Revolutionizing · Modernizing · Simplifying
Revolutionizing · Modernizing · Simplifying
The metal box arrives at your table steaming and rattling. Your server grabs it with both hands and shakes it vigorously—rice, pork, egg yolks, pickled ginger, and bright orange fish roe tumbling together in a culinary carnival. This is shaken rice at Hey Kiddo, and it's exactly the kind of moment that defines 5280's 2025 list of Denver's 25 best restaurants: unexpected, delightful, and impossible to find anywhere else.
Mark Antonation, only the fourth food editor in the magazine's 32-year history, didn't take his inaugural list lightly. "The first thing I did was think about what 'best' means to us and to readers," he says. "This year, what are people looking for in a restaurant? I came up with the word 'value,' because that's important right now. I don't necessarily mean inexpensive. I just mean, what do you get for your money?"
That criterion produced a list that's radically different from 2024's—15 of the 25 spots are new to the rankings. Some, like Magna Kainan and Mama Jo's Biscuits & BBQ, opened within the past year. Others, like 33-year-old Barolo Grill and the 41-year-old Sushi Den, are Denver institutions that prove staying power matters as much as novelty.
The list's fresh faces span the full spectrum of Denver dining. Magna Kainan, which opened in Cole last December, brings upscale Filipino cuisine to a neighborhood better known for rapid development than destination restaurants. Chef Carlo Lamagna—who founded the original Magna Kusina in Portland—took a gamble that Denver diners were ready for pancit bihon, sisig, and crab fat noodles loaded with shredded crabmeat and optional fried softshell crabs.
Meanwhile, on East Colfax, Jodi and Ben Polson transformed a former hot dog stand into Mama Jo's Biscuits & BBQ. Jodi, who once crafted desserts at some of Denver's most creative restaurants, now makes fluffy smoked-Gouda biscuits. Ben smokes some of the city's best pork ribs and shoulder out back. Their Mama's House platter—pulled pork, ribs, hot links, bone-in fried chicken, pickles, biscuits, and sides like meaty collard greens and pimento mac and cheese—turns a visit into a Southern-style picnic.
Other first-timers include Xiquita, Erasmo Casiano and Rene Gonzalez Mendez's North Capitol Hill spot where sikil pak (pepita spread) and pipián verde tell stories about different regions of Mexico; Osteria Alberico, the Frasca Hospitality Group's Englewood project that arrived fresh off a Michelin star for its Boulder flagship; and Luchador Taco & More, where chef Zurisadai Resendiz honors both his Mexican heritage and his wife's Peruvian roots with everything from lengua tacos to shrimp causa.
Antonation's focus on traditional, flexible menus meant some of Denver's most acclaimed restaurants didn't appear. Boulder's Frasca Food and Wine, despite its Michelin star, got passed over. So did chef's-counter experiences like Sushi by Scratch in Larimer Square and RiNo's Beckon.
"When you go to a restaurant, for the most part, you want some choices," Antonation explains. "If you're going to a chef's tasting, you're leaving that in the hands of the restaurant and the chef. If that's what you want, that's great, but it's not the typical experience."
The omissions reveal as much about Antonation's philosophy as the inclusions. His guiding question—"Are you going to leave happy, full, invigorated, surprised?"—favors restaurants where diners control their own experience, where you can build a meal around your cravings rather than surrender to a predetermined tasting menu.
East Colfax Avenue emerged as an unexpected star corridor, landing four spots on the list: Mama Jo's Biscuits & BBQ and Molotov Kitschen & Cocktails in City Park, Sắp Sửa in Congress Park, and Dân Dã stretching into Aurora. The avenue's transformation from punchline to culinary destination accelerates with each opening.
Aurora claimed five total restaurants, the most of any area: Dân Dã, Tofu Story, Annette at Stanley Marketplace, and the under-the-radar Magna Kainan. The city that Denver once dismissed now hosts some of the metro area's most ambitious cooking.
LoHi and RiNo each placed three restaurants. LoHi's trio—Alma Fonda Fina, The Bindery, and Kawa Ni—skews upscale and polished. RiNo's selections—Carne, Major Tom, and Molotov—embrace the neighborhood's creative, industrial energy.
Denver's core neighborhoods—from Berkeley's Hey Kiddo to Whittier's Luchador to Baker's MAKfam to Washington Park's Restaurant Olivia—scattered across the list, proving that great restaurants can thrive anywhere in the city. Even Englewood and Lakewood got representation, with Osteria Alberico and African Grill & Bar, respectively, showing that Denver's dining scene extends well beyond the urban core.
Antonation's emphasis on value doesn't mean cheap eats dominated the list. Prices range from
At Major Tom, that means farm-fresh produce from the restaurant's Boulder property turned into dishes like summer tomato tartine with nori powder or roasted beets with whipped tofu, black raspberries, and marigold. At African Grill & Bar, it's Sylvester and Theodora Osei-Fordwuo's decades of experience serving Ghanaian kelewele, fufu, and palm nut soup. At The Bindery, it's Linda Hampsten Fox's all-day excellence, from morning pastries to that signature smoked rabbit pecan pie topped with mustard gelato.
The list also highlights how Denver's dining scene has matured beyond the farm-to-table aesthetic that defined the 2010s. Now, restaurants celebrate specific culinary traditions—JW Lee's deep dive into Korean tofu culture at Tofu Story, Kenneth Wan and Doris Yuen's Hong Kong upbringing at MAKfam, chef Penelope Wong's elegant Chinese-Thai fusion at Yuan Wonton—while still honoring Colorado's obsession with seasonality and quality ingredients.
Nine restaurants returned from the 2024 list, proving that consistency matters. Sushi Den's 41 years of building relationships with Japanese fisheries means diners might encounter Greek black snapper or Japanese barracuda on any given night. Ryan Fletter's annual trips to Italy with his entire Barolo Grill team keep the 33-year-old Cherry Creek restaurant both traditional and innovative, with eight-year-aged Acquerello rice in risotto and rare Castelmagno cheese in cheesecake.
Blackbelly in Boulder, which earned a Michelin Green Star for sustainable gastronomy in 2023, showcases chef Hosea Rosenberg's commitment to whole-animal butchery and local sourcing. The charcuterie board might include house-made coppa or 'nduja, while entrées feature koji-cured pork belly from McDonald Family Farm and lamb from Buckner Family Ranch, just miles away.
Even younger restaurants that returned—like Spuntino, Alma Fonda Fina, and Restaurant Olivia—have developed the kind of polish and consistency that takes years to achieve. At Spuntino, that's chef Cindhura Reddy's careful integration of South Indian flavors into Italian cooking, like ajwain-dusted crisps with elk tartare or cavatelli with chicken korma. At Restaurant Olivia, it's chef Ty Leon's technically perfect mezzalune and French onion ravioli that require hours to fold, sauce, and fill just right.
Antonation's list arrives at a pivotal moment for Denver dining. Restaurants are navigating post-pandemic uncertainty, rising costs, and changing customer expectations. His emphasis on value acknowledges these pressures while refusing to compromise on quality or ambition.
The geographic diversity—from Boulder to Lakewood, Aurora to Englewood—reflects how Denver's dining scene has decentralized. You no longer need to head downtown or to a handful of hot neighborhoods to find exceptional food. The culinary action is everywhere.
The cuisine diversity is even more striking. Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Ghanaian, Peruvian, and multiple regional Mexican and Italian styles appear alongside American classics like barbecue and plant-based Mediterranean. Denver diners have developed sophisticated, adventurous palates that reward chefs willing to cook their own stories.
Most importantly, the list celebrates restaurants as more than just feeding stations. These are places where hospitality matters, where staff guide you to good choices, where the dining room feels warm and welcoming whether it's a former firehouse (Kawa Ni) or a greenhouse-like space (Annette) or a cozy cottage (Major Tom). Getting fed is easy. Leaving happy, full, invigorated, and surprised? That's what separates the best from the rest.
$31-$50 per person: - African Grill & Bar (Lakewood) - African - Annette (Aurora, Stanley Marketplace) - Wood-fired seasonal cooking - The Bindery (LoHi) - Seasonal with Mediterranean and Mexican influences - Carne (RiNo) - Steak house - Hey Kiddo (Berkeley) - Eclectic with Korean and American influences - Kawa Ni (LoHi) - Japanese with other Asian influences - Magna Kainan (Cole) - Filipino - Major Tom (RiNo) - Seasonal - Molotov Kitschen & Cocktails (City Park) - Ukrainian and Eastern European - Sắp Sửa (Congress Park) - Vietnamese - Somebody People (Overland) - Plant-based Mediterranean - Spuntino (Highland) - Italian with Indian influences - Xiquita (North Capitol Hill) - Mexican
$51 or more per person: - Alma Fonda Fina (LoHi) - Mexican - Barolo Grill (Cherry Creek) - Italian - Blackbelly (Boulder) - Regional, farm- and ranch-driven - Osteria Alberico (Englewood) - Italian - Restaurant Olivia (Washington Park) - Italian - Sushi Den (Platt Park) - Japanese
Pricing reflects average amount spent on food at dinnertime, excluding beverages, per person.