Summer is the busiest time of year for the hospitality industry and it’s no wonder, considering the longer days and patio weather that coax us out of the house. This season we’re seeing a whole crop of new bars and restaurants sprouting up to give us even more reasons to eat out.

Have you been thinking about exploring Mexican cuisine beyond your familiar favorites, looking for a new brunch spot, or diving into the rarified world of multicourse tasting menus? There’s a little something for everyone in these 10 restaurants that have opened in the last three months.

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Heretík

A flower-print china dish with celeriac salad, trout roe, and dill
Heretík’s celeriac remoulade. Photo by Mark Antonation
Chicken wings deboned and sfuffed with sausage on skewers.
Heretík’s stuffed chicken wings. Photo by Mark Antonation
  • Address: 1441 26th St., Denver (RiNo)
  • Cuisine: Basque, Spanish, French
  • Price: $$$

Most metro Denver residents aren’t willing to drive to Lyons for dinner, so experiencing chef Theo Adley’s Marigold is a rare treat. Fortunately, Adley’s newest venture is smack in the heart of RiNo. Like Marigold, Heretík focuses on a range of small plates with a few larger options, all bolstered by seafood that the chef sources directly from fishers on both coasts.

The specialty here is Basque cuisine, as exemplified by a dish that pairs raw oysters with house-made chipolata sausage. Smaller bites like the matrimonio (a crisp puff pastry cracker topped with mackerel and anchovy) or chicken wings stuffed with boudin blanc offer traditional flavors, but Adley also draws from Spanish and French techniques for original creations. Slaw-like celeriac remoulade is a staple in France, but Adley adds smoked trout and trout roe that complement the creamy dressing. A rotisserie oven visible in the open kitchen cranks out crispy-skinned cou nu (or “naked neck”) chicken served with matchstick fries.

The bar pours Basque txakoli wine, wild-fermented ciders, and a pan con tomate martini that captures the essence of lightly toasted bread in a strangely delicious way. We’ll still keep Marigold on our destination-dining rotation, but having Heretík close by makes for a tempting stop any day of the week.

Madeline

Pan-seared halibut on black rice with green curry sauce.
Madeline’s pan-seared green curry halibut with forbidden rice. Photo by Mark Antonation
  • Address: 1313 E. Sixth Ave., Denver (Country Club)
  • Cuisine: Modern American
  • Price: $$$

After working at high-end Denver establishments like Izakaya Den, Death & Co., and Colt & Gray, chef Quincy Cherrett took a ground-up approach to building his own brand, first with the 22 Provisions food truck, then with Eloise and its bistro-style menu at Avanti Food & Beverage, and now with Madeline, a seasonally driven restaurant named after Cherrett’s niece.

Located in the former home of Fruition, Madeline keeps the cozy neighborhood charm of its predecessor while adding hints of Thai flavor borrowed from Cherrett’s early days at Teton Thai in Teton Village, Wyoming. So, you’ll find a spicy tom yum–inspired shrimp toast made on tender milk bread, pan-seared halibut served with green curry and black forbidden rice cooked almost like risotto, and a roasted half chicken with laab dressing that delivers a punch of herbs and fish sauce.

But not every dish comes with Asian flavors; the Caesar salad swaps out romaine for frisée and adds a soft-cooked egg, while the steak frites offers a crowd-pleasing taste from Eloise with its chimichurri topping. Overall, the menu is equal parts elegant and playful, making it great for Country Club neighbors wandering in on a weekday or a couple looking for a romantic night out.

Milly’s Bagels

A hand holding an unsliced salt-crusted bagel
Milly’s salt bagel. Photo by Mark Antonation
  • Address: 712 ½ S. Pearl St., Denver (Washington Park West)
  • Cuisine: Bagels
  • Price: $

Milly Lorden’s new bagel shop is barely wider than the French doors that serve as its entrance. There’s no seating inside, and the building itself doesn’t even warrant a full street number, instead settling for a fraction. But one bite of Lorden’s puffy bagels—they’re so nicely risen that the hole in the middle becomes more of a dimple—is enough to convince enthusiasts that the tiny shop is worth visiting again and again. Lorden has lived in Denver for less than a year but she came here with a plan: to dial in a high-altitude recipe for the bagels she’d been perfecting in Chicago as a home baker before selling them online as a stepping stone to a brick-and-mortar. While the pint-size property may not be a good fit for traditional eateries, it was just the right size for Lorden, who began slinging her sourdough bagels there in mid-June. “It’s very residential here,” she says. “I wanted a community-centered feeling. I want it to be full of hospitality, like welcoming people into my home.”

Although the bagels—plain, everything, sesame, salt, jalapeño cheddar, and blueberry brown sugar—are New York–style, they’re made with her family’s sourdough starter, which is rumored to have originated on the Oregon Trail. They’re available as is, with whipped cream cheese and other spreads, or as a sandwich. Of course, there’s a lox and cream cheese bagel with all the trimmings and a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, but the star might be the bacon, egg, avocado, cheddar, and chile aioli.

Coffee comes courtesy of Englewood’s Mango Tree; Lorden’s other house-made treats include granola (her mom’s recipe), cookies, and other baked goods. Although there’s no indoor seating, follow the signs to the secluded patio in the back, where Lorden hopes to host singer-songwriter sessions, book clubs, and other neighborhood events.

Milpero

The chef’s counter at Milpero
The chef’s counter at Milpero. Photo by Mark Antonation
The only taco on Milpero’s 18-course tasting menu
The only taco on Milpero’s 18-course tasting menu. Photo by Mark Antonation
Slow-cooked pork with pipian verde at Milpero
Slow-cooked pork with pipian verde at Milpero. Photo by Mark Antonation
Milpero’s granite prep counter
Milpero’s granite prep counter. Photo by Mark Antonation
  • Address: 3455 Ringsby Ct., Denver (Globeville)
  • Cuisine: Mexican
  • Price: $$$$ (Chef’s tasting menu only)

The almost frantic pace at which Michelin-starred chef-restaurateur Johnny Curiel has been opening eateries (five in the past three years, beginning with Alma Fonda Fina) illustrates his passion for cooking as well as his desire to showcase both the cuisine of Mexico and the talents of his ever-expanding staff. The chef’s sixth and most ambitious project, though, is Milpero, a 16-seat chef’s counter experience where guests rotate from a cold counter to a fermentation room to seats in front of a wood-fired oven during the three-hour experience.

An 18-course dinner may sound intimidating, but many of the dishes are small: a single oyster dressed in smoked tomato broth or a sushi-like bite of bluefin tuna in mezcal-spiked aguachile. Along the way, Curiel and his team provide bits of culinary knowledge that can turn into full conversations for the curious. You’ll taste no less than five moles (rosa, negro chichilo, amarillo, pipián verde, and manchamanteles) and encounter chile varieties, salsas, beans, and herbs seldom found north of the border.

The space itself (once home to seminal Denver eateries Fuel Cafe and Comal Heritage Food Incubator) feels equally intimate and impressive, with natural wood finishes, a massive prep table made from a single granite monolith excavated in Boulder County, and earthenware serving vessels that feel as artisanal as the food they hold. Milpero is named for the farmers who tend milpas, traditional plots where complementary crops are grown. Curiel’s tasting menu offers a taste of traditional milpa products with a modern twist.

Odd Rabbit

Odd Rabbit’s mushroom sesame noodles
Odd Rabbit’s mushroom sesame noodles. Photo by Mark Antonation
Odd Rabbit’s spicy salmon crispy rice
Odd Rabbit’s spicy salmon crispy rice. Photo by Mark Antonation
  • Address: 5863 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder
  • Cuisine: Japanese
  • Price: $$$

Glo Noodle House owners Christopher and Ariana Teigland continue their expansion beyond the West Highland original (they also operate Glo and the fast-casual Italian Capriata inside Avanti Vail) with their new Boulder outpost, Odd Rabbit. If you’ve been to Glo, you’ll recognize Christopher’s bold ramen bowls (there’s even one with rabbit) and Ariana’s delightful cocktails (in keeping with the theme, one such creation is the Negroni-adjacent White Rabbit). But Odd Rabbit adds sushi and other Japanese dishes, giving each visit a little extra variety. Don’t miss the spicy salmon crispy rice, the snow crab temaki with tiny pearls of Tabasco caviar, or the aburi scallop nigiri that gets a quick sear and a brush of miso brown butter.

And if, for some reason, you’re just not in the mood for sushi or ramen, Christopher makes one of the best cheeseburgers—topped with miso mayo, shredded cabbage, pickles, and pepper jelly—in Boulder.

Olive & Finch Golden Triangle

A plate of sausage and puff pastry rolls sliced diagonally and stood up vertically in red sauce on a rectangular white plate with two hands holding cocktails in the background
Elk in blankets at Olive & Finch Golden Triangle. Photo courtesy of Olive & Finch
  • Address: 1140 Bannock St., Denver (Civic Center)
  • Cuisine: American
  • Price: $$

Chef-restaurateur Mary Nguyen has been expanding her Olive & Finch stable with a focus on the city center. In 2025, she opened locations at Union Station and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and earlier this year she took aim at the Golden Triangle. Like its siblings, the newest member of the family offers a balance of culinary prowess and affordability—like a wallet-friendly $20 steak frites. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all part of the program, with clever takes on favorites at any time of day, like the Bogotá hash made with chorizo and sweet potato or the elk in a blanket, a smoked elk sausage swaddled in puff pastry and showered with everything seasoning.

The pastry case is, of course, one of the main draws, so grab croissants if you’re visiting in the morning or finish dinner with some of the best carrot cake in town.

Paperboy

A single large pancake topped with powdered sugar, a scoop of butter, and blueberries with a small silver syrup pitcher.
Paperboy’s giant pancake. Photo by Mark Antonation
  • Address: 3940 W. 32nd Ave., Denver (West Highland)
  • Cuisine: Breakfast
  • Price: $$

We’re not sure if Denver needed a breakfast and brunch import from Austin, Texas, but just call it a reciprocal agreement, since we sent the Lone Star State’s capital city our homegrown pancake specialist, Snooze, back in 2016. Plus, Snooze has never served a Texas-size pancake like the one you’ll find at Paperboy, which started as a food truck before spinning off two Austin brick-and-mortars.

The breakfast team coaxes buttermilk-and-cornmeal batter to eye-popping dimensions in a cast-iron skillet before adding a scoop of brown butter and a sprinkle of sea salt. A side of maple syrup rides along, and optional blueberries or chocolate chips are available. Beyond that (as if you’ll need anything else), Paperboy makes exemplary poblano cheddar biscuits, a craveable chorizo and potato empanada, and a plate of spot-on migas (crispy fried tortilla strips mixed into scrambled eggs) that comes with mini flour tortillas so you can build your own breakfast tacos.

Pigeon/Toad Kitchen

A single Japanese bao bun stuffed with pork belly and greens on a black plate.
Toad Kitchen’s whole wheat pork belly bao. Photo by Mark Antonation
An old two-story building with new black paint and a green neon sign with part of the word pigeon visible.
Outside Pigeon. Photo by Mark Antonation
  • Address: 1431 Ogden St., Denver (Capitol Hill)
  • Cuisine: Japanese/cocktail bar
  • Price: $$

We weren’t looking for a bar when we stumbled across a vintage brick building sporting a new coat of black paint and a green neon sign above the door reading “Pigeon.” The unlikely location on a mostly residential block made the long, narrow space feel like a secret, and the interior, which boasted built-in chess tables, a vinyl record collection, and a quirky, two-seat chef’s counter, only upped the intrigue. Is this place really here?

Pigeon is the work of the folks behind the equally kooky and interstitial Pon Pon Bar in RiNo, while its separately run Japanese-themed restaurant, Toad Kitchen, belongs to chef Elliott Delka. The collection of spirits, wines, beers, and other beverages skews obscure and artisan. The Greek Ambassador is a prime example, combining vodka infused with sideritis (a sagelike herb), chamomile liqueur, mastiha (a resin-based spirit), and Bianco Ambrato vermouth into a cocktail that smells like a Mediterranean grandmother’s herb garden and tastes like a better version of a Vesper martini.

On the food side, Delka makes almost everything from scratch, including his whole wheat udon noodles, gyoza wrappers, bao buns, and even the tofu in his meatless katsu served with vegetable curry.

El Tule Mexican Cuisine & Bar

Flautas covered with mole
El Tule’s flautas enmoladas. Photo by Mark Antonation
Inside El Tule
Inside El Tule. Photo by Mark Antonation
  • Address: 4862 S. Newport St., Denver (Southmoor Park)
  • Cuisine: Mexican
  • Price: $$$

Oaxaca’s Àrbol del Tule is considered the largest tree in the world (by diameter) and dates back more than 1,500 years. El Tule Mexican Cuisine & Bar’s father-son ownership team, Luis Carlos Alvarado Ordoñez and Luis Carlos Alvarado Yañez, named their new eatery after the famous tree because it represents “strength, resilience, and pride in the deep history and culture of Oaxaca,” according to Alvarado Yañez. El Tule’s dining room is dominated by a floor-to-ceiling sculpture of the tree, complete with foliage suspended from the ceiling.

The menu teems with chiles, corn, and other ingredients imported from the southern Mexican state, giving a distinct regional taste to nearly every dish. Moles—negro, coloradito, and saltillo (a northern Mexican specialty)—accompany everything from chicken flautas to filet mignon. Other must-tries include the halibut ceviche with a tart mango and passion fruit marinade, and a rich cochinita pibil (slow-cooked pork) served with house-made corn tortillas.

Wellness Counter

Chef Steven Lee packs a handroll at the sushi counter.
Chef Steven Lee packs a handroll at the sushi counter. Photo by Lucy Beaugard
  • Address: 1117 Pearl St., Boulder
  • Cuisine: Japanese
  • Price: $$$

East Colfax Avenue has Wellness Sushi, a Japanese eatery dedicated to plant-based dining. Perhaps such a concept would be right at home in vegan-friendly Boulder, but owners Phoebe and Steven Lee are putting the fish back in sushi with their new Boulder restaurant, Wellness Counter. Dry-aged seafood is the focus here, a technique that enhances the texture and deepens the flavor of tuna, salmon, and other fish. Beyond nigiri, you’ll find skewered and grilled meats and veggies on the menu, including cauliflower in black garlic cashew puree, Kurobuta pork belly, and subtly seasoned chicken meatballs. For those who love the original Wellness Sushi, the Lees make it easy to dine meatless at their new restaurant too. It’s all bolstered by the bar’s far-reaching selection of sakes, wines (with a few Japanese vineyards represented), and cocktails made with Japanese whiskey, gin, and vodka.