62 MARCH 26-APRIL 1, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | FOOD & DRINK | MUSIC & VENUES | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING & SERVICES | SPORTS & RECREATION | CONTENTS | Seed Planting Shindig. Everything you need to achieve certifi cation is on the web- page; the online store has many resources, some of them free. Best Place to Buy a Car and Keep Your Sanity Centennial Leasing and Sales 7150 South Joliet Street, Englewood denver.clscars.com Locally owned and operated since 1984, Centennial offers a way to buy or lease a used or new car without you having to visit multiple dealerships; if it doesn’t have what you want in its inventory, Centennial will fi nd it for you. You work one-on-one with a broker who begins the process with a con- versation about your budget and vehicle preferences; then, after the broker fi nds a car that fi ts your criteria, you get a test drive along with expert advice. A variety of leasing or fi nancing options are avail- able, and your broker will even deliver the paperwork and your new ride. Best EV and Hybrid Auto Repair Shop Mile Hybrid Automotive 5142 East 39th Avenue milehybridauto.com Driving a hybrid or electric vehicle comes with the challenge of fi nding a mechanic who knows the software and the wiring, who won’t misdiagnose or use the word “battery” to refer to both a twelve-volt and a high-volt. Mile Hybrid is the most reliable EV and hybrid auto repair shop around. The mechanics are jacks-of-all-trades who can fi x electric vehicle issues quickly and affordably, and offer basic services like tire rotations, windshield wiper replacement and oil changes. A large portion of the cus- tomer base is Uber and DoorDash drivers, and the City of Denver even contracts with Mile High to maintain some of its EV fl eet. Best Tobacco, Pipes and Handmade Injera L&A Market 3095 South Peoria Street, Unit G, Aurora 720-213-0240 For more than two decades, Aurora smokers have been relying on L&A Market for pipes, cigarettes, hookahs, bongs, vape batteries and now, Zyn. It also sells injera, the spongy, fermented fl atbread that has been a staple of Habesha cuisine in Ethiopia and Eritrea for thousands of years. L&A makes its injera every week from teff grain, and sells packs for $11 that can last weeks. Injera’s sour- ness pairs best with savory, saucy dishes like Ethiopian doro wat, a spicy chicken stew, or even American chili and Indian vindaloo. And nothing caps off a hearty, injera-based meal quite like a puff of smoke, too. Best Place to Go If You Knead Some Dough Rebel Bread 675 South Broadway, Suite 600 rebelbreadco.com Aspiring bakers can take classes in mak- ing pretzels, empanadas, croissants and challah bread in the teaching kitchen of Rebel Kitchen; they can also pick up bak- ing supplies from the pantry as well as free sourdough starter. But there’s much more to Rebel Bread. The retail counter offers a rotating selection, all baked fresh daily with grains from regional mills; options range from cranberry cinnamon sourdough bread to marble rye, roasted garlic ciabatta, sour- dough pizza dough, and a bagel for four. The recently opened cafe has a full coffee bar, too, along with pastries and an array of hot and cold sandwiches. Best Asian Market Pacifi c Mercantile 1925 Lawrence Street pacifi ceastwest.com Pacifi c Mercantile is in the heart of Den- ver’s historic Japanese community, and it’s now being run by the fourth generation of the family that founded the Asian super- market right after WWII and its concur- rent incarceration of almost 130,000 people of Japanese descent. Today, it’s the place to shop for everything from Japanese snacks, candy and fresh seafood, to produce, re- frigerated foods, canned goods, kitchen- ware, clothes and books. You’ll also fi nd a large collection of instant ramen in packs, cups and bowls that are way beyond what college students subsist on. The store has a palpable sense of community that wel- comes all to this cultural haven. Best Italian Market Valente’s Deli, Bakery & Italian Market 7250 Meade Street, Westminster valentesdeli.com The Valente family opened this business in 1990, but their history in Denver’s food scene dates back to the 1930s. Still family-run today, Valente’s Deli, Bakery & Italian Market is the place where you can fi nd Italian sausage made from patri- arch Fred Valente’s recipe, take-and-bake pizzas, deli staples, bread, cookies and lots of hard-to-fi nd Italian ingredients and products, including the most impres- sive dry pasta selection in the metro area. There’s no worry of shopping hungry here, since you can also order one of the specialty sandwiches. Best Use of a Former Firehouse Steam Espresso Bar 3600 Tejon Street steam-espresso-bar.res-menu.net Filled with natural light, this Steam Espresso Bar is in a former historic fi re- house with lots of indoor and outdoor seat- ing, making it ideal for working, socializing and people/dog watching. The high-quality coffee is from ethical roasters, and there’s a full juice bar, along with teas and a pastry selection at the counter in the center of the shop. After the success of their South Pearl Street location, twin brothers Hani and Zahi Yaafouri opened this second spot in the midst of the pandemic, with Zahi bringing an architecture background while Hani added extensive experience in the coffee business. The result is a neighbor- hood treasure. ■ Shopping & Services continued from page 60
