The Future of Denver Dining

Front Range culinary creatives will never allow the local restaurant scene to fade into fast-food, corporate homogeneity. COVID-19 be damned, here are 68 of the countless delicious ways that Colorado chefs, entrepreneurs, and good neighbors are nourishing us all.

Konjo Ethiopian Food's veggie combo. Photograph by Joni Schrantz

Every October for the past decade, 5280 has published a list of metro Denver and Boulder’s 25 best restaurants. But not in 2020. How could we, when our independent restaurant industry is being pummeled by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic? Instead, we chose to celebrate the pop-ups, takeout, and new spots that are feeding us now—and hopefully, for years to come—as well as share inspiration from some of the most resourceful and creative entrepreneurs on the Front Range.