72 APRIL 4-10, 2024 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC & VENUES | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING & SERVICES | CONTENTS | Best Entree to Order If You Actually Get Into Casa Bonita Taco Salad “Change nothing, improve everything.” That was the motto behind South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s revamp of the famed pink palace, which turns fi fty this year. The results were re- vealed in June 2023, when it opened at long last — sort of. In order to get in, you still need to sign up for the email list and wait for an invite to show up in your in- box. But the wait is worth it. Casa Bonita 2.0 is a nostalgic delight, and so is the taco salad. For years, it was the safest option available, and while all the new entrees are vast improvements over the former canned-cheese-laden choices, something just feels right about eating out of a fried tortilla bowl while watching the cliff divers and posing for photos with ManBearPig. Best Place to Drink If You Can’t Get Into Casa Bonita Lakewood Grill 8100 West Colfax Avenue 303-237-8051 lakewoodgrill.online This bar, which offi cially poured its fi rst drinks in 1951, has been around since be- fore Lakewood even became a city (that happened in 1969) and pre-dates Casa Bo- nita by decades. It’s well worn, just like the eatertainment spot was before its reboot, and is the kind of place where regulars randomly break out into sing-alongs and the bartenders really do know everyone’s name. Plus, it also has some famed foods of its own, including solid green chile and a few unexpected bar snacks like deep-fried Tutu Rolls fi lled with ground pork, bean thread noodles, carrots, Chinese mush- rooms and onions. Best New Food Trend The Bagel Revolution For a decade, Rosenberg’s has been the local gold standard for people craving East Coast-style bagels, but in 2023, some competition emerged when D.C.-born Call Your Mother arrived in the Mile High. Next came Rich Spirit, a Wheat Ridge shop from the owner of Bakery Four where the natu- rally leavened bagels offer a different and delicious take on this breakfast favorite. Soon, New Jersey native Miles Odell will open Odell’s Bagels, adding yet another option to the mix. We’re here for all of it: Bring on the bagel revolution! Best No-Frills Breakfast Burrito 20th Street Mexican Cafe 1123 20th Street 303-330-0205 The Okuno family had run the 20th Street Cafe since 1946 before the pandemic pushed up the owners’ retirement plans. The beloved downtown eatery sat empty until last April, when the family that had formerly run Tarahumara in a Colfax strip mall brought the cafe back, with a new fo- cus on Mexican fare. There are no fancy tricks used in the eatery’s breakfast burrito — it’s a straightforward take with tender, thick slices of potatoes, scrambled eggs and meat of your choice. Handhelds are avail- able, but we prefer this baby smothered in a generous amount of cheese and 20th Street’s bright-orange-hued green chile, which has just a bit of heat and a whole lot of fl avor. Best Vegan Breakfast Burrito January Coffee 1886 30th Street, Boulder 720-731-9170 january.coffee The metro area has a lot of breakfast bur- rito options, but plant-based versions are hard to come by. Among the few spots that cater to the vegan crowd, many add health-forward ingredients like kale and black beans, which don’t quite hit the spot in the same way. But January Coffee under- stands that vegan breakfast burritos don’t need to be fussy or nutrient-dense. Rather, it dishes out a toasted fl our tortilla fi lled with plant-based Just Egg, Impossible sausage, tater tots, vegan cheddar, chipo- tle aioli, and green chile with the perfect amount of heat. Pair it with any of several espresso beverages; almond and oat milks don’t cost extra here. Best Waffl es Stowaway Kitchen 2528 Walnut Street 720-583-5481 stowawaydenver.com Stowaway’s name is a playful homage to the travels of its owners, wife-and-husband team Amy Cohen and Hayden Barnie, as well as their distinct cultures: Cohen is half Japanese and Barnie hails from New Zealand. Here you’ll find an eclectic, mostly healthy-leaning menu of breakfast and lunch offerings that you can enjoy in a light, bright and breezy space in RiNo. For those craving something sweet, rotat- ing waffl e fl avors celebrating the bounty of Colorado’s fruit seasons is sure to satisfy. Last fall, Stowaway dished out its hearty heirloom grain sourdough waffles with kabocha pumpkin mousse and candied walnuts. In the late summer, there were plum, almond and meringue waffles. If that’s any indication of what’s to come this year, we can’t wait. Best Brunch With No Wait Tacos, Tequila, Whiskey 3300 West 32nd Avenue 720-502-4608 tacostequilawhiskey.com In a city where brunch lines can feel more like waiting at the DMV, one of the best- kept secrets is the weekend menu at Tacos, Tequila, Whiskey. The recently renovated Highland spot known for its gringo take on Mexican street food has a simple fi ve-taco brunch and an even simpler process for getting a seat: Just show up. We love an extra side of the gooey green-chile Hol- landaise over the crispy carnitas on the Pinche Hash and the just-spicy-enough Bloody Mary mix — and everything tastes even better when getting a table takes sec- onds instead of hours. Best New Coffee Shop Glissade Coffee Company 2520 Galena Street, Aurora 303-955-7807 glissadecoffee.com Glissade Coffee opened in early 2023 and has quickly established itself as a go-to neighborhood hangout. Owner Sean Har- win learned the trade of roasting coffee in Seattle before moving to Denver and set- ting up his own operation, then building out a cafe around it. Named for the act of sliding down a snowy mountainside (on your feet if you’re coordinated, on your butt if you’re not), Glissade encourages custom- ers to get outside — there’s even a weekly run club. All of its drinks are made with house-roasted beans, and small bites pair well with the limited beer and wine menu. Best Black Coffee Crema Coffee House 2862 Larimer Street cremacoffeehouse.net Since 2014, Crema has offered a lot of ways to enjoy black coffee — drip, pour-over, as an americano or iced — each perfect in its own way. That’s because it sources its offerings from over 22 different roasters, both local and national, each selected for the fl avor profi le and brew method. The straightforward coffee is complemented by an inventive food menu, with hearty brunch dishes and fresh pastries made in-house daily. Feel free to add cream and sugar to your cup, but we recommend try- ing it black fi rst — you might be surprised by how naturally sweet and fl avorful the coffee is on its own. Best Colombian Coffee Shop LaTinto Café 1417 South Broadway 303-722-0587 latintocafe.com In 2021, Jorge Aguirre moved his La Chiva Colombian Cuisine across the street to a larger space, but he held on to the lease of the original location and turned it into LaTinto. The coffee options here are made using single-origin beans that are sourced directly from independent Colombian farms and roasted in Colorado. Try the LaTinto Specialty, a latte sweetened with panela and cinnamon, or a campesino with aguapanela, sugarcane that comes in a solid form and is then boiled down. The cafe also offers a variety of pastries along with op- tions like caldo de costilla (a traditional beef and potato stew) and buñuelos (fried fritters made with cheese, cornstarch and yuca fl our). Best Coffee Shop for Conversations Hello Darling 1610 Little Raven Street instagram.com/hellodarlinglittleraven Sometimes you just need a place to grab coffee with a friend and catch up on life events. Hello Darling is a spacious escape with plenty of seating where you can grab a latte and just talk. The place is Insta- gram-famous for its variety of furniture, the plants that line the fl oor and the large windows that let in plenty of sunlight. Stop before work and start your day with a friendly chat while getting your morning caffeine fi x. Best Coffee Shop for a Cause Prodigy Coffeehouse 3801 East 40th Avenue 4500 Broadway prodigyventures.org Prodigy is a social enterprise cafe that opened its doors in 2017 in northeast Denver inside a former garage. It employs young people between the ages of 18 and 24 through its paid apprenticeship pro- gram, which offers hands-on job training and builds the skills continued on page 74 GETT Y IMAGES/ DENIS NOVIKOV
