76. Stella’s Coffehaus
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 777-1031
Address: 1476 S. Pearl St.
Description: Stella’s is almost certainly the only Denver coffeehouse with a branch in Amsterdam—the owner’s family runs a cafe by the same name in that European city. Stella’s has lots of outdoor seating and scrumptious baked goods and desserts. It also serves a light lunch. The adjoining Amsterdam Room has live entertainment on weekends. It’s open until 11:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday.
77. Tattered Cover Coffee Shop
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 436-1070
Description: Located in Denver’s finest bookstore, the coffee shop at the Tattered Cover Book Store offers a full menu of coffee drinks, pastries, and light snacks. Buy a book, grab a latte or chai, and enjoy the local bookstore scene. It’s a great place to while away a rainy afternoon. A second location is at 2526 E. Colfax Ave. (303-322-7727).
78. The Market
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 534-5140
Address: 1445 Larimer St.
Insider Pick:
Description: Come to The Market for great food and desserts or just a cup of coffee and amazing people-watching. You can make a meal out of the gourmet offerings, which include made-to-order deli sandwiches and a changing variety of soups and salads. It’s not really a restaurant, so we’ve included it in this category. The baked goods, top-of-the-line chocolates, and shelves of imported food items make this as much a shopping destination as a dining spot, and the espresso bar is always busy. Bring a cup of cappuccino and a plate of biscotti out to a table on the sidewalk and watch the world go by. It’s open 7 days a week.
79. New York Deli News
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 759-4741
Address: 7105 E. Hampden Ave.
Description: New York Deli News serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. You’ll enjoy great pumpernickel bread, pastrami, bagels, corned beef (all flown in from New York), and—loosen your belt—genuine New York–style cheesecake.
80. Zaidy’s Deli
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 333-5336
Address: 121 Adams St.
Description: Zaidy’s may very well be the closest thing to an authentic New York Jewish deli that can be found in Metro Denver. This is a prime source for breakfast and lunches that range from potato latkes to smoked fish, and matzo ball soup just like your grandmother used to make. Open daily from breakfast until 7 p.m.
81. Coohills
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 623-5700
Address: 1400 Wewatta St.
Description: Inspired by the local, farm-fresh menus found in casual restaurants across Europe, Coohills blends tradition with regional tastes through its seafood, grilled or smoked meats, pastas, salads. and local vegetables. Ingredients are Colorado-grown whenever possible, and while the food may be French-influenced, it’s closer to contemporary American cuisine. Coohills is open every evening for dinner and for lunch Wednesday through Friday.
82. Le Central
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 863-8094
Address: 112 E. 8th Ave.
Description: Le Central styles itself as “the affordable French restaurant” and does a good job of living up to that claim without skimping on quality. The restaurant is a charming series of low-ceilinged rooms; the food is country French. Lunch and dinner are served daily in addition to brunch on Saturday and Sunday.
83. Le Grand Bistro
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 534-1155
Address: 1512 Curtis St.
Insider Pick:
Description: Dining at Le Grand Bistro is like traveling to a Paris brasserie from another era. Housed in a historic brick LoDo building, Le Grand Bistro serves up an authentic French bistro menu in an atmospheric Parisian setting. A well-rounded wine list provides excellent pairing possibilities.
84. Little Man Ice Cream
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 455-3811
Insider Pick:
Description: This shop in the Highland neighborhood is a community gathering place all summer as locals stop by for some of the best ice cream in town. Little Man makes gelato, ice cream, and sorbet in small batches, so the quality remains high. Look for the big steel milk jug towering above the shop. Open daily year-round from 11 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. (until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday).
85. Sweet Action Ice Cream
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 282-4645
Address: 52 Broadway
Insider Pick:
Description: Handmade with fresh, natural Colorado ingredients, the ice cream here is yet another Denver standout. Choose from exotic flavors such as Thai iced tea, pumpkin fudge ripple, Colorado peach, vegan Earl Grey, Vietnamese coffee, and chocolate Andes mint. Open every afternoon and evening except Monday.
86. Jewel of India
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 469-7779
Address: 10343 N. Federal Blvd.
Description: Suburban Westminster may seem an unlikely place for one of the area’s finest Indian restaurants, as may Jewel of India’s location in a shopping center anchored by a King Soopers grocery store. But once you are inside the narrow door, the truth becomes evident. Jujhar Singh has transformed the storefront into a little slice of India, complete with lamb, chicken, seafood, and vegetarian dishes, all of which come with homemade naan. If you’re unfamiliar with the dishes, try the Thalis, which includes a little bit of everything to serve one or two people. Singh uses family recipes from his home region of Punjab. Jewel of India serves lunch buffets and dinners 7 days a week.
87. Little India
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 871-9777
Address: 330 E. 6th Ave.
Insider Pick:
Description: Consistent winners of the city’s Best Indian Buffet and Best Indian Restaurant awards, Little India achieves the perfect blend of spices, heat, savory, and sweet that defines classic India cuisine. With a diverse selection of tandoori dishes, kormas, curries, vindaloos, masalas, and saags, this small chain of restaurants will satisfy lovers of Indian food as well as those jumping in for their first taste. The lunch buffet is excellent. Additional Denver locations are at 1533 Champa St. (303-629-5777) and 2390 S. Down St. (303-298-1939). An additional location is in Lakewood at 425 S. Teller St. (303-937-9777).
88. Carmine’s on Penn
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 777-6443
Address: 92 S. Pennsylvania St.
Description: Make a reservation; this place is way too popular to expect a table during the dinner hour without one. And for good reason. A selection of delicate, homemade pasta is the base for spicy and flavorful sauces. The portions are enough to feed two, plus lunch the next day. The wine list is adequate, if not expansive. The atmosphere bustles with an eclectic neighborhood scene. Carmine’s is fast becoming a Denver institution. Dinner only, Tuesday through Sunday.
89. Cherry Tomato
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 377-1914
Address: 4645 E. 23rd Ave.
Insider Pick:
Description: The Cherry Tomato is another Insiders’ favorite, best known as a neighborhood restaurant for Park Hill dwellers. Its Italian entrees are as filling as they are delicious, so come with an empty stomach. Among the specialties is Pasta Felese, made with chicken, artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes in a white-wine cream sauce. The place fills up fast and doesn’t take reservations for parties of fewer than six. You can call ahead when you’re leaving home to be put on the waiting list. Open for dinner only, Tuesday through Sunday; closed Monday.
90. Cinzetti’s Italian Market
City: Denver, CO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (303) 451-7300
Address: 281 W. 104th Ave.
Description: Cinzetti’s (pronounced Chin-ZEH-tees) is a “concept” restaurant. It’s designed around a central Tuscan marketplace with 14 different cooking stations, each serving something different—pastas, pizzas, fish and meats, and desserts, for example. All diners pay a flat rate at the door and can sample anything that strikes their fancies. The food is surprisingly tasty for mass-produced buffet fare, and wine and soft drinks are included in the price.