Michelin recognized 26 Denver restaurants in their inaugural and highly anticipated Colorado-based Guide. The famously anonymous MICHELIN Guide inspectors selected a diverse range of restaurants across the city that exude culinary excellence. Denver joins Boulder, Aspen and Snowmass Village, the Town of Vail and Beaver Creek Resort in the Colorado MICHELIN Guide, the eighth Guide destination in North America. Below is a list of celebrated restaurants in each category. More information about these restaurants and the MICHELIN Guide program are available on the VISIT DENVER website.
One MICHELIN Star:
- Beckon (Contemporary cuisine)
- Brutø (Mexican/Contemporary cuisine)
- The Wolf’s Tailor (Contemporary cuisine)
- MICHELIN Green Star:
- Brutø (Denver; Mexican/Contemporary cuisine)
- The Wolf’s Tailor (Contemporary cuisine)
Bib Gourmand:
- AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q (Barbecue)
- Ash’Kara (Israeli cuisine)
- The Ginger Pig (Chinese cuisine)
- Glo Noodle House (Ramen)
- Hop Alley (Chinese cuisine)
- La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal (Mexican cuisine)
- Mister Oso (Latin American cuisine)
- Tavernetta (Italian cuisine)
Denver’s 2023 Recommended restaurants:
- A5 Steakhouse
- Barolo Grill
- Dio Mio
- Fruition
- Guard and Grace
- Hey Kiddo
- Marco’s Coal Fired
- Mercantile Dining and Provision
- Noisette
- Olivia
- Potager
- Q House
- Safta
- Smok
- Temaki Den
MICHELIN Special Awards:
- Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award: Caroline Clark - The Wolf’s Tailor
- Michelin Sommelier Award: Ryan Fletter and Erin Lindstone - Barolo Grill
Following a notable 2022 in which all five of the finalists for the James Beard Best Chef Rocky Mountain Region category were from the Denver metro area and Caroline Glover of Annette won the prestigious award, in 2023, Denver had eight James Beard semifinalists, including Dana Rodriquez, nominated for Outstanding Chef for Super Mega Bien. In Food & Wine’s 2023 list of “The 10 Best U.S. Airports for Food,” Denver International Airport landed the Editor’s Pick.
Colorado as a state is among the top 10 in breweries per capita and one of the top five states with the most craft distilleries. In 2021, Esquire named Colorado, “one of the foremost states when it comes to craft whiskey,” citing two Denver distilleries, Stranahan’s and Leopold Bros., as top options (even naming the latter its No. 8 distillery in the country). This sentiment was echoed by Travel + Leisure, which ranked Leopold Bros. sixth in the country.