This year Denver Restaurant Week brings you something new, a tiered pricing system to check out, restaurants for those special occasions, and ones for your weekend regular nights out.
We’ve talked about HopDoddy several times because we are HUGE fans and they are once again at the top of the list for spots to go.
Want to Save at DRW? $25 for two at Hopdoddy
On a budget? In the $25 Tier, energize your Restaurant Week itinerary with some rock ’n’ roll flair at Union Station, stopping in to Hopdoddy Burger Bar at 1747 Wynkoop St. . During DRW you can enjoy lunch or dinner for two, including two delicious, hormone-free and humanely raised burgers (seasonal specials included), a side of hand-cut Kennebec fries, and two Maine Root sodas or craft canned or draft beers for 25 bucks. Did we mention that you get all that for two people? Rock and roll!
Want to Spend at DRW? Screaming Deal at Vesta:
If you find yourself in LoDo, settle into the sleek and sexy Vesta 1822 Blake St. and for the screaming $35 level, you can enjoy a 3-course menu boasting offerings unheard of at other times of the year. For starters, try the velvety smoked Colorado trout fillet, the Tuscan beef meatballs swimming in a spiced tomato broth or the delightfully delicious falafel plate with tzatziki, turmeric cucumbers, baba ganoush, curried tomato jam and infused oils. Entrees include the 7oz flat iron churrasco, a pan-roasted salmon that’s lightly cold smoked with a velvety taste and a butternut squash risotto with brown butter broth, sage, roasted mushrooms and mascarpone. Finish your meal with a tart key lime pie with gingersnap crust, a German chocolate torte with devils food cake, pecan praline ganache and coconut ice cream or a traditional cheese plate with marcona almonds, apple chips and quince paste.
Want to Splurge at DRW? Head South and dine in style:
Ready to splurge, DRW style? For $45 Tier, “steak” your claim at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House 8100 E. Orchard Road, where the steak savants plan to wine and dine guests with a mouth-watering menu. Guests will gussy up and savor a 3-course meal that includes a starter with your choice of the rotating featured soup or Del’s Signature Salad. Guests will then choose an entrée, either the tender Filet Mignon 8 oz., crisp and tender crab cakes, a delightful chicken Provençal or a Bay of Fundy Salmon before indulging in a dessert of either Del’s decadent chocolate mousse or a tartly sweet strawberry cheesecake. Reservations are strongly recommended; please call 303.796.0100.
Go Rogue – Avoid the Crowds
Did you forget to make reservations during the rush of Denver Restaurant Week? Head instead to Punch Bowl Social 65 Broadway in the Baker neighborhood. The “eatertainment” hot spot is ideal for small or large group outings. No need for a fixed menu with a balanced mix of scratch-kitchen menu items such as the Superfood Grain Bowl with quinoa, lightly fried crunchy farro, leafy kale, radishes, alfalfa sprouts, pickled chilies, roasted carrots, shitake mushrooms, and a perfectly poached egg in the center – as well as craft beverages including sharable punches, adult milkshakes, house-made fizzes and creative cocktails. Plus, private karaoke rooms, bowling lanes, ping pong, bocce, and vintage arcade and pinball games offer low-key activity choices for all.
LoHi
Looking for a sweet deal in the urban oasis of LoHi? Stop in for a visit to Postino WineCafé 2715 17th Street where the shrine to the vine always has a good deal on the menu. Shake off the frenzy of the week and choose from a menu of paninis, salads, soups, and the stars of the designed-for-sharing menu, Bruschetta Boards. Choose your 4 favorites from a menu of 12 country-Italian combinations, and you’ll get a beautifully arranged and precut array on a board, perfect for sampling and sharing. Think flavors like brie and fig spread with thin-sliced apple, or the tangy sweet & spicy pepper jam with goat cheese. Every day until 5 p.m., all glasses of wine and pitchers of draft beer are only $5, perfect for day drinking, and if you come in on Mondays and Tuesdays, you can take advantage of Board & Bottle nights, when a sharable bruschetta board and any house bottle of wine goes for just $20 after 8 p.m. Whether you’re a wine connoisseur, just looking for a great deal, or both, Postino makes wine approachable and affordable any time.
Cherry Creek
Just-opened Olive & Finch Cherry Creek 3390 E. 1st Ave. Chef/Owner Mary Nguyen’s newest all-day eatery and bakery is just the place for an affordable and delectable scratch-made, fresh and elegantly casual dinner. Choose from artisan sandwiches, hearty salads, creative flatbreads and flavorful plated entrees; we like the simple and sophisticated pan seared bistro filet steak, prepared sous vide for tenderness and finished with Chef/owner Mary Nguyen’s green chili & corn succotash, caramelized onion demi and chimichurri. Wash it down with the Cool as A Cucumber cocktail with gin, freshly juiced cucumbers and lime for a mere $6, or choose a carafe of red, white or rosé to round out your charming Cherry Creek dinner.
Denver is coming into it’s own in the foodie scene and the Denver Restaurant Week has helped bring the top restaurants to the average guy on the street. Each year we like to keep track of which restaurants are the top choices for the annual gastronomic extravaganza of DRW. Drumroll please….. The following 30 restaurants were Denver’s top choices the last 5 years of Denver Restaurant Week.
Denver’s Top 30 Restaurants
- Shanahan’s
- Elway’s Cherry Creek
- The Capital Grill
- The Melting Pot
- Fogo De Chao
- Oceanaire Seafood Restaurant
- Ocean Prime
- The Ship Tavern at the Brown Palace
- Brooks Steak House & Cellar
- Restaurant Kevin Taylor
- Sullivan’s Steakhouse
- Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
- McCormick’s Fish House & Bar
- Kevin Taylor’s at the Opera House
- The Fort Restaurant
- Prime Steakhouse
- Rodizio Grill
- The 9th Door
- McCormick & Schmick Seafood & Steaks
- Panzano
- La Fondue
- Gabriel’s Restaurant & Tuscan Bar
- Old Stone Church
- ChoLon Bistro
- Texas de Brazil
- Sugarmill
- Ya Ya’s Euro Bistro
- Cool River Cafe
- Opus Fine Dining
