Thanksgiving is all about the food — but that doesn't mean you have to be the one to cook it! If you want to celebrate without spending hours over the stove, some of Denver's best restaurants have a solution. From traditional offerings to more exotic fare, check out these Thanksgiving meals for takeout. Order soon, though! The deadlines are fast approaching.
Traditional Comfort Food
Back to Top of ListGuard and Grace
Price: $225 for a box of sides; $100 to add a turkey box (serves: 6)
Order by: 11/18 | Pick up: 11/23 @noon
Guard and Grace is offering 50 “Airline Turkey Breast” boxes and 25 “Everything But the Bird” boxes. The just-the-sides box includes turkey neck stuffing with French onion gravy, winter salad greens with lemon honey vinaigrette, killer mashed potatoes with cultured butter and chives, sautéed green beans, house rolls, pumpkin pie with chantilly cream, and Troy's triple chocolate chip cookies.
Kachina Cantina
Price: $28
Pick up: 11/24 (until 7:30 p.m.)
Let Kachina Cantina do all the cooking this year, whether you choose to dine in at the restaurant with family and friends, or take the meal to-go. For only $28, guests can enjoy a Thanksgiving turkey plate with roasted turkey, whipped Yukon potatoes, garlic haricot verts, honey-roasted baby carrots, apple sauce, cranberry sauce, brown gravy and a french roll. Add a slice of pumpkin pie with candied pepitas and vanilla whipped cream for only $7.
Mizuna
Price: $180 (serves 2)
Order by: ASAP | Pick up: 11/23
With just a few minutes of prep time, you’ll have something divine and not many dishes to clean up. You get: sliced turkey breast; garlic thyme gravy and house-made stuffing; roasted Brussel sprouts with bacon, apples, caramelized onion and mustard; brown butter potatoes with black truffle; butternut squash salad, spiced plum vinaigrette, pomegranate seeds, Parmesan Crisp; Mizuna's famous lobster mac and cheese; Gerry's dinner roll with butter; and huckleberry cobbler with praline ice cream and pecan streusel.
Russell’s Smokehouse
Price: $27.50 (serves 1)
Pick up: 11/24
Feast on your own schedule by following the reheating instructions for this delicious feast: smoked whole turkey, sweet potato casserole with pecan streusel, turkey gravy, mac and cheese, honey-glazed carrots, cornbread stuffing, dinner rolls and bourbon peach cobbler.
Denver Milk Market
Price: $250 (serves 6)
Pick up: 11/23
They’re calling this one DIY, but you get some help from amazing chefs. Your guests don’t necessarily need to know. It starts with a marinated local turkey that’s all ready to cook, plus garlic mashed potatoes and turkey gravy, cranberries, classic stuffing, green bean almandine, Hawaiian rolls, and house-made pie.
Mondo Market
Price: $57.99–179.98 (serves 2–8)
Order by: 11/14
Don’t slave in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day; instead, fake it ‘til you make it by heading to Mondo Market at Stanley Marketplace. Pick up a full Thanksgiving meal to take home for groups of all sizes from two all the way up to eight. It includes roasted or fresh turkey, sides, smoked holiday hams, salads and charcuterie boards. Meals come with traditional sides and condiments like cranberry orange relish and beet salad. They also have pies, gelato, single barrel bourbon and family-style negroni available!
Order online (You'll find add-on options under the Thanksgiving tab.)
Urban Farmer Denver
Price: $110 (serves 2) | $300 (serves 6–8)
Order by: 11/22 | Pick up: 11/24 (noon to 5 p.m.)
You get a Colorado-raised turkey (12–14 pounds), house-made cranberry orange marmalade, smashed red potatoes, baked yams, Brussels sprouts, cornbread stuffing with fennel sausage and dried fruit, natural turkey jus and traditional pumpkin pie.
Order online
A Twist on the Classic
Back to Top of ListChook Charcoal Chicken
Price: Varies
Order by: ASAP
Supplies are going fast, so order soon. In addition to rotisserie chicken options, there are lots of great sides still available like party-size sweet potatoes, stuffing, gravy, rolls, butter squash and pies. Plus, there are drink options like the fabulous Attimo Wine. Chook will also be open on 11/25 for all post-Thanksgiving noshing needs.
Lou’s Food Bar
Price: $50 (serves 4)
Order by: ASAP | Pick up: 11/23
Make it a friendsgiving with a whole fried chicken (hot, medium or naked), plus your choice of four sides and a pint of gelato.
Vesper Lounge
Price: $9 (serves 1)
Order by: ASAP | Pick up: 11/23
Order the famous Juicy D burger (cheese stuffed into the patty so you get a cheesy, molten center) in kit form where you cook it at home. Burger, buns and caramelized onions are included. Add some beer and sides from Lou’s Food Bar next door.
Salt & Grinder
Price: $30 (serves 2)
Order by: N/A | Pick up: throughout November
Midnight snackers can stop dreaming about leftovers with this kit: a slab of bread, cranberry sauce, oven-roasted turkey, stuffing, gravy and green beans.
International Fare
Back to Top of ListTavernetta
Price: $125 (serves 2)
Order by: 11/17 | Pick up: 11/22 or 11/23 (select a time slot)
This upscale Italian hotspot is serving up insalata mista, focaccia, lasagne ai funghi and a bottle of Chianti Classico for two! They also have pies, gelato, single-barrel bourbon and family-style negroni available.
Luca
Price: $120 (serves 2)
Order by: ASAP | Pick up: 11/23 or 11/24
Have a taste of Italy this year. You get: porchetta an au jus, three-cheese cavatelli, green bean casserole, roasted sweet potatoes, house ciabatta bread and pumpkin pie cheesecake.
Osteria Marco
Price: $120 (serves 2)
Order by: ASAP | Pick up: 11/23
For another taste of Italy, try this tavern. Instead of traditional turkey, you get slow-roasted rosemary pork loin, roasted fingerling potatoes, grilled broccolini, panzanella stuffing with Italian sausage, classic baked rigatoni and apple crumble cannolis.
French 75
Price: $60 (serves 1)
Pick up: 11/23
Transport yourself to Paris by feasting on duck a l’orange, plus berry citrus salad, roasted asparagus, delicate squash casserole, Frankie’s tagliatelle and pecan pie.
Sushi-Rama
Price: Starts at $66 for 68 pieces
Create an (almost)-all-you-can-eat sushi bar for your Thanksgiving from Denver’s favorite conveyor-belt sushi concept! Platters include classics (like the California and spicy tuna roll) and one-of-a-kind creations like the Pumpkin Dragon roll (with Japanese pumpkin tempura and marinated kelp topped with an avocado and honey glaze).
Order 24 hours in advance through ChowNow under "Catering Platters."
Noisette
Price: Varies
Order by: 11/20 | Pick up: 11/21–11/24 (until noon)
Add a refined taste to your holiday festivities with Noisette's pre-order menu! Start your guests off with some cheeses, meats, olives and cornichons. Then, take your main course to the next level with options like duck confit ($22), stuffing ($20), pommes purée ($20) and, of course, a baguette ($6) (+ butter) fresh from their bakery. And don't forget the desserts you can crust (😉) are going to be a crowd-pleaser with their 9-inch apple, pumpkin and pecan pies ($40 each).
Vegan/Vegetarian Options
Back to Top of ListVital Root
Price: $39 (serves 1)
Pick up: 11/22 or 11/23
Make sure everyone feels included with a delicious vegan and gluten-free meal, featuring roasted acorn squash with heirloom Anasazi beans, lentils, Himalayan red rice, figs and creamy Muhammara sauce; parsnip and turnip mashed potatoes with celery root gravy; roasted vegetables with Brussels sprouts, tamari mushrooms, butternut squash and smoked almond pesto; and sun-dried tomato focaccia. Plus, sweet potato pumpkin pie with coconut vanilla cream and candied pepitas. Each meal is portioned for one person. Add on extra sides, full-size pies, cookies, cocktails and wine to complete the feast!
Nest Cafe at Nurture
Price: $32 per side item (each side serves 4)
Order by: 11/20 Pick up: 11/23
Have a healthy Thanksgiving with signature gluten-free and vegan holiday sides, plus dessert, made without refined sugars, oils or gluten. The sides are hazel dell mushroom stuffing, golden root sweet potatoes and green bean casserole. A pumpkin pie with candied pecans is available for $48. Bundle the three slides plus pie for $144 and get a $25 gift card to Nest or Rewild.
Drinks, Appetizers, Sides & Desserts
Back to Top of ListRioja
Order by: 11/18 | Pick up by: 11/22 and 11/23 from 2–5 p.m.
Let Pastry Chef Eric Dale and his crew help you entertain this Thanksgiving with pies, breads and biscuits from the Rioja bakeshop. They're offering: sweet potato toasted marshmallow pie ($40), french silk pie ($40), bourbon pecan pie ($40), lavender sourdough boule loaf ($12) and rosemary goat cheese biscuits ($12 per dozen).
To place an order, please call (303) 820-2282 and have a credit card handy for pre-payment. Or order online.
Hearth Bakery
This new bakery and coffee shop in RiNo is getting into the Thanksgiving celebratory spirit with a selection of pies and breads from owner and head baker Matthew Quinlisk. Choose from pumpkin, salted maple or apple pie for $30 each, plus pull-apart rolls for $7.50 and country loaf for $10. Pick up at the bakery on 11/23 from 1 to 5 p.m. until supplies last.
Postino WineCafe
Take the guesswork and stress out of planning your holiday gatherings with Postino's holiday catering bundle! Available 11/10–1/20, this customizable bundle includes all your Postino faves: a bruschetta board, big salad, and a choice of two starters with options such as meatballs and goat cheese, a crudité platter, or a chef's charcuterie board.
LoDough Bakery
If you’re preparing your own main course and sides but want to leave the dessert to experts, there’s a universe of possibilities at this bakery from pies to breads. Pre-order and pick up the following day. The festive Dairy Block Alley only adds to the experience.
The Original
Order by: 11/21 | Pick up by: 11/23 (noon to 8 p.m.)
Let the pros handle dessert and spoil yourself with a signature pie ($40) made by Bred Rocks Bakery, baking up your holiday favorites including apple and pumpkin pies. Orders must be placed in advance of pick up.
High Point Creamery
Order by: 11/18 | Pick up by: 11/23 before 6 p.m. at either the Berkeley or Holly shops
Pints and pie! Get a freshly baked pumpkin pie (made from their "Joan's Pumpkin Pie" recipe) and choose two pints of ice cream (they recommend the brown sugar cinnamon to accompany the pie).
Temper Chocolates
Impress your hosts with the gift of chocolate. Temper will be offering a 12-piece bonbons “hostess gift” box ($36) filled with fan-favorite flavors, including Enchanted Apple (milk chocolate with apple cider white chocolate ganache), Mac Daddy (dark chocolate with caramel macadamia nut), and Smashing Pumpkins (milk chocolate with crunch cookie pears + milk chocolate pumpkin cheesecake ganache). Purchase inside Denver Central Market.
Available at Temper inside Denver Central Market until 11/23.
Denver Beer Co.
The brewery is teaming up with Hinman Pie and is doing a pie and beer pairing on 11/19. For $30, you get five 4-ounce pours and three hand pies. It might not be a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but it's still lots of fun...and tasty.
Little India
Buy an entree and get free garlic naan bread. The offer is valid between 11/21 and 11/23. The restaurant is closed on Thanksgiving Day.
Il Posto
Yippie-pie-yay! 🥧 Il Posto will be offering pumpkin with Italian meringue, Dutch apple and pecan pies for $25 apiece.
Pre-order by calling the restaurant at (303) 394-0100 by 11/22.
Dine-in Options
Back to Top of ListWoodie Fisher Kitchen & Bar
Have an upscale meal from this establishment in Lower Downtown. Woodie Fisher will be open for dining on Thanksgiving Day from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For $65 per person, you'll get roasted turkey breast, crème Fraiche whipped potatoes, porcini gravy, classic herb stuffing, cranberry sauce, WF Brussels sprouts, WF chicory salad, dinner rolls and bourbon pecan pie with fresh whipped cream.
La Bouche
Grab your friends for a night of fun and prep that palate with French + American wines and pie. $35 gets you a flight of wine paired with house-made pies. Join them on Thanksgiving eve (11/23).
The Fort
This year, start a new family tradition and have your Thanksgiving Day meal at The Fort, a restaurant housed in a full-scale adobe replica of Bent's Fort, an important fur trading fort originally in southeastern Colorado. Diners can enjoy a traditional honey-roasted turkey dinner with buttery mashed potatoes, fire-roasted maple yams, sausage apple stuffing, gravy, fresh green beans with almonds, cranberry relish and brandied pumpkin pie for dessert. This holiday feast is just $52 for adults and $31 for children.
St. Julien Hotel & Spa
Thanksgiving is made easy at Jill’s Restaurant and St. Julien Hotel & Spa in Boulder. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, guests can enjoy a special Thanksgiving brunch buffet in the hotel’s ballroom, complemented by live jazz, bloody mary bars and bottomless mimosas. For $90 per adult ($40 for children ages 4-12), the menu will include brunch selections, such as fresh pastries and breads, vegetarian and breakfast meat frittatas and more; a cold buffet with several salad options; a seafood bar with Alaskan king crab legs and more; carving selections, including the Thanksgiving turkey; Thanksgiving sides such as stuffing, maple-glazed yams and green bean casserole.
The Original
In addition to takeout options, The Original will host a Thanksgiving feast for the family, with dinner for $59 per adult and $25 for children 12 years old and younger. The dinner spread includes, as starters, deviled eggs, bread rolls, and a choice of soup or salad: shaved Brussels salad and butternut squash soup. Dinner includes a choice of two proteins: oven-baked sliced turkey, seared pork loin and jalapeno cheddar elk sausage. Complement that with a choice of three sides: garlic mashed potato, baked potato, roasted corn, green bean almondine, maple-glazed baby carrots, mac and cheese, and cornbread muffin with honey butter. The meal will be available from noon to 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Water Grill
Celebrate Thanksgiving with this seafood restaurant for a surf and turf experience. They’re offering roasted Diestel Family Ranch turkey with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, traditional cranberry sauce, homemade sourdough apple celery stuffing and turkey gravy. For starters, you can choose either clam chowder or mixed organic greens. And for dessert, either pumpkin cheesecake or caramel bread pudding. The prices are $68 per person and $25 for children under 12.
Photo credits: Edible Beats (header) and Urban Farmer Denver (side image).