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Like a lot of business districts, Olde Town Arvada shut down some of its streets to cars at the onset of the pandemic to allow restaurants to expand outdoor seating. Unlike other locales, this northwestern suburb of Denver made the change semipermanent in 2021, investing in more robust barriers at intersections and commissioning colorful murals on the blacktop. The improvements quickly began paying delicious dividends, with a handful of exciting concepts joining still-bustling classics to make this charming, twinkly-light-adorned area an even better place to grab a bite or beverage. (Street parking is limited, so consider taking RTD’s G Line to the Olde Town Arvada Station, or the adjacent four-level garage and transit hub is a convenient, free place to stash your car.) Here, a by-the-occasion guide to some of Olde Town Arvada’s tastiest offerings, new and old.
Editor’s Note: This is a living list and was last updated on March 16, 2023. Did we miss your favorite? Email us at dining@5280.com.
Table of Contents
Casual Eats
303 Ramen
Inside a former house on Olde Town’s northwestern border, 303 Ramen is rarely bustling—meaning you’ll likely be able to snag a seat on the charming, tucked-away patio—but it does a steady takeout business. Devotees return to the longstanding Asian eatery again and again for pad thai, curries, and, of course, its namesake broth-soaked noodles (varieties include miso, shoyu, and spicy beef). 5725 Yukon St., Arvada
The Bluegrass Coffee & Bourbon Lounge
In the morning, remote workers stream into this cozy pub for coffee drinks, made with a house brand of specialty roasts, but as the day goes on, the laid-back staff seamlessly transitions to serving cocktails and pours from its extensive bourbon collection. Visitors any time of day know that the Bluegrass serves some of the better between-bread options in Olde Town Arvada, from bacon, egg, and cheese bagel sandwiches (ask for extra spicy ranch) to an oven-toasted pesto chicken sub. 7415 Grandview Ave., Arvada
Bread Winners Cafe
Bread Winners might look like somewhere your grandma meets her girlfriends for lunch (and it probably is), but the homey daytime diner also does a rollicking brunch business. Wash down a green chile omelet, stack of praline pancakes, or chicken-fried steak with a bloody mary or mimosa carafe on the seasonally enclosed, dog-friendly patio. 7311 Grandview Ave., Arvada
Homegrown Tap & Dough
Families flock to this lively pizza joint, an offshoot of the original location in Washington Park, for dinner: The friendly servers bring crayons and appetizers like pepperoni rolls and roasted Brussels sprouts with lemon aïoli quickly; the din is generally loud enough to cover any screaming; and the mostly Colorado beer list is long and varied. Expect to wait, especially if you want prized seats inside the chandelier-clad gondola or on a swinging ski lift bench. Or go before 2 p.m. for one of the best lunch deals around: a personal pizza and generous portion of any of the salads for $12. 5601 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
School House Kitchen and Libations
An Olde Town Arvada mainstay, School House leans into its two-story location inside, you guessed it, a former school, with elevated pub grub sorted into different periods and decor flourishes like retro desks hanging from the ceiling in the bar. Kids love customizing their mac and cheese or flatbread pizza with the likes of pulled pork, pesto, and tomatoes, while adults pore over the massive list of more than 1,400 whiskies. Front and rooftop patios make the crowd-pleaser especially, well, pleasing in the summer. 5660 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
So Radish
From the liquor shelves shaped like shutter shades to the colorful graffiti-covered walls, you’ll be so distracted by the intensely ‘80s-themed decor at So Radish that you’ll hardly notice the menu is vegan. Plus, accessible eats like fried cauliflower wings, a vegan meatball sub, and macaroni with a coconut-milk-based sauce and cashew parmesan prove that plant-based foods can be just as gnarly as the originals. Wash it all down with a Saved By The Bell cocktail, made with Breckenridge Chili Chile Vodka, elderflower liqueur, citrus, and bell peppers. 5711 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
Stix Crafthouse
Although its identity is built around hockey (Go, Avs!), Stix, which opened in August 2022, is bound to become a game-watching hub for sports of all kinds, thanks to its 20 TVs, roving projector, and two bars pouring 20 taps’ worth of brews from Colorado makers such as Woods Boss and Great Divide brewing companies and cans of Hooch Booch. Cheese curds, a French dip sandwich, and traditional Canadian poutine are inspired by stadium cuisine from around the sweater-wearing world. 5777 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
Teocalli Cocina
Given the presence of Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, Lady Nomada, and Cochino Taco, it was fair for Arvadans to wonder, Does Olde Town really need another Mexican restaurant? But this industrial-meets-tropical offshoot of the original location in Lafayette brought elevated, entirely gluten-free options—charred beef short rib with grilled bone marrow, pork shank pibil, hamachi ceviche—in addition to, yes, more tacos to Olde Town when it opened in February 2022. Seats on the expansive corner patio are coveted, especially during happy hour (3 to 5 p.m.) when house margaritas are just $6. 5770 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
Date-Night Destinations
The Arvada Tavern
Couples have long enjoyed canoodling in the Arvada Tavern’s red-leather tufted booths or holding hands over the candlelit high-tops, while friends and single minglers perch at the bar to watch the sharply dressed mixologists at work. The menu boasts shareables such as baked Brie with mushrooms and pierogi as well as entrées like pork schnitzel and a cast-iron rib-eye, but the real draw is the painstakingly crafted Prohibition-era cocktails. On Tuesday nights, the sexy, sophisticated space takes a cheeky Tiki turn, with rattan decor additions and servers donning Hawaiian shirts—and as of early 2023, you can get a dose of island vibes all week long at the Polynesian-themed, speakeasy-esque second-floor bar (accessible via the phone booth near the front door). 5707 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
Lady Nomada
Walking through Lady Nomada’s heavy wooden doors, you feel like you’re leaving Arvada and stepping into a chic SoCal beach cafe: Cacti line the eggshell-hued walls, murals of women surfing and a projection of undersea creatures serve as art, and rattan and terracotta accents set a neutral, sandy backdrop. The self-described Baja-rado cuisine includes mostly shareable items like carne asada fries, braised short rib and grilled shrimp tacos, and fajitas. We’re partial to the just-sweet-enough, adorably pink elderflower prickly pear margarita, but all of the tropical drinks (including a mai tai and ranch water) complete the coastal teleportation. 7519 Grandview Ave., Arvada
Mangiami
This sleek addition to the neighborhood, which opened in early 2023, serves crispy-edged Detroit-style pizza and Italian fusion apps and pasta in a thoughtfully designed, urban-chic space. Enjoy the food (about two-thirds of which is vegan or vegetarian), along with spritzes, wine, and live music, over dinner in the dining room or on the patio. 5614 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
Stone Cellar Bistro
Area foodies have been flocking to this upscale, farm-to-table dinner spot since it opened in June 2022. (Seriously—make a reservation.) The concise menu is always changing, but chef Brandon Kerr, an alum of LoHi’s dearly departed Z Cuisine, reliably weaves local produce into beautifully plated dishes. Exhibit A: a late-summer Palisade stone fruit special with peaches, pluots, heirloom tomatoes, and African blue basil in an apricot broth. Larger entrées revolve around meats such as pork tenderloin, red snapper, and hanger steak, and everything pairs well with creative cocktails—the Donley Sipper deftly combines rosé and whiskey—from the bar. 7605 Grandview Ave., Arvada
Wine, Beer, & Booze
Denver Beer Co.
Housed in a converted gas station, this outpost of the popular LoHi brewery is consistently packed with brew-sipping adults and their charges, both two- and four-legged. Seats on the patio are coveted in both summer and winter, thanks to shade sails in the former season and and fire pits (perfect for roasting the giant marshmallow that comes with your Graham Cracker Porter) in the latter. Pair whatever you’re drinking with a just-the-right-amount-of-greasy burger and tots from the Mighty Colorado Burger, housed in a converted Airstream inside the taproom. 5768 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
Flights Wine Cafe
Patio tables, twinkly lights, and plenty of greenery set a garden-party vibe at Flights Wine Cafe, which has a small indoor space inside a former house but sprawls across a large outdoor area with a stage for live music. It’s a lovely spot to while away a warm afternoon with friends over a cheese and charcuterie board and a three-glass tasting selection of your favorite variation of vino: red, white, rose, or bubbly. 7714 Grandview Ave., Arvada
Marmalade Lounge
Clementine’s Salon, a local chain that opened a new location in Olde Town Arvada in July 2022, is so friggin’ cute—shelter-magazine-worthy floor tile, chic gold-rimmed mirrors, houseplants galore—you’ll want to hang out and have a cocktail. And you can, either while you have your hair done or simply by visiting the equally adorable bar, Marmalade Lounge, that’s tucked into a subterranean space accessible from the alley. Sipping a lavender French 75 and taking advantage of the free Visia Skin Analysis face scanner to find out what products will best address your issues? That’s what we call self-care. 5665 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
New Image Brewing
One block off the main drag, New Image Brewing makes some of the best beer in the state—especially if you love the hazy, New England–style IPAs that have taken the suds world by storm in recent years. Many of those varieties employ Phantasm, a wine-grape-derived powder that adds juicy flavors and aromas, while other popular flagship brews include the Moped blood orange witbier and the Dyad sour kombucha ale. There’s also a full bar and kitchen serving sandwiches, burgers, and tacos you can enjoy in the wood-filled taproom or on the back patio. 5622 Yukon St., Arvada
Secret Level
In August 2022, So Radish converted a small area behind its vegan, ’80s-themed restaurant into an arcade called Secret Level, where you can play classic games such as Guns N’ Roses pinball and bubble hockey while nursing a vodka-infused cherry limeade and noshing on plant-based bar snacks from the shared kitchen. 5711 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
The StockRoom
Since 2021, an unmarked door at the back of liquor store Spirits Wine Provisions has led those in the know to the StockRoom, a dark, cozy space whose exposed brick and framing beams add to the speakeasy feel. Backlit bottles glitter behind the bar, where laid-back but expert staffers will mix something up to suit your preferences or pour tastes of various spirits carried in the bottle shop, should you like something enough to want to take a bottle home. 5713 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
Coffee, Tea, & Treats
Hunter Bay Coffee Roasters
The sole outpost of Hunter Bay—born in 1991 in Missoula, Montana—opened in Olde Town in 2016 and has been a favored spot for remote workers ever since. The bright, high-ceilinged cafe offers a.m. eats such as avocado toast and bagel breakfast sandwiches and roasts beans daily for its lineup of single-origin and blended coffees, which are also sold in area Sprouts Farmers Market and Natural Grocers locations. 5600 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
La Dolce Vita
Regulars frequent La Dolce Vita’s quaint, cozy space for scratch-made quiche and pastries, family-recipe coffee cake, steaming mugs filled with java drinks made with Denver’s Coda Coffee Company products, and Liks ice cream. In the evenings, the tiny stage hosts free open mic nights and performances by a variety of musicians, from cellists to folk groups to big-name locals such as Hazel Miller. 5756 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
Rheinlander Bakery
Celebrating its 60-year anniversary in 2023, the sweets oasis that is Rheinlander Bakery often has a line of patrons streaming out its front door. And for good reason: Like any proper German bakery, it makes perfectly flakey fruit strudels, bienenstich coffee cake, and shortbread cookies. But the tiny shop also churns out inventive, seasonally inspired cupcakes and creations like king cakes, Irish soda bread, and Thanksgiving pies, and many of its offerings, including the divine seven-inch, special-occasion-worthy cakes, are available sans gluten and dairy. (Pro tip: There’s a handful of short-term parallel parking spots for customers along the alley to the south of the building.) 5721 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada
Scrumptious
From the ceramic pig outside that gets regularly repainted to the towering retro and modern candy displays to the large case of ready-to-be-scooped homemade ice cream, Scrumptious is a kid magnet. But there’s plenty for grown-ups to love too, including elevated rotating flavors like butterscotch caramel sea salt and Santa’s Breath (a holiday special starring peppermint, cookies, and whiskey) and cheeky home decor such as punny tea towels and pop art prints by local painter Kevin Eslinger. 7523 Grandview Ave., Arvada
