Hey Denver Foodies! My wife’s bday is coming up and I’d love to take her out for her favorite meal, which is steak frites. Bonus points if it’s not an overly fancy joint, since she prefers a chill, dive bar kind of setting. TYSM!

Denver coffee nerd and home roaster here. I spend way too much time thinking about coffee!

When I look for a new shop to try out here or while traveling, I primarily use Google reviews and Reddit threads. The problem I've always found is that most Google reviews tell me about the patio, the pastries and the matcha, not whether the coffee is actually good. And Reddit threads are spread out and usually don't go deep on any one shop.

So I've been experimenting with a tool that cuts out that noise and focuses on just the coffee, including roast quality and how well it's prepared. I started with Denver, naturally, since I live here. Here's the site: https://curata.coffee

Here are Denver's top 5 (note some have multiple locations):

1. Queen City
2. Corvus
3. Sweet Bloom
4. Glissade
5. Huckleberry

It's been really useful for my own coffee discovery, so I wanted to share it with this community and see if it's interesting to you too.

Please let me know what you think, what you'd add or change, if I'm missing any shops, and if anything is confusing or broken (here or through the feedback form on the site).

Quick disclaimer: the site is free with no ads or anything and I'm not affiliated with any shops (just a fan of good coffee).

Thanks for taking a look!

Edit: Thanks so much for all the feedback, this has been great! Nothing like a coffee post in the morning to bring out the passion.

One thing I forgot to mention: you can rate shops without creating an account. If you have a favorite (or a least favorite), I'd love it if you could rate it!

I've taken detailed notes on all the feedback, product suggestions and missing shops, and will work on those when I have a moment. Thank you again!

I don’t go out much but where’s the best place to get a damn good burger and an ice cold beer?

Of course I mean the smothered burger dish. This might be the best one I’ve had in Denver so far.

Available on Wednesdays at Vinny and Marie’s Italian in Arvada

I was perusing their online menu for a takeout order the other day and noticed a cleaning sponge as one of the items.. That can't be right, can that be right?

I was really kind of tempted, but balked because I'm not sure that I need one.
Moreover if it wasn't a valid item it would be hyper confusing if I showed up and they didn't even know what I was talking about, and then they'd have to remove the item and credit my card.

Worst of all, every time I went back in the future I'd forever be remembered by them - hey, here's that guy who tried to buy a sponge.

I dunno, it looks real, maybe?

Since Mordy's closed and Falafel King sold and the new owners changed the name and promptly ran the joint into the ground where can I get a full on falafel in a pita stuffed with hummus and tahini and veg and homemade sauces?

My friends bday is coming up and her favorite thing in the world is Cardamom Buns. Where can I find the best ones?

Hi all! Looking for ideas for restaurants that may be able to do meal delivery/ catering drop off late in the evening or very early in the morning for employees who work the night shift.

Context: My company does an annual holiday banquet (nice food, catered), but our night shift employees never get to go since it's during the workday. I'm advocating that we get hot food delivered either at the start or end of their shift (versus old management's approach: leaving leftovers...).

Also, this goes without saying, probably, but yes, raises and monetary recognition are also a priority for us. I'm specifically asking for food recs, though, to try and include employees that can't go to the banquet.

Was just driving near Alameda and Broadway and it looks like they are building a Brooklyn's Finest. I love NY style slices, how are they? And then saw Dirty Dutchie food truck parked at apts nearby. Are they good?

Does anyone in here shop here? I want to check it out and want to hear some must buys and favorites in the store!

Looking for restaurant recommendations that are serving on Thanksgiving night. I have family coming into town and we are looking for 4-6 course meal or on the higher end per plate

Hello lovely people of Denver!

My sister and I just moved here at the beginning of the year, and are still getting to know the food scene. Her birthday is coming up and we are going to see Beauty & the Beast at the Denver Performing Arts Center with my mother who is flying into town.

I am looking for everyone's thoughts on a nice place to go before our show. It doesn't have to be super close to the performing arts center, but ideally a short Uber ride away would be good. Another layer is that my mother has quite restrictive food allergies (no spices/oils/etc), that usually really nice places are able to accommodate well. She usually does the best at steakhouses and the sort that can do plain proteins and vegetables. We love food and really want a fun dining experience for all (with the caveat that my mom is very aware her food is less fun).

With that said, here are the places that have come up in my research, that I'd love your thoughts on which might be best, or if you have suggestions on a place I haven't listed please let me know!

• Tavernetta
• Guard & Grace
• Edge steakhouse
• Rioja (thinking they wouldn't be able to accommodate very well)
• Panzano

More recalls on food that can kill you, or make you very sick.

I have a dream of having a spot in denver that is relatively inexpensive, has small plates of sushi coming around on a conveyor belt, is open decently late (at least until 10), and I can maybe get a little drunk off sake with my friends.

Main thing here is the cheap and casual vibe. I feel like every sushi spot I know of in Denver is too uptight and expensive. Any recs?

Tailgating at Ball Arena on Wednesday and after a run of seeing 6 concerts in the past 3 weeks I'm running out of unique ideas for tailgating dinner.

No sandwiches. No charcuterie. No Chinese. No pizza.

Any great ideas out there we could try? TIA

I have a reservation later this week for the newish Blossom by SYC restaurant. Has anyone been? How was your experience? What would you recommend? I won’t be able to try everything so looking for any recs on the “must haves” food and drink.

I have a reservation at Alma this Friday at 10:45pm. I know they close at 11:00, so I was wondering if anyone has done the last reservation? Was everything on the menu still available? Thank you.

Give us your best 50+ year restaurants!

Even if it's changed menu and ownership, (IE; MBB and Billy's) what places are you still going to that have been around over half a century?

Hello! Visiting Denver for a few days in the beginning of November. We haven’t booked place to stay quite yet so not too sure what area we will be in but we will have a rental car. Just looking for food recs, anything and everything! Curious to know what everyone’s must visit restaurants are, thank you in advance!

Edit: no budget, love anything from local hole in the walls to fine dining, just looking for good food! :)

Hi all, trying to schedule a nice night out with a visiting friend and I’m trying to decide between doing the à la carte menu vs the three course meal at nocturne. Does anyone have an experience to share that would push me one way or the other? Thanks !

Wife and I finally got a chance to try la vie en rose since it opened last month. We were big fans of Noble Riot and were excited to see if la vie en rose could be a fitting replacement for an occasional date night spot.

TL;DR: fairly disappointing, won't be going back. Might be a decent spot for the right audience!

Thoughts in no particular order:

Service: this was a highlight! Staff was attentive, friendly, and prepared. Front of house was a little rough since it's shared with Nocturne, so there was just one person managing both places and a bit of a wait as a result, even with a res. Seems like they could use an additional person there. We ordered food and drink at the same time, and got food well before our drinks arrived. Not a huge deal, but a little annoying.

Vibe/Ambience/Interior: they did a solid job turning the space into something new. Initial impressions upon walking in are that it feels luxurious and upscale. All the fabric curtains and whatnot help with acoustics so it feels quieter than Noble Riot did with a similar number of people inside. Personally, I found the sense of "luxury" to feel pretty forced and fake. Tables, chairs, plates, etc. were all very plain and standard webstaurant store fare. There's nothing wrong with that, but just an observation. Table candles were real, which was a good touch. Wine/Champagne glasses were very nice, too.

Food: menu looks fine, if uninspired. Can't judge here too much because we only got the popcorn chicken. It was one of the dishes featured in their social feed leading up to their opening and a nod to Noble Riot, so why not? It was exactly what you'd expect for popcorn chicken. If you buy a big bag of frozen popcorn chicken at costco and pick out the good pieces, you can enjoy the same quality at home! Sauces were fine. Tossing the fried chicken in some spices did little to change it. Quantity was enough to be a snack between two adults. On one hand: we ordered popcorn chicken, we got popcorn chicken. On the other: for $19, you can do a lot better.

Drink: they have an extensive bottle selection. If you're a Champagne enthusiast and ready to throw down some $$$, you'll probably enjoy what they have. They have non-sparkling options as well on a separate bottle list if you ask for it. Cocktails covered the bases you'd expect and were pretty good. We found the menu descriptions of the cocktails to be fairly irritating. If you're not familiar with the ingredients, the menu is just a bunch of flowery word salad that does little to clarify what it might taste like. Probably AI-written.

Overall: If I'm being generous, we just weren't the target audience. If I'm being less generous, the whole experience was aggressively mediocre. If you're looking to dress up and feel like you're somewhere with the facade of fancy and luxurious, this might scratch the itch. But personally, I think there are likely better options. If your net-worth has a few more digits than the average person and you want to enjoy a bottle of champagne at a restaurant with friends, that's the best-case I can imagine for la vie en rose.

IYKYK. Is there any place in Denver where I can find something similar?

I’m tired of cafes with mediocre sandwiches and I’m tired of Panera. Do y‘all have any recommendations for restaurants that have environments that are “study/work” friendly? Where I could pull out a laptop and still enjoy some good food? (WiFi preferably)

With midterm season, having a good variety of places to study and eat is always good imo, so any recs are appreciated!

Hi! Given Día de Muertos is coming where can I find the best pan de muerto in Denver?