Traveler: Danielle Gervalis

When: June 2017

Overall Experience: The Denver food and brew scene should not be overlooked. There are nearly 150 breweries in the city, which ranks third overall in the country and a growing number of restaurants featuring a variety of cuisines with a focus on locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. After a full day of siteseeing, feel free to indulge responsibly and hopefully you’ll like some of our favorites too!

Places to Eat and Drink:

Latimer Square

This quaint area is distinguished with string lights crisscrossing over the streets and decorated with butterflies. It’s packed with restaurants and shops and makes for a pleasant place for lunch or dinner:

• The Market – This charming shop sells sandwiches, pastries, coffee, ice cream and fresh juices. It has both indoor and outdoor seating and sells from foodstuffs and gifts as well.
• Toms Urban – Known for craft cocktails, this establishment was a large bar area and small plates that equate to upgraded bar food. 

Yazoo BBQ Company

Located in the give points area, Yazoo has authentic and delicious BBQ with a variety of sauces to please your palate. It’s a counter style set up, but don’t be afraid of the line because it moves quickly. For $10, it’s an excellent lunch deal for a sandwich and two sides. I highly recommend the pulled pork and hash brown casserole.

Soko Sushi and Sake Bar

Like most great sushi places I know, this one looks a bit like a strip mall on the outside but is truly filled with delicious sushi on the inside. The service is very friendly; if you sit at the sushi bar then the Moon Chef will take care of and entertain you. Their salmon nigari was incredible, as well as the red snapper. Finally, it’s easy on the wallet!

Obento

Near the 16^th street mall strip and feeling hungry? Then check out this ramen place! It’s a cheap option (under $10) for ramen or a poke bowl. The food is very tasty, the portions are agreeable and they also have sweet treats and bubble tea.

Jax Fish House and Oyster Bar

Located near Union Station, this restaurant has a raw bar and popular happy hour where you can get oysters for $1.50 each. The bar also serves a nice variety of locally brewed Denver beers.  While on the pricier side, this was definitely my favorite meal in Denver. I had the monkfish with a pea pureed horseradish sauce.

The Populist

You’ll find this place listed on multiple best restaurant lists but I wasn’t as impressed. The service and food were ok, but it didn’t surpass my expectations for the price. It has modern rustic décor with a beautiful outdoor patio and communal tables in the bar area. I tried the green lentil croquettes in a tasty garlic sauce and the Dungeness crab gnocchi and took advantage of their happy hour Rose special.

Denver Central Market

Similar to Reading Terminal Market in Philly or Union Market in Washington, DC, it’s a large industrial building with multiple vendors selling food and goods. They have coffee, ice cream, a bar, a bakery selling fresh bread, an Italian food store and a Fish Market. You have so many choices here and everything is fighting to overtake your sense of smell, you’re guaranteed to find something to enjoy.

Snooze

This popular retro restaurant serves breakfast and lunch and has a few locations throughout the city. It’s very well-known for its fun atmosphere, delicious and responsibly sourced seasonable menu and coffee. All of these factors can lead to waiting in a line out the door. However, when I came here for lunch during the week, I was able to sit directly at the counter. The food is worth the wait, especially if you are a pancake lover.

Comida at The Source

The Source is an industrial, open space which has two main restaurants, Comida and Acorn , as well as a few bars and shops focusing on local artisans. It has the cool hipster vibe and is busy with local patrons. I ate at Comida and had a series of mouth-watering griddled tacos washed down with a margaritas. If you are in the mood for Mexican food, then this place will hit the spot!

Breweries:

Deep Draft Brewery

This small brewery is in the Capitol Hill area (walking distance from the Botanical Gardens and Cheesman Park). They have live music and outdoor seating. While they don’t serve food, they allow you to bring in your own or get something delivered. Try the Biere Blanche if you stop by!

Black Shirt Brewing

RiNo is a popular area chock full of local breweries! This was the closest located near the Air Bnb I stayed at on the strip. They had lots of IPAs and seemed to be filled with local people as well as some excellent pizza!

Our Mutual Friend Brewing Company

One of the coolest entrances I’ve ever seen at a brewery, this lively places has games, great music and outdoor areas! They had just released a sour beer the day I was there and it was perfection! OMFB has quite a few great beers so I recommend getting a flight.

Ratio Brewing Co

If you are expecting lots of burly, hipster bartenders then you will be surprised by this brewery which has mostly female bartenders! Their highest rated beer is the imperial stout, Genius Wizard. The place has a beautiful outside area with lots of seating and an Instagram worthy mural.

Great Divide Brewing Co

This Yeti obsessed brewing company has a few locations in Denver. I stopped at the RiNo location and had a great time chatting with the bartenders and learning about their process and philosophy. I sampled a few with a flight and surprisingly my favorite was the Samurai rice ale. Cheers!