Top 5 local restaurants in Denver (still standing)

Photo by Potager Restaurant & Wine Bar

A local’s guide to the (non-uppity authentically tasty and in close proximity to neighborhood breweries) Top 5 Restaurants for the Mile High City

These are the gems that have really stood the test of time and have persevered the city’s rapid development, not to mention the value, ambiance, and location are spot on. Let’s be honest, Colorado locals are a rare breed, not because they’ve moved away, but so many people have moved to the state, specifically Denver, that everyone is literally from somewhere else changing the dynamic of a once sleepy cow town. Good or bad? The verdict is still out on that one.

However, if you’re a local, you know how an interaction goes when meeting someone for the first time:

Person #1: “Where you from?

Person #2: Oh, I’m from here.

Person #1: No way, dude! That’s cool. Where’d you go to high school?”

The high school follow up question is always a matter of how you grew up in Colorado. Cherry Creek High School and Clear Creek High School, although similar sounding are worlds apart. One is located in the city and being the proud Golddigger that I am, Clear Creek High is located in the rural mountain town of Idaho Springs. Although nearly 40 miles from one another, both communities have been equally impacted by the urban sprawl of our beloved Capital City, Denver. More people, more buildings, more choices, more traffic.

There’s the saying “less is more” and in the case of increased restauranteuring in the last decade, it’s more important to have the essentials than the superfluous cookie cutter fusion places that peeter out after the nouveau has worn off. So without further adieu, check these places out. Each are independently owned and operated, so help smash the restaurantriachy and support these small, but damn good businesses.

El Taco de Mexico

714 Santa Fe Drive, Denver
eltacodemexicodenver.com

You can’t beat a $1.85 taco unless you are in Mexico City, hometown of TDM’s owners. You know you’re in a good place when the carne chopping board is worn down, the horchata machine is nearly empty after the lunch rush, and the plates coming back to the kitchen look like they have been licked clean (probably because they have been). The handwritten menu greets you as you walk in, a further clue that you’ve entered another world where picantes, charred pineapple, and cilantro reign.

Specialties de la casa: Tacos al pastor, bean and chicharron burrito smothered with homemade green chili

*The Northern Route: Grab a bag of tacos before, after, or between a brewery stop at one of the four breweries (Crazy Mountain, Renegade, Soujourner, Black Sky) located within a 6-block radius to help curb a Mile High hangover.

Lo Stella

1135 Bannock St, Denver
303-825-1995 (reservations highly recommended)
www.lostelladenver.com

Direct from Portofino, Italy, family owned and operated for more than eight generations spanning 165 years. Authentic Italian homemade pasta and specialty dishes prepared with fervor. From the moment you enter, you are treated like family so expect an authentic Italian experience. It’s not rush hour, make this the event of your evening. Enjoy your dinner company, let the wine flow (I recommend the Montepulciano), and savor the tiramisu.

Specialties of the house: Homemade tagliatelle with Grandma’s Bolognese sauce, Ravioli di pesce en crema di gamberi (Seventy year old recipe) homemade fish ravioli with shrimp sauce

Photo by Lo Stella Ristorante

Potager

1109 Ogden St, Denver
303-832-5788
www.potagerrestaurant.com

The first local restaurant in Denver to focus on seasonal offerings, not just the cliched “farm to table” foodie movement. The daughter/father duo opened the restaurant in 1997 with the intention to source local products from farms across Colorado as well as directly from the kitchen’s onsite garden. This is a pilgrimage to local food for the region and reflects Colorado’s mode de vie: simple, yet satisfying.

Specialties of the house: Everything reflects the seasons, so if you’re looking to get in the festive mood, whether it’s spring or winter, this is the place to be inspired. Of course, if you see the twice baked roasted pepper-chevre souffle with walnut pesto on the menu, the answer is in the question: order this dish twice.

Devil’s Food

1020 South Gaylord St. Denver
303-733-7448 
www.devilsfooddenver.com

Imagine all the things you crave for breakfast mashed into one. A scratch bakery turned restaurant with a side of boutique coffee shop all in the heart of our beloved Washington Park neighborhood. Nostalgic and kitschy at the same time. You’re constantly checking the swinging door from the kitchen to see if you can catch a glimpse of what you hope would be Julia Child cooking behind a clawfoot gas stove.

Specialties of the house: Whatever you order from the various offerings of benedicts to Challah French toast, tack on an order of biscuits and gravy, probably the best in the city. Don’t skimp on the coffee selections and definitely order some homemade pastries to go.

My Brother’s Bar*

2376 15th St. Denver (15th & Platte)
303-455-9991
www.mybrothersbar.com

A college professor of mine (who shall remain anonymous) used to hold his office hours here in the afternoon (genius, no wonder he had a PhD). Nothing like grabbing a beer and reviewing your latest assignment on Bronislaw Malinowski’s field methodology…

I digress.

Denver has changed quite a bit, especially over the last few years. Some good (thank you foodies) and some bad (cookie cutter development). My Brother’s Bar has stood the test of time and its location is a testament to remaining true to the essentials. It’s where you want to go when you want to escape the same cliché restaurants donning names like “Salt + Ewe” or promising culinary mashups of Italian Asian-Fusion crepes.

Here, the burgers are solid, the low-lit lighting and local selection of beers has kept the nostalgia of the Queen City intact and the outdoor patio is a promised oasis away from the hustle and bustle. With all the high rises going up in north Denver (aka Riverfront District) this is a safe haven to duck into when the Mile High sun is strong and you need to wet your whistle.

Specialties of the house: Johnny Burger hands down. A jalapeno cream cheese burger with a side of onion rings wash it all down with a Dale’s Pale and contemplate what Denver was like when Jack Kerouac passed through 64 years ago and was a regular at the bar.

*The Northern Route: Save room for a dessert beer (Churro Stout or Cocolimon Sour) at Cerveceria Colorado, voted Denver’s #1 Brewery in 2019, just a couple blocks north on Platte, look left and listen for the faint sound of mariachi music.

Photo by My Brother’s Bar