100 MARCH 26-APRIL 1, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | FOOD & DRINK | MUSIC & VENUES | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING & SERVICES | SPORTS & RECREATION | CONTENTS | Best Diner That Survived the Colfax Construction Pete’s Kitchen 1962 East Colfax Avenue petesrestaurants.com/petes-kitchen For nearly forty years, Pete’s has been the greasy spoon of choice on East Colfax, but in 2025, its future was uncertain as the still- ongoing BRT construction project had hampered business to the point that the diner’s owners, the Contos family, put out a plea for support. The community showed up big, proving that this classic still holds a special place in the hearts of diners who’d be lost without its dependable plates of classic eats, which are still served all night long on weekends. Best Bang For Your Buck Breakfast Burrito La Abeja 508 East Colfax Avenue Hole-in-the-wall spots like this often serve some of the tastiest eats around, and La Abeja has been dishing out some of the best Mexican food on Colfax for the past 25 years, particularly its big-as-your-head breakfast burritos, which start at just $9.99. The hefty tortilla-wrapped meal comes ei- ther fi lled with or smothered in the res- taurant’s signature green chile and stuffed with eggs and potatoes, along with your choice of chorizo, ham or bacon. The eat- ery serves a damn good cup of coffee, too, making this an ideal place to start your day with a caffeine boost and a full stomach on a budget. Best Place To Get a Donut and a Burrito Anna’s Donuts & Burritos 5999 South University Boulevard, Greenwood Village 2120 South Broadway annasdonutsburritos.com For a breakfast that truly covers all crav- ings, Anna’s Donuts & Burritos, which added a second metro location in 2025, serves up some of the heftiest, most sat- isfying burritos in town alongside perfect classic donuts, including a cronut that’s in- spired its own ritual stop. The burritos here are notable for their generous proportions: 20 ounces of egg and potatoes, with cheese and your choice of meat, that’ll have you skipping lunch (and maybe dinner). Donuts are made fresh in-house daily and often sell out before the morning is over. Best Mochi Donuts Kuluka 6030 West 92nd Avenue, Westminster kulukaboba.com Donut lovers should be falling head over heels for mochi donuts, a Japanese twist on the “fresh hot” tradition, made with chewy mochi fl our that’s much more in- teresting than plain cake donuts or greasy fried rings. In suburban Westminster, Kuluka is doing a great job of coming up with cool fl avors daily, in addition to a roster of favorites, and serves the donuts with ice cream or a selection of coffee and teas. The women-owned shop is run by an Asian American crew, mostly of Hmong descent, and the name means “I love you” in Hmong. Best Latkes Rosenberg’s Bagels & Delicatessen Multiple locations rosenbergsbagels.com Rosenberg’s is beloved for its bagels, but come Hanukkah, be sure to order the latkes. Available year-round, the deli’s potato pancakes have taken fi rst place at the Jewish Community Center of Denver’s annual latke competition not once, but twice. Owner Joshua Pollack’s recipe calls for parbaking the potatoes be- fore shredding them, which makes them tender on the inside and perfectly crispy on the outside. The expertly seasoned result is served with a side of apple but- ter and sour cream. You can also add one alongside any of the deli’s sandwiches for an additional charge. Your bubbe would defi nitely approve. Best Tapas-Style Brunch Corsica Wine Bar 2801 Walnut Street corsicawinebar.com Corsica, which opened in RiNo in 2024, serves brunch tapas-style, with thirty deli- ciously crafted small plates to choose from, so you can graze as much or as little as you’d like. Standouts include the frittelli (warm doughnuts with fennel sugar and a bright lemon crème fraîche), whipped ricotta toast, grilled meaty mushrooms with tar- ragon and parsley, and a decadent croque madame. Pair your meal with coffee or a brunch cocktail, or ask the bartender to pour you a glass from the extensive wine list. Best Croissants La Croissanterie 5405 East 33rd Avenue lacroissanteriedenver.com This croissant shop recently took home first place at 5280 Pastry Co-Op’s an- nual Golden Croissant competition, and we couldn’t agree with the judges more. Tucked inside Park Hill’s all-day brunch spot Ruby’s Good Shoes, La Croissante- rie’s kitchen is helmed by Brazilian-born pastry chef Rafael de Jesus Rufi no, who sharpened his lamination skills in Miami as the lead on chef Antonio Bachour’s vi- ennoiserie team. Flaky, buttery croissants are stuffed to the edges with decadent fi ll- ings like strawberry, chocolate, pistachio or pure dulce de leche, which is never thinned with cream. Best Monkey Bread Sap Sua Bakehouse 2550 East Colfax Avenue sapsua.com We were ecstatic when Vietnamese favor- ite Sap Sua reopened its Saturday-morning bakery last November, and even more so when we discovered a new item on its menu: pecan monkey bread. Pastry chef Korinna Mahan’s personal recipe tastes like Christmas morning, with its cinnamon- sugar layers and caramelized edges. Don’t be shy: Dive in and tear it apart with your hands. Yes, you’re going to get sticky, but we promise it’s worth it. Best Cafe That’s Also a Bakery Hearth Multiple locations hearthdenver.com Helmed by Matt Quinlisk, Hearth, which now has locations in RiNo, Uptown and Highland, is known for creating some of the best sourdough loaves and laminated doughs in town, using local Rocky Moun- tain grains and seasonal produce to craft its artisanal pastries. If you stop in for cof- fee, it’s hard not to leave without one of its beautiful baked goods, whether that be a seasonal vegetable danish, an almond crois- sant or a chocolate tahini cookie. On the espresso side, things are just as tasty, with a full lineup of beverages that use beans exclusively from the bakery’s sister brand, Tablon Coffee. Best New Coffee Shop Good Bones 1201 East Colfax Avenue goodbonesdenver.com Blocked intersections and construction cones didn’t stop Melody and Carson Al- len from taking a chance on East Colfax when they opened Good Bones in Novem- ber, and the addition has quickly proven to be very good for the neighborhood. The space not only offers a caffeine fi x, but also functions as a vintage clothing and guitar store. There’s even a small stage for future music and comedy open mic nights. The place is doing good for the community, too — it’s popular Fuck ICE latte raised funds for Casa de Paz and rallied neighbors around a very worthy cause. Best Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony Lalibela Cafe 7950 East Mississippi Avenue instagram.com/lalibela_cafe/ In Ethiopia, casual moments together of- ten take place around a coffee ceremony. The country is proudly the home of coffee, where the beans grow wild in the bushes and more than a thousand years of tradi- tion shape how the beverage is honored and enjoyed. A coffee ceremony starts with burning natural incense made from tree sap before a woman pours the coffee from a jebena, or African ceramic fl ask. The mom- and-pop-owned Lalibela Cafe is one of just a handful of places in the metro area that perform this ceremony with coffee made from imported Ethiopian beans. Its “buna,” as it’s called on the menu, also comes with a side of popcorn, as Ethiopians usually en- joy a light, dry snack during the ceremony. Best Late-Night Cafe Coffee Story by Barakah Brews 2222 South Havana Street, Aurora coffeestoryco.com Why do so many coffee shops close early when you need caffeine to stay up late? Coffee Story understands what the peo- ple want, staying open until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until midnight on Friday and Satur-continued on page 102 F O O D & D R I N K ILLUSTRATIONS BY GETT Y IMAGES
