Fusion in Denver

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

Zengo

1610 Little Raven St. Downtown Denver

720-904-0965

Fusion, Sponsor, Slideshow

After more than a decade as a Latin-Asian fusion spot, in the fall of 2016 Richard Sandoval’s Zengo converted to a pan-Asian restaurant, with sumptuous decor including suspended origami birds, a metallic-veined floor and a sushi bar; the menu now includes the likes of sushi and sashimi, poke, dim sum and stir-fried noodles. In fact, just about everything at Zengo changed but the name – and the incredible popularity of the bottomless brunch on weekends.

59 articles

Adobo at First Draft

1309 26th St., at First Draft Taproom, Denver Five Points/RiNo

720-520-7869

Fusion

After a head-on motorcycle accident derailed his career in finance, Blaine Baggao re-evaluated his professional path, ultimately launching Adobo in 2016 as a food truck that combines his New Mexican and Filipino roots. Now you can find him at a counter inside First Draft in RiNo as well as at a new brick-and-mortar location on Federal Boulevard, where Adobo's menu boasts many green chile-covered items, including fries loaded with smoked carnitas and cheese; carnitas deviled eggs with lime crema, cotija and cilantro; and crispy wontons. The best way to enjoy this flavorful (vegan!) green chile: in a bowl loaded with smoked carnitas and warm flour tortillas on the side.

Adobo

3109 Federal Blvd., Denver Highland/Lower Highland

720-242-9994

Fusion, Filipino, Mexican, Best Of, Readers' Choice, Essentials

After a head-on motorcycle accident derailed his career in finance, Blaine Baggao re-evaluated his professional path, ultimately launching Adobo in 2016 as a food truck that combines his New Mexican and Filipino roots. Its first brick-and-mortar is an expansive space that hosts live music and serves food into the late-night hours, with a menu of hits that includes favorites like lumpia and chicken adobo tacos.

1 event 3 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

Centro Mexican Kitchen

950 Pearl St. Boulder

303-442-7771

Mexican, Fusion, Recommended, Best Of

Not only is Centro a beautiful restaurant, a casual restaurant and an undeniably cool restaurant with a bar that pours some stiff drinks, its food is good, smart, original and stubbornly uncompromising. It's nominally a Mexican restaurant, with a menu listing bocaditas of chips and salsas and rellenos; simple carne asada and enchiladas and carnitas are among the mains. But on almost every plate, something extra has been added, something that muddies the dish's origins; these innovations, taken altogether, make Centro's menu less Mexican comfort food and more a fusion of taquerias around the world.

47 articles

Cork House Broker Restaurant

4900 E. Colfax Ave. East Denver

303-355-4488

American, Asian, German/Eastern European, Fusion, Recommended, Menu

After three decades of good work, Tante Louise finally faded from the Denver restaurant scene a few years ago. Enter uncle Ed Novak (from the Broker restaurants group), who renamed the place the Cork House after longtime owner Corky Douglass and turned the former classical Euro-French palace of haute into a comfortable, casual wine bar and restaurant with one of the best patios around. The happy hour deals are excellent, the dinner menu easily navigable, and the wine list interesting.

5 articles

Hapa Sushi Grill & Sake Bar

1117 Pearl St. Boulder

303-578-3071

Fusion, Sushi, Recommended, Best Of

Hapa Sushi is essentially a fusion restaurant, offering sliders, nachos and Fuji-apple-and-bleu-cheese salads on the one hand, poke don, kanpyo maki and a small spread of sashimi on the other. It caters quite deliberately to rookies, actually naming a section of the menu "Beginner Sushi Rolls," which is followed by "Intermediate" and then flows right into the house specials -- many of which are named after something sexual. But while Hapa is a fun place, there's also undeniable talent in the kitchen. Done with your sushi? Use your chopsticks to tap out the beat while the DJ spins it. A smart layout enhances the comfortably stylish environment so you won't bump the tables when the sake commands you to shake your booty.

6 articles

Hapa Sushi Grill & Sake Bar

1514 Blake St. Downtown Denver

720-575-4117

Fusion, Sushi, Recommended

Hapa Sushi is essentially a fusion restaurant, offering sliders, nachos and Fuji-apple-and-bleu-cheese salads on the one hand, poke don, kanpyo maki and a small spread of sashimi on the other. It caters quite deliberately to rookies, actually naming a section of the menu "Beginner Sushi Rolls," which is followed by "Intermediate" and then flows right into the house specials -- almost all of which are named after something sexual. But while Hapa is a fun place, there's also undeniable talent in the kitchen.

6 articles

Hapa Sushi Grill & Sake Bar

5380 Greenwood Plaza Blvd., Englewood Southeast Denver Suburbs

720-575-3027

Fusion, Sushi, Recommended

Hapa Sushi is essentially a fusion restaurant, offering sliders, nachos and Fuji-apple-and-bleu-cheese salads on the one hand, poke don, kanpyo maki and a small spread of sashimi on the other. It caters quite deliberately to rookies, actually naming a section of the menu "Beginner Sushi Rolls," which is followed by "Intermediate" and then flows right into the house specials -- almost all of which are named after something sexual. But while Hapa is a fun place, there's also undeniable talent in the kitchen.

5 articles

Ling & Louie's Asian Bar and Grill

8354 Northfield Blvd. East Denver

303-371-4644

Asian, Fusion, Recommended, Menu

The Denver outpost in this small chain aims squarely at the middle range of foodies, relatively adventurous eaters who want something better than Happy Meals and cheeseburgers when the family eats out. And Ling & Louie's delivers with a hip dining room and decent food that includes Americanized versions of Thai, Japanese, Cantonese, Shanghainese and even Malaysian and Vietnamese classics. Still, the kid's meal bento boxes are the coolest things on the menu.

5 articles

Opal Restaurant & Lounge

100 E. 9th Ave. Central Denver

303-861-7999

Fusion, Sushi, Bars and Clubs, Menu

In the afternoons, you might have Opal all to yourself -- which means all the more offerings for you. The laundry list of specials includes two-for-one deals on nigiri and hand rolls, two-for-one hot sake, four-dollar martinis, three-dollar champagne, big Kirins for just $2.50 -- and the incongruous dollar Coronas. Don't ask why, just enjoy. With any luck, you'll be able to enjoy your food and drink on one of those long wrap-around couches. Fair warning, though: If you come at night looking for a quiet nightcap and a quick bite, Opal is not for you. By midnight, this place is likely to be hopping with club kids, night owls and the hungry hordes who just realized they forgot to eat dinner hours earlier.

23 articles

Parallel Seventeen

1600 E. 17th Ave. Central Denver

303-399-0988

Asian, Fusion, Vietnamese, Recommended, Menu

The surprising thing about the food at the very hip, very urban Parallel Seventeen is how traditional it is, how Frenchy-Asian, how rigorously grounded in generations of history. Mary Nguyen's kitchen serves an authentic cuisine that's little known outside of Hue or the dining rooms of Denver's Vietnamese immigrants, offering it up to crowds of appreciative, beautiful people.

23 articles

Restaurant Kevin Taylor

1106 14th St. Downtown Denver

303-820-2600

American, Continental, French, Fusion, New American, Recommended, Menu

The seasonal menus at Restaurant Kevin Taylor are poetry without a single word wasted. Chef Kevin Taylor's namesake has come into its own and is deserving of the beautiful room, the fawning press and the exorbitant prices.

16 articles

Slotted Spoon Meatball Eatery

2730 S. Colorado Blvd., Unit 19 Southeast Denver

303-756-3072

Fast Casual, Fusion, Recommended, Menu, Slideshow

Slotted Spoon Meatball Eatery, which opened in early 2013 in the University of Denver neighborhood, is a meatball-slinging version of Chipotle, the fast-casual chain that got its start just a few blocks away. And co-owners Alex Comisar, Johnny Coast and Jensen Cummings have come up with what looks like a winning concept with their colorful place, which focuses on meatballs, of course, but serves them up in sandwiches, salads and pastas. Cummings may be the most overqualified fast-casual cook in the country, and he's not only created some unusual preparations -- like the surprisingly successful Sgt. Pepper pasta, with chicken meatballs and a creamy red-pepper-and-paprika sauce -- but offers handy suggestions for what items will work together. For example, he knows that a refreshing, dill-heavy tzatziki will complement the falafel-like quinoa-and-black-bean balls in the gyro salad. Well-priced and creative side dishes -- including lemony sautéed kale, coleslaw, and a kid-friendly macaroni and shells with American cheese and bacon -- turn mains into more of a meal.

12 articles

Strings

1700 Humboldt St. Central Denver

303-831-7310

American, Fusion, Recommended, Menu

Noel Cunningham, who founded Strings in 1986, passed away on December 1, 2011. He was more than a cook; he was Denver's culinary conscience. For well over two decades, he made very good food at Strings, his new-American restaurant and a true community institution. But he also funneled much of his energy into good works -- both here, where he hosted numerous charity events, and in Africa. Although Cunningham is gone, his restaurant -- a true community institution -- remains open.

21 articles

Viaggio Italian Trattoria

10253 E. Iliff Ave. Southeast Denver

303-750-1580

Asian, Fusion, Italian, Southwestern, Recommended, Menu

Viaggio's menu features a complicated Italian-Southwestern-Asian fusion: green-chile lasagna, grilled salmon dressed with a sauce of roasted peppers and pecorino, pizzas, pastas, veal roulades served with red-onion tempura, angel hair pasta tossed with oyster mushrooms. Anywhere else, such combinations might be ridiculous, but it's a credit to this kitchen that a lot of these dishes come off almost as revelations. Viaggio also features Italian classics, a cheap wine list, and a staff that quickly learns your name.

Fusion in Denver

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