Ten-gallon hats off to Denver’s National Western Stock Show, which celebrates its 120th anniversary this year. Cowgirls and cowboys catching the rodeos, auctions, livestock displays, and other ranch-centered events will work up a mighty hunger traipsing around the dusty acres of the National Western Complex. While the food and drink vendors at the venue have improved over the years, you might want to set your sights on nearby watering holes and eateries for a heartier meal.

The stock show’s surrounding Elyria-Swansea neighborhood has seen lots of recent development, with a handful of new places for good grub. If your boots were made for walking, RiNo and downtown are worth the trek for tasty dishes at a discount. Here, nine places to wrangle your hunger near the National Western Stock Show.

Wide Open Saloon and Riot BBQ

Beef brisket on a tray with pickles and sauce
Smoked meat from Riot BBQ. Photo courtesy of Riot BBQ
  • Location: 4701 N Marion St., Denver (Elyria-Swansea)
  • Style: Roadhouse saloon and barbecue

Sedalia live music venue and good times stalwart Wide Open Saloon is taking up residency in the former home of the Stockyard Saloon at the Exchange from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily through January 24. And in true chuckwagon style, Riot BBQ—one of the Mile High City’s top smokehouses—is rolling in with a full slate of Texas-style, Mexican-influenced brisket, ribs, links, and sides, plus a condensed late-night menu. Rock and country artists will be playing day and night—with no cover charge. At the bar, expect canned and bottled beer as well as booze from Casamigos tequila, Good Boy vodka, and Bulleit whiskey.

Moodswing

Brick-oven pizzas at Moodswing. Photo courtesy of Moodswing
  • Location: 3625 E. 48th Ave., Denver (Elyria-Swansea)
  • Style: Brick-oven pizza and pickleball

Moodswing opened inside a renovated brick warehouse on January 3, offering a coffee bar, coworking space, pickleball courts, an expansive patio, and food from Nicholas Dalton, chef and co-founder of Brasserie Brixton. If you need to send a few Slacks in between the freestyle reining showcase and the pro rodeo, post up at the coffeehouse, which is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, for a breakfast burrito and house-made pastries. The full-service restaurant offers the likes of garlic focaccia, Calabrian hot honey wings, and meatballs, in addition to both classic Italian and creative pizzas. Call ahead to reserve a pickleball court (no cowboy boots, please) or even a lesson. Moodswing is also hosting several stock show events, including an opening-weekend line dancing party on January 10, and mechanical bull rides on January 24.

Little Finch at CSU Spur

The Cubano sandwich at Little Finch CSU Spur. Photo by Mark Antonation
  • Location: 4777 National Western Dr., Denver (Elyria-Swansea)
  • Style: Modern cafe and bar

CSU Spur (Colorado State University’s outpost at the National Western Complex) conducts research and education in animal sciences, agriculture, and water conservation. Its Hydro building is all swooping curves with barely a sharp angle. Take time for a visit to glimpse the future of the Mountain West, with a focus on Colorado’s water supply, in its displays and labs. A stroll through the building and its native-plant garden show the importance of water conservation to the farms, ranches, and people of Colorado. While you’re there, grab breakfast, espresso drinks, lunch, or happy hour cocktails at the newly opened Little Finch in the Hydro building’s lobby. Flaky croissants, decadent desserts, and sandwiches from the team behind Olive & Finch make for a welcome respite from the stock show’s festival-style fare.

Elemental Bakery & Coffeehouse

  • Location: 3875 Steele St., Denver (Clayton)
  • Style: Bread and coffee

Hop from Denver’s cowtown history to its industrial past with a visit to Elemental Bakery & Coffeehouse at York Street Yards, less than a 10-minute drive from the National Western Complex. The rows of brick warehouses at the Yards served as a U.S. Army medical equipment storage and distribution center during World War II but have recently been converted into work, retail, and production spaces for small businesses.  Stepping into Elemental adds the rustic aroma of traditional sourdough bread and other baked goods. Grab a cortado, one of Denver’s best muffins, or a sandwich on fresh-baked bread before heading back to the calf roping and mutton busting.

Number Thirty Eight

The entry lounge at Number Thirty Eight. Photo by Denise Mickelsen
  • Location: 3560 Chestnut Place, Denver (RiNo)
  • Style: Indoor/outdoor food, booze, and music venue

This RiNo venue is hosting Bison Days throughout the stock show, which includes a number of ticketed dinners and events. Catch performances by the Droptines (January 9), Tyler Rich (January 15), Josh Gracin (January 16), and Eric Paslay (January 23) for $15 online or $20 at the door. On each of these nights, there will be limited-seating chef’s dinners ($100 per person) featuring meats from Centennial Cuts and pairings from Pendleton Whisky. Check the schedule for other stock show–related happenings.

American Lore by Parker Thomas

Inside the new American Lore by Parker Thomas. Photo courtesy of Parker Thomas
  • Location: 3965 Tennyson St., Denver (Berkeley)
  • Style: Whiskey bar and hat shop

Cherry Creek Western hat maker Parker Thomas launches a new whiskey bar and hat shop on trendy Tennyson Street this week—just in time for the stock show. Get a custom cowboy hat fitted to your size and style for $225 while you sip $4 beers. Hat fitting sessions are available from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and the bar stays open until midnight.

Wynkoop Brewing Co.

A fried chicken sandwich and beer flight at Wynkoop. Photo by Mark Antonation
  • Location: 1634 18th St., Denver (LoDo)
  • Style: Brewpub

Denver’s oldest craft brewery is getting into the Old West spirit with menu specials and a new beer, Roughstock Kölsch, on tap throughout January. Practice your two-step on January 16 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the free Wild West Hoedown (reservations are encouraged), where you can enjoy dance instruction, live music, and themed food and drink specials.

Denver Milk Market

Denver Milk Market’s stock show steak special. Photo courtesy of Denver Milk Market
  • Location: 1800 Wazee St., Denver (LoDo)
  • Style: Food hall

This downtown food hall attached to the Maven Hotel is a great stop for a dive into Denver’s agricultural history. It’s named in honor of Windsor Dairy, which ran from 1918 until 1973 under various owners. In fact, the district is now known as the Dairy Block and sports local winery, distillery, and brewery tasting rooms (among other food and retail businesses) in its refurbished, pedestrian-friendly alley. Inside Milk Market, you’ll find pizza, fried chicken, Ethiopian cuisine, ice cream, Asian bowls, salads, and other enticing food and drink vendors. But for a stock show deal, step up to Bos Butcher & Deli, which slings satisfying sandwiches and take-home cuts. During stock show days (through January 25) you can get a 12-ounce New York strip served with peppercorn cream sauce and fries for the old-timey price of $30.

The Butcher Block Cafe

The Butcher Block Cafe
The hearty Roundhouse breakfast combo at the Butcher Block Cafe. Photo by Mike Tish
  • Location: 1701 38th St., Denver (Elyria-Swansea); 5002 Washington St., Denver (Globeville)
  • Style: Classic diner

With two diners mere minutes from the National Western Complex, the Butcher Block Cafe has a quaint, small-town feel. Family owned since 1979, there’s no better place to grab a smothered breakfast burrito or three-egg omelet. But the cafe’s sweetest speciality is the cinnamon rolls—they’re baked from scratch and available by the dozen. Both locations (plus a third in Commerce City) are open for breakfast and lunch.