5 Denver Restaurants To Try Now
Denver’s restaurants are starting to re-open, albeit with new social distancing guidelines and reduced indoor capacity — but the good news is restaurants are allowed to apply for expanded outdoor capacity in the form of sidewalk seating and under tents in adjacent parking lots. And after months of being cooped up inside, we are more than ready to dine out again (safely of course) and to experience some of our favorite quarantine take-out meals in person. From craft beer and chicken and waffles at The Post Brewing Company to wood-fired pizza at Homegrown Tap & Dough to perfectly mixed cocktails and beer can chicken at Brightmarten, here are five neighborhood restaurants in the Mile High City to try now:
The Post Brewing Company, DU
Photo Credit: Facebook/Post Brewing Company
The Post Brewing Company has a number of locations around the Denver area including one in Rosedale by DU. We love the casual atmosphere and really good food and craft beer. Post Brewing has actually just announced they are joining 125 Colorado breweries to make a special batch of the same beer. Called the Colorado Strong Pale Ale, it uses all Colorado ingredients and the same recipe as the other breweries. Proceeds from the sales of this special batch ale will benefit health care, hospitality, service industry and gig economy workers who have all suffered economically during the coronavirus pandemic. It is an initiative we at Frontgate are happy to cheers to support — look for the beer to be available sometime in June.
Besides a great list of beers, Post does some top quality food, and is especially known for its chicken dishes. One option you should absolutely not miss is the Chicken and Waffles. It is a family favorite. They also do some creative sandwich choices like the BLT meets fried chicken combo featured in the above photo. Make sure to order it with a side of green chili mac and cheese.
Homegrown Tap and Dough, Wash Park
Photo Credit: Facebook/Homegrown Tap & Dough
Located in the Old South Gaylord Street shopping district, Homegrown Tap and Dough is one of our go to spots for wood fired pizza and craft beers. They also have a large patio, which makes them perfect for Covid Era eating out.
The menu here definitely focuses on wood-fired pizzas and you can choose to build your own or order one of their signatures like the “Rustic Burger”, which comes topped with BBQ sauce, smoked mozzarella, chicken, bacon, caramelized onions, oregano, and green chili. We also love their salads and artisan main courses. These include fresh made-in house pastas including gluten free options.
Brightmarten, Bonnie Brae
Photo Credit: Facebook/Brightmarten
We absolutely love this relatively new neighborhood restaurant in Bonnie Brae for their home-style cooking and perfectly balanced craft cocktails. Run by chef/owner Jack Grant, who opened Brightmarten after spending 6 years at Euclid Hall, the focus on the food here is American comfort with a side of creativity. We loved the beer can chicken when we ordered via delivery during Denver’s shelter in place order so much we got it twice. But Brightmarten does a lot of other excellent dishes as well.
Start with an order of the fried green tomatoes. The are made extra crispy by a layer of crushed potato chips and cornmeal and come with a side of pimento cheese. The beef stroganoff is another popular pick and made with extra wide noodles and shredded beef short ribs.
Pino’s Place, Wellshire
Photo Credit: Facebook/Pino’s Place
In the Wellshire neighborhood, Pino’s Place serves up authentic Italian fare that our family just loves. During the shelter in place we ordered from Pino’s a number of times. Start with their Ravioli Fritti, which is pictured above. It is a fried cheese stuffed pasta with a fresh tomato dipping sauce. From here move on to one of the pasta mains like the Pappardelle con Ragu, which is a wide noodle topped with a flavorful beef bolognese sauce.
Pino’s also does excellent pizzas. These are made with very crispy and thin crusts so they aren’t too overwhelming. The Calabrase is quite good with a white sauce, gorgonzola, soppressata, red pepper flakes and red onions. Pair it with one of their salad selections with range from a caesar to a house salad that can be ordered family sized.
Jerusalem Restaurant, DU
Photo Credit: Facebook/Jerusalem Restaurant
Jerusalem has been serving up fresh, locally sourced and relatively health Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fare to Denver restaurants for more than 35 years now. There is a reason locals keep returning to this stalwart spot on Evans Avenue just a few blocks from DU. There food is just that good. Whether you go for the gyros like the ones pictured above or a vegetarian falafel plate or pita it is hard to go wrong ordering at Jerusalem.
Start with a bowl of hummus or an order of grape leaves before moving on to the mains. You can choose from falafel, chicken or beef and lamb gyro or shawarmas, which can be ordered as a pita sandwich or as a plate with sides. Make sure to save room for dessert as they do very good baklava among other sweet treats. Jerusalem also has patio seating.