13 JANUARY 15-21, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | and the heart and soul of the team is on full display nightly. CASUAL FAVORITES Comforting food in a comfortable atmosphere Cart-Driver LoHi 2239 West 30th Avenue cart-driver.com/lohi After a long hiatus, Cart-Driver’s LoHi outpost returned better than ever in 2025, bringing wood-fi red Neapolitan-style piz- zas, carb-tastic pastas and a sharp wine and cocktail program to the former Z Cuisine space’s effortlessly cool neighborhood vibe. The spacious LoHi patio, an airy dining room and a menu built for sharing make for an ideal setting to enjoy a slice of wonderfully leopard- charred sourdough pizza topped with sea- sonal produce. Pro tip: Try the pickle pie, but don’t skip the housemade charcuterie, tinned fi sh or raw oysters. Happy hour hits strong here, especially if you snag a seat outside as the neighborhood gears up for the evening. Dan Da Aurora 9945 East Colfax Avenue dandavn.com Before you even taste her food, chef-owner An Nguyen’s pedigree in Colorado’s culinary landscape whets your appetite. Her parents owned the now-closed-but-legendary New Saigon (the family still operates the bakery and deli arm of that business), and her sister Thoa owns the sandwich shop/bakery Banh & Butter next door to Dan Da. But Nguyen needs no family ties to impress with the fare that’s been wowing diners at this small space since its 2024 debut. Dan Da — pronounced “yuhng-yaa” and named for rustic Vietnamese dishes meant to foster togetherness — leans hard into shareable plates, including build- your-own spring-roll towers, wonderfully savory clay pots, whole fried fi sh, baby clams and snails prepared multiple ways. The menu encourages exploration, whether you’re there solo or with a group. Come hungry, come curious, but don’t rush. This is a meal worth savoring — and repeating. Domo Japanese Country Food Restaurant La Alma/Lincoln Park 1365 Osage Street domorestaurant.com Few Denver restaurants inspire the kind of reverence reserved for this deeply per- sonal Japanese institution. Founded by Gaku Homma — who also established the aikido dojo under the same roof — Domo has long been a cultural touchstone, blending traditional Japanese cooking with a sense of ceremony and place, designed more as an opportunity for cultural exchange and education than purely as a for-profi t eatery. So when it briefl y closed after receiving unwanted (and disrespectful) crowds following a 2021 viral video on social media, fans were gutted. Fortunately, Domo soon reopened in a more limited but no less meaningful form. The serene garden setting remains, as do the dishes prioritizing regional authenticity and technique over fl ash and fash- ion. It’s all served with intention, and deserves to be enjoyed with such. So put the phone down, and treat your visit as the immersive experience it’s meant to be. Insee Father Noodle House LoHi 1700 Platte Street inseedenver.com In November 2025, this new spot debuted next door to its sister (or should we say daugh- ter?) concept, Daughter Thai. “Father and daughter, side by side,” as owner Ounjit Har- dacre put it. The fast-casual eatery dishes out a variety of authentic Thai street -ood staples, like noodle and rice bowls, Thai dumplings, moo tod (fried pork jerky), mango ice cream with sticky rice, and Thai tea. Cozy, homey vibes pay homage to the Thai hometowns of business partners Hardacre and Dueanphen “Pom” Rungrueang, even featuring a replica of the grocery store sign that hangs above Hardacre’s family shop in Kanchanaburi. MAKfam Baker 39 West First Avenue makfam.co After moving to Denver from NYC, chef Kenneth Wan and his wife, Doris Yuen, hit the scene in 2020 with the impressive Meta Asian Kitchen inside the Avanti food hall. Three years later, they opened their “fi ne ca- sual” brick-and-mortar, MAKfam, in Baker, which earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation the following year. The menu is proudly laced with umami-toting MSG and fi lled with sentimental, unabashed takes on the family-style southern Chinese food of their upbringing. The mala-spiced chicken wings are simply outstanding, while the chicken-and-chive Chinatown potstickers and the various spicy noodle dishes are per- sonalized nods to classic Cantonese cuisine. Molino Chido Aurora 2501 Dallas Street molinochido.com Chefs Michael Diaz de Leon and Tommy Lee teamed up to open Molino Chido inside Stanley Marketplace in November 2025, fol- lowing a series of sold-out chef’s-table-style pop-ups at Lee’s Hop Alley. Their mutual admiration led to the working partnership behind this spot, which focuses heavily on the handmade masa used to make the nearly 1,000 tortillas that are made daily in front of guests in a windowed room near the front entrance. Those tortillas are fi lled with high-end ingredients and served in a casual taqueria setting inspired by Diaz de Leon’s Mexican heritage and love for the nation’s iconic food culture. Among its taco-centric menu, the Colorado bison lengua has become an instant hit. Nile Ethiopian Restaurant Aurora 1951 South Havana Street nileethiopianrestaurantcolorado.com For decades, this Aurora institution has been a gathering place as much as a restaurant, serving deeply comforting Ethiopian dishes rooted in tradition and hospitality. Under new ownership by the founder’s sister, Nile has remained true to its foundation, offering gen- erous platters of injera topped with richly spiced stews (wot), fried meats (tibs) and vibrant vegetable preparations meant to be shared communally. The dining room is modest, but the experience is expan- sive, built around warmth, conversation and food that rewards slow, hands-on eating. Order a mixed plat- ter if it’s your fi rst visit, and let the table decide what disappears fi rst. And don’t skip the coffee ceremony, or buna, where the beans are roasted tableside before being brewed and served with incense and popcorn. Somebody People Platt Park 1165 South Broadway somebodypeople.com What do you get when you combine a stylish, light-fi lled space with an all-vegan menu that leans Mediterranean and a coastal- heavy wine? The answer is an experience that even the most die-hard carnivore would covet without missing a beat. Chef Justin Freeman works in close partnership with owner and wine director Sam Maher to build a creative and subversively technical menu featuring not only vegetables, but also housemade pastas, toasted grains and naturally fermented doughs through a series of constantly evolving seasonal plates that showcase Colorado produce at its peak. For a pleasant entry, don’t miss the weekly Sunday Supper four-course tasting menu, the regularly scheduled winemaker din- ners, or the bistro-style Somebody’s Enoteca. Temaki Den RiNo 3350 Brighton Boulevard temakiden.com While a high-end omakase experience is a treat, Temaki Den offers the chance to nosh on top-notch sushi in a more low-key, à la carte setting for a build-your-own-adventure type of meal. In 2020, fi ve years before he earned a Michelin Star at Kizaki, Sushi Den co-founder Toshi Kizaki ventured beyond Den Corner on Pearl Street for the fi rst time when he joined forces with chef Kenta Kamo to open a temaki-focused counter inside the Source. Since then, Temaki Den has expanded its footprint to meet demand for its signature hand rolls (temaki) and aburi (fl ame-seared sushi). For an even better deal, visit during happy hour, when you can order temaki sets and other bites at a discount. Tofu Story Aurora 2060 South Havana Street thetofustory.com Tofu Story puts tofu front and center — not only in its name, but with the placement of a glass-encased “tofu lab” at the corner of the dining room for all customers to watch the tofu they’re enjoying being made from scratch. From there, it also makes a convincing case for why the often overlooked ingredient deserves the spotlight. The in-house tofu is served across a menu that spans comforting stews, sizzling plates and dishes designed to appeal even to dedicated meat-eaters. With textures ranging from silken and delicate to hearty and substantial, the tofu is backed by the big, bold fl avors for which Korean cuisine is known: It’s approachable, affordable and quietly educational, showing just why it has become such a foundational component of so many cuisines. Get started with the tofu stew at a rolling boil and add beef short ribs, soy- marinated crab and pork bulgogi as you build around the vast array of banchan side dishes. HUMBLE HOT SPOTS The simple, solid and soulful joints we love Chivis Tacos City Park West 2101 East Colfax Avenue chivistacos.com After a dozen years operating his food truck, Chris Heredia opened Cimera’s dining room includes an Aaron Petz-designed mural. JEFF FIERBERG continued on page 14
