Alma Fonda Fina makes the kind of regional, soulful, and high-end Mexican food that you can’t find anywhere else in town. That means new favorite dishes like salsa-topped agave-roasted sweet potatoes on creamy whipped requesón cheese, moles that go so far beyond poblano, and a giant hunk of crispy-skinned carnitas that will ruin you for all other carnitas. (Always ask for a side of sourdough tortillas.) Extroverts should grab a seat at the chef’s counter.

It didn’t take long for people to latch onto Molotov Kitschen & Cocktails—the restaurant only opened in January 2023, and it’s already one of the busiest spots in town. From the team behind Misfit Snack Bar, Molotov serves Eastern European dishes with creative twists, like smelt and pork pate-filled dumplings and beet-less borscht (it features sour cherries instead). The kitsch-filled space—check out the cuckoo clock collection—is tiny, so you should definitely try and make a reservation.

There’s no shortage of Mexican food in Denver, but this fast-casual, breakfast- and lunch-only spot stands out because of its mission. The restaurant doubles as a social enterprise, with an earn-while-you-learn model. Meaning that while the immigrant and refugee women from countries like Mexico, Venezuela, and Syria whip up your incredible Mexican Coke-braised carnitas, they’re also receiving money, education, and training so they can one day open their own food business.

Hotel restaurants typically make us want to check out, but not The Source Hotel’s Safta with all its creamy hummuses, honeyed cheese borekas, and harissa-spiked chicken. The pitas are so big and pillowy they could pass as some sort of bread-based balloon. While the fine dining Israeli restaurant serves one of the best dinners in town, don’t overlook their weekend brunch. The all-you-can-eat bagels, lamb, pastrami hash, smoked fish, and pastries are worth making a return trip.

What happens when two of Denver’s most popular food trucks, Yuan Wonton and Pho King Rapids, team up to open a proper restaurant? You no longer have to wait in the snow for the city’s best dumplings, and can sit inside at an actual table while slurping up chewy rice noodles. What makes this operation even more special is that they alternate schedules, so you can get wontons dressed in spicy chili oil on Wednesdays, and a bowl of short rib phở you’ll never forget on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

This spot combines Asian, Italian, and Nordic cuisines with Colorado ingredients, but the dishes are so well-executed, you’ll never have to worry about any wonky combos. Whether you eat in the Scandinavian-style dining room or one of the glamping-like private patio tents, this is the place to go for an upscale, unique dining experience that’s worth dropping a couple hundred per person on.

A5 is a different sort of steakhouse than you usually find in Denver. Sure, there are the requisite whipped potatoes and New York strips, but there are also rare cuts like bavette, Delmonico, and the Japanese A5. Not to mention the must-eat beef tartare katsu sando appetizer, which has a soft-boiled quail egg among all that chopped tenderloin. It’s also decidedly un-stuffy, with tropical wallpaper and a thatched roof bar. Whatever steak you choose, order it “Chef Max Style."

Hop Alley is named after Denver’s 19th-century Chinatown, but it’s also a conversation starter and a tongue-in-cheek wink at the neighborhood’s history. Nowadays, the eight-year-old restaurant is still the cool kid in RiNo, Denver’s trendiest neighborhood. Sichuan chilis numb your tongue to a hip-hop soundtrack, and classics-with-a-curveball run through the menu, like char siu beets, sweet and sour fried parsnips, and the super spicy pork and pickled cabbage dumplings.

You’ll see carts slinging these burritos on downtown corners, but drive on past those and stop in at 38-year-old El Taco de Mexico. It’s a pretty simple space, but the menu is full of soul-nourishing Mexican food that includes flautas, tacos, and enchiladas, in addition to burritos. When they ask you if you’d like your burrito smothered in green chile, the answer is yes. Just don’t be confused if it doesn’t come out green: In Colorado, it’s tinted orange, thanks to the addition of tomatoes.

Yes, this is a steakhouse with a clever menu divided into Baller Moves and Normies (guess where the $175 tomahawk falls), but what we can’t get over is the wine “list.” The well-priced bottles are on the wall when you walk in, and you simply grab what you like and take it to your table. Brilliant. The meats come from all over, so you can pick among Argentinian tri-tip with red chimichurri and a side of chorizo, achiote marinated pork ribs, and what could be the best duck confit in town.