The 11 Best New Places to Eat and Drink in Denver, Spring 2026

This spring has been hot, and we’re not just talking about the weather. Denver’s culinary scene seems to be taking cues from Mother Nature, too. Spanish cuisine is especially en fuego, but we’ve seen a swath of openings, from Chinese noodles to wood-fired pizzas to artisan ice cream—and not a moment too soon.

Here, the 11 best new restaurants in Denver. Enjoy your tapas, Japanese-style sandos, adult Spaghetti-Os, and other tasty dishes.

Jump Ahead:

• Casa Juani
• Chicken Riot
• Darlene’s Ice Cream
• Dear Emilia
• Eloise
• Fino
• Mar Bella Wine Bar
• Moodswing
• Noodles by Nina
• Petit Chelou
• Uchiko

Price ratings are based on average entrée cost:
$: under $20
$$: $20 to $29
$$$: $30 to $39
$$$$: $40+ or chef’s tasting menu only

Casa Juani

• Location: 901 Pearl St., Boulder
• Cuisine: Spanish
• Price: $$$$

Former Frasca Food & Wine co-executive chefs (and married couple) Eduardo Valle Lobo and Kelly Jeun have the culinary chops to open any restaurant they could dream of. And like most people, they dream of home. Their new Boulder restaurant, Casa Juani—named after Valle Lobo’s mother—is a tribute to his Spanish heritage. The menu moves between piki-pikis (Madrid-style tapas) and soulful, shareable plates like hearty rice dishes (the mushroom version, arroz con setas, justifies the drive), vegetable-forward sides, elegant seafood platters, and deeply satisfying beef, pork, and duck. The Cinco Jotas jamón leg, flown in from Spain, arrives tableside on a carving cart with a side of face time from Valle Lobo as he regales diners with stories of the whole cured legs filling his family’s home during holidays. While you listen, enjoy inventive cocktails that continue the culinary tradition, such as the Spanish martini garnished with an anchovy—our new favorite take on a dirty martini. Be sure to leave room for the Basque cheesecake, which pairs blue-veined Valdeón cheese with a salty, buttery crust.

The space is airy and polished, with a walk-ins-welcome bar—key, given how packed the dining room has been with reservations since opening—and a marisquería counter where chefs assemble trays of oysters, razor clams, and uni in full view. Thoughtful service further elevates the experience. Servers greet you by name, and rather than cluttering the table with takeout containers, they discreetly leave a coat-check-style card, allowing guests to collect their leftovers on the way out. It’s the attention to detail at every level that has us already planning our return. —Sahale Greenwood

Chicken Riot

• Location: 2906 E. Sixth Ave., Denver (Cherry Creek)
• Cuisine: Barbecue
• Price: $

Riot BBQ owners Manny Barella and Patrick Klaiber turn to poultry as the primary protein at their new spinoff, Chicken Riot, which just opened in the former home of the Truffle in Cherry Creek. Barella explains that the birds are brined for a day, marinated for a day in Mexican-inspired spices, then smoked according to Klaiber’s specifications. The results? Two distinct styles of chicken served by the plate with tempting sides. The Big Boy Pibil chicken gets a Yucatecan marinade of achiote paste and citrus for a spicy, tangy finish, while the Señor Loco leans brighter with a classic Monterrey-style asado rub courtesy of Barella’s hometown. Choose from beef tallow frijoles negros, dirty rice, esquites cornbread muffins, and a small salad for sides. Or for a little extra, go with the Mexican Protein Bar, a smoked turkey tamale made with masa from local producer Don Zorros Molino and tinted red with Grandma Barella’s mole rojo. The chicken is also shredded and stuffed into a wrap, added to Caesar and BLT salads, and mixed into chicken salad (made with a deviled egg dressing) for a sandwich on a Reunion Bakery croissant.

Darlene’s Ice Cream

• Location: 3105 S. Peoria St., Aurora
• Cuisine: Ice cream
• Price: $

Joy Williams-Clark and her husband, Kyle Clark, have been chefs on the Denver scene for more than 15 years. Williams-Clark served as executive pastry chef for ChoLon Restaurant Concepts, Edible Beats, and TAG Restaurant Group, while Clark’s resumé includes the Culinary Institute of America, ChoLon, and El Five. In January, they launched Darlene’s Ice Cream—named for Williams-Clark’s grandmother—in a cheery Aurora shop, serving a lineup of 16 classic and original flavors.

Williams-Clark’s experience crafting desserts is evident in the rich ice cream made with a proprietary Royal Crest dairy base and ingredients chosen to amplify flavor. Something as simple as strawberry ice cream includes a ribbon of roasted strawberries, while the fudge brownie flavor is studded with Williams-Clark’s own brownie bits (you can purchase her brownies by the square, too). She says opening in the winter gave them a chance to dial in recipes, find the perfect serving temperature for the ice creams, and plan for the busy summer season, so expect new flavors to pop up soon. Right now, there’s a good representation of tropical and Asian ingredients, including toasted sesame (which tastes almost peanut-buttery and pairs well with the strawberry), Thai tea, caramelized pineapple, and two sorbets: mango chile and lychee.

Dear Emilia

• Location: 3615 Delgany St., Denver (RiNo)
• Cuisine: Italian
• Price: $$$$

Dear Emilia debuted in January as the younger sibling of Restaurant Olivia from the ownership team of Heather Morrison, Austin Carson, and chef Ty Leon. While their first restaurant was named after Morrison and Carson’s daughter, Dear Emilia takes its moniker from the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Both eateries feature exquisitely made pastas, deep wine lists, and intricate cocktails, but the new member of the family focuses specifically on ingredients and techniques from the food-producing region famous for balsamic vinegar, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, mortadella, and prosciutto di Parma. You’ll find locally made and imported versions of all of these on the menu.

The mortadella that comes with the tigelle flatbread appetizer, for example, is made with Colorado bison, and the gnocco fritto (like a savory beignet) is draped with ribbons of local smoked country ham instead of the more traditional prosciutto. Pastas, too, reflect traditional Northern Italian styles, from the rolled lasagna verde to the tube-shaped garganelli made with rye flour from Jones Farms Organics in the San Luis Valley. It’s all presented in an elegant Regular Architects–designed dining room dressed in shades of pink with arched alcoves and an exhibition kitchen. If you’re looking for a new date-night destination, we recommend a cozy booth and a Lambrusco flight to start the evening.

Eloise

• Location: 4317 Tennyson St., Denver (Berkeley)
• Cuisine: Sandwiches
• Price: $

Oliver Finkel, owner of the 10-year-old Lula Rose cafe and five-year-old Good Bread on East Colfax Avenue, kept things focused when he debuted his new sandwich shop, Eloise, in Berkeley. The menu, printed weekly at the tiny shop (and not online at all), generally covers just a few sandwiches made on airy Good Bread shokupan (Japanese milk bread) plus a salad or two and one or two specials. But those few options are deeply satisfying thanks to the kitchen’s dedication to high-quality ingredients and innovative techniques.

The egg salad sandwich involves making soy-marinated eggs with yolks cooked just past runny and separately boiling firmer eggs for the salad itself. The pork belly in the BLT (not the standard diner style) requires a long braise to get the meat to just the right tenderness for sandwich-eating ease (meaning the pork doesn’t pull out of the sandwich with each bite). Striking touches like Sichuan peppercorns and jalapeño add bursts of flavor. Lately, customers have been lining up for the Parma, a chicken Caesar salad in sandwich form topped with a shower of Parmesan cheese.

Fino

• Location: 3015 E. Colfax Ave., Denver (City Park)
• Cuisine: Mediterranean
• Price: $$$

Restaurateur and beverage expert Steven Waters is no stranger to transforming unlikely spaces into chic drinking and dining spots. His Run For the Roses cocktail bar in the basement beneath the Dairy Block’s Free Market remains one of the city’s best watering holes since opening in 2019. This time, Waters set his sights on the ground floor of the All Inn Hotel, a refurbished Colfax Avenue motel that embodies the midcentury modern architecture and design aesthetic. Those who came of age in the late 2000s may remember (or wish to forget) parties at the motel’s Rock Bar nightclub, which shuttered in 2012.

Waters’ new venture, Fino, stays true to the retro vibes of the building while ditching its grittier former personality. Olive green leather booths are set amid flagstone walls and burnished burlwood finishes. The menu, designed by restaurant consultant Sheamus Feeley (who was also behind the opening of Pony Up) skews Western Mediterranean with its mishmash of plates in various sizes, from a petit chargrilled artichoke to an amusing bowl of Vodka-Os, Fino’s mature take on SphaghettiO’s featuring house-made pasta, flavorful mini meatballs, and tangy vodka sauce. In between, you’ll find topped toasts (steak tartare, anchovy, and garlicky tomato) built on Get Right’s sourdough bread; a surprisingly substantial Belgian endive Caesar salad; and the Medi nachos, a heap of kettle chips loaded with bold sauces, pecorino cheese, and crispy bits of prosciutto. Mixed drinks include bright and refreshing takes on the Aperol spritz, margarita, and Ramos gin fizz, plus stronger “freezer pours” like a house martini that captures the essence of tomato, cornichons, and fino sherry. Service spills out onto a spacious patio and wine garden where the hotel will host live music beginning this summer.

Mar Bella Wine Bar

• Location: 233 Clayton St., Denver (Cherry Creek)
• Cuisine: Spanish
• Price: $$$$

Johnny and Kasie Curiel, co-owners of the Michelin-starred Alma Fonda Fina and Mezcaleria Alma in LoHi, chose Cherry Creek for two newer concepts. They unveiled the wood-fired Alteño inside the Clayton Hotel & Members Club last spring, and this year they added Mar Bella Wine Bar on the opposite side of the hotel’s lobby. This is the Curiel’s first restaurant that doesn’t highlight Mexican cuisine, but rather offers a selection of Spanish small plates and entrées based on the couple’s travels in the land of jamón Ibérico, tinned seafood, and Rioja wines. You’ll find all of that here, plus piquillo peppers stuffed with braised oxtail, blue crab croquettes capped with sushi-style cuts of bluefin tuna belly, and traditional Spanish tortillas made with layers of potato. If there’s lechon (whole suckling pig) on the menu, don’t skip it. Better still, make a reservation for the chef’s tasting counter where you’ll get to try a little of everything, including the lechon. For an eye-opening wine flight, try the same wine in two or three vintages to see how the bottles change with each grape harvest and time in the cellar.

Moodswing

• Location: 3625 E. 48th Ave., Denver (Elyria-Swansea)
• Cuisine: Pizza and bar food
• Price: $

We’re as surprised as you are that a pickleball destination would land on our list, but the founders of Moodswing (who also own RiNo’s Invisible City) knew they’d need to attract more than just picklers to their spacious warehouse venue in an industrial part of Elyria-Swansea. That’s why they brought on Brasserie Brixton chef-owner Nick Dalton to design a menu around an Italian brick pizza oven. From shareables like the beef and pork meatballs and roasted broccolini with whipped ricotta to the sweet cannoli and tiramisu, the bites ring as true as a third-shot drop. The pizzas are the stars, with a traditional list that covers mushroom-fontina and prosciutto-arugula combos as well as a slate of unique inventions. Going all in? The cabbage pie topped with tomato sauce, Fontina, miso mayo, crispy shallots, chives, sesame seeds, and pickled chiles might be just what you need to up your game. If you’re eating post-pickleball, a late-night menu offers discounts after 10 p.m. on margherita pizzas, white bean and rosemary dip, salads, and focaccia.

Noodles by Nina

• Location: 1400 E. 17th Ave., Denver (City Park West)
• Cuisine: Chinese
• Price: $

Watching chefs make hand-pulled noodles is mesmerizing, as the strands draped between their hands get longer and thinner with each pull. Until now, this style—along with knife-cut noodles made by slicing and flinging thin shavings from a ball of dough directly into boiling water—have been a rarity in the Mile High City. You can experience both of these, along with other Chinese specialties, at chef-owner Nina Zhang’s new eatery.

Zhang opened her noodlery in City Park West late last year as Magic Noodle House before changing the name to Noodles by Nina this year. With delicious options like spicy Sichuan-style soup bobbing with tender brisket and dan dan noodles layered with Iberico pork, it’s no wonder she decided to put her name on the sign above the door. Beyond noodles, the kitchen also makes several types of steamed and pan-fried dumplings, sizzling mapo tofu over rice, spicy-sweet wings, and a cucumber salad that punches above its weight with the addition of black mushroom, chiles, sesame, and ginger. You may be tempted to order online, but do yourself a favor and visit the restaurant to catch the show.

Petit Chelou

• Location: Inside Hop Alley, 3500 Larimer St., Denver (RiNo)
• Cuisine: Modern American chef’s counter
• Price: $$$$

Chef Douglas Rankin decided to close his hit Los Angeles restaurant Bar Chelou after wildfires decimated parts of the city and came a little too close to his home and business for his comfort. He and his wife chose her home state of Colorado to start fresh, and his first effort here is the appropriately named Petit Chelou, which comprises just 10 seats at the chef’s counter inside Hop Alley. More than just a pop-up and decidedly different than Hop Alley’s Chinese menu, the new Chelou offers Denver diners the chance to get to know Rankin’s cooking before he expands to a more permanent location.

For $125 (before drinks), guests will enjoy eight or so small plates with a focus on produce, but with enough proteins to show the full range of the chef’s skills. Surprises like crosnes (a root vegetable shaped like a row of pearls) served with grilled squid, tempura-fried hedgehog mushrooms, and kohlrabi shaved into long noodles are interspersed with comforting potato dishes (one of them tastes like a loaded baked potato served as cloudlike shavings on a plate). The Taiwanese-style crispy fried quail could be considered the star for the breadth of subtle flavors throughout the dish, punctuated by beverage pairings from Hop Alley wine director Jacob Roadhouse. Petit Chelou is open for reservations every Thursday through Sunday night; Rankin expects to keep mixing it up with seasonal farm finds through October.

Uchiko

• Location: 299 Fillmore St., Denver (Cherry Creek)
• Cuisine: Japanese
• Price: $$$$

Uchi fans have waited eight years for chef-restaurateur Tyson Cole to bring another one of his Japanese-style concepts to Colorado, but the wait is over. Uchiko, or “child of Uchi,” opened in Cherry Creek earlier this month with the same focus on sushi but with the addition of a wood-burning grill to add flavor to hearth-roasted oysters, oak-grilled sea bass, a Denver steak, and even a lunchtime cheeseburger. The Hai Hospitality group also chose to roll out an in-depth wine program to augment its roster of sakes and house cocktails. The space is divided into a dining room with leather booths, a sushi counter with a view of the action, a street-facing section along the windows for people-watching, and private dining areas for your special occasions. If you’re not up for a big splurge, drop in for happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. daily (yes, that means weekends, too) where many sashimi, sushi rolls, and small plates are about half off.