Denver Restaurants

Denver is packed with great places to eat, from tiny but delicious Mexican dives to some of the finest steakhouses in the country. You can spend a little or a lot, depending on what you feel like eating. There has been a trend of chic, fusion-style restaurants over the past few years, which has really raised the bar of Denver’s cuisine. As in all American restaurants, waiters expect to be tipped between 15 and 20 per cent for their services.

Local cuisine

Although Denver doesn’t have any particular style of cuisine for which it is renowned, the city is one of the best spots in the country for steak. Rocky Mountain cuisine tends to revolve around meat, especially the varieties which you can’t readily find elsewhere in America such as buffalo, elk and deer.   Of course, the famous Nebraska corn-fed beef comes in fresh from the next state.

Another favourite among Denverites is green chili. This fiery but savory stew is made from green chili peppers and chunks of pork, onion and tomato. Every restaurant serves it slightly differently, but it’s incredibly tasty, especially on a snowy afternoon and most people will attest to its addictive quality.

Where to eat

Denver is a city of neighbourhoods, and each one has its own character and special dining scene. LoDo and Cherry Creek are known for their trendy and expensive fusion restaurants and are certainly worth a look. But Denver is also a multi-cultural city, and if you head to the Highland neighbourhood or Federal Street, you’ll see shop after shop of Mexican, Asian, Greek and every other kind of food you can imagine. A safe place to start is at Larimer Square, with its mix of pubs and American-style menus.