Denver’s most exceptional restaurant debuts of the year are a mix of brand-new entrants and inspired revamps, all raising the culinary bar in the Mile High City.
Choose from a 20-year-old French favorite that relocated to Midtown East, an all-day breakfast star by a Top Chef alum in Highland, and the first-ever Denver edition of a nationally acclaimed fried chicken mini-chain in RiNo.
Read on for a guide to Denver’s most outstanding restaurant openings of 2023.
Bistro Vendôme (Midtown East)
Jen Jasinski’s locally adored French restaurant relocated this year from its original, 20-year-old downtown spot to new digs in Midtown East in February. What’s new is the fresh and modern decor that includes whimsical floral wallpaper and deep red banquettes. Not to mention a revitalized menu by executive chef Jeremy Wolgamott featuring classically prepped Left Bank-inspired classics like steak frites and coq au vin, plus reimagined takes on allium soup and duck a l’orange. Bonus points for the brand-new kids’ menu (cleverly named Oui Chefs)—an ode to the family-filled neighborhood it now calls home.
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Le French 9&CO (Hale)
Sisters Aminata and Rougui Dia’s French-Senegalese Denver Tech Center star got a second location in the 9+CO development in September. The duo serves the same sensational Paris-meets-Dakar lineup, plus a brunch menu that shouts out the owners’ West African heritage with ingredients like brie and baobab preserves and chicken yassa poutine. What’s exclusive to this new location is an expanded wine selection, plus a full bar known for attention-grabbing cocktails like the hibiscus-infused tequila concoction Le Bissap.
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The Regular (Downtown)
Chefs Brian De Souza and Sydney Younggreen scored a significant following after launching a reservation-only dinner series with a rotating New American menu in 2020. They channeled that momentum into a 40-seat fine-dining restaurant they opened in July, serving imaginative dishes like cabbage mille-feuille with leek cream, pan-seared branzino with celeriac puree, and more. If you’re drinking, consider a glass from one of the best wine lists in town, and enjoy it all in a dark and cozy dining room decked with cozy leather booths—but fans of this talented duo are known to be enthusiastic, so book well in advance.
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Yardbird Table & Bar – Denver (RiNo)
This Southern comfort food empire has no shortage of culinary accolades: It’s the brainchild of a Top Chef alum, was nominated for a James Beard Award, and named one of Bon Appétit Best New Restaurants. So when it opened its first-ever Denver edition in July, crowds came flocking for its signature coal-roasted rotisserie chicken, skillet cornbread, and 72-hour short rib—which, in true Colorado fashion, comes with green chile-spiked grits. The sprawling space is also adored for brunch and happy hour, thanks to a knockout cocktail selection made with fresh fruit juices, herbs, spices, and bourbon.
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Bao Brewhouse (LoDo)
This funky pan-Asian spot leveled up with a new chef at the end of the summer this year. Paul Sananikone, formally the director of sushi at Jing Aspen, brings fine-dining firepower to Bao Brewhouse’s basement level and pulls from techniques he learned from his hibachi chef father and Thai mother. The result is a globally accented Chinese street food selection that includes dishes like mushroom dumplings and fried tofu bao. Rest assured the beloved tap room remains casual, while the upstairs tea room is all about family-style feasts of short rib spicy noodles and dim sum. All these updates have led to hotspot status for this LoDo mainstay, so reservations are practically mandatory.
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Fox and The Hen (Highland)
This hotly anticipated Highland spot opened in June and believes the best things happen in the morning. Which explains its breakfast-heavy menu by Top Chef alum Carrie Bird and “burrito architect” Michael Fox. Playful spins on American classics like Le Big Mac Omelet, sausage rolls with maple dipping sauce, and the winning huevos rancheros Baird made to beat celebrity chef Bobby Flay have earned it a rep as one of the most sought-after brunch spots in town.
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Hey Kiddo (Berkeley)
There’s a reason chef/owner Kelly Whitaker’s Asian-accented restaurant comes recommended by the MICHELIN guide. It’s wildly innovative, trendy, and has killer service to boot. The menu constantly changes, but is heavy on seasonal ingredients and house-fermented foods like kurobuta pork ribs with sourdough gochujang and grilled mushrooms with bitter melon ponzu. Whitaker’s older restaurants, Bruto and The Wolf’s Tailor, each landed a MICHELIN star during this year’s inaugural ceremony in Denver, so you can expect equally great things from his latest genre-defying project.
Sắp Sửa (City Park)
Wife-and-husband team Anna Nguyen and Ni Nguyen trained at award-winning Los Angeles restaurants Animal and Osteria Mozza before moving to Denver to open Sắp Sửa in June. The restaurant’s arrival was so buzzed about that it was even singled out by Bon Appétit magazine as one of the country’s most anticipated summer openings of 2023. The dishes here are inspired by Ni’s Vietnamese heritage but anything but traditional, with highlights including hamachi collar with coconut caramel and steamed rice, plus a tiny-but-mighty drinks list featuring flavors like salted plum and tamarind. The intimate dining room fills up fast, but a seat at the long bar is just as fun at this unassuming gamechanger.
Tried them all? Check out other options here.
Freelance journalist Linnea Covington lives and eats in Denver, the best place for green chili and epic hikes with fantastic sandwiches.
