Experiencing Colorado, One Bite at a Time 🍽
This article provides a guide review for Colorado restaurants.
Food environment (min $/max $$$$)
Breakfast/Dessert
Sam’s №3 Glendale $$ — Denver’s favorite brunch place. They have 3 restaurants across town, and all three of them have 4.4 stars minimum and more than 4,000 reviews on google. Sam’s №3 was founded in 1927 by Sam Armatas, an immigrant from Greece who sought to provide hearty meals to Denver locals and visitors. The restaurant has a rich history and has been a part of Denver’s dining scene for over 90 years, making it one of the city’s oldest restaurants.
Huge portions and a ton of options. The only downside is that the menu is without pictures so you can’t know what you order unless you see other people’s dishes or try to find pictures from Yelp and google maps.
Snooze an A.M. Eatery $$ — Another famous brunch place. This is a chain that has in multiple locations across the state (13 locations, mostly in Denver) and the country — in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. They have all the main brunch options you need, from eggs and sausages to pancakes and waffles. They have better looking menu than Sam’s but fewer choices. Before you go make sure you join in their benefits rewards app so next time you go you get a $10 off from your next meal. If you subscribe, it needs a day to get in their system.
Crepes n’ Crepes $$— This European-style restaurant offers an extensive menu of both sweet and savory crepes, catering to a variety of tastes and preferences. From classic combinations like ham and cheese to unique creations featuring Nutella, fresh fruits, and more, there is a crepe for every craving. Crepes n Crepes was founded in 2001 by Julien and Peggy Maingot, a husband-and-wife team who shared a passion for French cuisine and the art of making crepes.
Lunch/Dinner
Beau Jo’s Pizza $$ — This one is in Idaho Springs and the most famous pizza in Colorado. Beau Jo’s Pizza, famous for its distinctive Colorado-style mountain pizzas, traces its roots back to the small mountain town of Idaho Springs, Colorado. In 1973, a man named Chip Bair, who’d migrated to Colorado from the Midwest, founded Beau Jo’s.
The crust is so thick that it’s common practice at Beau Jo’s (actually all over Colorado!) to drizzle honey on it, turning the pizza crust into a delightful dessert. This unique style of pizza was quickly embraced as “mountain pie,” a fitting name given its origins and hearty nature.
The first Beau Jo’s restaurant was a modest establishment, but it soon gained popularity, particularly among those traveling to and from the ski slopes. Beau Jo’s pizza quickly became a Colorado tradition, a must-visit for locals and tourists alike.
Beau Jo’s Pizza is known for its “Beau Jo’s Challenge.” This eating challenge involves consuming a 14-pound pizza (the “Grand Sicilian”) within one hour. If you can finish this massive pizza within the time limit, the pizza is free, and you also win $100 in cash. This challenge is popular among competitive eaters and those who enjoy a good food challenge. The waiter there told me that only 3% of people who try it manage to eat all of it.
Watch one of the successful attempts here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzqqBw1kKbI
Little India $$ — It seems they are two different Little India’s, one that has multiple locations and one other that is in Lakewood area. Both offer almost the same items and both are awesome. Little India offers a diverse menu featuring traditional Indian favorites. If you like spicy food or flavor variety, this is a must-go-to location. Last time we ordered with a colleague Saag with tofu, and the Chicken Korma, both 4/5 spicy (with 5 to be Indian Spicy), and I loved it.
D’Corazon Mexican Restaurant $ — Once you get in it feels like you are in Mexico. Big portions, friendly staff, and tasty food. Free crisps serving starter is a plus.
Method Coffee Roasters $$ — Great place to work/study. Locals come here to work and read books. The atmosphere is relaxing, chill music, and plugs everywhere for your laptop/devices.
Chef Zorba’s $$ — Locals love this place. While it is a popular dine-in restaurant in the area, families and friend groups come here even for brunch and breakfast. If you are wondering about the ‘greekness’ of the place, menu is greek, gyros is not as good. Menu is pretty compatible with authentic Greek food and portions are satisfactory.
Downpours Coffee $ — My favorite neighborhood cafe. It is my favorite because it is quiet enough that you can study, but also social because many locals go there, especially during the weekends. While it’s open only from 7 am to 1 pm every day, it is a place that has space to sit inside and outside with a beautiful street yard that also has charger plugs!
Casa Bonita $$ — Casa Bonita, popular among locals Denver restaurant, reopened in May 2023 under the ownership of the South Park creators. This unique dining destination combines delicious Mexican cuisine with thrilling entertainment, including cliff divers and live shows. People were going there just for the cliff diver entertainment and cocktails because the food used to be terrible. However, a new chef is there right now determined to make it right. South Park season 7, episode 11 features the restaurant.
Avanti $$ — If you are in a group of people where everybody feels like eating something different, this is the place for you. It is a place that has 10 restaurants of different cuisine varying from pizzas to noodles to Mexican food and fried chicken. I had the noodles from the Thai place and I have to say that the portions are pretty small for the price. Same with the fried chicken. However, the pizzas are a proper size. You can see it has a ton of reviews, while it’s nice for me it was a bit overrated.
54Thirty Rooftop $$ — 54Thirty Rooftop is a rooftop bar situated in the city of Denver. Specifically, it is located on the 20th floor of the Le Méridien Hotel in Denver and it is the highest open-air rooftop bar in the city. From there you can see views of the city skyline and the Rocky Mountains.
Mehak India’s Aroma $$ — Flavourful Indian food (Punjabi in particular). There is a variety of options with different spices. If you do not like spices, no worries; you can choose from 1 to 5 (five is Indian spicy). Worths to give it a shot.
Brooklyn’s At Ball Arena $$ — Great bar to watch an NBA game. While tickets to basketball games can be expensive, you can still live the atmosphere of a game by going to Brooklyn’s. It is a bar right next to the Ball Arena stadium and the fan vibes there are the closest you can get to a basketball match. Check out the vibes from the Brooklyn’s during a game by clicking here.
Snarf’s $ — A traditional Colorado sandwich place. My accounting manager who lives in Denver says “Everything is good at Snarfs! If you are from Colorado and you never had Snarfs people will start questioning you”. They have locations everywhere.
The story of Snarf’s began in 1996 when its founder, Jimmy “Snarf” Seidel, decided he wanted to create the world’s finest sandwich.
Tired of the corporate grind, Jimmy left his job as a broker in Chicago and moved to Boulder, Colorado. His quest was simple — to find the best sandwich out there. But his search was fruitless. So, he decided to take matters into his own hands and create the sandwich he was craving.
He found an old house in Boulder, converted it into the first Snarf’s location, and got to work creating the world’s best sandwich. His creative creations, coupled with a fun and quirky ambiance, quickly won over the residents of Boulder. Today, Snarf’s has grown to include multiple locations across Colorado, as well as Missouri, Illinois, and Texas.
Read more about Snarf’s history here: https://www.eatsnarfs.com/about#:~:text=It%20all%20began%20with%20one,to%20as%20%22The%20Shack%22.
HuHot Mongolian Grill$$ — Healthy all-you-can-eat food! Difficult to say no to that. Once you go inside, you can pick a noodle or a rice base and then include your own selection of ingredients in your bowl ~ or bowls, literally is all you can eat. Then you give the bowl to the cook who makes the food in front of you. HuHot is a chain in the US that has over 70 locations in more than 18 states.
Conclusion
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