Where to Eat in Grand Junction Right Now

Grand Junction is expanding with an influx of folks seeking mild winters and easy access to ways out West. Fertile valley soil and hardworking farmers have led to an agriculturally rich culinary scene that’s soaring with range and innovation. Here’s where to eat in Grand Junction right now.

Tacoparty

Unexpected flavor mashups and Western Slope–grown toppings are the way at this trendy hangout. Tacoparty’s risk-taking menu pays homage to Colorado heritage and Grand Valley farmers, ranchers, and producers with seasonally evolving tacos like a hot chicken variation seasoned with a Grand Valley spice blend of guajillo chile, cayenne, sage, and juniper and served with cabbage-fennel slaw and silky Rocky Ford cantaloupe. The ever popular pork belly al pastor taco is roasted on a vertical spit and coated in housemade adobo, local honey and cider vinegar, and citrus. Wash your carefully engineered street tacos down with a skinny margarita made with honey, citrus, and verbena tea, or opt for a scoop of seasonal soft serve—if you’re lucky it will be creamy Olathe sweet corn’s turn on the cone. 126 S. Fifth St., Grand Junction

The Feisty Pint

The Feisty Pint may look like your average neighborhood corner pub, but poke a little deeper at this locally owned grill and you’ll find some menu head-turners rightfully winning over curious diners. Its chefs add fried eggs and avocado to BLTs, toss prime rib stroganoff and grilled Parmesan crisps onto toasted Hawaiian buns, and shake bacon Bloody Marys with house-infused dill pickle and pepperoncini vodka. Peruse daring burgers like the Nutty-Hawg with bacon, mozzarella, and crunchy peanut butter on brioche. Or dive stomach first into the famous Feisty Burger Challenge where brave eaters sign a waiver and attempt to take down three chargrilled Angus patties smothered in Carolina Reaper and scorpion peppers with melted ghost pepper and habanero cheese. It’s free if it’s gone in under 30 minutes. 359 Colorado Ave., Grand Junction

626 On Rood

Going all in on sustainable farm-to-table fare long before it was cool, this innovative modern American restaurant and wine bar supports local growers and ranchers across its dinner menu. Wagyu beef comes from Cross Creek Ranch near Durango, grown-to-order microgreens arrive from Grand Junction–based Blooming Palate, and freshly plucked Colorado greens shine in an applewood-smoked duck salad with chèvre, candied beets, and walnuts. The globe-trotting wine list showcases Centennial State wine, and the vegan Colorado tri-color quinoa small plate delivers gifts of texture with Olathe Tuxedo Farms organic sweet corn cakes and Blooming Palate pea shoots. 626 Rood Ave., Grand Junction

Pablo’s Pizza

Inspired by Pablo Picasso’s revolutionary art, this Western Slope legend with an outpost in Fruita is on a mission to transcend the pizza experience. Ask about the POW—the pizza of the week—and be prepared to be wowed by delights like the Sweet ‘n Sassy Chicken made with sweet chile sauce, mozzarella, red peppers, Taiwanese breaded chicken, and green onions. Paul and Kaci Knaysi traded in medical careers for pizzeria life in 2000, dedicating their days to creating extraordinary pies, such as the Unicorn Force, a pesto-inspired creation with garlic olive oil sauce, mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan, or the Meatball Mania with banana peppers and homemade meatballs. Be sure to order a Palisade Brewery pint with your piping hot pie—Pablo’s exclusively carries beer crafted in the valley. 319 Main St., Grand Junction

Bin 707 Foodbar

Tacoparty’s boujee older sister keeps a firm pulse on farm fare, infusing seasonal Colorado goodness into new American dishes wherever possible. Chef-owner Josh Niernberg—a 2022 and 2023 James Beard Outstanding Chef Semifinalist—is currently moving Bin 707 to its new digs on Main Street. (The current space at 225 North Fifth Street will become Jojo’s Dinette, which Niernberg says is “kind of a French bistro with Southwest flair—low intervention wines, lots of agave, and lots of risks.”) Once it reopens, though, its dishes will continue encouraging diners to share and sample new flavors. Summer calls in Palisade farmer Kaibab Sauvage’s stone fruits for heirloom salads and Field To Fork’s elephant heart plums for an irresistible cobbler. Farm Runner’s lemon verbena subs in for lemongrass in Bin’s roasted green chile curry, and the Bin Burger served with Beehive white cheddar and twice-cooked, daily hand-cut skinny fries will never fall out of fashion. 400 Main St., Grand Junction

Devil’s Kitchen

Brunch, lunch, and dinner guests drink in views of the Colorado National Monument—home of the restaurant’s namesake geological formations—from this Hotel Maverick rooftop perch. This is where you settle in on a summer weekend and treat your tastebuds to a symphony of regional goodies and indulgent bites. Bison tenderloin is plated with local mushrooms and poblanos. Battered Nashville-hot lobster tail sits atop sweet cream waffles waiting for a maple-agave drizzle. Deviled eggs surprise with tempura egg white and peppered bacon. And the exotic tiger shrimp cobb salad wears the kitchen’s signature lavender ranch dressing. Fresh peach purée Moscow mules and prosecco-laced gin cocktails invite you to linger a little longer. 840 Kennedy Ave., Grand Junction

Chicken-N-The Bag

Shervin and Maria Bunch are dishing up Southern fried chicken and catfish from their roving food truck after leaving their respective truck driving and banking careers last year. The business is named for Shervin’s grandmother’s tried-and-true ritual of combining seasonings and flour in a brown paper bag and shaking until the chicken is coated in the mixture before dropping the breasts, thighs, and wings in a frying pan. The frying process takes around 15 to 20 minutes, and walk-up guests are given pagers and the freedom to go run an errand or take a walk while their order is lovingly fulfilled. The home-cooked menu draws on passed-down family recipes for its mac and cheese, corn cakes, and sweet potato pie. To find the truck, look for a line of hungry fans in the Tractor Supply parking lot at 2449 U.S. Highway 6 & 50 (that’s where they’re typically parked) or check the Chicken-N-The-Bag Facebook page.