10 JANUARY 15-21, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Get Hungry for the Top 50 Restaurants THESE ARE THE STANDOUT SPOTS IN THE SCENE RIGHT NOW. BY MOLLY MARTIN Every year, we eat our way across the metro area while covering the ever-changing food scene, and in 2025, a slew of notable new spots joined the lineup. But we also swooned for old favorites and found some long-estab- lished eateries that became go-to spots for memorable meals. Throughout these experiences, we keep notes in order to compile the Best of Denver (the 2026 issue is coming March 26), as well as our annual list of the top 100 eateries in the metro area. But this year, we’re changing our approach. As with our recently released Top Bars list, we’ve cut the number of eater- ies highlighted from 100 to 50: The dining scene is getting more competitive, and this refl ects that shift while providing an even more closely curated list for readers to digest in the months to come. Also new: We’ll update both the bar and the restaurant lists biannually in order to keep them fresh — though that doesn’t mean you’ll fi nd only new, trendy places in the mix. As always, our goal is to highlight the scene’s diversity, from cuisines to price points to geo- graphical locations — which, yes, sometimes means traveling beyond Denver city limits for an excellent dining experience. This isn’t a stagnant, set-in-stone roundup of the all-time best restaurants — “best” is completely subjective, after all. Instead, we’ve aimed to bring you a wide-ranging list of dining options that all have one thing in common: These are the places we love right now, and the places we’d recommend to friends and family with confi dence. There’s only one ground rule: Every eat- ery included must have opened by the end of November 2025. Keep reading for the Top 50 Restaurants in metro Denver right now. SPLURGE-WORTHY AND SOPHISTICATED Fine-dining restaurants with refi ned hos- pitality Barolo Grill Cherry Creek 3030 East Sixth Avenue barologrilldenver.com If you long for simpler times, Barolo Grill is a throwback in the best way. Founded by restaurateur Blair Taylor and open since 1992, it’s been overseen by former employee, current owner and wine director Ryan Flet- ter for over a decade. In that time, Fletter has maintained a comforting kind of fi ne-dining hospitality that makes every guest feel like a regular. The four-course tasting menu is an excellent introduction to this spot’s take on Northern Italian fare from executive chef Darrel Truett, though dishes can also be ordered à la carte. And don’t overlook a seat at the bar for a nightcap and dessert: The staple torta di formaggio, a Castelmagno cheesecake, is a sweet ending to any night. Black Cat Farm Longmont 9889 North 51st Street blackcatboulder.com Eric Skokan is a chef, farmer and the hum- ble mastermind behind the most magical dining experience you can have in the state right now. Making the trek to the farmstead in Longmont is part of the adventure; once you arrive, there’s nothing but pure, heartfelt hospitality. Though the farm dinners started as a pandemic project, Skokan made them permanent in 2024 after overhauling the property to better accommodate guests and hand-building seven private greenhouse cabanas. Each experience begins with hors d’oeuvres and an aperitif, followed by a family-style feast crafted from the bounty of the land. The creativity never stops here, the menu is ever-changing, and the scenery is captivating, no matter the season. The Counter at Odell’s West Highland 3200 Irving Street odellsbagel.com/the-counter We love getting a morning bite at Odell’s Bagel, and chef/owner Miles Odell recently opened a lovely East Coast-style Italian spot, Florence Supper Club, near Wash Park with partner Paul Lysek. But it’s his evening kaiseki- style tasting counter that’s captivated our attention. The Counter operates out of the bagel shop and is an intimate experience that combines high-end bites with a fun and engag- ing approach to a tasting menu. The meal is sushi-heavy but relies mainly on seasonality, and is imbued with some whimsical touches, like a recent starter of otoro and caviar served atop a latke — a nod to the fact that you’re eating in a bagel shop. Odell’s commitment to quality is on full display at the Counter, and guests will be rewarded with a meal that stands apart from the city’s growing tasting-menu options. Frasca Food and Wine Boulder 1738 Pearl Street frascafoodandwine.com Diners in Denver are damn lucky to be in close proximity to the reigning James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Restaurant. That huge honor is one of many accolades bestowed on Frasca during its twenty-year- plus run in Boulder, where it remains at the top of its game, in large part because of a long-held hyper-focus on sharing the food, wine and culture of the Friuli region of Italy. Whether you opt for the four-course Quattro Piatti menu or the more expansive Friulano tasting menu, any evening here is sure to be a special one, thanks to Frasca’s team of hospitality pros, who ensure only the best service and cuisine night after night. Kizaki Platt Park 1551 South Pearl Street kizakiden.com In 1984, brothers Toshi and Yasu Kizaki founded Sushi Den, forever changing the city’s dining landscape as pioneers in sea- food sourcing. Over forty years later, Toshi attained the crown jewel of his long career when his new omakase counter, Kizaki, earned a Michelin Star in 2025, and it is quite an experience watching this master in action. Toshi’s quiet concentration and obvious care for his craft result in a meal that moves steadily from one bite to the next, in a refi ned onslaught of fi sh served at peak fl avor as you enjoy everything from octopus and amberjack to Japanese tiger prawns, wild scallops, a variety of tuna cuts and one of the CAFE FIND MORE FOOD & DRINK COVERAGE AT WESTWORD.COM/RESTAURANTS Taiwanese fried chicken has become a fast favorite at Pig and Tiger. VALERIA MOONCH PHOTOGRAPHY
