84 MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC & VENUES | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS & RECREATION | SHOPPING & SERVICES | CONTENTS | Best Cheap Breakfast Rise & Shine Biscuit Kitchen Multiple metro locations riseandshinedenver.com Weekend after weekend spent paying for pricey brunches can make even one of our favorite meals feel like a ball and chain. Free yourself at Rise & Shine Biscuit Kitchen, where you can eat and drink for under $15 every time — and that’s if you go all out with toppings and sides. Lines can get long, so bring a pal to catch with — and don’t miss the biscuit of the day, which in- corporates unusual fl avors like green chile goat cheese and brown sugar pear. Best Bottomless Flavored Mimosas Mezcal 3230 East Colfax Avenue 303-322-5219 mezcalcolorado.com One mimosa is great, but bottomless mi- mosas in fl avors like pineapple, mango and strawberry? That’s an excuse to go hard at brunch. For $19, Mezcal will pour you bottomless mimosas in six different fl avors from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. Pair them with Mexican brunch fare such as chilaquiles, huevos rancheros or chile cheese fries with an egg on top. Best Breakfast Burrito Blackbelly Market 4324 West 41st Avenue 720-476-5812 1606 Conestoga Street, Boulder 303-247-1000 blackbelly.com Blackbelly in Boulder has been slinging some of the tastiest breakfast burritos in town for years. In 2024, owner Hosea Rosenberg opened his fi rst venture in Den- ver, Blackbelly Market, and the breakfast burritos have proven to be popular in the Mile High, too — for good reason. The OG includes eggs, Hatch green chiles, tater tots and cheese, or opt to add the butcher’s daily choice of meat. What makes these burritos stand out are the crispy tater tots and how perfectly the ingredients are blended, en- suring that every bite is packed with all the good stuff. Dip it in the accompanying Dia- blo sauce for a truly satisfying experience. No-tortilla burrito bowls are also available. Best Breakfast Sandwich Banh & Butter Bakery Cafe 9935 East Colfax Avenue, Aurora 720-512-3895 banhandbutter.com It’s been nearly three years since pastry chef Thoa Nguyen opened her fi rst solo venture, a bright and airy cafe that serves sweet and savory bites, including banh mi sandwiches on French baguettes. But the bite we crave most often from here is the everything- seasoned croissant fi lled with ham, egg and cheese. The large, buttery pastry is the ideal vehicle for a fi lling handheld meal that gets an extra boost from a hit of black pepper and savory garlic aioli. Pair it with an ube foam latte for an indulgent breakfast on the go. Best Bagel Sandwiches Odell’s Bagels 3200 Irving Street odellsbagel.com Miles Odell started selling bagels at the Highlands Square Farmer’s Market before debuting his LoHi brick-and-mortar last Oc- tober. Odell is originally from New Jersey, and the shop’s menu combines his Jewish heritage and experience in Japanese cuisine for a bagel lineup like no other. Sandwiches are served open-faced on a naturally fer- mented, hand-rolled bagel in fl avors such as furikake and rosemary. Each is piled with toppings that go beyond the norm, like sushi- grade hamachi and pastrami lox. Bonus: Ba- gel pizzas were recently added to the lineup. Best Bagel and Cream Cheese Rich Spirit Bagels 10081 West 26th Avenue, Wheat Ridge richspiritbagels.com An offshoot of Bakery Four, Rich Spirit opened in Gold’s Marketplace last year. Owner Shawn Bergin is a pastry perfectionist, and he brings that same level of attention to his naturally leavened bagels, which get a sweet note from dark malt. The result is a light, airy and chewy interior with a crisp exterior bite. The shop doesn’t offer additions like eggs or bacon, but if it’s a bagel with cream cheese (or fancy Isigny butter) you crave, you can do no better. Best Avocado Toast Huckleberry Roasters Multiple metro locations huckleberryroasters.com It may keep you from buying a house, but the avocado toast at Huckleberry Roasters is well worth the expense. Best eaten with a fork and knife, this popular menu item stars a thick slice of crisp multigrain sour- dough, perfectly ripe avocado (diced, never mashed) and housemade lemon za’atar spice to brighten the simple yet fl avorful dish. The generous portion is fi lling in itself, but add a poached or plant-based egg for a protein boost. Equally loved for its locally roasted coffee, this homegrown chain boasts eight metro-area locations, so you’re probably not far from your new favorite breakfast. Best Diner Davies’ Chuck Wagon Diner 9495 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood 303-237-5252 davies-chuckwagon.com It’s nigh impossible to get more genu- inely old-school than being a diner on the National Register of Historic Places, but Davies’ Chuck Wagon is exactly that. It’s also been a local favorite for almost sev- enty years now, having established itself as a consistent and reliable source for good ol’ American grub back in 1957. It remains a West Colfax classic for breakfast, lunch or dinner — but brunch is where Davies’ makes its name. And like any joint worthy of its plastic menus, many of its breakfast options give you the choice of toast or pan- cakes. The right answer is always pancakes. Best Traditional Chinese Breakfast Joy Lounge 9666 East Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village 720-593-8998 joy-lounge.com This breakfast-only concept currently serves out of the kitchen at Chilgogi on weekend mornings, but don’t get confused: It’s an en- tirely different menu, from a group of seven friends who began the venture by simply shar- ing photos of their home cooking. The star of the breakfast spread is yóutiáo — golden, crispy fried dough sticks that are a staple in China but seldom seen here. Complement it with soy milk and explore other offerings like soft tofu pudding, crispy rice cakes and cifantuan (rice rolls stuffed with yóutiáo, pork fl oss and pickled vegetables). This weekend treat is a nostalgic journey for those familiar with traditional Chinese breakfasts. Best Tea Shop Milk Tea People 1641 Market Street 720-925-8969 milkteapeople.com Bubble tea is out, milk tea is in. And no one does it better than Milk Tea People. The Market Station tea bar is known for its care- fully crafted recipes and dedication to excel- lence. The shop’s minimalist design refl ects its emphasis on simplicity, opting for high- quality organic ingredients instead of preser- vatives and artifi cial fl avorings. There are no bad drinks at Milk Tea People, but you can’t go wrong with the Green Thai Tea Almond Sweet Cream. While you’re at it, throw in a Wafchi (the shop’s specialty Belgian waffl e and mochi hybrid topped with gelato). Best New Coffee Shop Viva! Mexi-Coffee-Shop 4900 East Colfax Avenue 720-327-0267 Stepping into Viva! feels like being transported to a small town in Mexico. The immigrant- owned cafe is a home away from home for husband-and-wife team Leonardo Munoz- Corona, who utilizes his years of experience as a chef to whip up fresh bread and pastries along with daily specials, and Elisa Garcia, who works the coffee bar. The recent addition of breakfast tortas stuffed with eggs, meat, black bean spread, chipotle sauce, pickled onions and oregano is a welcome alternative to a breakfast burrito and a great complement to the latte de olla, while sweet treats such as guava cheese pastry and conchas go well with a café lechero. The walls are adorned with vibrant murals painted by Garcia, and the space is also home to a mini gallery and gift shop fi lled with locally made goods. Best Coffee Drive-Thru Lilac Coffee 4736 East Colfax Avenue 720-235-8275 lilaccoffee.com Denver is a coffee city — you’re never too far from a locally roasted quality cup. Coffee drive-thrus, on the other hand, are still dom- inated by chains. Lilac Coffee broke onto the scene last year when it took over the former Hot-Chick-A-Latte on East Colfax. Serv- ing up Corvus coffee at drive-thru speed, Lilac also boasts its continued on page 88 f o o d & d r i n k ILLUSTRATIONS BY GETT Y IMAGES/DENIS NOVIKOV
