With the decidedly hip neighborhoods of RiNo, LoHi and South Broadway, Denver is attracting more hipsters and restaurants that cater to this demographic. If you want a cool coffeehouse or a trendy diner, these reinvigorated areas are changing the Mile High City with their interesting concepts, modern décor and unusual menu items.
As with anything fashionable, the restaurants that are the most hip are constantly changing. However, these are some of the best hipster restaurants currently open for business in Denver.
1. Sputnik
By reinterpreting typical casual foods like corn dogs and fried pickles, Sputnik on South Broadway has become one of the best places to go for a weekend brunch with friends or for a snack before or after a show at a nearby theater. You’ll find seasonal foods here, and the restaurant prides itself on using locally grown vegetarian and vegan ingredients. Come for the food, and stay for the live DJ spinning vintage vinyl.
2. City, O’ City
This memorably named restaurant in Capitol Hill offers a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan dishes, including their famous El Jefe mushroom quinoa burger topped with sauteed shrooms, an onion ring, and special sauce. Don’t miss the Udon Noodle Bowl served in a ginger-carrot broth. Even with these delicious dishes, the atmosphere – both cozy and raucous at once draws visitors back over and over again. Come for the coffee or for a drink at the bar, but don’t skip an all-vegan treat from the pastry case, made right next door at Make, Believe Bakery.
3. Colt and Gray
Taking advantage of the current propensity for gastropubs, Colt and Gray on Platte Street offers great burgers paired with hipster beers and spirits. Ask the well-trained bartender for the most complicated drink you can imagine, and watch as he or she is able to concoct it with delicious speed and accuracy. You’ll appreciate the intimate setting of this restaurant as you enjoy your meal and the show at the bar.
4. Comida Cantina
This restaurant began as a food truck before it expanded into brick-and-mortar territory, and you can see why it became so popular so quickly. With a fresh and clean dining room, Comida Cantina offers an expansive community table as well as an open bar and an outdoor patio. Sit down with an icy margarita as you enjoy the excellent tacos, and you’ll be glad that this restaurant ditched the truck.
5. The Universal
You wouldn’t think that a place specializing in southern favorites like grits and fresh biscuits would be a hipster hangout, but The Universal has changed that way of thinking since it opened in 2012. If you’re in the mood for a long brunch or a lazy dinner, head here for its friendly, cool staff and its warm wood paneling.
6. Root Down
Located in a renovated gas station on West 33rd Avenue, Root Down has an impressive view of downtown Denver and boasts a healthy but extensive menu from head chef Justin Cucci. You can order a vegetarian dish at Root Down, but you’ll also find a good amount of meat on the menu too. The restaurant has recently opened a satellite location at the Denver International Airport, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see more Root Down restaurants in the near future.
Do you have a favorite hipster restaurant in Denver that we left off the list? Let us know so that we can check it out!
