This intimate white-cloth institution on the northern edge of the neighborhood has spent nearly 30 years building one of the most spectacular Italian wine cellars in Colorado if not the whole nation — and the menu matches the bottle list luxury for luxury. While the braised duck and torta di formaggio are among its best-loved dishes, newcomers should also keep their eyes peeled for veal, lobster, and truffles to get the full Barolo Grill experience.

Upstairs, one of the city’s, never mind the neighborhood’s, best Chinese restaurants offers a nine-course prix fixe for a minimum of six people by reservation one night a week only. But as special as that may be, rest assured the food downstairs, though simpler, is just as fabulous: Steamed or fried dumplings, noodles, rice bowls, and a seasonal dish or two are all anyone needs to make memories here.

An oasis of grit in the chichi expanse of Cherry Creek, this party place is known for its freewheeling approach to tacos and margs: The former feature the likes of braised lamb, grilled lobster tail, roasted beets, and tortillas flavored with hibiscus tea or squid ink, while the latter incorporate coconut, cucumber, chiles, mint, and more.

Long before fried chicken became the official dish of the pandemic, chef Preston Phillips was serving it up — with or without Champagne — to much acclaim. He still is, along with other contemporary takes on downhome staples: fried pickles and hush puppies here, chicken pot pie and cobbler à la mode there, plus plenty of craft beer and bourbon to wash it all down.

Half-hidden below street level, this cozy French charmer has quietly built a following on the strength of classic bistro plates like escargots à la Bourguignonne, trout Grenobloise, and chocolate mousse, not to mention brunchtime crêpes on the shady patio. It all pairs, naturellement, with a wine list that runs the gamut from Provençal rosé and Alsatian Riesling to three-figure Burgundy and Bordeaux.

From the ladies who lunch to the singles who mingle, the neighbors have taken to this upscale-casual gathering spot in the Halcyon hotel. That’s largely thanks to a New American menu that strikes the right balance between comfort and creativity — think potato-carrot latkes with smoked salmon or roast quail atop sunflower porridge — and to a bar that whips up cocktails like the Thank Gourd I Found U, featuring rum and salted squash syrup.

The new Clayton Hotel’s contemporary dining room is just what the Cherry Creek crew ordered: a place to see and be seen over a meal of small plates that are definitively sexy. That means hummus topped with chicken shawarma; elaborate salads and vegetarian fare; and elegant entrees like grilled branzino in dill-caper vinaigrette — all paired with clever cocktails like the “pineaperol spritz.”

Occupying an old florist’s shop, this relative newcomer (it opened last spring) may be a cocktail lounge first and foremost, but it still makes ample use of its kitchen — turning out everything from soft pretzels and Chicago-style hot dogs complete with sport peppers to elaborate caviar service and tinned-seafood platters featuring, say, yellowfin belly or razor clams.

Breezy yet chic, the decor of this rather underrated seafood spot whisks its guests to the coast in a snap. Of course, the menu follows suit, brimming with oysters and mussels, crab legs and calamari, clam chowder and lobster rolls, and still more. Come for lunch, stay for happy hour — after all, it feels like vacation in here.

In true Richard Sandoval style, the kitchen of this spacious, airy hideaway in the JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek laces its pan-Latin cuisine with Asian influences, resulting in the likes of ponzu-infused tuna ceviche, sweet-and-sour lomo saltado, and pork belly tacos with yuzu-avocado sauce. Cocktails, meanwhile, burst with the bright flavors of passion fruit and pineapple, hibiscus and chiles.

Gourmet hashes, tartines, sandwiches, and pastries of all kinds, paired with an equally wide array of coffees, juices, and bar drinks, keep this airy, comfy bakery-cafe hopping from early morning to late afternoon. Signatures include the City French (scrambled eggs, ham, brie, and red-pepper aioli on a croissant); the Cashman (roast beef, caramelized onions, arugula, horseradish aioli, and more on a baguette); and, when available, the mini–Funfetti birthday cake.