110 MARCH 26-APRIL 1, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | FOOD & DRINK | MUSIC & VENUES | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING & SERVICES | SPORTS & RECREATION | CONTENTS | so does this briny creation, which includes housemade crème fraîche, minced garlic, mozzarella, provolone, pickles and a sprinkle of fresh dill, all on the joint’s soft-and-chewy naturally fermented crust. There’s now also a spicy version, with pickles that bring the heat plus hot cherry peppers. Best Savory Doughnuts Johnny Bechamel’s 81 South Pennsylvania Street johnnybechamels.com In December, the owners of Dio Mio and Redeemer opened their fi rst full-service restaurant, combining the team’s pasta and pizza skills to much success. This modern take on a neighborhood Italian restaurant has a menu fi lled with bangers, but one item not to miss is the doughnuts, bite- sized pillows of pâte à choux stuffed with Parmesan cream and topped with aged balsamic and a blanket of thinly sliced pro- sciutto, creating a fl avor bomb that sets the tone for the meal to come. Best New Red Sauce Joint Florence Supper Club 375 South Pearl Street fl orencesupperclub.com Chef Miles Odell and co-owner/general manager Paul Lysek created an instant classic when they opened Florence Supper Club next door to Candlelight Tavern in De- cember. Named for Lysek’s grandmother, this place has big heart and big fl avors, from the red sauce that blankets meatballs and chicken Parm and the focaccia that Odell geeked out on perfecting, to the spicy riga- toni alla vodka that had us saying “Carbone, who?” and the simple beauty of Florence’s own cheesecake recipe, which comes to the table garnish-free, just as Lysek enjoyed it when his grandmother served it. Best Fancy Addition to the Airport The Bindery 8500 Peña Boulevard fl ydenver.com At this new addition to Concourse A, your five-star getaway starts before takeoff. Watch planes taxiing beneath your win- dow seat as you toast champagne over a crisp Caesar salad and chilled oysters from the airport’s only raw bar. Just like at the acclaimed Bindery location in LoHi, chef Linda Hampsten Fox has assembled a solid grab-and-go selection featuring creamy burrata, salmon niçoise salads and muf- fuletta sandwiches on crusty ciabatta. The case is also stocked with pastries and lav- ender chocolate chip cookies, which are sure to cure any pre-fl ight jitters. Best Fast-Casual Addition to the Airport Tocabe: A Native American Eatery 8500 Peña Boulevard fl ydenver.com This Berkeley neighborhood restaurant re- cently launched a second location in Con- course A, making Tocabe the fi rst Native American eatery to open in an airport. The debut was a longtime goal of co-founder Ben Jacobs, a member of the Osage Nation who dreamed of sharing his culture with a global audience. Step up to the counter to order customizable fry bread tacos and grain bowls, selecting from toppings like braised shredded bison, hominy salsa and tepary beans, many of which are made with ingredients sourced from Indigenous and local producers. Best International Food Intersection South Havana Street & Yale Avenue Aurora’s Havana Street plays host to no shortage of international cuisine. But few intersections along the famous stretch are as dense in diversity and variety as the corner of Havana and Yale. There are over a dozen restaurants representing at least seven different cuisines, including Ko- rean, Chinese, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Indian and Thai. And if that’s not enough, there’s also an H-Mart and other specialty shops, convenience stores and entertainment venues. Park once and see the whole world before getting back in your car. Best International Food Hall Mango House 10180 East Colfax Avenue, Aurora For a globe-spanning meal under one roof, few places in metro Denver deliver the breadth and story quite like Mango House. What began as a community center for refugees has evolved into a bustling inter- national food hall where Haitian plantains, Burmese noodle bowls, Nepali momos and Syrian shawarma sit side by side. Each stall offers deeply rooted fl avors from across the globe. It’s a culinary passport that serves both food and heritage in equal portions. Best Asian Food Hall Hilltop Food Court 1310 College Avenue, Boulder While the lineup at this food hall on the Hill across from the CU-Boulder campus once included Boulder Burger, it was re- cently swapped out, turning this place into a pan-Asian dream. Here, it’s easy to mix and match dishes Food & Drink continued from page 106 continued on page 112
