With locations in Berkeley and Greenwood Village, one of the nation’s few American Indian restaurants serves customizable fry breads, grain bowls, and more that showcase ingredients from indigenous and local producers — from wild rice and wheatberries to blue corn and red quinoa. Topping options are near-endless, but signature combos streamline the process for indecisive types: The Fancy, for instance, combines braised bison and chili beans with cheddar, lettuce, hominy salsa, ancho-chipotle sauce, and sour cream.

This no-frills Sunnyside eatery has been serving made-to-order Mexican and Cajun classics from its walk-up window for more than 40 years. Open for breakfast and lunch only, it’s known for its gumbo, weekend-only boudin balls, and custom breakfast burritos smothered in green chile.

This acclaimed nonprofit kitchen in RiNo trains immigrant and refugee women in the business of restaurant operations — but the real beneficiaries here are Denver diners. In addition to regularly changing lunch menus featuring the likes of chicken fajitas and pork ribs in salsa verde, Comal has just begun offering weekly dinner kits built around entrees like cow’s feet tacos and marinated pork shoulder steamed in banana leaves; serving four to six people, they’re a steal at $60.

The newest of four enormously popular Denver-area locations, this may be a dedicated daytime spot, but its biscuit sandwiches and platters are so enormous and filling there’s generally more than enough left over for later. Breakfast for dinner, anyone?

Like the Boulder original, the Union Station outpost of this Taiwanese counter joint maintains a menu that’s as comforting as it is concise, with dumplings, bao, and noodles being the staples. Longtime crowd favorites include za jiang mian (fresh egg noodles in ground pork sauce with veggies) and the “CPR”: chicken and potatoes over rice. 

Though legendary restaurateur Pete Contos passed in 2019 and pandemic-era regulations have forced his family to limit operating hours to 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (it’s usually open 24/7), this classic diner hasn’t otherwise changed a bit in decades: The menu’s still giant. The portions are still giant. And yet the prices are still paltry.

Last year, this Lincoln Park taqueria received a James Beard America’s Classics Award to show for the comida its dedicated crew has been cranking out with the best of them for 35-plus years. At around $9 and $12, respectively, the burritos and taco platters here aren’t the cheapest in town — but they’re well worth the extra handful of pennies.

The fact that this fast-casual pie parlor was founded by the guys behind Frasca Food & Wine makes its price point all the more surprising: From the famous Mais with ham, corn, and crème fraîche to the Supreme with pepperoni, sausage, onions, and peppers, not one 11-inch option cracks the $10 mark, and on Mondays, Margherita pizzas go for $5. (Three other locations in the Highlands, Central Park, and Hale spread the wealth.)

Meatball, tofu, pork, and all, Denver’s standard-bearer for bánh mì serves up eight versions of the staple Vietnamese sandwich (not to mention three gluten-free alternatives) — not one over $6.75. May as well take two.

Speaking of Vietnamese food: Though the local competition has grown tenfold over the years, fan loyalty to this Federal Boulevard fixture never wavers. Steaming bowls of pho (including a vegetarian option) take center stage, of course, but myriad vermicelli bowls and rice plates also await.

Lorena Cantarovici puts all the heart and soul of her native Argentina into the hand-crafted and hand-held stuffed pastries on which she’s built an mini-empire. Though some locations are temporarily closed due to the pandemic, the Platt Park original is still churning out 15 different types at $4 a pop, including breakfast versions stuffed with scrambled eggs and potatoes, and various meats as well as staples like chicken with chimichurri and creamed spinach with parmesan as mozzarella. For a change of pace, there’s stellar tortilla española.

One of Denver’s best (not to mention unusually vegetarian-friendly) Mexican kitchens just so happens to be located inside an Englewood gas station. It’s perhaps best known for its quesadilla-like quekas and tostada-like tlayudas, but regulars fill ’er up with off-menu specials like weekends-only pozole and lamb barbacoa as well.