Where To Eat Now: The Hungry Mile

Breakfast in Denver often means burritos—we’re looking at you, Santiago’s—but West 32nd Avenue is host to myriad Mexican options. Exhibit A: The gorditas plate at Taqueria la Familia (1) (2642 W. 32nd Ave., 303-433-2332), which, for $9.50, affords you three fluffy stuffed corn cakes and gratis fresh tomato salsa. Or head down the block to La Mexicana Taqueria (2) (2538 W. 32nd Ave., 303-433-2008), where the chilaquiles with chile verde are a tangy, spicy way to break your fast. No time to sit and gab? Then Panaderia Rosales Bakery (3) (2636 W. 32nd Ave., 303-458-8420) is our final answer. After more than 40 years in business, Laura Rosales, daughter of the original owners, knows how to satisfy with an extensive selection of Mexican pastries, cakes, and breads. Buy a paper sack of the divine custard-filled churros and enjoy them as you walk along West 32nd.

You’ll need some caffeine next. Wander about three blocks east and enter Gallop Cafe (4) (2401 W. 32nd Ave., 303-455-5650), a sweet neighborhood spot where we tend to order whatever fruit-dappled croissant bread pudding is on offer. Crafted with Boulder’s Silver Canyon beans, the coffee drinks are expertly made, as are the Bloody Marys. Get the former to go or the latter to stay.

If a change of culinary pace sounds good, walk over to Tejon Street just past West 33rd Avenue, a little less than half a mile away, where you’ll find Western Daughters Butcher Shoppe (5) (3326 Tejon St., 303-477-6328). There, pick up a grass-fed Colorado flank steak or leg of lamb for your Sunday supper…or pick yourself up with a cup of soothing bone broth, made from beef joint bones simmered for 48 hours. At $6 a cup, the collagen-rich draught will restore you in time for your next stop.

There’s no bad time to wander into the High Lonesome (6) (3360 Navajo St., 720-287-4324), but it’s a treat to get there early in the evening, when you and yours can have the run of the place. It’s cozy and dark, replete with tufted red leather seats, a jukebox blaring an eclectic mix (A Tribe Called Quest, Tom Waits, the Black Keys), and affable bartenders who make potent drinks. Settle your stomach with the Fainting Couch cocktail (rye, absinthe, orange, lemon, ginger, and fennel) or a pint of Upslope Brewing Company’s Citra Pale Ale. Should you feel peckish, we recommend calling in a takeout order for house-made tater tots and gochujang-smothered rib tips from the Highland Tavern (7) (3400 Navajo St., 303-433-1990) across the street. Dash over to get your grub; High Lonesome doesn’t mind.