's an expert in the house. It's the kind of place that will celebrate the presidential inauguration with as much enthusiasm as the football playoffs -- complete with drink specials, extended hours and dirt-cheap grub ranging from burgers to tater tots to Mexican fare to slightly more substantial and upscale grub from the grill.

25 articles

Green Valley Ranch Beer Garden

4995 Argonne St. East Denver

303-375-7880

Tap Rooms, Bar, Sponsor, Menu

Gypsy House Cafe

1279 Marion St. Central Denver

303-830-1112

Coffeehouse, Music Venues, Recommended, Sponsor, Menu

Put this in your pipe and smoke it: If you like your coffee strong and the atmosphere in which you drink it just as pungent, head for Gypsy House Cafe. The specialty here is Turkish coffee, which is a leap for the Starbucks connoisseur, but it's well worth the plunge. The food is good, the wi-fi is free -- and they'll hook you up with just the right tobacco for your hookah.

18 articles

India's Restaurant

8921 E. Hampden Ave. Southeast Denver

303-755-4284

Indian, Recommended, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

When Krishan Kappor relocated India's, his terrific curry house, from its longtime home on the perimeter of Tamarac Square to Tiffany Plaza, he definitely traded up in space. But in February 2015, India's outgrew that space, too, and now occupies a building farther east on Hampden Avenue. The food is as good as ever and even with a Punjabi-tempered menu that features many of the same dishes that litter the boards of just about every other Indian restaurant in town, Kappor and his kitchen crew continue to do these dishes right, serving up sizzling cast-iron platters of tandoori meats and seafood, and turning out scintillating curries scented with beautifully balanced spices that perfume the spacious dining room.

16 articles

Jamestown Mercantile

108 Main St., Jamestown Boulder

303-442-5847

Bar, Breakfast/Brunch, Local/Sustainable, Community Venues, Historic Landmarks, Sponsor, Menu

Jay's Grille and Bar

7820 N. Washington St. North Denver

303-288-5297

American, Mexican, Sponsor, Menu

1 article

Le Bakery Sensual

300 E. 6th Ave. Central Denver

303-777-5151

Bakery, Dessert, Retail, Services, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

5 articles

Little India

330 E. 6th Ave. Central Denver

303-871-9777

Indian, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu, Readers' Choice

Little India's take on Indian food is an odd mix of regional specialties, all cooked in the tradition of northern Indian cuisine by a Punjabi chef. The menu is long and dignified, showcasing the curries and masalas that even casual Indian-food eaters would recognize, as well as five kinds of saag, specialties of Madras, Danshak, Bombay and Punjab, and even colonial dishes like the vindaloos from Goa. And everything from those complicated vindaloos to the simplest chutney has the potential to transport a diner to utter bliss.

27 articles

Live@Jack's

500 16th St., #320 Downtown Denver

303-433-1000

Music Venues, Sponsor, Menu

Live@Jack's (formerly Jazz@Jack's) brings contemporary jazz along with funk, blues and R&B acts, most nights of the week. Dotsero plays often at Jack's, which is located on the third floor of the Denver Pavilions, where it landed after leaving its Platte Street location in 2005. It's a stylish spot for listening to live music in the heart of downtown.

11 articles

McCormick's Fish House & Bar

1659 Wazee St. Downtown Denver

303-825-1107

Seafood, Sponsor, Menu

At McCormick's -- an outpost of the McCormick's & Schmick's chain in the elegant Oxford Hotel -- you can easily forget that you're more than a thousand miles from a coastline. The restaurant's extensive menu features a ton of fresh fish, prepared plain or fancy, as well as steaks, salads and more land-locked entrees. And the already fabulous bar adjoining the dining room is made even better by the super-cheap happy-hour menu.

28 articles

Mecca Grill

270 S. Downing St. South Denver

303-722-4100

Lebanese, Middle Eastern, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu, Slideshow

The service is peculiar and the droning music even weirder at Mecca Grill, a mini-mall storefront with a saffron-stained dining room. But the food -- herby falafel, hummus, gyros, lemony fattoush, shawarma, kabobs and grape leaves -- is undeniably good. The best dish: the bold-flavored lamb shank, an extravagantly huge hunk of meat that arrives propped against a mound of fluffy rice scented with Mideast spices and submerged in a pungent soak of lamb-y juices, garlic, spices and tomatoes sweetened with carrots.

12 articles

Locations in Denver: Menu

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