clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Steak tartare with crostini
Classic steak tartare from Bistro Vendôme.
Marc Piscotty

15 Takeout and Delivery Options in Denver to Rescue You on Lazy No-Cooking Nights

As the city works to combat the coronavirus, chefs continue to do what they do best

View as Map
Classic steak tartare from Bistro Vendôme.
| Marc Piscotty

Since March, the dining scene in Denver (as everywhere) has been rocked and rolled by the ever-changing restrictions on businesses wrought by the pandemic. Yet local restaurateurs continue to pivot with extraordinary courage and ingenuity. Thanks to takeout and delivery service in particular, they’re keeping their livelihoods intact as best they can while offering frazzled home cooks a breather. The following 15 venues are great examples, though this map will be updated regularly to recognize as many deserving spots as possible.

Read More
If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Spuntino

Copy Link

While running Namkeen at Zeppelin Station, chef Cindhura Reddy developed as much of a following for her South Indian food as for the modern Italian cuisine she and partner Elliot Strathmann serve at Spuntino. Now her fans can have their cake and eat it too — in the form of arancini and samosas, pappardelle in goat Bolognese, and Methi chicken curry.

Takeout and delivery 5 p.m. to 8:30–9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday

Indian-style lamb shank over rice in takeout container
Spuntino’s masala-braised lamb shank over saffron rice serves two.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Work & Class

Copy Link

Though nothing’s back to normal, Dana Rodriguez’s cooking can make life feel that way for a while. Beloved signature dishes like roast lamb by the pound; the Massive Attack salad with tempura broccoli, asparagus, and avocado in preserved-lemon vinaigrette; and butterscotch pudding still anchor the menu, supplemented as always by seasonal options — stout-braised short rib and fall vegetable hash with cashews, for instance.

Takeout and delivery 5 p.m.–9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday

Rotisserie chicken
Work & Class’s staple rotisserie chicken.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Coffee at The Point

Copy Link

Not only does this Five Points coffee shop keep far longer business hours than most places these days, it also makes them count with an extensive, affordable, and highly appealing selection of salads, sandwiches, quinoa bowls, and pastries. Favorites include the Fire Station No. 3 — roast beef, fontina, and hot peppers on ciabatta — and the Louie, a smoked salmon–cheddar melt on an English muffin. Better still, it has a liquor license, meaning that latte’s available with a shot of maple bourbon.

Takeout 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday

Focaccia sandwich with turkey, cheese, and avocado
Coffee at the Point’s Welton sandwich features smoked turkey, pepperjack cheese, avocado, and chipotle aioli on focaccia.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Mercantile Dining and Provision

Copy Link

With a brand-new team that includes chef Alex Astranti and Master Sommelier Jim Bube, Alex Seidel’s Union Station destination is back in action. The streamlined but regularly changing menu centers on take-and-bake items such as cinnamon rolls and short rib–mozzarella rigatoni for four, along with provisions like jarred rillettes and pickle samplers.

Takeout 4 p.m.–8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday

Jars of rillettes and other spreads with pita
The market at Mercantile is still whipping up provisions such as rillettes and jams.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Bistro Vendôme

Copy Link

Thank goodness for old favorites. Jennifer Jasinski and Beth Gruitch’s Larimer Square sanctuary is still serving up the bistro classics it was built on day in and day out: Think French onion soup, steak frites, and crème brûlée for dinner, croques monsieurs and crêpes Florentine for weekend brunch.

Takeout and delivery 4 p.m.–8 p.m. daily plus 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturday through Sunday

roast chicken with sides
True-blue French bistro fare has been Vendôme’s forte for going on 20 years.
Marc Piscotty

Onefold

Copy Link

This Uptown daytime haunt mixes Asian and Latin influences to offer everything from breakfast fried rice featuring Chinese sausage and a duck-fat fried egg to barbacoa tacos on handmade corn tortillas with consommé for dipping — plus boozy Vietnamese iced coffee to wash it down.

Takeout and delivery 7–8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily

Savory rice porridge with egg
Onefold’s duck and egg congee.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Middleman

Copy Link

It’s fairly easy to stock a home bar. It’s not so easy to replicate the ultimate bar food. Good thing no one has to — all they have to do is check out the menu at Misfit Snackbar, located inside Middleman on East Colfax; call 201-679-7079 to place an order; and come home with the works — maybe the chips and dip du jour and cherry-glazed pork ribs with spaetzle one night, butternut-squash tamales and shepherd’s pie–inspired croquettes the next. Chef Bo Porytko has also launched a side project, Dill & Dough, to sell take-and-bake pierogi and pelmeni.

Takeout 4 p.m.–10 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Sunday

Double cheeseburger with onions and pickles
Misfit’s burger stands with the city’s best.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Anise, Modern Vietnamese Eatery

Copy Link

In addition to staples like goi ga and pho, the menu at this sweet Cap Hill spot includes some offbeat twists on Vietnamese cuisine: beef spring rolls are a house specialty, for instance, while bánh mì bites are reminiscent of bruschetta.

Takeout and delivery 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily

Vietnamese appetizers in takeout containers
Anise’s bánh mì bites, squid bánh can, and fried meatballs.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Fortune Wok to Table

Copy Link

While this Cherry Creek gem has more than earned a cult following for its exquisite handmade dumplings, regulars know to mix up their meals with vibrant Shanghai-style noodle bowls and soups, fried rice plates, and seasonal dishes like seafood hot-and-sour soup.

Takeout 11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 8:30–9 p.m. Tuesday–Sunday

Fried dumplings with sauce
Dumplings, fried or steamed, are Fortune’s primary claim to fame.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

La Calle Taqueria y Carnitas

Copy Link

Though its menu is broader than the name suggests — including stews like menudo and birria, tortas, and more — La Calle rightly prides itself on its tacos. Some of Denver’s best, they come topped with everything from lamb and goat to beef cheeks and pork stomach to, of course, carnitas — which are also available to go by the pound, along with several other meat cuts.

Takeout and delivery 9 a.m. to 9–10 p.m. daily

Plate of four tacos with lime

Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar - Glendale

Copy Link

What’s on the to-go menu at the Glendale branch of Jax these days? A better question is, what isn’t? While meeting all its neighbors’ seafood needs with raw bar samplers, entrees such as blackened catfish with collard greens and hushpuppies, and cioppino kits for two, it’s also become home to not one, not two, but three different ghost-kitchen concepts. The Tender Project answers the clamor for fried chicken; The Cheesesteak Project, of course, specializes in its namesake; and The Lasagna Project doubles as a fundraiser for the food-insecure.

Takeout and delivery 3:30–9 p.m. daily

Box of chicken tenders with waffle fries and sauces
Jax’s chicken tenders come with fries and a choice of two dipping sauces as well as an optional side of furikake rice and kimchi.
Courtesy of Big Red F

African Grill and Bar

Copy Link

Palates can travel where bodies can’t. This Lakewood gem offers a taste of comfort food from across the African continent, with an emphasis on robustly flavorful stews based on vegetables, greens, and legumes (okra and black-eyed peas, for instance); enriched by the meats such as goat and oxtail, and accompanied by jollof rice or staple starches like fufu.

Takeout 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday through Saturday

Okra and lamb stew with kenkey
Comfort food, African Grill and Bar–style.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Pizzeria Lui

Copy Link

Pizza may be many people’s default for takeout, but this celebrated Lakewood parlor always makes it seem more unique. Wood-fired at 900 degrees, its pies come topped with everything from ham, bacon, jalapeños, and roasted pineapple puree to chorizo, cotija, corn, and tomatillo salsa.

Takeout 3 p.m.–9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday

Pepperoni pizza with gorgonzola
Pizzeria Lui offers about eight different red pies and five white ones.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Turtle Boat - Colorado Poki Salads

Copy Link

Sustainable seafood, innovative vegan alternatives, local produce, and an unusual array of add-ins, toppings, and sides have earned this Rosedale poke hut legions of loyal devotees. So have its efforts to support the community under lockdown: Follow it on Instagram for updates on its soup donations, weekly specials incorporating foods from other local businesses, and more.

Takeout 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Wednesday through Monday

poke salad on greens
Turtle Boat’s customizable poke bowls can incorporate everything from Colorado striped bass and cuttlefish to wasabi guacamole and vegan masago.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

House of Kabob

Copy Link

Though the namesake skewers are indeed a highlight at this University Hills stalwart, the menu branches out across the Eastern Mediterranean to include Greek spanakopita, Persian stews like ghorme sabzi with beef, wings in Lebanese-style garlic sauce, and more. It’s all ideally paired with the rich salted-yogurt drink called doogh.

Takeout and delivery 11 a.m.–12 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Spuntino

While running Namkeen at Zeppelin Station, chef Cindhura Reddy developed as much of a following for her South Indian food as for the modern Italian cuisine she and partner Elliot Strathmann serve at Spuntino. Now her fans can have their cake and eat it too — in the form of arancini and samosas, pappardelle in goat Bolognese, and Methi chicken curry.

Takeout and delivery 5 p.m. to 8:30–9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday

Indian-style lamb shank over rice in takeout container
Spuntino’s masala-braised lamb shank over saffron rice serves two.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Work & Class

Though nothing’s back to normal, Dana Rodriguez’s cooking can make life feel that way for a while. Beloved signature dishes like roast lamb by the pound; the Massive Attack salad with tempura broccoli, asparagus, and avocado in preserved-lemon vinaigrette; and butterscotch pudding still anchor the menu, supplemented as always by seasonal options — stout-braised short rib and fall vegetable hash with cashews, for instance.

Takeout and delivery 5 p.m.–9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday

Rotisserie chicken
Work & Class’s staple rotisserie chicken.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Coffee at The Point

Not only does this Five Points coffee shop keep far longer business hours than most places these days, it also makes them count with an extensive, affordable, and highly appealing selection of salads, sandwiches, quinoa bowls, and pastries. Favorites include the Fire Station No. 3 — roast beef, fontina, and hot peppers on ciabatta — and the Louie, a smoked salmon–cheddar melt on an English muffin. Better still, it has a liquor license, meaning that latte’s available with a shot of maple bourbon.

Takeout 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday

Focaccia sandwich with turkey, cheese, and avocado
Coffee at the Point’s Welton sandwich features smoked turkey, pepperjack cheese, avocado, and chipotle aioli on focaccia.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Mercantile Dining and Provision

With a brand-new team that includes chef Alex Astranti and Master Sommelier Jim Bube, Alex Seidel’s Union Station destination is back in action. The streamlined but regularly changing menu centers on take-and-bake items such as cinnamon rolls and short rib–mozzarella rigatoni for four, along with provisions like jarred rillettes and pickle samplers.

Takeout 4 p.m.–8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday

Jars of rillettes and other spreads with pita
The market at Mercantile is still whipping up provisions such as rillettes and jams.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Bistro Vendôme

Thank goodness for old favorites. Jennifer Jasinski and Beth Gruitch’s Larimer Square sanctuary is still serving up the bistro classics it was built on day in and day out: Think French onion soup, steak frites, and crème brûlée for dinner, croques monsieurs and crêpes Florentine for weekend brunch.

Takeout and delivery 4 p.m.–8 p.m. daily plus 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturday through Sunday

roast chicken with sides
True-blue French bistro fare has been Vendôme’s forte for going on 20 years.
Marc Piscotty

Onefold

This Uptown daytime haunt mixes Asian and Latin influences to offer everything from breakfast fried rice featuring Chinese sausage and a duck-fat fried egg to barbacoa tacos on handmade corn tortillas with consommé for dipping — plus boozy Vietnamese iced coffee to wash it down.

Takeout and delivery 7–8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily

Savory rice porridge with egg
Onefold’s duck and egg congee.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Middleman

It’s fairly easy to stock a home bar. It’s not so easy to replicate the ultimate bar food. Good thing no one has to — all they have to do is check out the menu at Misfit Snackbar, located inside Middleman on East Colfax; call 201-679-7079 to place an order; and come home with the works — maybe the chips and dip du jour and cherry-glazed pork ribs with spaetzle one night, butternut-squash tamales and shepherd’s pie–inspired croquettes the next. Chef Bo Porytko has also launched a side project, Dill & Dough, to sell take-and-bake pierogi and pelmeni.

Takeout 4 p.m.–10 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Sunday

Double cheeseburger with onions and pickles
Misfit’s burger stands with the city’s best.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Anise, Modern Vietnamese Eatery

In addition to staples like goi ga and pho, the menu at this sweet Cap Hill spot includes some offbeat twists on Vietnamese cuisine: beef spring rolls are a house specialty, for instance, while bánh mì bites are reminiscent of bruschetta.

Takeout and delivery 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily

Vietnamese appetizers in takeout containers
Anise’s bánh mì bites, squid bánh can, and fried meatballs.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Fortune Wok to Table

While this Cherry Creek gem has more than earned a cult following for its exquisite handmade dumplings, regulars know to mix up their meals with vibrant Shanghai-style noodle bowls and soups, fried rice plates, and seasonal dishes like seafood hot-and-sour soup.

Takeout 11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 8:30–9 p.m. Tuesday–Sunday

Fried dumplings with sauce
Dumplings, fried or steamed, are Fortune’s primary claim to fame.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

La Calle Taqueria y Carnitas

Though its menu is broader than the name suggests — including stews like menudo and birria, tortas, and more — La Calle rightly prides itself on its tacos. Some of Denver’s best, they come topped with everything from lamb and goat to beef cheeks and pork stomach to, of course, carnitas — which are also available to go by the pound, along with several other meat cuts.

Takeout and delivery 9 a.m. to 9–10 p.m. daily

Plate of four tacos with lime

Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar - Glendale

What’s on the to-go menu at the Glendale branch of Jax these days? A better question is, what isn’t? While meeting all its neighbors’ seafood needs with raw bar samplers, entrees such as blackened catfish with collard greens and hushpuppies, and cioppino kits for two, it’s also become home to not one, not two, but three different ghost-kitchen concepts. The Tender Project answers the clamor for fried chicken; The Cheesesteak Project, of course, specializes in its namesake; and The Lasagna Project doubles as a fundraiser for the food-insecure.

Takeout and delivery 3:30–9 p.m. daily

Box of chicken tenders with waffle fries and sauces
Jax’s chicken tenders come with fries and a choice of two dipping sauces as well as an optional side of furikake rice and kimchi.
Courtesy of Big Red F

African Grill and Bar

Palates can travel where bodies can’t. This Lakewood gem offers a taste of comfort food from across the African continent, with an emphasis on robustly flavorful stews based on vegetables, greens, and legumes (okra and black-eyed peas, for instance); enriched by the meats such as goat and oxtail, and accompanied by jollof rice or staple starches like fufu.

Takeout 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday through Saturday

Okra and lamb stew with kenkey
Comfort food, African Grill and Bar–style.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Pizzeria Lui

Pizza may be many people’s default for takeout, but this celebrated Lakewood parlor always makes it seem more unique. Wood-fired at 900 degrees, its pies come topped with everything from ham, bacon, jalapeños, and roasted pineapple puree to chorizo, cotija, corn, and tomatillo salsa.

Takeout 3 p.m.–9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday

Pepperoni pizza with gorgonzola
Pizzeria Lui offers about eight different red pies and five white ones.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Turtle Boat - Colorado Poki Salads

Sustainable seafood, innovative vegan alternatives, local produce, and an unusual array of add-ins, toppings, and sides have earned this Rosedale poke hut legions of loyal devotees. So have its efforts to support the community under lockdown: Follow it on Instagram for updates on its soup donations, weekly specials incorporating foods from other local businesses, and more.

Takeout 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Wednesday through Monday

poke salad on greens
Turtle Boat’s customizable poke bowls can incorporate everything from Colorado striped bass and cuttlefish to wasabi guacamole and vegan masago.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

House of Kabob

Though the namesake skewers are indeed a highlight at this University Hills stalwart, the menu branches out across the Eastern Mediterranean to include Greek spanakopita, Persian stews like ghorme sabzi with beef, wings in Lebanese-style garlic sauce, and more. It’s all ideally paired with the rich salted-yogurt drink called doogh.

Takeout and delivery 11 a.m.–12 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Related Maps