French in Denver

2267 Kearney St., Denver Park Hill/Mayfair/Lowry

303-825-3232

French, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Sponsor, Readers' Choice

Bistro Vendôme rises above kitschy French shtick with an alluring menu and warm hospitality typical of the restaurants run by chef Jennifer Jasinski and business partner Beth Gruitch. Timeless classics like onion soup, steak frites and escargot vie for attention alongside more modern, seasonally driven creations, giving guests plenty of options. The eatery also introduced a new kids' menu ("Oui Chefs") when it moved from its longtime Larimer Square location to the more family-friendly Park Hill neighborhood in February 2023. There, Bistro Vendôme maintains its charm with fresh interiors and an expansive, shady patio. Whether you’re stopping for some happy-hour bubbly or a brunchtime croque madame, Bistro Vendôme is as close as you’ll get to Paris in the Mile High City.

98 articles

Amass

2240 Clay St. Northwest Denver

720-287-1895

French, Restaurants

Jefferson Park is an up-and-coming part of Denver -- but has it arrived as a dining destination? Amass was opened in the fall of 2014 by chef-owner Joe Troupe, formerly of Lucky Pie Pizza & Tap House, who took over the space in a new residential development that Corner House had vacated following an eighteen-month run. Amass bills itself as a French bistro -- but the restaurant doesn't look the part. Instead of candles, curtains and quaint photos of the French countryside, Amass's art-free dining room sports wood paneling set in light and dark horizontal stripes, contemporary bulbs and floor-to-ceiling windows that look like black mirrors after dark. The room is much more welcoming in the daytime, when those same windows let in views of the trees across the street; it would make a lovely coffee shop. And that might be a better idea for this neighborhood than Amassâ??s current concept. "French food is the best food in the world," says Troupe, who has a very ambitious menu â?? one thatâ??s perhaps too ambitious for his tiny kitchen.

8 articles

Atelier by Radex

2011 E. 17th Ave., Denver Capitol Hill/Uptown/City Park

720-379-5556

French, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Slideshow

For a chef who’s been in the restaurant business as long as he has, Radek Cerny still manages to bring a sense of fun and whimsy to some seriously French cuisine. At Atelier, you can luxuriate in rotating classics like rillettes, escargot, foie gras and lobster, but Cerny also has a way with Western favorites such as elk, salmon and bison. Be sure to throw in a few extra bucks for a bottle of wine; the list here is dazzling, and the food is built to match the best of Burgundy and Bordeaux.

8 articles

Banh & Butter Bakery Cafe

9935 E. Colfax Ave. Aurora

720-512-3895

Bakery, Sandwiches, Asian, French, Vietnamese, Best Of

Pastry chef Thoa Nguyen dreamed of running her own Parisian-style Asian-fusion bakery for years. One of the daughters of the former owners of New Saigon, she grew up in the restaurant business. Now she’s running the show at this spot, which excels not only in sweets such as crepe cakes and croissants, but savory options like banh mi and classic Parisian-style ham and butter sandwiches.

2 articles

Bisque

224 Union Blvd., Lakewood West Denver Suburbs

303-985-4151

American, Asian, Breakfast/Brunch, Brunch, Continental, French, Fusion, New American, Recommended, Menu

3 articles

Bistro Barbes

5021 E. 28th Ave., Denver Park Hill/Mayfair/Lowry

720-398-8085

French, Critics' Pick, Best Of

Jon Robbins combined his experience as Mizuna’s chef de cuisine and his time in Michelin-starred French kitchens to launch Bistro Barbès in Park Hill in 2014. The tiny eatery transcends neighborhood-joint status with a menu that touts exacting French technique while experimenting with ingredients introduced to Parisian fare by North African immigrants. Over the past few years, Robbins has continued to expand his repertoire into the various traditions of the Mediterranean and beyond, defying easy categorization while continuing to delight. Bistro Barbès is the perfect date-night adventure for those who think they’ve figured out the Denver dining scene.

18 articles

The Black Bear Inn

42 E. Main St., Lyons Northern Colorado

303-823-6812

American, Continental, German/Eastern European, French, German, Polish, Russian, Recommended, Menu

The building looks like a Tyrolean inn, and the food, especially the German fare, is a favorite of homesick Europeans. Service at the Black Bear Inn is top-notch, as is the traditional schnitzel and the yummy apple strudel.

1 article

Brasserie Boulder

1235 Pennsylvania Ave. Boulder

720-244-5894

French, Menu

Brasserie Brixton

3701 Williams St. North Denver

303-593-0951

French, Best Of, Readers' Choice, Essentials

French-ish and 100 percent fun, Brasserie Brixton could be your neighborhood hang, but it’s also the kind of place where going big comes with big rewards. Housed in a building that’s over 130 years old and once held a neighborhood market, it’s got an innate charm that’s matched by a menu full of familiar temptations, such as French onion soup and pâté, and more surprising bites, including blood sausage wontons with tamari vinaigrette and chile crisp. Pair all of it with natural wines, cocktails, beer or sake.

4 articles

Cheese Importers and Bistrot des Artistes

103 Main St., Longmont Northern Colorado

303-772-9599

French, Grocery/Market

4 articles

Chez Maggy

1616 Market St. Downtown Denver

720-794-9544

French

“Lots of French butter” and “a kickass burger you’ll have to eat with a knife and fork”: That’s what celebrity chef Ludo Lefebrve promised would appear at his first restaurant outside Southern California. And Chez Maggy, which opened inside the Thompson Denver hotel in February 2022, has delivered. The butter is so fancy that it even has a name (it’s “Rodolphe le Meunier,” according to the menu), and the gravy-doused Burger à la Française is making a name for itself thanks to its eye-catching appearance. But don’t expect too much old-fashioned French stuffiness: The decor is pretty but unfussy, and menu items incorporate Colorado touches, like chilaquiles on the brunch menu, and tartare as well as boeuf bourguignon made with bison rather than beef.

Coohills

1400 Wewatta St., Denver LoDo/Ballpark/Commons Park

303-623-5700

French, Critics' Pick, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

The first thing you're likely to notice upon entering Coohills, the French restaurant that opened at the edge of LoDo in November 2011, is the show-stopping chandelier, a six-foot-tall contortion of twirls and spirals, twists and tangles, twigs and roots laced with white lights. They're grape vines. Tom Coohill, the chef at his namesake restaurant, and his wife, Diane, had the chandelier made from the roots of four 28-year-old cabernet vines excavated from Simi Winery in Sonoma. That chandelier, which illuminates the community table that sits beneath it, is just one of the seriously stunning design elements in their place. But the focal point is a big exposed kitchen, with a four-seat chef's table. And what's being cooked in that kitchen? Dishes that draw from France (and Tom's formal French training), but also take full advantage of Colorado farmers, ranchers, cheese-makers and purveyors. That food, as well as a clever cocktail list and a real commitment to community (including Tuesday-night concerts outside in the summer) has turned Coohills into a real LoDo gathering place.

55 articles

Daniel's of Paris

12253 E. Iliff Aurora

303-751-6084

Bakery, French, Retail, Best Of, Menu

Since 1992, Daniel's of Paris has turned authentic French pastries and a host of other European bakery favorites in a modestly sized shop in a fairly obscure Aurora strip mall. The croissants here are flaky, light and baked fresh with or without a dark-chocolate-filled center for a pain au chocolat, and the signature cinnamon rolls are iced with fondant and have warm, gooey middles filled with almond cream. Daniel’s also does both special-occasion and everyday cakes using French sponge cake, flavored sugar syrup and frosting, glaze or ganache ? and creamy mousse or whipped-cream fillings. Oven treats such as cookies, petit fours, quiche, fruit tarts and a splendid, mascarpone-stuffed Pumpkin Amandine available during the holidays are what set Daniel’s of Paris apart, both as a neighborhood staple and a popular city bakery.

2 articles

Epernay

1080 14th St. Downtown Denver

303-573-5000

Asian, French, New American, Slideshow

Epernay opened in early 2013 right in front of the Denver Performing Arts Complex, a place that can certainly use spots that serve stylish, quick snacks before and after shows. And Epernay definitely has the stylish down: The dining room features frosted glass, a bamboo divider and a wall-sized underwater photo that makes you feel like you've jumped into a four-star aquarium. But the servers frequently seem to be underwater, too. Sushi is a mainstay on this menu, but it also features New American dishes and French accents. After all, Epernay is the champagne capital of France, and the restaurant serves what's billed as the largest selection of sparkling wine in the city.

19 articles

Famille

8875 Westminster Blvd. Westminster

720-647-6041

French

Westminster's Famille serves French-ish fare inside the Origin Hotel, but you won't forget you're in Colorado while dining there. The most Gallic of dishes (French onion soup topped with a blanket of Gruyère, steak frites and escargot) share the menu with regional and even Mexican ingredients: There's the lamb shank served with green chile and sweet corn souffle, filet mignon of bison (rather than beef) and even Mexico-inspired fried squash blossoms with queso Oaxaca (look for them under the Frenchified moniker "corn fleur de courge").

Indulge French Bistro

4140 W. 38th Ave. Northwest Denver

303-433-7400

French, International, Recommended

Indulge is a warm, happy house, with a curtained dining room, a marble-topped dwarf bar and what look like furnishings from a Normandy farmhouse restaurant unloaded into an abandoned Italian trattoria - which this space used to be. Chef/owner William Wahl's family runs a restaurant in France, Au Vrai Normand, and after a stint with Kevin Taylor, Wahl and his wife decided it was finally time for a place of their own. The menu they've assembled is a beautiful, overwhelmingly delicious board of straight French classics and American iterations, all approached with perfect French technique.

4 articles

Jacques

3200 Tejon St., Denver Highland/Lower Highland

French, Essentials

In September 2023, Brasserie Brixton co-founder chef Nick Dalton and friends William Steck and Simon Rochez debuted their take on a neighborhood French bistro in LoHi. The space is decked out with luxurious deep-green booths, marble-topped tables and plenty of gold accents. While Jacques feels upscale enough for a special occasion, any reason is a good one to settle into a cozy booth for favorites like mussels, duck confit, French onion soup, and maybe even a caviar bump or two.

John Holly's Asian Bistro

2422 S. Downing St. South Denver

303-722-8686

Asian, Asian Fusion, Bistro, Chinese, French, Sushi, Thai, Menu

1 article

Katherine's French Bakery

728 S. University Blvd. South Denver

303-282-5888

Bakery, French, Best Of, Menu

Let them eat cake — for breakfast. Sure, the French call it pastry, but Katherine's takes the yen for cake seriously, as evidenced by the crowds that gather here early in the day, enjoying huge almond croissants dusted with powdered sugar and big spiky things made of meringue, as well as coffee and even real meals — quiche and omelets and sandwiches and salads. Katherine's stays open through mid-afternoon, but the bakery case is at its best early in the day.

2 articles

L'Atelier

1739 Pearl St. Boulder

303-442-7233

Modern American, French, Recommended

Radek Cerny, the man behind legendary hot spots Papillon Cafe and Radex, has returned with French-inspired L'Atelier. The place is almost ludicrous in its excesses, with giant plates, fawning service, bright, spartan decor, and a nine-course tasting menu. But what saves it from going totally over the edge is the firm hand with which Cerny controls his kitchen. Everything here is about high-concept, high-end, and high-quality food.

11 articles

La Bouche

1100 E. 17th Ave., Denver Capitol Hill/Uptown/City Park

303-830-3967

Wine Bar, French

The husband-and-wife team of Alexis and Alex Tréton have long had a passion for wine — so much so that the two left their jobs and home country of France in the middle of the pandemic in order to open this wine bar that bridges French and American culture. It has an elegant black-and-white color scheme balanced by a casual atmosphere that's ideal for lingering over a flight of vino, and it offers a small menu of classic French fare as well as cheese and meat board options.

La Forêt

38 S. Broadway Central Denver

303-351-7938

French, Essentials

La Forêt, which opened in March 2024 inside the former home of iconic Denver spot Beatrice & Woodsley, honors the previous tenant in a way that's part homage and part fresh start — and 100 percent gorgeous. Dining here is like entering a real-life enchanted forest, complete with (yes, they’re real) aspen tree trunks. The alpine-inspired French fare is reason enough to visit, but the beverage program is a stunner, too, from pastis hour to the signature La Forêt complete with oolong mist — not surprising, since the owners are also behind two top cocktail spots, Union Lodge No. and the Tatarian.

1 article

La Merise

2700 E. 3rd Ave., Denver Cherry Creek

720-596-4360

French

La Merise is aptly named for the neighborhood that surrounds it. "Merise" means "wild cherry," and while you may not find anything even vaguely outlandish in the Cherry Creek ’hood these days, you will find classic French fare at this garden-level restaurant. Menu items include the foie gras and escargots to start; follow up with tuna Niçoise salad, beef Bourguignon or steak frites. For dessert, our pick is one of the sweet crêpes, alternately served with bananas and chocolate, Nutella, strawberry and tres leches or à la Suzette.

3 articles

Le Bilboquet

299 St. Paul St. Central Denver

303-835-9999

French, Menu

Le Central

112 E. 8th Ave. Central Denver

303-863-8094

French, Recommended, Menu

Le Central has been giving Denver a sit-down history lesson on the breadth of French cuisine -- from the haute to the basse -- since 1981. Over the years, chefs and cooks from far-flung locales have passed through this kitchen, but owner Robert Tournier has always kept a close eye on the proceedings. At dinner, Le Central can be one of the city's most romantic spots, and for a relative pittance you can have feuilleté d'escargot or one of a number of mussel preparations. At lunch, the restaurant is more casual, but still a good spot to linger over your meal. Check out the prix fixe menus, such as the lobster prix fixe for just $36.

51 articles

Le French

846 Albion St., Denver Cherry Creek

303-558-0875

French

Aminata Dia and her sister, Rougui, who were raised outside of Paris, opened the original Le French at Belleview Station in the Tech Center in 2019. Since then, the menu has evolved to include even more nods to their Senegalese background, like Brie with baobab preserves; oysters with tamarind mignonette inspired by niambaan, a spicy Senegalese snack; and poutine with yassa, a caramelized onion and lemon sauce traditionally served with chicken. In September 2023, the duo opened a second, much larger outpost at East Ninth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard so even more Denverites can enjoy their spin on French cuisine.

Le French

4901 S. Newport St. Southeast Denver

720-710-8963

French, Senegalese

Aminata Dia and her sister, Rougui, who were raised outside of Paris, opened the original Le French at Belleview Station in the Tech Center in 2019. Since then, the menu has evolved to include even more nods to their Senegalese background, like Brie with baobab preserves; oysters with tamarind mignonette inspired by niambaan, a spicy Senegalese snack; and poutine with yassa, a caramelized onion and lemon sauce traditionally served with chicken. In September 2023, Aminata opened a second, much larger outpost at East Ninth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard so even more Denverites can enjoy this spin on French cuisine.

Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar

1512 Curtis St. Downtown Denver

303-534-1155

French, Restaurants, Recommended, Menu, Slideshow

Robert Thompson opened Le Grand in mid-2011, taking over a big, historic spot downtown that most recently had held Baur's. And with this restaurant, he resurrected some more recent history: that of his first major restaurant effort in town, the still-revered Brasserie Rouge, which was located in the IceHouse. Like the board at Brasserie Rouge, Le Grand's menu focuses on classic French fare, perfectly prepared by Sergio Romero, the chef Thompson brought over when he closed Argyll in Cherry Creek. The setup does a good job of capturing the flavor of a bistro, too, capitalizing on the white mosaic floors and dark woods of the space, illuminated by glowing, 1920s-era chandeliers. Other decor touches are more subtle, but notable for their good taste: "Les Halles" scrawled in cursive above a private dining room; a line of Perrier bottles along one wall that create a glittering green contrast without being ostentatious. Good space partitioning and cleverly draped red velvet curtains lend an air of intimacy to most tables. But the best place to sit is definitely at the gorgeous bar.

31 articles

Le Peep

2525 Arapahoe Ave. Boulder

303-444-5119

American, Breakfast/Brunch, Brunch, Comfort Foods, Deli, French, New American, Salads, Sandwiches, Specialties, Traditional, Vegetarian

Les Delices De Paris

600 S. Holly St., Ste. 101 Southeast Denver

303-320-7596

Bakery, French, Best Of

Walking into Les Delices de Paris is like walking into another world: one of pure sensation, of cream and sugar, fine flour, yeast and butter and salt. The little pastry shop occupies what could be the most inconvenient location on Leetsdale, but on its best days, this is the best-smelling spot in the entire city of Denver. The warm, bright, well-scrubbed interior is inviting, but it’s the menu (such as it is) that brings people back. It reads like poetry, like love: brioche and charlotte, tuiles, meringuette and fruit tartellette. In a box above the bakery case are piles of croissants and a jar of meringues; below are simple boxes of beautiful, handmade almond macaroons, Linzer tortes, the hands-down greatest citron key-lime tarts ever made, black-and-white Napoleons with just a delicate crackle, eclairs with a chocolate glaze so dark that light can’t escape. If you’re lucky (or early), there might still be bread left on the rack by the door when you arrive. Freaks for French pastry can find no better heaven in Denver than Les Delices de Paris.

7 articles

Little Raven Bistro

1590 Little Raven St. Central Denver

303-623-0605

French, Menu

1 article

Mateo

1837 Pearl St. Boulder

303-443-7766

French, Best Of

Mateo’s regulars include men in suits and women in sparkling tops twisting stemware between manicured fingers, transplants from the coasts who have an appreciation for the Colorado lifestyle. This restaurant right on the bustling Pearl Street Mall in Boulder serves French bar fare that includes decadently creamy macaroni and cheese gratin, a croque-monsieur, and a monstrous plateau provençal of cured meats, cheeses, olives and nuts. But while the accent may be French, the emphasis here is definitely on local — local produce as well as local diners who use Mateo as a neighborhood hangout. During the summer, the secluded patio is a perfect place to share snacks and sparkling wine; in the winter, pull up to the marble bar inside for big bowls of mussels.

25 articles

Mimi's Cafe

9155 Park Meadows Dr., Littleton Southeast Denver Suburbs

303-799-1211

American, French, Menu

Tucked behind Park Meadows Mall, this is a family place that scores high with both kids and parents with its activity-filled menus, inviting atmosphere and top-notch food for all ages. The California-based chain offers a great chicken pot pie, pot roast, salmon and, perhaps best of all, triple-croissant bread pudding for dessert.

2 articles

French in Denver

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