This casual haunt is no-frills but lots of fun with its hearty Cajun meals and live blues music. Specialties range from a grilled Louisiana hot sausage with remoulade to catfish, a variety of po’ boys, and crawfish étouffée.

Launched from a pushcart on 16th Street Mall, since 1986, The Duffeyroll Cafe has long been both a landmark and a social center in the Mile High City. This place was made famous by a monstrously large gourmet cinnamon roll.

Open since 2009, this laid-back cottage pizza parlor with a garden patio serves handmade Naples-style pies as well as craft beers and wine. Pizza options range from standards like a margherita and four-cheese to the more colorful jalapeno business, which is topped with pesto, jalapenos, cream cheese, and diced tomatoes. A second location shares a space with Uno Mas Taqueria y Cantina (see below) on Tennyson Street in the Berkeley neighborhood.

With a line around the block many nights, this iconic institution lives up to its hype by serving up fish flown in for preparation fresh from Japan. Diners should snag a seat at the sushi bar to observe the meticulous action and take inventory of the “catch of the day” menu as well as more dishes and rolls. Next door, pretty sister spot Izakaya Den, which pairs sushi with a selection of other dishes, including Kobe beef sliders and Maine lobster gnocchi, is also worth a visit.

Run by the same owners of Sushi and Izakaya Dens, Ototo made a comeback in 2015, serving Japanese tapas that spotlight grilled meats and fish robata-style while offering a raw-bar and ramen and rice bowls. It’s all set in an intimate dining room.

At the end of 2016, Gaia Bistro closed its doors, and made room for Yard Bird (now just Bird), which serves creative comfort food. The menu provides three square meals including pot pies, meatloaf and garlic mashers, and fried chicken, as well as Benedicts and waffles.

One of two Pearl Street pizzerias, cheeky Sexy Pizza tosses New York style deck-oven pies with fresh ingredients and veggies. There are also calzones, strombolis, and meatball sandwiches.

This cantina packs a punch with a bar that stocks more than 70 tequilas and mezcals and turns up the heat with its street tacos and classic Mexican dishes. The kitchen team also smokes whole animals, including locally raised pigs, goats, and sheep.

The original outpost of this American concept frequently ranks high on lists of the city’s best burgers. It’s a family-friendly spot that serves beef, buffalo, turkey, and veggie burgers, crispy fries, frothy milkshakes, a selection of local beers, and wine. Specialties include the Sweet Jackson, filled with Swiss cheese, Dijon honey mustard, and sweet potato chips piled high on a warm pretzel bun. 

When diners enter a neighborhood rotisserie chicken spot, they don’t usually expect a recent James Beard-winning chef to be behind it. But there’s one in charge of Chook: Fruition Restaurant and Mercantile Dining and Provisions chef Alex Seidel, who won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest just last year. That’s also when he opened this counter-service restaurant, which serves high-quality rotisserie poultry with charred side vegetables along with bottled cocktails and wines by the half glass.

This minimalistic modern cafe serves authentic Japanese pastries such as Matcha-dusted doughnut twists, custard-filled cornets, and karepan, a fried bread filled with curry at this and modern cafe and bakery. The fluffy, soft and slightly sweet milk bread has quickly become a favorite, as have the flaky tarts topped with fruit.