I am always being asked for recommendations on things to eat/see/do in Denver (with emphasis on the eats), so creating this guide is long overdue. Fortunately, travel guides are one of my favorite things to create (have you seen my work for the Female Foodie website?). There are so many amazing restaurants to eat at, neighborhoods to explore, parks to hang out in, shops, etc, so I’ll do my best to do list out my favorites. With most of the lists below- I could honestly keep adding places, but feel this is a good start with coverage in enough neighborhoods that you should be able to find something no matter what part of town you’re in! But, if you have a suggestion/place you feel strongly about for something you’re not seeing here, please leave a comment at the end!
Let’s start with eats.
COFFEE SHOPS
- Blue Sparrow Coffee (Highland, RiNo)
- Crema Coffee (RiNo)
- DC/AM (RiNo)
- Huckleberry Roasters (Highland, Berkeley)
- Hudson Hill (Capitol Hill)
- Jubilee Roasters (Curtis Park)
- Little Owl Coffee (LoDo)
- Lula Rose General Store (Congress Park)
- MiddleState Coffee (Baker, Highlands)
- Milk Tea People (LoDo, also technically tea but really good tea drinks!)
- Queen City Collective Coffee (RiNo, Wheat Ridge)
- Rivers and Roads Coffee (City Park, Curtis Park)
- Sweet Bloom (Edgewater, Arvada)
- Weathervane Cafe (City Park West)
BREAKFAST
- Bacon Social House (Sunnyside)
- Bodega (Sunnyside)
- Denver Biscuit Co (Berkeley)
- DC/AM (RiNo)
- Fox Run Cafe (Congress Park)
- Hoja (Platt Park)
- Leroy’s Bagels (Northwest)
- Olive & Finch (Cherry Creek and Uptown)
- Onefold (Union Station and Uptown)
- Rosenberg’s Bagels and Delicatessen (Five Points)
- Sassafras (Highland)
- Snooze (multiple locations)
- Steuben’s (Uptown)
- Stowaway Kitchen (RiNo)
LUNCH
- Blue Pan Pizza (Highland or Congress Park, Deep Dish Pizzas! Pictured above is their lunch special)
- Comal Heritage Food Incubator (RiNo, tacos!)
- Denver Central Market (RiNo, food hall with lots of great options)
- El Camino Community Tavern (Highland, Mexican)
- Gladys (Edgewater, Vegan- this is the reason to visit Edgewater Public Market, period.)
- Leven Deli (Downtown, deli)
- Maria Empanada (Platt St or S Broadway, best empanadas!)
- Mister Oso (RiNo) Try the smoked potato tacos, or else.
- Nest at Nurture (Highland) Healthy cafe with small plates + fun drinks.
- Pizzeria Locale (Highland or South Denver) – a great quick no frills pizza spot.
- Postino (LoHi, Congress Park & Broadway) great spot for wine + charcuterie/sandwiches/snacks. $5 glasses till 5pm!
- Sputnik (Baker, Vegan) – Dive bar serving up guilty pleasure style vegetarian or vegan food
- Sweetgreen (LoDo or Cherry Creek) – salads + healthy plates
- Tessa Delicatessen (Montclair, Classic Deli)
- Vital Root (Berkeley) – delicious & innovative vegetarian food with something for everyone.
SWEET TREATS
- Berkeley Donuts (Berkeley) – some of my favorite donuts in Denver!
- Colorado Cherry Company – Pies. The Cherry hand pie is a must for first timers, they have a great selection of savory and sweet pies and are great enjoyed in the restaurant, at the park nearby or in the comfort of your home.
- Bakery Four (Berkeley) Avoid coming here right at opening for your best chance at a small line.
- Get Rights Bakery (Wheat Ridge) Coming soon!
- High Point Creamery (Multiple Locations) one of the best ice cream shops in Denver.
- Izzio Bakery (RiNo) Baked goods in the Denver Central Market
- Little Man Ice Cream (Highland) – Iconic ice cream spot, the salted oreo is a longtime favorite.
- Olive & Finch (Uptown or Cherry Creek) – This cute little bakery also has great breakfast & lunch options!
- Pandemic Donuts – (Curtis Park) can be found at Queen City Collective Coffee! Different flavors daily.
- Tokyo Premium Bakery (Platt Park) – you can’t go wrong with Japanese treats!
DINNER
- Avanti F&B (Highland, Food hall)
- American Elm (Northwest, American)
- Bar Dough (Highland, Italian) – Happy hour food + drinks here are a must, dinner menu is divine, and their weekend brunch is not to be missed!
- Cart Driver (Highland or RiNo, Pizza)
- El Five (Highland, Spanish) Mediterranean tapas paired with a great view of Denver
- Hop Alley (RiNo, Chinese)
- Izakaya Den (Platt Park, Sushi)
- La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal (Ballpark, Mexican)
- The Greenwich (RiNo, New American) Great pizzas + a ton of great veg options for sides. A must!
- Pepper Asian Bistro II (Highland, solid low key Chinese food spot!)
- Potager (Capitol Hill, New American) Hard to put into words how great Potager is. A family owned restaurant tucked away in Cap Hill serving true farm to table fares. Try the seasonal souffle!
- Safta (RiNo, Middle Eastern fare)
- Señor Bear (LoHi, Pan Latin) – Great for happy hour, brunch, or just dinner in general! Reservations recommended.
- Somebody People (Platt Park, Vegan)
- Spice Room (Sunnyside, Indian)
- Spuntino (Highland, Italian) – Reservation recommended, great nice date night spot.
- Temaki Den (RiNo, Sushi hand rolls) – from the great minds of Sushi Den!
- The Spice Room (Berkeley, Indian)
- Uchi (RiNo, sushi)
- Uncle (Highland or Wash Park) – this is the home of my favorite ramen in Denver. Waits can get outrageous but it’s great as takeout too!
- US Thai Cafe (Edgewater, Thai)
- Work & Class (RiNo, American)
BARS, BREWERIES + MORE.
- Adrift (Broadway, Tiki Bar!)
- Citizen Rail (Downtown)
- Cooper Lounge (Downtown)
- Death & Co (RiNo)
- Denver Beer Co (Multiple Locations)
- ESP HiFi (Lincoln Park) Wine bar with the best music.
- The Family Jones (LoHi, distillery)
- Fort Greene (RiNo)
- Hudson Hill (Capitol Hill, day drinking & snacks)
- Improper City
- Infinite Monkey Theorem (Wine, RiNo)
- Joyride Brewery
- Laws Whiskey House
- Middleman
- Noble Riot Wine Bar (RiNo, reservations recommended)
- Our Mutual Friend (RiNo)
- Room for Milly (Highland)
- Stems Cider (RiNo)
- Sunday Vinyl
- Talnua Distillery (Arvada)
- Tatarian (Berkeley)
- The Wild (LoDo)
- Wildflower (LoHi)
- Yacht Club (Cole) Dogs + drinks, what more could you ask for
PARKS
- Cheesman Park- right next to the Botanic Gardens. A great picnic or hang out spot. Can be kind of a party park on the weekends.
- Washington Park – aka “Wash Park.” So many options with this park. You can walk/bike/skate/scoot the 2.3 mile long loop around the two lakes, stroll through the gardens, have a picnic under a tree, rent a paddleboard/boat, & more. In a beautiful neighborhood that’s equally as lovely to walk through if you like seeing pretty houses too.
- City Park – so many options in this park as well, but you won’t want to miss the view of downtown from the park at sunset.
- Sloans Lake – the loop around the lake here is better on foot, it gets a little crowded to try and navigate on a bike (but there are roads with bike lanes around it as well). Come here to hang for a while, then go grab some food at the nearby Edgewater Public Market food hall.
- Commons Park – right by REI. The Denver Skate Park can be found here, you can dip your toes in the water in summer to cool off a bit.
SHOPS
- Dairy Block – Free Market
- Tennyson Street – (Between 38th and 44th) Dona Forte, Miller Lane Mercantile, Feral, to name a few!
- South Broadway – Vintage shopping galore + more.
- RiNo- So many good boutiques scattered throughout here.
- Sacred Thistle (pictured above)
- The Conifer Shop
THINGS TO DO
- Denver Art Museum- located near the Capitol building and the Denver Public Library (both also worth exploring).
- MCA Denver – Admission is free the first Saturday of each month!
- Denver Botanic Gardens
- Red Rocks Ampitheatre – a concert here is a must if you’ve never been.
- Downtown/16th Street Mall/Larimer Square- just walking around these neighborhoods is a fun thing to do! Check out the updated Union Station, stroll through Larimer Square, cross over the river on Millennium bridge, etc.
- RiNo- Art mural exploring
STAY
- Kimpton Hotel Born
- Lifehouse Denver
- The Maven Hotel
- The Oxford Hotel
- The Ramble Hotel
- Halcyon
- The Source Hotel
TO THE MOUNTAINS!
But of course, and last but not least! Plenty of trails and outdoor activities to be had in the mountain areas surrounding Denver. Some good starting points:
- Lookout Mountain Park
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Mount Evans
- Evergreen/Conifer
