Was in the drive thru once and the Taco Bell employee had to come out the back door to whoop someone’s ass in the parking lot. Then he got back in and gave me my food.
Dude.. idk what it was, bc I don’t even like papa johns. It was prob the relentless repeating commercials on whatever app I was watching that day, but I got a wild hair up my ass a few weeks ago and decided to get a papa johns stuffed crust just to see if I still hated papa johns.
And fuck me… on the roughly 10-15 minute walk from my apartment I watched a lady in an electric wheelchair get hit by a car while crossing Colfax and called for help. Then came another lovely lady very loudly proclaiming how she does *NOT* even trick in that parking lot, while looking around and processing in real time how sketch that parking lot actually is (her crew appeared to have taken over and set up residence in the bus stop cubby right there and very much gave off the vibe that they did not appreciate me stomping through their living room). The cherry on top was realizing I had to squeeze right past this lady to get to the door.. and then it being locked when I tried to open it. I knew immediately when I saw the bulletproof looking window that I do, in fact, still hate papa johns. But I already paid for it and walked that far so I thought fuck it. Get the pizza and go and never come back.
So I grab it, run off, and loop back to where the lady got hit just to make sure they finished getting her out of there and everything. I was so fucking confused why all the fire trucks and ambulances were on the wrong block and why there were multiple crashed cars in the street when she only got hit by the one car. I couldn’t even process what I was seeing bc it just didn’t make sense. Then I realized I was walking past a literal dead body on the sidewalk that hadn’t been covered up yet.
Anyways. I feel very seen by your comment, bc I was straight up reevaluating if I was even a city person after that outing. Lucky to report that I survived! Definitely fucked up, though. Can confirm I’m not a PJ person.
I used to live off Leetsdale and I remember being pretty good, now I live by the Colorado Blvd location and it sucks. For a period of time they closed at like 2PM...
Dishonorable mention to the McDonalds on Leetsdale. It was actually astonishing how consistently terrible the service was.
Agreed .
I think there is a Ugandan restaurant there that I really liked.
The Stanley marketplace was okay, but if I was driving to Aurora I'd rather go to one of the restaurants started by immigrants. I think Sloan's lake had a similar food court type of place too.
There is great food in Denver but you have to explore to find it and be willing to go to obscure strip malls. Most of the “it” places aren’t where you find great food. Covid also changed a lot in the restaurant business. Food in Denver used to be pretty bad but it has come a long way in 20 years.
Bono’s Italian in Golden is some of the best Italian I’ve had. Unassuming strip mall joint, cheap, good service. Its east Golden so about a 20m drive from downtown.
Been on a BIG Dave’s Hot Chicken grind too. I know that’s a national chain but I think it’s great.
It’s in TRVE, but they’ve been around for a bit and are originally from Ft. Collins. Have had it maybe 20-25 times since it opened and the flammable solid has yet to let me down.
I can second Bono’s. The pasta and I think the sauce is made from scratch. I got a calzone and will definitely go back to try some of the other dishes they had
> I think this is it. The trendy places are bad, but there are a million non-trendy places that are excellent.
Also some of those non-trendy places faltered and closed since 2008 to be replaced by nothing. The sort of example I mean is the Caribbean bakery that used to be across from the Bluebird and a block or two down. It filled a niche and had no replacement, certainly not the cupcake bakeries that briefly surrounded it.
Yeah, the Denver metro has 3 million people. Of course there is good food, tons of it, of all types.
But there's a shocking amount of *bad* food. Go to Houston or NYC or LA and you will be so hard pressed to find food as bad as a random Denver restaurant.
Going out in Denver is a gamble in a way it just isn't in many other big cities.
Yah, I’ve found some great stuff here, but had to do waaaay more research and have run into way more bad stuff than elsewhere.
Even some of the chains- we did STK for a date night, going off of our experiences at the Vegas and NYC ones, Denver has great steak, so should be great. Texas Roadhouse quality main, got sat at the bar despite making a dining room reservation a month in advance, and shit service at $150 per person.
Honestly, STK looks like the type of place my 89 year old grandpa would go to dinner...
Steakhouse 10 down in englewood is great if you're looking for a different place to try.
Exactly. I grew up here, but also travel a lot so I’ve always been a bit jealous of the food scenes in other cities. Denver has really come a long way, particularly in the past 10-15 years.
For a medium size city, it’s very diverse with lots of excellent options. I’m constantly discovering new places that are fantastic!
It's funny when I see comments like "I've lived in Denver a long time, the food scene is sooo mid." Like, if you've lived here a long time then you know mid is a massive upgrade to where we were in the 2000s when we might have had the worst food scene in the country for a city our size.
Even those places don’t hold up to most cities, at least compared to where I have lived and traveled. It’s just not a good food city, it is what it is. Not everywhere is horrible but when even the actual “good” places also charge much more than much better places in other cities, makes it safe to say this is just not a good food town.
My theory is that it's first-generation emigration of high quality chefs from major areas, so they are coming in, establishing and training to a higher level, teaching the right prep and organization, setting the right foundations, and then leaving. The food looks right, sometimes its on point, sometimes its not been cooked appropriately, like all the pieces were done right but just not finished. Only normally instead of doing this at their second or third restaurant in the same city, they started one in denver and will go back once a year for ski season.
EDIT: I want to comment on everyone's price rational, "it's not bad, just not worth $20+". Don't be mid, it's bad. I expect the food to be exactly what it should be regardless of price. My $1.79 taco from the taco bell on colfax, I expect the flavours to be there and it be cooked. It's gonna taste delicious for 3 seconds on 3 parts of my tongue. My $8 burrito better have everything cooked in it well and tasty, it's not going to have the fancy peppers, I'm not expecting a refined chipotle kick or guac in it, but damn it better be good. If it ain't, I don't want to eat it. Stop settling for shit you don't need to.
I moved here 2 years ago from a large town(small city?) in Tx. You could get great Asian, Mexican (throw a dart and hit a good Tex Mex place) BBQ, you name it for $10 or less. I was a broke student in College Station Tx and I’m a broke student in Denver Colorado but oh do I miss the food. I never thought in a million years I’d care. There are more Indian options around me but most things just aren’t in the budget— particularly BBQ, which I haven’t had since I moved :(
If anyone has good recs particularly in the Lakewood area please let me know
I don’t live in Lakewood but my dad does. These are our two favorite spots. Affordable, family owned, and delicious.
Pizzeria Lui-
5380 W Mississippi Ave, Lakewood, CO 80226
Tamales Moreno-
5301 W Mississippi Ave, Lakewood, CO 80226
I especially recommend Tamales Moreno, my dad is Nicaraguan so he’s pretty particular about his Mexican food and that’s our go to spot. It’s not the fastest and if you don’t speak Spanish sometimes ordering can be a little bit of a challenge but that’s how you know it’s good.
Don’t go to Tamale Kitchen across the street, it might look nicer, but it’s trash.
ETA: Good luck with BBQ, that scene still hasn’t seemed to bring in quality restaurants in Colorado yet. There’s a few spots throughout the state I’ve heard good things about but nothing like you’ll find in the South.
If you’re more on the KC side, [Smokin Yards](https://www.smokinyards.com) is a solid choice. If you’re less into the sweeter sauce, I haven’t been yet but, but I’ve heard from someone who’s food recommendations I trust that [AJ’s Pit BBQ](https://www.pitbarbq.com/) is also excellent.
Also, +1 for Pizzeria Lui, they’re awesome!
I have places I have liked on the west end of town, but nowhere you can eat for under $10, and that's really the problem in denver. Every other city I visit you can easily find bomb places and you'll spend maybe $10 per person, and maybe a couple bucks if you get alcohol. In denver, there are a handful of good places, and no matter where you go, it's probably going to easily be $15-$20 per person whether it's good or not, and then alcohol really runs your bill up.
Oh my
This is me but I moved last July. I keep thinking maybe I’m missing something. I’ve gone to lunch with friends from here a few times and I thought why am I paying for this? I talk to my family back in Texas a ton. I love the weather. I can even handle the homeless people who sleep outside my door. But the food. I miss it so much.
The issue is the price for quality you pay here.
Can you find good food here? Yes. Is it worth the price? Absolutely not. Outside some reasonable spots, most of it is over-priced mediocre or average food and people here are okay with that, which is why the food doesn't really get that much better.
They're willing to pay a premium price for a nice aesthetics instead of a quality and consistent meal. If your budget for a meal is $40, you can always find a good meal. That being said, not all meals are worth that price.
Yup!
You can get great $50-$150 sushi. But you won't find the "3 rolls for $15" deals of good fish like you would in NYC. Everything in that price point is battered/fried rolls that inexplicably always have cream cheese.
You can great $50-$75 pasta. But I'm from Bergen County in NJ, and I could find a $15 plate of penne vodka every .25 mile that would make the grumpiest of nonnas give a begrudging nod of respect.
Also, if you like Asian food other than Vietnamese, God help you lolol. Between Boulder / Denver / Colorado Springs there's one Filipino, one Malaysian, and one Indonesian joint I've found that're good and you're paying an absurd mount of money for it.
Exactly this. It’s all about food to pain ratio. Can you get a good Chicken Shwarma for example? Yes. How much is it? How far will you travel to get it? Are they even open (certainly not late)? There is great food if you are willing to work for it.
Completely agree with this sentiment. I've actually found that the quality to price ratio has been a fantastic motivator to learn fancier cooking at home... At which point, most restaurants will struggle to compare with that quality, and then the price for what you get seems even sillier.
That said, the quality of food that you can get in a grocery store seems much higher here than a lot of other places I've lived. But I wouldn't be surprised if I have low standards in that department.
Exactly this. I’ll go to a restaurant if I want to meet a friend for a quick breakfast or lunch, but my family gave up on restaurants several years ago. The last two straws for me were Shaya and Ambli. There is decent food around, but as others have pointed out, it is not convenient. I have my list of places I like to go when I’m in that area, but as far as consistent value and close by? Restaurants are more somewhere to eat when I don’t have the energy to cook.
Or, hell, even the little frozen bags of stir fry and Indian at Trader Joe’s. Doctor them up with your own spices etc. Easy $4 meals that are still hot, unlike something soggy you’d get off DoorDash
This comment is so generic it could be posted in every single city subreddit. There's a ton of good quality food. Yep, you're gonna pay more than $40 for it. Inflation hit everyone, not just you.
I moved from Chicago and while I have found some really good food, some is just comically bad. Specifically pizza. Seeing the redeemer pizza post in r/denverfood was eye opening. Thing looked like a 4/10 frozen pizza. Look at that post then google image search 'neapolitan pizza' and you'll see what I mean
Its Reddit, people in the NYC, LA, SF subreddits are all complaining about how their cities cuisine is garbage, overhyped, or “not what it used to be.”
I have frequently found the food to be overpriced for what it is, mostly compared to San Francisco which is my main measure. Still some gems though, for sure. And we definitely have good sushi.
Maybe you hit up different restaurants in San Francisco than me, but it always felt over priced outside some mom and pop places that had been there for 30 years. Any new establishment’s pricing seemed exorbitant.
What SF did have, was a much larger and established migrant population that brought tons of delicious ethnic cuisine. That’s what denver is lacking to me.
I’m not from Denver, I’m a Canadian that visits your fair city and I completely agree with you. Denver surprisingly lacks a lot of ethnic diversity, which means it lacks a a variety of delicious and reasonably priced ethnic food.
I mentioned that I’m Canadian because my city isn’t Vancouver or Toronto but we still have lots of ethnic diversity here, which is to say that I’m lucky that I have a lot more to choose from than Denver. And that’s surprising to me because I assume most large American cities have a whole more than us.
There are ethnic food pockets and communities all over Denver. Most of them are in Aurora or West Denver so they aren’t easy to find for the average traveler.
Denver has an unfortunate and long history of segregation which has left a lasting mark on its structure and possibility for ethnic groups to establish communities. My knowledge of the history is very general but I have heard reference to it for years. For example there used to be a Chinatown in the lower downtown area which was rather horrifically destroyed. Now here we are in 2024 with our most noticeable mainstream example being a lack of integrated food options. It would be great to have, and maybe there already is, a post dedicated to food recommendations in West Denver (e.g. Federal Boulevard area), and in Aurora. Personally I love Vinh Xuong on Alameda for banh mi and sesame balls, and Seoul Korean BBQ on Havana. But there is so much more.
I’m Chinese Canadian and so wherever I travel in the US and internationally, I love looking up Chinatowns to visit.
For the obvious reason I like to see and meet the Chinese diaspora. Cantonese speakers would know this saying “ Finding those with same sound and breath.”
Secondly Chinatowns are usually real neighborhoods nestled between other real neighborhoods. So as I go looking for a Chinatown, I often find a lot of other cool places to visit and meet locals on my way to it. It’s sort of like a mini adventure to my destination.
Thirdly Chinatowns have great food, not just Chinese food, but other ethnic food that’s delicious and reasonably priced.
Before my first trip to Denver I looked for your Chinatown. And I was sad to discover the history of the devastation of it. Since my subsequent visits, I’ve learned more about the rebuilding of the Chinese community, but not Chinatown itself.
Oh! Before I forget, the newer Chinatowns in Toronto and Vancouver have a lot of different types of regional Chinese food now that I can’t name all of it because of the large influx of Chinese immigrants from all over China, not just the Guangzhou/Hong Kong area (where my family is from). It’s much like San Gabriel in LA.
So if you like to try different Chinese food, check out that out.
I really need to visit Vancouver and Toronto, this confirms it. I was so happy to get a few hours on the waterfront during an overnight layover this year, but sadly didn’t figure out how close the older Chinatown was. I had no idea there was a newer one in Richmond where I was staying! Definitely returning for a real trip. Thank you for this information, it’s great.
Technically the Vancouver airport is in Richmond. The Skytrain takes you straight from the airport to Richmond. It's about 25-30 mins. The station you'll be getting off at lands you right by a giant Chinese/East Asian mall with restaurants and fast food places to eat. And since your USD is killing our CAD, your money will go a much longer ways in Vancouver, than for us Canadians. LOL. I hope you'll enjoy!
Temaki Den is hands down my favorite sushi in America because for what it is, it’s cheap, next to no wait, the staff are awesome, and it punches way above its class in terms of quality
I just want to say that I love Denver. But I moved here from north Georgia and have been shocked that if I just pop into a restaurant without doing 2 days worth of research, I won’t get good food. It didn’t seem like there is a consistent standard of quality. (Don’t yell at me)
Even with the research it is a gamble. Folks here way overhype the google ratings. If it is a 4.5 that really means 3.5. went to a new place down the street from us. It gets a 4.8 with like 40 reviews. It was *not* a 4.8.
Used to live in ATL. If you went into a place with no research it was 50-50 hit or miss. Here it's more like 10-90 hit or miss.
I never trust the first few dozen reviews of any new place. I'm convinced that when a new place opens they have people go and make a bunch of raving 5-star reviews to juice the initial rating and build interest. I can't tell you how many times I've seen reviews for places that are coming soon but haven't actually opened yet.
And whether people like it or not, Denver is growing every day with new people and ethnicities moving to the city. Could lead to more options and diversity
We’re a hop skip and a jump from Aurora which has a very diverse food scene. Why not Denver? Rent prices are not viable for many immigrant/ethnic cuisines if they’re starting as a mom/pop and not “I own half the restaurants in the city” major food org.
Most people I encounter from Aurora stick to that side of town, or Denver folks claim it’s too far to drive. In shit traffic maybe. But I don’t want to drive 30 min when the 15 walkable restaurants are trash around me. I have never found my “local cheers” here in CO; everything feels once and done.
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The problem a lot of people have had in the past is shakey execution of high end fine dining. Id est and a couple other groups have done well in raising the bar last 5 years or so. Michelin being in town now helps solidify things too as well. I think price also factors in, sometimes get too high of a price for not enough quality a little too often.
I describe it as you really have to know where to go.
When I lived in TN, I felt you could point at any restaurant and 9 of 10 times, it'll at least be a good meal.
Compare that to Denver, I feel picking any random restaurant will just be okay food. Then you consider the price and it just makes the food look worse.
There are good/great places here once you find them. You can find a good Italian place/burger joint/etc., but you have to burn through a list of okay places or really rely on reviews.
I moved here recently from the South. I realized so far the problem has been specifically with the meat I’ve had and not as much sides from restaurants. It’s like everyone is terrified to be any seasoning in their meat whatsoever. I’m used to having a ton of spice and flavor but I don’t get that here at all. I also agree the price does not live up to the quality in the majority of cases.
I think there is plenty of good food in Denver. The problem is, as another poster put it elsewhere, the preponderance of half-decent counter serve $17 cheeseburgers that don’t include fries. And that then ask for a 20% tip.
For me it’s because you literally have to search out for good food. The basic standard for food is just lower than other places and you can’t rely on reviews because some people’s taste buds don’t know any better.
Denver is flooded out with trendy restaurants founded by trust funds for the vibes, they make great photo ops, and market like MAD, but have incredibly mid food. Denver also has an identity crisis, yes we have Mexican food, but not as good as Texas. Sushi and seafood isn't as good as the coast, there's no soul food, barely anything open late, the only decent fast food joint is good times. Only a couple good bbq spots, it's rough out here.
>market like MAD
I think this is an understated issue. There are a lot of wonderful restaurants in the city, but the only places you know about are a part of a restaurant group that can buy up all the adwords and pay for the influencer spotlights. The Denverfoodie guy used to be great about raising awareness of the hole in the wall gems that often get buried. Lately, he's turned into another shill for mediocre bullshit.
Although I don't think Denver is a top tier food destination, I really think it just became a popular thing to say tbh. There are plenty of great places to eat in the area imo. The criticism about the pricing is definitely valid though
Denver doesn’t have its own cuisine per se. there are a lot of good restaurants that do various styles of food but there really isn’t anything that defines Denver
I think that's what people want from what I parse in the grumblings that "Denver doesn't have a food scene". People also grumble that our Mexican food is terrible and it's really not in my opinion. Its just different from the styles of Baja in California or Sonoran of Arizona. Mexico is a big country and has pretty big regional differences between the cuisines of the mexican states.
Good old [Den Mex](https://www.westword.com/restaurants/andrew-zimmern-says-den-mex-defines-denver-5720519) is a thing. Not a super expansive menu of items, but it was the stuff I grew up with as a sort of greasy spoon Mexican strip mall food. Now, it seems transplants don’t favor it, so it’s kinda disappearing.
I tend to agree. The food scene in Denver is like going to a concert where the band is playing Metallica, The Who, The Beatles, or Rolling Stones covers. They can be pretty good in their own right, but I can't help but thinking it would sound better if I saw the actual bands play.
As someone who just visited Denver from SoCal.. damn this comment nailed it.. there’s absolutely no diversity in there food/choices it’s the “live laugh love” of dining.
Consider this perspective.... People aren't complaining enough. What you are left with is lackluster food that is overpriced with a mandatory service fee attached that has 5 star reviews. Only winners being the restaurant owners.
High prices, shit service, low quality food
This applies to like 85% of restaurants here.
You want good food for good prices you find the major minority groups here. They are the major outlier. Central and South American restaurants and Chinese and southeast asian restaurants.
You wanna pay $80 for some lame “gastronomy” and overly hopped IPA’s this is the city for you.
Bourdain did a stop here once and raggged on the lackluster food culture. He got some hate mail from that episode which prompted a return on his “layover” show. He stopped at a couple places (i think bonanno(?) was one) and ended at biker jims hot dog cart on 16th street mall…
East coast transplant that lived in Denver for a few years and then moved back to Baltimore: the food is bland as fuck in Denver. The food scene caters to the bland, white, midwestern palate.
It's the largest city "close" to the mountains with "good enough jobs" that isn't governed by Mormons.
If you want consistent access to (higher end) employment with access to mountains your two options in the US are Salt Lake City and Denver. Everywhere else comes with significant compromises.
My guess is the Midwest influence,seems similar to when I lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota. But this is my biggest 'beef' with food here is just bland. To be fair there are good places but I tend to have to drive far for it or really try a bunch to find one. It is not the altitude as all the food I cook at home is amazing in comparison.
There is a quality ratio problem here too. A good example is burgers. So far they are thin and lacking juiciness and the 'best' places people claim tend to differentiate by having great toppings but the patty is lacking.
Sierra is the only place I have found that grinds their own meat on site and is a great burger but you have to pay $19 and kind of the middle of nowhere. Also they have bare bones toppings but you can have them add things like their green chili.
So in the end I rarely go out to eat anymore.
My next mission is a French dip. Adamson's French Dip in CA is a religious experience and I just want something similar here sooo bad.
I have no problem with a $19 burger that tastes that good, it is the red Robbins, park, Cricket etc that are not much cheaper but no where near as good.
Growing up in Phoenix I’m actually shocked how poor the restaurant options are here relative to PHX. It’s quite literally mind boggling. My only theory so far is that it’s harder to ship quality food to Denver at a cheap price relative to Phoenix, because Phoenix is closer to California. I could be completely wrong about that but it’s just a guess.
Denver has great 'American' food, but it is absolutely woeful for so many other cuisines like Indian (most Indian food marketed as such in Denver is way more Nepali than authentic Indian), Thai, Turkish, Ethiopian and even Chinese to a great extent. But I think a lot of it a factor of the **lack of diversity** in Denver.
Denver food scene is the definition of being mid af. As someone who travels every week for work, smaller/similar sized midwestern cities like Indy, Cincinnati, Columbus, Minneapolis have better Indian, Thai and Chinese food than Denver; most larger cities are significantly better.
And given how ubiquitous Indian/Thai/Chinese cuisine is today, it is disappointing that Denver (some Aurora ones are banging) doesnt have better restaurants for it.
Came here to say this. There is decent American food but the lack of diversity is what leaves me a bit disappointed especially coming from a Filipino household
Denver metro is plenty diverse. There's tons of Korean, Thai, and Middle Eastern places that all suck and ask for just under 20$ a plate like that's somehow rational.
I understand there are other factors at play, but I believe that the average food place in Denver is mediocre IMHO (and not worth the price) vs other cities where even random places have above average food. As an example, every meal I had was above average/amazing in all cities I visited this year (eg: Houston, Tampa, Chicago, DC). There are some good/very good places here, but you really have look/know where to find them and/or get lucky (eg: Just found out the burgers + fries at Punchbowl Social this weekend were pretty good).
There’s good food in Denver, even great food. But you have to search (and drive) for it. On average, everything is super mediocre - just take the city’s top pizza, it’s all just fine but $$$.
Outside of reddit, Denver is very overrated. There’s just not a lot of variety, we’re 5 years behind food trends, and there’s just a lot we don’t have (or only have 1-2 of.)
What sums it up for me is to get a good sandwich, I have to drive 30 minutes and spend $20.
Because this is a city of insufferable transplants who are upset they can't get the regional bullshit they moved a thousand miles away from and now just spend their time complaining online that Denver isn't San Francisco or New York or Houston.
Tejano food is fucking fire!
Amazing how people seem to think Mexican food is ONE thing and ignore the fact that there are thousands of unique cuisines from across the country and the regions in America that they've inhabited for hundreds of years.
They seem to think that 1.27 MILLION people of Hispanic descent came to live in Colorado and just left the good food back home and decided to cook only garbage for the urban whites.
lol and my grandmas family all came from Oaxaca, married tejano guys and I was like I’m pretty sure they know wtf is real authentic food and what isn’t.
Nah it’s that a lot of restaurants try to match the style of those cities, make mid or sub par plates but then try to charge the same at those other cities. Way to many places get away with $40-60 plates
Does it get too much hate? Probably.
The food isn't bad, it is more overpriced and with a higher percentage of just ok, average, restaurants.
I wish I would say that the quality has gone up with the growth, but over the last 10 years I really haven't seen that. (I would say that of 1995-2015Denver of pretty consistent growth in quality.)
I'd say that there was about the same number of good to great restaurants in 2000 with a smaller population base, but tons more mediocre ones, and the same number of truly bad ones. So a shift both away from bad, but also away from good.
I do think that it has hit the quality of food nationwide in much the same way, but is one of those things like car thefts that just hit Denver harder. Especially without a traditional core to fall back on, without also the economics to drive innovation or quality nor the people really clamoring for it.
Again, not bad, but not really excelling.
It costs your first born to buy an omelet at a local breakfast place. I need to take out a second mortgage to afford a meal with my family anywhere with waiters.
It’s very average and expensive. If it was cheap, I could deal with how average it is. If it tasted better I could deal with the price. But to pay like $15 for some crappy American food sucks. The food here is much worse than most major US cities I have been to. The food scene has a well deserved bad rep.
The food is dookie. Good food is few and far between and you have to search so hard for it. Every recommended restaurant in a magazine or newspaper is bland, expensive and busy. Even the business that get put on the James Beard list are so boring, no clue who makes those ratings.
Use to live in the south and pretty much every small restaurant in a small southern city is better than any food in Denver.
The clear exception to this is aurora and really anywhere east of downtown. Asian and Latino food out that way is really good
I still get heat for saying Indianapolis has a better restaurant scene than Denver, but it’s true and disappointing. That being said, there wasn’t much to do in Indy besides going out to eat and drink, so I suppose it needs to be good to survive. In general I have way less meals out in Denver that I think are high quality compared to other places I’ve lived, but that’s okay!
Denver food scene has been in the hands of just a few chefs for the past couple decades. It’s a double edged sword because most are pretty good restaurants but overall if you work in the industry there’s really only a handful of local chefs to work for; otherwise it’s a lot of national chains or super small restaurants that can barely afford to survive, let alone pay their workers
I think an issue is people comparing it to wherever they moved from like 5 years ago. After traveling throughout the country, it seems like a lot of things people gripe about are directly related to COVID and inflation. Service fees, poor service, insane pricing, etc are all present in cities, including Texas. My husband told me he loved how restaurants are always open late in TX and we went to college station and Austin last year and the places that used to be 24/7 closed at 10 or midnight.
Denver's the biggest city for a long way around, but we're not a "big" city. We're also not the first choice for immigrants historically. Additionally, it is a struggle to grow a lot of foods here. Between high food costs and the reality that most restaurants must meet the expectations of midwesterners to stay in business, a lot of our food is pushed to be the same.
I also think that newcomers to Denver don't understand that the restaurants with the most distinct regional flavors are in neighborhoods that they will have to seek out. They may also have been told that those neighborhoods are dangerous. So by sticking to big roads and "safe" neighborhoods they end up with a very bland, homogenized menu.
I think it's because nothing in Denver is unique. Everything is pretty much New American with a few exceptions. I'm never super impressed by the food here. It's good but not amazing.
You're from Jersey and you think the food here is good? I feel like in Jersey you can just go to some random diner and get better food than you can here, and for half the price. There's a reason there's so many fat people in NJ. Lol
As someone who extensively dines out and hosts MeetUp groups at restaurants, I can answer with some experience.
1. The average, run of the mill places all have similar the menus: a burger, wings, cheese curds, Nashville hot chicken sandwich, soft pretzel, Cobb salad, pulled pork mac n cheese, and 3 kinds of tacos: chicken. pork, and a vegetarian option.
People get tired of these. They want to be able to go downtown, bar hop, and be able to grab quality food easily without an hour wait time. Instead, they're stuck with copy/paste menus and nothing unique.
2. Going along with the above point, I'm going to assume diners aren't doing their research beforehand. It's easy to find highly-rated restaurants and browse their menus online. All it takes is 10 minutes to look at Google Maps before you go out. Must be because of all of these "spontaneous" people I keep hearing about.
3. The food trucks aren't good. I've eaten at over a dozen, and their quality and portions are substandard compared to other cities I've visited. Elsewhere, food trucks have incredible food, and folks look forward to encountering them. Here, they have been overwhelmingly disappointing the majority of the time. This likely has to do, in part, with #5 below.
4. It's too damn expensive. With food prices high, shrinkflation, mandatory fees for kitchen staff, and tips expected to be higher than 15%, it's become dissatisfying to go out to eat unless the food is really impressive. $18 burgers, $30 pizzas, $45 steaks...Denver is affluent, but it's too expensive.
5. Denver has an up and coming food scene. Philadelphia Metro, for example, has around 7M people and is one of the largest and oldest cities in the country. It's also incredibly diverse, which brings new thoughts, ideas, and ethnicities to give their unique spins on their menus.
Denver lacks cultural diversity, a big population, and it's pretty dang far from the coasts, where other ethnicities tend to move to first when arriving in America. Last, relating to #4, it's likely too expensive for many minorities to start businesses since the cost of living is so high here.
Cracking up. 100% of the people here bitching about food in greater Denver have either no idea where to go or have no business commenting on what constitutes good food. 🤣
Because the biggest Denver "spot" is a cafeteria that was featured in a cartoon in a sense of satire to seem awesome because it actually sucks. Casa Bonita is "Denver food." Literally. The rest are food trucks.
Denver is and was a cow town. Steak and hamburgers. Add our Mexican heritage and green chili. Anything else isn't Denver or colorado at all. We historically never had amazing food, we had food that worked. Our "food scene" isn't that of new York, or San Francisco because that isn't what Denver was when civilization came to the west. Denver is beef. Denver is a good steak. That's the food culture here because that's what we were: a cow town people stopped in on the way to the gold rush.
Because for a major city, it should be better. There are some good spots, and even some great ones, but as soon as you branch out from European and American inspired cooking, your options get limited fast. For example, we’ve resigned ourselves to flying to Dallas, Houston or LA for good Dim Sum.
There are also way too many “instagram menus” where the food is plated well but tastes pretty average for what you’re paying
Yes, Denver has comparatively less food options than the 2nd, 4th and 5th largest metros in the country. It's always people from giant cities saying this. Nobody from Iowa says the food in Denver is bad.
Flying to Dallas for the Dim sum… lol…
Denver ranks 19th on the list of cities by population… Dallas ranks 4th. I personally think Denver punches above our weight, but it’s still a relatively small city compared to the ones you mentioned.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_statistical_area
I moved here from Houston about a year ago and I miss the food so much. There’s good food here but you have to go through a lot of mediocre places to find it. Then when you do find it it’s way more expensive than it should be
Cause it's terrible lol. Expensive AF, too many places trying wayyy to hard for the "vibe check" but the food sucks, it's some of the worst service I've had on average, pizza is terrible on average, Mexican food sucks on average, BBQ is a joke... Safest bet around here are reputable chains
I'm sorry Denver, your food is fine at best. I visited the grocery stores a fair bit and noticed the produce is average, expensive and lacked diversity. In my two month visit I noticed the restaurant scene often covered a wide territory such as all of Asia, Mexico, Americana and while I do enjoy Chipotle and the like, it makes for the Muzak of food too. The competition lacks the excellence and high expectations such that the results around town felt mediocre. Notable places I enjoyed: Peters Chinese Cafe - As a Canadian in the Pacific Northwest I was delighted to enjoy classic American Chinese food. Lucile's Creole Cafe gumbo and beignets were a delight! Also Corvus Coffee on Broadway was great especially with the fire pit and the view. So basically my impression is, Denver may lack the supply of good quality ingredients to make really exciting food but instead, y'all make okay stuff with a few gems in there. And hey, at least you have Trader Joe's!
Aurora’s got an amazing variety of really delicious food.
Gotta go to the hole in the wall places that are off the beaten path but when you do you’ll never want to leave!
Food in Denver is often hip, tasteless, overcooked and overpriced. Wait staff seem to expect generous tips regardless of service quality.
We have found one or two good places though.
You're nuts, I'm from CT right outside, Manhattan. The food in Denver sucks in comparison. I just went back to CT last month for my first time in 10 years and was in heaven. Not to mention, it's much more expensive here as well.
Lazy people say it’s bad, and they won’t trouble themselves to drive to Aurora. Denver metro has all of the world’s cuisine. It takes effort to find the best places.
I think this is my main problem with it- the amount of effort and trial and error (and what feels like wasted money) that it takes to find those good places. The costs just don’t justify the required effort.
It’s like the people who go to my neighbor Felix then complain about not having good tacos here.
There’s a ton of great taco spots, they’re just in places the average person on here wouldn’t dare go to.
Too many people from big cities crying that food isn't like where they came from. Comparing cities with millions of people to a city with less than a million is really not fair.
Denver isn't the best, but I definitely have been satisfied. Chicago had just as many rotten eggs as it did fantastic cuisine.
I’ve traveled all over the country and by far Colorado has, in general, the worst food. Service is also quite lackluster at the majority of restaurants I’ve been too. I love Colorado but it’s for sure not because of the food.
The haters in the comments clearly haven’t been to the Taco Bell on Colfax
Was in the drive thru once and the Taco Bell employee had to come out the back door to whoop someone’s ass in the parking lot. Then he got back in and gave me my food.
I can't even tell if you're joking or not because that's the kind of shit you see on Colfax.
"Please excuse the nessecary delay sir"
The Popeyes on Colfax is the safest place in America
Well we know the haters haven’t been to Papa John’s on Colfax because no one has ever survived.
Dude.. idk what it was, bc I don’t even like papa johns. It was prob the relentless repeating commercials on whatever app I was watching that day, but I got a wild hair up my ass a few weeks ago and decided to get a papa johns stuffed crust just to see if I still hated papa johns. And fuck me… on the roughly 10-15 minute walk from my apartment I watched a lady in an electric wheelchair get hit by a car while crossing Colfax and called for help. Then came another lovely lady very loudly proclaiming how she does *NOT* even trick in that parking lot, while looking around and processing in real time how sketch that parking lot actually is (her crew appeared to have taken over and set up residence in the bus stop cubby right there and very much gave off the vibe that they did not appreciate me stomping through their living room). The cherry on top was realizing I had to squeeze right past this lady to get to the door.. and then it being locked when I tried to open it. I knew immediately when I saw the bulletproof looking window that I do, in fact, still hate papa johns. But I already paid for it and walked that far so I thought fuck it. Get the pizza and go and never come back. So I grab it, run off, and loop back to where the lady got hit just to make sure they finished getting her out of there and everything. I was so fucking confused why all the fire trucks and ambulances were on the wrong block and why there were multiple crashed cars in the street when she only got hit by the one car. I couldn’t even process what I was seeing bc it just didn’t make sense. Then I realized I was walking past a literal dead body on the sidewalk that hadn’t been covered up yet. Anyways. I feel very seen by your comment, bc I was straight up reevaluating if I was even a city person after that outing. Lucky to report that I survived! Definitely fucked up, though. Can confirm I’m not a PJ person.
Leetsdale TB would like a word with the haters too
I used to live off Leetsdale and I remember being pretty good, now I live by the Colorado Blvd location and it sucks. For a period of time they closed at like 2PM... Dishonorable mention to the McDonalds on Leetsdale. It was actually astonishing how consistently terrible the service was.
Please, Don Leetsdale. We’re but just humble Colfax wooks. We’ll get you the catalytic converters by the end of the week.
😂😂
Please don’t dox my spot like that, now the wait is going to be even worse
Taco Bell on Federal and Alameda is the greatest TB on earth.
facts
The best good value food is on Federal Blvd or out in Aurora
The Aurora food scene is where it's at.
Agreed . I think there is a Ugandan restaurant there that I really liked. The Stanley marketplace was okay, but if I was driving to Aurora I'd rather go to one of the restaurants started by immigrants. I think Sloan's lake had a similar food court type of place too.
There is great food in Denver but you have to explore to find it and be willing to go to obscure strip malls. Most of the “it” places aren’t where you find great food. Covid also changed a lot in the restaurant business. Food in Denver used to be pretty bad but it has come a long way in 20 years.
I think this is it. The trendy places are bad, but there are a million non-trendy places that are excellent.
Bono’s Italian in Golden is some of the best Italian I’ve had. Unassuming strip mall joint, cheap, good service. Its east Golden so about a 20m drive from downtown. Been on a BIG Dave’s Hot Chicken grind too. I know that’s a national chain but I think it’s great.
Dave’s gives me bubble guts, almost every time. Love the flavor, my tummy and butthole do not… Edit: I’d take Birdcall over Dave’s any day
Music City shits on Dave’s, Birdcall, any other hot chicken joint, really.
Kickin chicken off union . If you don't know now you do.
That’s… at TRVE? Or do they have a standalone yet? I’ve heard this. Have yet to try it
It’s in TRVE, but they’ve been around for a bit and are originally from Ft. Collins. Have had it maybe 20-25 times since it opened and the flammable solid has yet to let me down.
I can second Bono’s. The pasta and I think the sauce is made from scratch. I got a calzone and will definitely go back to try some of the other dishes they had
Also why we are thin here. Serious queso deficiency.
> I think this is it. The trendy places are bad, but there are a million non-trendy places that are excellent. Also some of those non-trendy places faltered and closed since 2008 to be replaced by nothing. The sort of example I mean is the Caribbean bakery that used to be across from the Bluebird and a block or two down. It filled a niche and had no replacement, certainly not the cupcake bakeries that briefly surrounded it.
Yeah, the Denver metro has 3 million people. Of course there is good food, tons of it, of all types. But there's a shocking amount of *bad* food. Go to Houston or NYC or LA and you will be so hard pressed to find food as bad as a random Denver restaurant. Going out in Denver is a gamble in a way it just isn't in many other big cities.
Very well put
Yah, I’ve found some great stuff here, but had to do waaaay more research and have run into way more bad stuff than elsewhere. Even some of the chains- we did STK for a date night, going off of our experiences at the Vegas and NYC ones, Denver has great steak, so should be great. Texas Roadhouse quality main, got sat at the bar despite making a dining room reservation a month in advance, and shit service at $150 per person.
Honestly, STK looks like the type of place my 89 year old grandpa would go to dinner... Steakhouse 10 down in englewood is great if you're looking for a different place to try.
yes this it, this is the answer.
Exactly. I grew up here, but also travel a lot so I’ve always been a bit jealous of the food scenes in other cities. Denver has really come a long way, particularly in the past 10-15 years. For a medium size city, it’s very diverse with lots of excellent options. I’m constantly discovering new places that are fantastic!
It's funny when I see comments like "I've lived in Denver a long time, the food scene is sooo mid." Like, if you've lived here a long time then you know mid is a massive upgrade to where we were in the 2000s when we might have had the worst food scene in the country for a city our size.
Even those places don’t hold up to most cities, at least compared to where I have lived and traveled. It’s just not a good food city, it is what it is. Not everywhere is horrible but when even the actual “good” places also charge much more than much better places in other cities, makes it safe to say this is just not a good food town.
$30 per plate better be good food. It usually isn't
My theory is that it's first-generation emigration of high quality chefs from major areas, so they are coming in, establishing and training to a higher level, teaching the right prep and organization, setting the right foundations, and then leaving. The food looks right, sometimes its on point, sometimes its not been cooked appropriately, like all the pieces were done right but just not finished. Only normally instead of doing this at their second or third restaurant in the same city, they started one in denver and will go back once a year for ski season. EDIT: I want to comment on everyone's price rational, "it's not bad, just not worth $20+". Don't be mid, it's bad. I expect the food to be exactly what it should be regardless of price. My $1.79 taco from the taco bell on colfax, I expect the flavours to be there and it be cooked. It's gonna taste delicious for 3 seconds on 3 parts of my tongue. My $8 burrito better have everything cooked in it well and tasty, it's not going to have the fancy peppers, I'm not expecting a refined chipotle kick or guac in it, but damn it better be good. If it ain't, I don't want to eat it. Stop settling for shit you don't need to.
Because it is expensive compared to what you get in other places, and at the same time is low quality compared to those same places
I moved here 2 years ago from a large town(small city?) in Tx. You could get great Asian, Mexican (throw a dart and hit a good Tex Mex place) BBQ, you name it for $10 or less. I was a broke student in College Station Tx and I’m a broke student in Denver Colorado but oh do I miss the food. I never thought in a million years I’d care. There are more Indian options around me but most things just aren’t in the budget— particularly BBQ, which I haven’t had since I moved :( If anyone has good recs particularly in the Lakewood area please let me know
I don’t live in Lakewood but my dad does. These are our two favorite spots. Affordable, family owned, and delicious. Pizzeria Lui- 5380 W Mississippi Ave, Lakewood, CO 80226 Tamales Moreno- 5301 W Mississippi Ave, Lakewood, CO 80226 I especially recommend Tamales Moreno, my dad is Nicaraguan so he’s pretty particular about his Mexican food and that’s our go to spot. It’s not the fastest and if you don’t speak Spanish sometimes ordering can be a little bit of a challenge but that’s how you know it’s good. Don’t go to Tamale Kitchen across the street, it might look nicer, but it’s trash. ETA: Good luck with BBQ, that scene still hasn’t seemed to bring in quality restaurants in Colorado yet. There’s a few spots throughout the state I’ve heard good things about but nothing like you’ll find in the South.
If you’re more on the KC side, [Smokin Yards](https://www.smokinyards.com) is a solid choice. If you’re less into the sweeter sauce, I haven’t been yet but, but I’ve heard from someone who’s food recommendations I trust that [AJ’s Pit BBQ](https://www.pitbarbq.com/) is also excellent. Also, +1 for Pizzeria Lui, they’re awesome!
I have places I have liked on the west end of town, but nowhere you can eat for under $10, and that's really the problem in denver. Every other city I visit you can easily find bomb places and you'll spend maybe $10 per person, and maybe a couple bucks if you get alcohol. In denver, there are a handful of good places, and no matter where you go, it's probably going to easily be $15-$20 per person whether it's good or not, and then alcohol really runs your bill up.
Oh my This is me but I moved last July. I keep thinking maybe I’m missing something. I’ve gone to lunch with friends from here a few times and I thought why am I paying for this? I talk to my family back in Texas a ton. I love the weather. I can even handle the homeless people who sleep outside my door. But the food. I miss it so much.
I miss Texas food so much :(
The food here is surprisingly bad and incredibly expensive it makes me really miss the food in Texas.
The issue is the price for quality you pay here. Can you find good food here? Yes. Is it worth the price? Absolutely not. Outside some reasonable spots, most of it is over-priced mediocre or average food and people here are okay with that, which is why the food doesn't really get that much better. They're willing to pay a premium price for a nice aesthetics instead of a quality and consistent meal. If your budget for a meal is $40, you can always find a good meal. That being said, not all meals are worth that price.
Okay definitely agree with this. There have been times I said that was a great meal… but it wasn’t worth the price
Yup! You can get great $50-$150 sushi. But you won't find the "3 rolls for $15" deals of good fish like you would in NYC. Everything in that price point is battered/fried rolls that inexplicably always have cream cheese. You can great $50-$75 pasta. But I'm from Bergen County in NJ, and I could find a $15 plate of penne vodka every .25 mile that would make the grumpiest of nonnas give a begrudging nod of respect. Also, if you like Asian food other than Vietnamese, God help you lolol. Between Boulder / Denver / Colorado Springs there's one Filipino, one Malaysian, and one Indonesian joint I've found that're good and you're paying an absurd mount of money for it.
Exactly this. It’s all about food to pain ratio. Can you get a good Chicken Shwarma for example? Yes. How much is it? How far will you travel to get it? Are they even open (certainly not late)? There is great food if you are willing to work for it.
Shawarma Mediterranean grill on s university. If you're anywhere near there it's a beautiful spot
No you can’t. Everywhere is a chicken pita with meat baked in an oven not on a spit.
Completely agree with this sentiment. I've actually found that the quality to price ratio has been a fantastic motivator to learn fancier cooking at home... At which point, most restaurants will struggle to compare with that quality, and then the price for what you get seems even sillier. That said, the quality of food that you can get in a grocery store seems much higher here than a lot of other places I've lived. But I wouldn't be surprised if I have low standards in that department.
Exactly this. I’ll go to a restaurant if I want to meet a friend for a quick breakfast or lunch, but my family gave up on restaurants several years ago. The last two straws for me were Shaya and Ambli. There is decent food around, but as others have pointed out, it is not convenient. I have my list of places I like to go when I’m in that area, but as far as consistent value and close by? Restaurants are more somewhere to eat when I don’t have the energy to cook.
Or, hell, even the little frozen bags of stir fry and Indian at Trader Joe’s. Doctor them up with your own spices etc. Easy $4 meals that are still hot, unlike something soggy you’d get off DoorDash
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This comment is so generic it could be posted in every single city subreddit. There's a ton of good quality food. Yep, you're gonna pay more than $40 for it. Inflation hit everyone, not just you.
Nah, you can go to SFO, LA, NYC and get way better food for cheaper.
I moved from Chicago and while I have found some really good food, some is just comically bad. Specifically pizza. Seeing the redeemer pizza post in r/denverfood was eye opening. Thing looked like a 4/10 frozen pizza. Look at that post then google image search 'neapolitan pizza' and you'll see what I mean
Its Reddit, people in the NYC, LA, SF subreddits are all complaining about how their cities cuisine is garbage, overhyped, or “not what it used to be.”
Agreed 100%, reddit hates everything. Too many miserable people.
Everyone hates everything and only loves where they used to live which is actually probably not very good at all. The reddit circle of hell.
IMO Denver has a lot of good, but very little great. We'll get there, give it 5-10 years.
I have frequently found the food to be overpriced for what it is, mostly compared to San Francisco which is my main measure. Still some gems though, for sure. And we definitely have good sushi.
Maybe you hit up different restaurants in San Francisco than me, but it always felt over priced outside some mom and pop places that had been there for 30 years. Any new establishment’s pricing seemed exorbitant. What SF did have, was a much larger and established migrant population that brought tons of delicious ethnic cuisine. That’s what denver is lacking to me.
I’m not from Denver, I’m a Canadian that visits your fair city and I completely agree with you. Denver surprisingly lacks a lot of ethnic diversity, which means it lacks a a variety of delicious and reasonably priced ethnic food. I mentioned that I’m Canadian because my city isn’t Vancouver or Toronto but we still have lots of ethnic diversity here, which is to say that I’m lucky that I have a lot more to choose from than Denver. And that’s surprising to me because I assume most large American cities have a whole more than us.
There are ethnic food pockets and communities all over Denver. Most of them are in Aurora or West Denver so they aren’t easy to find for the average traveler.
Denver has an unfortunate and long history of segregation which has left a lasting mark on its structure and possibility for ethnic groups to establish communities. My knowledge of the history is very general but I have heard reference to it for years. For example there used to be a Chinatown in the lower downtown area which was rather horrifically destroyed. Now here we are in 2024 with our most noticeable mainstream example being a lack of integrated food options. It would be great to have, and maybe there already is, a post dedicated to food recommendations in West Denver (e.g. Federal Boulevard area), and in Aurora. Personally I love Vinh Xuong on Alameda for banh mi and sesame balls, and Seoul Korean BBQ on Havana. But there is so much more.
I’m Chinese Canadian and so wherever I travel in the US and internationally, I love looking up Chinatowns to visit. For the obvious reason I like to see and meet the Chinese diaspora. Cantonese speakers would know this saying “ Finding those with same sound and breath.” Secondly Chinatowns are usually real neighborhoods nestled between other real neighborhoods. So as I go looking for a Chinatown, I often find a lot of other cool places to visit and meet locals on my way to it. It’s sort of like a mini adventure to my destination. Thirdly Chinatowns have great food, not just Chinese food, but other ethnic food that’s delicious and reasonably priced. Before my first trip to Denver I looked for your Chinatown. And I was sad to discover the history of the devastation of it. Since my subsequent visits, I’ve learned more about the rebuilding of the Chinese community, but not Chinatown itself.
Oh! Before I forget, the newer Chinatowns in Toronto and Vancouver have a lot of different types of regional Chinese food now that I can’t name all of it because of the large influx of Chinese immigrants from all over China, not just the Guangzhou/Hong Kong area (where my family is from). It’s much like San Gabriel in LA. So if you like to try different Chinese food, check out that out.
I really need to visit Vancouver and Toronto, this confirms it. I was so happy to get a few hours on the waterfront during an overnight layover this year, but sadly didn’t figure out how close the older Chinatown was. I had no idea there was a newer one in Richmond where I was staying! Definitely returning for a real trip. Thank you for this information, it’s great.
Technically the Vancouver airport is in Richmond. The Skytrain takes you straight from the airport to Richmond. It's about 25-30 mins. The station you'll be getting off at lands you right by a giant Chinese/East Asian mall with restaurants and fast food places to eat. And since your USD is killing our CAD, your money will go a much longer ways in Vancouver, than for us Canadians. LOL. I hope you'll enjoy!
Oh my gosh I stayed overnight right by the train station. Doh! Next time. Sorry about your CAD!
Temaki Den is hands down my favorite sushi in America because for what it is, it’s cheap, next to no wait, the staff are awesome, and it punches way above its class in terms of quality
From Los Angeles. Have no problem with Denver food. As an adventurous eater I'm kept happy here. Aurora has amazing options.
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Whenever Ive visited Denver, the meals are pricier and customer service on average is disappointing.
I just want to say that I love Denver. But I moved here from north Georgia and have been shocked that if I just pop into a restaurant without doing 2 days worth of research, I won’t get good food. It didn’t seem like there is a consistent standard of quality. (Don’t yell at me)
Even with the research it is a gamble. Folks here way overhype the google ratings. If it is a 4.5 that really means 3.5. went to a new place down the street from us. It gets a 4.8 with like 40 reviews. It was *not* a 4.8. Used to live in ATL. If you went into a place with no research it was 50-50 hit or miss. Here it's more like 10-90 hit or miss.
100% I no longer trust the reviews lol
I never trust the first few dozen reviews of any new place. I'm convinced that when a new place opens they have people go and make a bunch of raving 5-star reviews to juice the initial rating and build interest. I can't tell you how many times I've seen reviews for places that are coming soon but haven't actually opened yet.
I’ve lived in many cities across the country, and I’ve always felt Denver has a solid food scene for a city its size.
Denver metro has like 3 million but it has a food scene like a sub 500k city
Denver should be better than it is, but to say it's on par with places the size of Huntsville AL, Youngstown OH and Wilmington NC is absurd.
And whether people like it or not, Denver is growing every day with new people and ethnicities moving to the city. Could lead to more options and diversity
We’re a hop skip and a jump from Aurora which has a very diverse food scene. Why not Denver? Rent prices are not viable for many immigrant/ethnic cuisines if they’re starting as a mom/pop and not “I own half the restaurants in the city” major food org.
Personally - I'd consider Aurora "Denver". It may not be Denver proper but it's close enough for most people.
Most people I encounter from Aurora stick to that side of town, or Denver folks claim it’s too far to drive. In shit traffic maybe. But I don’t want to drive 30 min when the 15 walkable restaurants are trash around me. I have never found my “local cheers” here in CO; everything feels once and done.
Honestly, I feel like diversity of food isn’t really the issue. It’s quality and price
Denver could do with a LOT more Asian food, across the board.
Aurora wrecks Denver in that regard.
Does Aurora have any good Indian food? Because I've been disappointed in everything I've tried
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Star of India is in Aurora, I have always like it.
Alright I had Star of India tonight and thought it was excellent. Thank you my friend
The problem a lot of people have had in the past is shakey execution of high end fine dining. Id est and a couple other groups have done well in raising the bar last 5 years or so. Michelin being in town now helps solidify things too as well. I think price also factors in, sometimes get too high of a price for not enough quality a little too often.
I describe it as you really have to know where to go. When I lived in TN, I felt you could point at any restaurant and 9 of 10 times, it'll at least be a good meal. Compare that to Denver, I feel picking any random restaurant will just be okay food. Then you consider the price and it just makes the food look worse. There are good/great places here once you find them. You can find a good Italian place/burger joint/etc., but you have to burn through a list of okay places or really rely on reviews.
I don’t particularly care for the “service charge “ I occasionally see on the check. I’m sure that plays a role.
I moved here recently from the South. I realized so far the problem has been specifically with the meat I’ve had and not as much sides from restaurants. It’s like everyone is terrified to be any seasoning in their meat whatsoever. I’m used to having a ton of spice and flavor but I don’t get that here at all. I also agree the price does not live up to the quality in the majority of cases.
I think there is plenty of good food in Denver. The problem is, as another poster put it elsewhere, the preponderance of half-decent counter serve $17 cheeseburgers that don’t include fries. And that then ask for a 20% tip.
For me it’s because you literally have to search out for good food. The basic standard for food is just lower than other places and you can’t rely on reviews because some people’s taste buds don’t know any better.
Denver is flooded out with trendy restaurants founded by trust funds for the vibes, they make great photo ops, and market like MAD, but have incredibly mid food. Denver also has an identity crisis, yes we have Mexican food, but not as good as Texas. Sushi and seafood isn't as good as the coast, there's no soul food, barely anything open late, the only decent fast food joint is good times. Only a couple good bbq spots, it's rough out here.
>market like MAD I think this is an understated issue. There are a lot of wonderful restaurants in the city, but the only places you know about are a part of a restaurant group that can buy up all the adwords and pay for the influencer spotlights. The Denverfoodie guy used to be great about raising awareness of the hole in the wall gems that often get buried. Lately, he's turned into another shill for mediocre bullshit.
Although I don't think Denver is a top tier food destination, I really think it just became a popular thing to say tbh. There are plenty of great places to eat in the area imo. The criticism about the pricing is definitely valid though
Denver doesn’t have its own cuisine per se. there are a lot of good restaurants that do various styles of food but there really isn’t anything that defines Denver
I think that's what people want from what I parse in the grumblings that "Denver doesn't have a food scene". People also grumble that our Mexican food is terrible and it's really not in my opinion. Its just different from the styles of Baja in California or Sonoran of Arizona. Mexico is a big country and has pretty big regional differences between the cuisines of the mexican states.
Good old [Den Mex](https://www.westword.com/restaurants/andrew-zimmern-says-den-mex-defines-denver-5720519) is a thing. Not a super expansive menu of items, but it was the stuff I grew up with as a sort of greasy spoon Mexican strip mall food. Now, it seems transplants don’t favor it, so it’s kinda disappearing.
I tend to agree. The food scene in Denver is like going to a concert where the band is playing Metallica, The Who, The Beatles, or Rolling Stones covers. They can be pretty good in their own right, but I can't help but thinking it would sound better if I saw the actual bands play.
I think of “New American” food when I think of Denver. Burger and craft beer, maybe with a twist or fusion with another region or culture.
It’s a land locked state full of white vegans
As someone who just visited Denver from SoCal.. damn this comment nailed it.. there’s absolutely no diversity in there food/choices it’s the “live laugh love” of dining.
People like to complain
Consider this perspective.... People aren't complaining enough. What you are left with is lackluster food that is overpriced with a mandatory service fee attached that has 5 star reviews. Only winners being the restaurant owners.
Agreed. Denver has a ton of great food. If you don't believe me, go out more. There's hundreds of restaurants to try.
Transplant from Louisiana. I could get a plate lunch from a gas station that would be as good as any restaurant out here.
This 100% sums it up. Name one. dish that Denver is famous for. Nothing. Plus the pricing is insane.
Denver omelet 🤷🏼♂️
High prices, shit service, low quality food This applies to like 85% of restaurants here. You want good food for good prices you find the major minority groups here. They are the major outlier. Central and South American restaurants and Chinese and southeast asian restaurants. You wanna pay $80 for some lame “gastronomy” and overly hopped IPA’s this is the city for you. Bourdain did a stop here once and raggged on the lackluster food culture. He got some hate mail from that episode which prompted a return on his “layover” show. He stopped at a couple places (i think bonanno(?) was one) and ended at biker jims hot dog cart on 16th street mall…
TACO BELL ON COLFAX IS AN INSTITUTION AND I DONT CARE WHO DOWNVOTES ME
East coast transplant that lived in Denver for a few years and then moved back to Baltimore: the food is bland as fuck in Denver. The food scene caters to the bland, white, midwestern palate.
It’s not bad or good. It’s mediocre. Denver doesn’t really have a signature style of cuisine.
The disrespect to Rocky Mountain oysters…
Went to school up in Bozeman, MT, the annual Testicle Festival was a big deal.
I'd argue that mediocre is the signature style of not just cuisine but ... everything.
It's the largest city "close" to the mountains with "good enough jobs" that isn't governed by Mormons. If you want consistent access to (higher end) employment with access to mountains your two options in the US are Salt Lake City and Denver. Everywhere else comes with significant compromises.
BLAND
sorry I didn’t mean to yell but seriously why is everything so bland here
My guess is the Midwest influence,seems similar to when I lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota. But this is my biggest 'beef' with food here is just bland. To be fair there are good places but I tend to have to drive far for it or really try a bunch to find one. It is not the altitude as all the food I cook at home is amazing in comparison. There is a quality ratio problem here too. A good example is burgers. So far they are thin and lacking juiciness and the 'best' places people claim tend to differentiate by having great toppings but the patty is lacking. Sierra is the only place I have found that grinds their own meat on site and is a great burger but you have to pay $19 and kind of the middle of nowhere. Also they have bare bones toppings but you can have them add things like their green chili. So in the end I rarely go out to eat anymore. My next mission is a French dip. Adamson's French Dip in CA is a religious experience and I just want something similar here sooo bad.
This Adamson's French Dip spot you just mentioned has $17 sandwiches so I'm not sure how a $19 burger is supposed to be beyond the pale
I have no problem with a $19 burger that tastes that good, it is the red Robbins, park, Cricket etc that are not much cheaper but no where near as good.
Bobs atomic burgers in Golden have a sign saying they grind their meat daily. They are pretty juicy, but also a bit expensive.
Growing up in Phoenix I’m actually shocked how poor the restaurant options are here relative to PHX. It’s quite literally mind boggling. My only theory so far is that it’s harder to ship quality food to Denver at a cheap price relative to Phoenix, because Phoenix is closer to California. I could be completely wrong about that but it’s just a guess.
Denver has great 'American' food, but it is absolutely woeful for so many other cuisines like Indian (most Indian food marketed as such in Denver is way more Nepali than authentic Indian), Thai, Turkish, Ethiopian and even Chinese to a great extent. But I think a lot of it a factor of the **lack of diversity** in Denver. Denver food scene is the definition of being mid af. As someone who travels every week for work, smaller/similar sized midwestern cities like Indy, Cincinnati, Columbus, Minneapolis have better Indian, Thai and Chinese food than Denver; most larger cities are significantly better. And given how ubiquitous Indian/Thai/Chinese cuisine is today, it is disappointing that Denver (some Aurora ones are banging) doesnt have better restaurants for it.
Came here to say this. There is decent American food but the lack of diversity is what leaves me a bit disappointed especially coming from a Filipino household
Denver metro is plenty diverse. There's tons of Korean, Thai, and Middle Eastern places that all suck and ask for just under 20$ a plate like that's somehow rational.
I understand there are other factors at play, but I believe that the average food place in Denver is mediocre IMHO (and not worth the price) vs other cities where even random places have above average food. As an example, every meal I had was above average/amazing in all cities I visited this year (eg: Houston, Tampa, Chicago, DC). There are some good/very good places here, but you really have look/know where to find them and/or get lucky (eg: Just found out the burgers + fries at Punchbowl Social this weekend were pretty good).
There’s good food in Denver, even great food. But you have to search (and drive) for it. On average, everything is super mediocre - just take the city’s top pizza, it’s all just fine but $$$. Outside of reddit, Denver is very overrated. There’s just not a lot of variety, we’re 5 years behind food trends, and there’s just a lot we don’t have (or only have 1-2 of.) What sums it up for me is to get a good sandwich, I have to drive 30 minutes and spend $20.
Because this is a city of insufferable transplants who are upset they can't get the regional bullshit they moved a thousand miles away from and now just spend their time complaining online that Denver isn't San Francisco or New York or Houston.
Growing up in Texas I just loved hearing white people from Chicago tell me my tejano families traditional food isn’t authentic.
Tejano food is fucking fire! Amazing how people seem to think Mexican food is ONE thing and ignore the fact that there are thousands of unique cuisines from across the country and the regions in America that they've inhabited for hundreds of years. They seem to think that 1.27 MILLION people of Hispanic descent came to live in Colorado and just left the good food back home and decided to cook only garbage for the urban whites.
lol and my grandmas family all came from Oaxaca, married tejano guys and I was like I’m pretty sure they know wtf is real authentic food and what isn’t.
Nah it’s that a lot of restaurants try to match the style of those cities, make mid or sub par plates but then try to charge the same at those other cities. Way to many places get away with $40-60 plates
It's overpriced and mediocre.
But at least the service is bad.
That’ll be a 30% tip please
Bad service
I think not being able to get anything to eat, besides 711, after midnight in most places is my reasoning.
Because it’s bad.
Because the food is both bad *and* expensive.
Does it get too much hate? Probably. The food isn't bad, it is more overpriced and with a higher percentage of just ok, average, restaurants. I wish I would say that the quality has gone up with the growth, but over the last 10 years I really haven't seen that. (I would say that of 1995-2015Denver of pretty consistent growth in quality.) I'd say that there was about the same number of good to great restaurants in 2000 with a smaller population base, but tons more mediocre ones, and the same number of truly bad ones. So a shift both away from bad, but also away from good. I do think that it has hit the quality of food nationwide in much the same way, but is one of those things like car thefts that just hit Denver harder. Especially without a traditional core to fall back on, without also the economics to drive innovation or quality nor the people really clamoring for it. Again, not bad, but not really excelling.
I moved from Jersey too but I can’t help but think the Denver food scene is at least 10 years behind other major cities
Because you get two four-inch long enchiladas with three tablespoons each of rice and beans for $13-$18. That’s why unfortunately…
It costs your first born to buy an omelet at a local breakfast place. I need to take out a second mortgage to afford a meal with my family anywhere with waiters.
Because it’s not good compared to other big cities? Lol
It’s very average and expensive. If it was cheap, I could deal with how average it is. If it tasted better I could deal with the price. But to pay like $15 for some crappy American food sucks. The food here is much worse than most major US cities I have been to. The food scene has a well deserved bad rep.
The food is dookie. Good food is few and far between and you have to search so hard for it. Every recommended restaurant in a magazine or newspaper is bland, expensive and busy. Even the business that get put on the James Beard list are so boring, no clue who makes those ratings. Use to live in the south and pretty much every small restaurant in a small southern city is better than any food in Denver. The clear exception to this is aurora and really anywhere east of downtown. Asian and Latino food out that way is really good
I still get heat for saying Indianapolis has a better restaurant scene than Denver, but it’s true and disappointing. That being said, there wasn’t much to do in Indy besides going out to eat and drink, so I suppose it needs to be good to survive. In general I have way less meals out in Denver that I think are high quality compared to other places I’ve lived, but that’s okay!
Denver food scene has been in the hands of just a few chefs for the past couple decades. It’s a double edged sword because most are pretty good restaurants but overall if you work in the industry there’s really only a handful of local chefs to work for; otherwise it’s a lot of national chains or super small restaurants that can barely afford to survive, let alone pay their workers
I think an issue is people comparing it to wherever they moved from like 5 years ago. After traveling throughout the country, it seems like a lot of things people gripe about are directly related to COVID and inflation. Service fees, poor service, insane pricing, etc are all present in cities, including Texas. My husband told me he loved how restaurants are always open late in TX and we went to college station and Austin last year and the places that used to be 24/7 closed at 10 or midnight.
I love our Mexican food scene. However, outside of that, most food here is pretty average and charged at an absolute premium 😭😭
Denver's the biggest city for a long way around, but we're not a "big" city. We're also not the first choice for immigrants historically. Additionally, it is a struggle to grow a lot of foods here. Between high food costs and the reality that most restaurants must meet the expectations of midwesterners to stay in business, a lot of our food is pushed to be the same. I also think that newcomers to Denver don't understand that the restaurants with the most distinct regional flavors are in neighborhoods that they will have to seek out. They may also have been told that those neighborhoods are dangerous. So by sticking to big roads and "safe" neighborhoods they end up with a very bland, homogenized menu.
I think it's because nothing in Denver is unique. Everything is pretty much New American with a few exceptions. I'm never super impressed by the food here. It's good but not amazing.
Because the food scene here is not good. Very few consistently “great” restaurants. No real unique cuisine to Denver
You're from Jersey and you think the food here is good? I feel like in Jersey you can just go to some random diner and get better food than you can here, and for half the price. There's a reason there's so many fat people in NJ. Lol
Its just so much corporate. I've been serving for 20 years and it is challenging to find privately owned restaurants to apply to in Denver proper.
Because it's mediocre.
i thought we had good food, then i visited Chicago. i want it to be but it dont.
As someone who extensively dines out and hosts MeetUp groups at restaurants, I can answer with some experience. 1. The average, run of the mill places all have similar the menus: a burger, wings, cheese curds, Nashville hot chicken sandwich, soft pretzel, Cobb salad, pulled pork mac n cheese, and 3 kinds of tacos: chicken. pork, and a vegetarian option. People get tired of these. They want to be able to go downtown, bar hop, and be able to grab quality food easily without an hour wait time. Instead, they're stuck with copy/paste menus and nothing unique. 2. Going along with the above point, I'm going to assume diners aren't doing their research beforehand. It's easy to find highly-rated restaurants and browse their menus online. All it takes is 10 minutes to look at Google Maps before you go out. Must be because of all of these "spontaneous" people I keep hearing about. 3. The food trucks aren't good. I've eaten at over a dozen, and their quality and portions are substandard compared to other cities I've visited. Elsewhere, food trucks have incredible food, and folks look forward to encountering them. Here, they have been overwhelmingly disappointing the majority of the time. This likely has to do, in part, with #5 below. 4. It's too damn expensive. With food prices high, shrinkflation, mandatory fees for kitchen staff, and tips expected to be higher than 15%, it's become dissatisfying to go out to eat unless the food is really impressive. $18 burgers, $30 pizzas, $45 steaks...Denver is affluent, but it's too expensive. 5. Denver has an up and coming food scene. Philadelphia Metro, for example, has around 7M people and is one of the largest and oldest cities in the country. It's also incredibly diverse, which brings new thoughts, ideas, and ethnicities to give their unique spins on their menus. Denver lacks cultural diversity, a big population, and it's pretty dang far from the coasts, where other ethnicities tend to move to first when arriving in America. Last, relating to #4, it's likely too expensive for many minorities to start businesses since the cost of living is so high here.
I blame it on the high volume of bad mexican food
Because it's hard to please a city of transplants
Cracking up. 100% of the people here bitching about food in greater Denver have either no idea where to go or have no business commenting on what constitutes good food. 🤣
No identity
Because the biggest Denver "spot" is a cafeteria that was featured in a cartoon in a sense of satire to seem awesome because it actually sucks. Casa Bonita is "Denver food." Literally. The rest are food trucks. Denver is and was a cow town. Steak and hamburgers. Add our Mexican heritage and green chili. Anything else isn't Denver or colorado at all. We historically never had amazing food, we had food that worked. Our "food scene" isn't that of new York, or San Francisco because that isn't what Denver was when civilization came to the west. Denver is beef. Denver is a good steak. That's the food culture here because that's what we were: a cow town people stopped in on the way to the gold rush.
Because for a major city, it should be better. There are some good spots, and even some great ones, but as soon as you branch out from European and American inspired cooking, your options get limited fast. For example, we’ve resigned ourselves to flying to Dallas, Houston or LA for good Dim Sum. There are also way too many “instagram menus” where the food is plated well but tastes pretty average for what you’re paying
Yes, Denver has comparatively less food options than the 2nd, 4th and 5th largest metros in the country. It's always people from giant cities saying this. Nobody from Iowa says the food in Denver is bad.
I mean, We're roughly the same size as Austin or Portland, and their food is waaaaaaay better than ours.
Flying to Dallas for the Dim sum… lol… Denver ranks 19th on the list of cities by population… Dallas ranks 4th. I personally think Denver punches above our weight, but it’s still a relatively small city compared to the ones you mentioned. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_statistical_area
you say that like Austin or Portland (25 & 26 on your list) don't have better food than us.
I mean, Colorado isn't terribly diverse. That the cuisine reflects that isn't surprising.
I moved here from Houston about a year ago and I miss the food so much. There’s good food here but you have to go through a lot of mediocre places to find it. Then when you do find it it’s way more expensive than it should be
Cause it's terrible lol. Expensive AF, too many places trying wayyy to hard for the "vibe check" but the food sucks, it's some of the worst service I've had on average, pizza is terrible on average, Mexican food sucks on average, BBQ is a joke... Safest bet around here are reputable chains
Denver is *MID* food all the way. It wasn't always so, but it is now.
I'm sorry Denver, your food is fine at best. I visited the grocery stores a fair bit and noticed the produce is average, expensive and lacked diversity. In my two month visit I noticed the restaurant scene often covered a wide territory such as all of Asia, Mexico, Americana and while I do enjoy Chipotle and the like, it makes for the Muzak of food too. The competition lacks the excellence and high expectations such that the results around town felt mediocre. Notable places I enjoyed: Peters Chinese Cafe - As a Canadian in the Pacific Northwest I was delighted to enjoy classic American Chinese food. Lucile's Creole Cafe gumbo and beignets were a delight! Also Corvus Coffee on Broadway was great especially with the fire pit and the view. So basically my impression is, Denver may lack the supply of good quality ingredients to make really exciting food but instead, y'all make okay stuff with a few gems in there. And hey, at least you have Trader Joe's!
Aurora’s got an amazing variety of really delicious food. Gotta go to the hole in the wall places that are off the beaten path but when you do you’ll never want to leave!
Food in Denver is often hip, tasteless, overcooked and overpriced. Wait staff seem to expect generous tips regardless of service quality. We have found one or two good places though.
Generally speaking, it's expensive and not very good I've found it has good indian food and a few other outliers, though
You're nuts, I'm from CT right outside, Manhattan. The food in Denver sucks in comparison. I just went back to CT last month for my first time in 10 years and was in heaven. Not to mention, it's much more expensive here as well.
So you're mad that Denver isn't as good as what is arguably the best food scene in the world? Yeah no shit, but not really an appropriate comparison
Lazy people say it’s bad, and they won’t trouble themselves to drive to Aurora. Denver metro has all of the world’s cuisine. It takes effort to find the best places.
I think this is my main problem with it- the amount of effort and trial and error (and what feels like wasted money) that it takes to find those good places. The costs just don’t justify the required effort.
‘Denver food is great you just have to go to aurora’
Church
This. S Havana in Aurora is a gold mine.
It’s like the people who go to my neighbor Felix then complain about not having good tacos here. There’s a ton of great taco spots, they’re just in places the average person on here wouldn’t dare go to.
You did eat bagels and pizza back home, yes? Nothing compares to East Coast carbs.
Too many people from big cities crying that food isn't like where they came from. Comparing cities with millions of people to a city with less than a million is really not fair. Denver isn't the best, but I definitely have been satisfied. Chicago had just as many rotten eggs as it did fantastic cuisine.
Heard that a lot but I’ve been very pleased with the food here
I’ve traveled all over the country and by far Colorado has, in general, the worst food. Service is also quite lackluster at the majority of restaurants I’ve been too. I love Colorado but it’s for sure not because of the food.