Denver is enjoying a rush of culinary momentum of late as chefs bring in accolades from James Beard and Michelin and new restaurants bring in the buzz. Indeed, in a city where the Denver Omelet was the claim to fame, things have things have come a long way. The menus are global and cosmopolitan, the dishes are hyper-local and the variety remarkable. In 2026, 31 restaurants were recognized by the Michelin Guide and Penelope Wong of Yuan Wonton won the 2026 prestigious Best Chef: Mountain award, making history as the first Asian woman from Colorado to take home the honor.
No surprise that Wong considers dining in Denver a top activity of choice: “Denver dining has become somewhat of a melting pot of diversity, and I’m here for it,” says Wong. “Across the entire Denver metro area, you can go out and have some truly incredible experiences whether it be Korean, Cambodian, Thai, Mexican, traditional Chinese Hot Pot, Japanese, even Burmese, in addition to some amazing farm to table staples as well.” Fall is a fabulous time to visit Colorado—here’s what three local chefs suggest you do during your visit:
The Best Places To Eat In Denver
Chef Penelope Wong of Yuan Wonton just recently won the James Beard Best Chef Mountain award (Her dynamic globally inspired menu of dumplings, potstickers and wontons. Yuan Wonton first started out as one of Denver’s most sought-after food trucks; Wong opened its brick-and-mortar home in 2023 She has earned a devoted following for dishes such as her Tom Kha Chicken Wonton with lemongrass, house made Tom Kha, tomato, mushroom and bird’s eye chilies or her ethereal YW OG Chili Oil Wontons with Hong Kong style pork, shrimp wrapped in wafer thin dough and drizzled with Wong’s signature sauce.
Treehouse meets Star Trek at the ultra cool Populus Denver, a carbon negative hotel and the only one in Denver. The property is also a recent recipient of the Michelin One Key award, which recognizes a hotel as a great value hidden gem that constitutes a “very special stay.” The hotel boasts two restaurants, both helmed by Chef de Cuisine, Blaise Colamarino who earned his stripes at restaurants such as the iconic Noma in Copenhagen and the one-star Michelin Frasca in Boulder. Colamarino brings live fire cooking technique to Stellar Jay, the hotel’s buzzy rooftop restaurant, and seasonal American fare to Pasque, Populus’ all-day dining destination. At Pasque be sure to try the Pasque burger with local Flying B Bar Beef, caramelized onion and a slather of sumac mayonnaise. The farm salad is a seasonal showcase dressed in an avocado green goddess. On the rooftop, tuck into Stellar Jay’s beef carpaccio featuring Grama grass beef and sunflower emulsion or a beef flatiron with fried rosemary and sunchoke crunch.
Wildflower is an intimate, Michelin recommended destination in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood. Led by the young chef Aiden Tibbetts, the restaurant serves a seasonal, plant-forward menu that focuses on Colorado’s best fare. Tibbets and Wildflower were recognized by the Michelin Guide in 2025 as a Recommended Restaurant with Chef Tibbetts receiving the award for Michelin Best Young Chef 2025. The menu changes often, but expect dishes such as smoked steelhead trout laced with umami and complex flavors (think brown butter, masa, habanero, and smoked sweet potato) or artichoke tortellini with fresh fava bean, snap pea, lemon and rhubarb. Tibbetts keeps things as fresh and local as possible, incorporating fresh flowers and seasonal produce from his mother’s impressive garden in Aurora.
Best Things To Do In Denver
Visiting farmer’s markets is Wong’s favorite things to do in Denver as she notes, “there are several farmers markets available throughout the summer season, and some that even run well into the fall season. My most favorite thing about them is visiting the array of small and local vendors cooking up some of my favorite bites in the metro area.” Wong is also an ice cream connoisseur and loves variety of ice cream shops throughout the Denver metro area. One longtime favorite is Bonnie Brae Ice Cream, an old-fashioned ice cream shop that has been around for 40 years. “They make everything in house and the shop is a true Denver gathering spot located in the Washington Park neighborhood (which is also a fun neighborhood walk to see the many different styles of homes from old Victorian and Bungalows to gorgeous new builds).
Populus Chef de Cuisine Blaise Colamarino puts a visit to Red Rocks Amphitheatre top on his list, “Red Rocks is a super fun venue. Seeing a show there if it is a concert or a comedy show is always fun. The view of the skyline and the natural rock formations make for an incredible event.” He also suggests wandering around the Rino Art District, “There are many cool breweries and shops, especially the very cool knife shop, Carbon.” And sports are always a top draw in Denver, for Blaise “Whether it’s a Rockies game or an MLS game, it’s always a fun time to see a game in Denver. A great way to catch up with some friends and be outside cheering a team on” Wildflower’s Aiden Tibbetts suggests wandering the Denver Botanic Gardens, “especially Blossoms of Light,” he says, “I got engaged there.“ Tibbetts loves a good Rapids game (Denver’s Major League Soccer team) and shopping the city’s range of smaller Asian markets.
Best Time Of Year To Visit Denver
All three chefs claim fall is Denver’s best time. Says Wong, “It is the time of year with the perfect temperatures to fully enjoy all of the little Denver pockets and neighborhoods. It’s also a great time of year that allows an abundance of transitional late summer into early fall produce – the best time of year for creativity in the kitchen.” And, adds Tibbetts, “The air starts to smell like cold rain instead of hot pavement, then the rain turns to snow. There’s still produce coming in, but it’s dwindling, so you appreciate those last fresh tastes of the season while you’re already anticipating holiday flavors.”
The Weirdest Attraction In Denver
Both Colamarino and Tibbetts call out the Denver Airport’s Blucifer—the local nickname for the rearing blue mustang installation at the entrance to the airport. Explains Colamarino, “I’ve heard about the Denver International Airport Conspiracies. The hunt for clues about the infamous glowing-eyed blue mustang statue and hidden underground tunnels. Don’t look into the eyes of the mustang when you pass by it.” Tibbetts finds the whole business “nostalgic rather than creepy. My dad is a pilot, so growing up it was the thing I’d see on the way to meet him at the airport when he was coming back from deployment. Wong prefers the supernatural charms of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park (about 1.5 hours north of Denver) which was the inspiration for Stephen King’s novel The Shining.
The Best Place In Denver For Coffee
Wong calls out the locally owned and operated Kaladi Coffee, noting that “they air roast their beans that are sustainably sourced, and they supply locally owned coffee shops and cafes throughout the metro area.” Colamarino caffeinates at Novo Coffee and Little Owl, and Tibbetts is a fan of “any coffee shop inside a bookstore. Those two smells together are perfect. I’d love to make a dessert that tastes like a bookstore and a cup of coffee, but ink and paper aren’t great culinary flavors, so you’d have to settle for tea and vanilla with mushroom powder and some kind of rich, leathery dried fig.” Wong also notes that Ti Cafê is a great Vietnamese coffee shop really pushing boundaries with creativity and ode to both Southeast Asian ingredients as well as anime…