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20 Places to Spot Big Spenders, Power Brokers, and More

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Where do they dine- the star athlete, the expense-account businesswoman, the politician, the occasional visiting movie star, the kid who invented some internet thing, the new economy entrepreneur? Where do they go to spend their dough on a meal? In honor of Whale Week, here's a mapped guide to where they like to drop some big bucks on luxurious food and drink or where they like to just hang out. Please note that these places are not ranked but grouped geographically.

Was your favorite spot to see those who want to be seen not listed? Weigh in via the comments, or drop suggestions and personal tales of excessive to the tipline email: denver@eater.com.


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Elway's

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Elway's is always hot and packed with Denver's and Cherry Creek's deepest pockets. Check out the cars outside for your first clue that the whales are here.

Zaidy's Deli

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Not exactly a no-brainer, but Zaidy's, a staple Jewish deli in the city, attracts everyone from bankers to politicians and entrepreneurs in the morning and at lunch-time.

Cherry Creek Grill

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Dark and not particularly adventurous in its food, Cherry Creek Grill is packed packed lunch and dinner with a wide range of customers happy to enjoy the comfortable space and top-service.

Second Home Kitchen & Bar

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Located inside a hotel, Second Home is the neighborhood place for a power breakfast, but also laced with big pockets for lunch, dinner, and brunch on the weekends.

Pasta Pasta Pasta

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In business for 27 years, this family-owned casual Italian lunch spot is a favorite with the wealthy and everyone else in the Cherry Creek area.

Barolo Grill

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A staple of fine dining on 6th Avenue, Barolo Grill, a restaurant that serves authentic northern Italian food, attracts for its good food, impeccable service, and outstanding wine list.

Sushi Den

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Sushi Den has grown in size and also in popularity. There is always a wait for dinner and it is always worth it for the wealthy or just the regular folks looking for a good meal.
From the Governor to big time movers and shakers, Frank Bonanno's flagship restaurant attracts some of Denver's most influential people who seek a superior dining experience in Capitol Hill.

Racine's

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In the middle of the city, Racine's is still a favorite of deep-pockets, politicians, movers and shakers in the metro area who seek a place to meet up for a casual meal.

Palettes at the Art Museum

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This Kevin Taylor restaurant attracts the artsier of the whales, as well as judges, city officials, and politicians in search of lunch or dinner.

EDGE Restaurant And Bar At Four Seasons Hotel Denver

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Five star service is what the Four Seasons provides and EDGE, the restaurant located inside the downtown hotel, is no exception. Chef Simon Purvis runs one of Denver's biggest kitchens that serves some of the city's biggest whales.

The Capital Grille

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The mother of the old-school top steakhouses, Capital Grille is the chosen power spot for lawyers, bankers, and even sports stars.

The Squeaky Bean

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Everyone loves the Bean, so it should not come as a surprise that those with deeper pockets that most also flock to this LoDo dining room.

The Palm Restaurant

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One of the original power lunch restaurants in Denver, the Palm may not blow your mind with its food, but it will certainly provide a competent meal and the chance to gawk of Denver's power players.

Palace Arms at Brown Palace

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This restaurant, located inside the Brown Palace Hotel, brings in the politicos, lawyer-types, and power brokers who gather for dinner assured of receiving top service from the attentive staff.

Fuel Cafe

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Off the beaten path, but only 5 minutes away from downtown, Fuel Cafe is a power lunch destination for Denver's political leadership, as well as some of the new economy business leaders from those in tech companies to land developers.

Shanahan's

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When former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan opened this steakhouse South of Denver, he gave the wealthy Greenwood Village crowds a a great alternative to downtown steakhouses.

OAK at fourteenth

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Boulder's entrepreneurs, tech-heads, and young venture capitalists flock to this restaurant for its cool cocktail program and innovative food prepared with the aid of an attractive wood-fired oven.

Frasca Food and Wine

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On its eight year, Frasca attracts and welcomes diners of all backgrounds, but its spectacular wine program, led by master sommelier Bobby Stuckey, and events like the White Truffle dinner, a mere $765 per person, tends to make it a destination for those eager to spend their dough on fine dining.

Flagstaff House

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One of Boulder's oldest fancy restaurants, Flagstaff House still attracts the wealthy with its 12,000 bottle wine cellar, classic French-American cuisine, and impeccable service.

Elway's

Elway's is always hot and packed with Denver's and Cherry Creek's deepest pockets. Check out the cars outside for your first clue that the whales are here.

Zaidy's Deli

Not exactly a no-brainer, but Zaidy's, a staple Jewish deli in the city, attracts everyone from bankers to politicians and entrepreneurs in the morning and at lunch-time.

Cherry Creek Grill

Dark and not particularly adventurous in its food, Cherry Creek Grill is packed packed lunch and dinner with a wide range of customers happy to enjoy the comfortable space and top-service.

Second Home Kitchen & Bar

Located inside a hotel, Second Home is the neighborhood place for a power breakfast, but also laced with big pockets for lunch, dinner, and brunch on the weekends.

Pasta Pasta Pasta

In business for 27 years, this family-owned casual Italian lunch spot is a favorite with the wealthy and everyone else in the Cherry Creek area.

Barolo Grill

A staple of fine dining on 6th Avenue, Barolo Grill, a restaurant that serves authentic northern Italian food, attracts for its good food, impeccable service, and outstanding wine list.

Sushi Den

Sushi Den has grown in size and also in popularity. There is always a wait for dinner and it is always worth it for the wealthy or just the regular folks looking for a good meal.

Mizuna

From the Governor to big time movers and shakers, Frank Bonanno's flagship restaurant attracts some of Denver's most influential people who seek a superior dining experience in Capitol Hill.

Racine's

In the middle of the city, Racine's is still a favorite of deep-pockets, politicians, movers and shakers in the metro area who seek a place to meet up for a casual meal.

Palettes at the Art Museum

This Kevin Taylor restaurant attracts the artsier of the whales, as well as judges, city officials, and politicians in search of lunch or dinner.

EDGE Restaurant And Bar At Four Seasons Hotel Denver

Five star service is what the Four Seasons provides and EDGE, the restaurant located inside the downtown hotel, is no exception. Chef Simon Purvis runs one of Denver's biggest kitchens that serves some of the city's biggest whales.

The Capital Grille

The mother of the old-school top steakhouses, Capital Grille is the chosen power spot for lawyers, bankers, and even sports stars.

The Squeaky Bean

Everyone loves the Bean, so it should not come as a surprise that those with deeper pockets that most also flock to this LoDo dining room.

The Palm Restaurant

One of the original power lunch restaurants in Denver, the Palm may not blow your mind with its food, but it will certainly provide a competent meal and the chance to gawk of Denver's power players.

Palace Arms at Brown Palace

This restaurant, located inside the Brown Palace Hotel, brings in the politicos, lawyer-types, and power brokers who gather for dinner assured of receiving top service from the attentive staff.

Related Maps

Fuel Cafe

Off the beaten path, but only 5 minutes away from downtown, Fuel Cafe is a power lunch destination for Denver's political leadership, as well as some of the new economy business leaders from those in tech companies to land developers.

Shanahan's

When former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan opened this steakhouse South of Denver, he gave the wealthy Greenwood Village crowds a a great alternative to downtown steakhouses.

OAK at fourteenth

Boulder's entrepreneurs, tech-heads, and young venture capitalists flock to this restaurant for its cool cocktail program and innovative food prepared with the aid of an attractive wood-fired oven.

Frasca Food and Wine

On its eight year, Frasca attracts and welcomes diners of all backgrounds, but its spectacular wine program, led by master sommelier Bobby Stuckey, and events like the White Truffle dinner, a mere $765 per person, tends to make it a destination for those eager to spend their dough on fine dining.

Flagstaff House

One of Boulder's oldest fancy restaurants, Flagstaff House still attracts the wealthy with its 12,000 bottle wine cellar, classic French-American cuisine, and impeccable service.

Related Maps