Diners' Choice: Best Overall restaurants in Denver

OpenTable

Updated April 05, 2025

Looking for the best overall restaurants in Denver? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Vin Rouge Wine Bar & Tasting Room

5.0

5 (196)

$30 and under

Wine Bar

Highlands

About the restaurant

Welcome to Vin Rouge Wine Bar & Tasting Room in the historic Berkeley neighborhood in West Denver!
We specialize in boutique natural wines from around the globe, local craft beers, and must-have light fare staples like cheese, charcuterie, and local desserts in the comfort of our cozy neighborhood bar. Last call is made 45 minutes prior to closing.

Top review

Kay

Dined 1 day ago

Such a lovely, romantic place. Jen has a wonderful variety of wines, and can tell you about each of them. Put this place on your list. I think you’ll love it!

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Experience

TWTE - Umbrian Owner/Winemaker, Lorenzo Mattoni

Mezcaleria Alma

5.0

5 (167)

$31 to $50

Contemporary Mexican

LoHi

About the restaurant

Chef Johnny Curiel debuts Mezcaleria Alma in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood, bringing the dynamic spirit of Mexico City to life with CDMX-inspired small plates and an expansive Mexican spirits menu. Located beside Curiel’s first solo restaurant, Alma Fonda Fina, Mezcaleria Alma marks the natural next chapter in Curiel’s culinary journey to share the beauty of Mexico through food. Each dish and drink draws from Curiel’s experiences in one of the world’s most renowned culinary capitals—a city where culture and tradition merge with global inspiration and constant innovation.

While Alma Fonda Fina is a love letter to the home-cooked traditions of Chef Curiel’s childhood—the comfort food found at traditional fondas across Mexico—Mezcaleria Alma embodies the unbridled innovation that defines CDMX.

Top review

MonicaVIP

Dined 7 days ago

Amazing! Some of the best food my husband and I have ever eaten! Service was also amazing!

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Experience

Chef's Counter

Experience

Dining Room Reservation

Experience

Food, Fight & Fundraise: support for Molly Martin

Alma Fonda Fina

5.0

5 (379)

$50 and over

Contemporary Mexican

LoHi

About the restaurant

Chef Curiel makes his solo restaurant debut with Alma Fonda Fina, a restaurant dedicated to sharing the integrity, tradition and culturally rich experiences that defined his culinary journey and create a transportive dining experience that embodies the beauty of Mexico. As Chef Curiel continues to push the boundaries of taste and tradition, he pays homage to his roots and uses food as a way to showcase his cultural pride.

Top review

emileeVIP

Dined 6 days ago

O M G - what an amazing experience this was! The food, service, and atmosphere were top notch and we will for sure be back!

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Experience

Dining Room Reservation

Alteño

4.9

4.9 (67)

$31 to $50

Mexican

Cherry Creek

About the restaurant

From the heart of Michelin-starred Chef/Owner Johnny Curiel comes Alteño. Curiel’s newest creation pays homage to his Jaliscan Highland roots and traditions, incorporating a mix of heritage flavors and rustic preparations that spotlight the cuisine and culture of the iconic Los Altos de Jalisco. The spirit of Johnny’s restaurateur father, the original Alteño, is felt in the very soul of the restaurant.

The campestre influence woven throughout Alteño is inspired by Johnny’s childhood spent in the mountainous region of Los Altos, known for its rolling hills, historic colonial architecture, and wild, untamed land. Chef Johnny and his partner and wife, Kasie, developed the beverage program balancing top-shelf, native Mexican flavors and agave spirits like raicilla and mezcal, with classic cocktails and a wine list that includes a selection of Mexican, European and American wines overseen by Alteño’s in-house sommelier.

Top review

Doreen

Dined 1 day ago

An absolutely perfect experience with incredible food and service.

Bistro Barbes

4.9

4.9 (672)

$50 and over

Contemporary French / American

Park Hill

About the restaurant

Cancellations after 12pm day of reservation, will be charged $50 per guest. Please be aware that Bistro Barbes is only offering a 4 course Chef's tasting menu for $75 per person. Please contact us if there are any dietary restrictions or allergies because last minutes substitutions may not be available.

Top review

Elizabeth

Dined on Apr 4, 2025

Bistro Barbés was the ideal place for a date night, special occasion, or simply just a place to treat yourself. The food was delicious, the wine was delectable and the chef was a delight! Consider yourself blessed if you get a chance to order the duck leg confit. Will be recommending this to all our friends!

Benzina

4.9

4.9 (652)

$31 to $50

Italian

Park Hill

About the restaurant

Local neighborhood Italian restaurant serving seasonal salads, family-style appetizers, Neapolitan-inspired pizza, handmade pastas, entrees prepared on a Mibrasa Charcoal Oven, and classic desserts, alongside complementing cocktails, local breweries and approachable domestic and international wines. The restaurant is set in a converted gas station with bocce courts and urban planters alongside an outdoor dining patio.

Top review

SteveVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Any neighbors who haven’t been, you are missing a gem! Any in the metro area, it is So Worth the Drive. Forget about NY, Chicago, Detroit and all, this is Italian Pizza!

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4.9

4.9 (2866)

$31 to $50

Japanese

Cherry Creek

About the restaurant

Featuring Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s signature new-style Japanese cuisine, Matsuhisa Denver anchors the ground floor of the Steele Creek luxury apartment building in Cherry Creek, Denver’s premier shopping, restaurant, and entertainment district. Our 7,800 square foot dining room is open for dinner service from 5pm nightly. Takeout available nightly from 5-9pm.

Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s world-famous cuisine draws influence from his classical training in Tokyo and his life abroad in Peru, Argentina, and around the world, showcasing signature dishes such as Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeño, Black Cod Miso and Whitefish Tiradito.

Top review

Jay

Dined 3 days ago

Excellent. Was expecting a few more creative dishes, but the food quality and flavor was excellent.

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4.9

4.9 (2058)

$31 to $50

Italian

Highlands

About the restaurant

If you are booking an earlier reservation (up to 7:15pm) please be mindful of our need to reseat your table with later reservations. If you would like to dine for longer than the time listed for your party size when you book, please either take a later reservation or you are more the welcome to call us to chat about options.

If you are unable to find the reservation you are looking for, don't hesitate to call us directly! If we are fully booked, you are always welcome to call ahead (5-10 minutes out) for any available seats to dine at our bar or last-minute openings.

If you are running late or if your reservation plans change at all, please call. We can only hold your table for up to 10 minutes without hearing from you.

We are a small restaurant full of lovely, dedicated people and communicating with us candidly is always the best way. We look very much forward to your visit!

Top review

CynthiaVIP

Dined 7 days ago

Another fine dining experience at Spuntino. Daniel, our server for the evening, did an outstanding job and is so fun to interact with! The food was delicious and the new Spring menu should not be missed! Yummy pastas! Wine was delicious as well. Thank you Spuntino!

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4.8

4.8 (699)

$30 and under

Mexican

Highlands

About the restaurant

Our menu is inspired by the Mexican regions of Yucatán, Oaxaca, and Veracruz. We strive to respect the influences and traditions of these diverse cultures to bring you food that is uniquely El Jefe.

We believe in doing things the right way. Not because it’s trendy or cool, but because it’s right. We change our menu with the grow season, supporting our neighbors and the terroir of Colorado. We are not your average Mexican joint, rather a reflection of our environment and beliefs.

We hand make our tortillas every day. All of our pork comes from one whole hog. Our chefs breakdown the whole animal, for chorizo, appetizers, stocks, soups, and entrees. Nothing is wasted. We do this out of respect for the animal and for the people who raised them for us. Anything we can produce in our kitchen is done by us, with love. No frills, just good food.

We do an amazing brunch on the weekends, and by default or menu is nearly 100% gluten free.

Top review

Mike

Dined on Apr 20, 2025

Food was fantastic and people so friendly - what a local neighborhood gem. We had the Mole and Mahi, both were amazing and even better ... were delivered by the owner. What a place and have to say that we will be back very soon.

Bruno's Italian Bistro

4.9

4.9 (990)

$30 and under

Italian

Cherry Creek

About the restaurant

We believe Brunos Italian Bistro, could be just the thing you're looking for, offers a enjoyable meal from our pasta dishes, choice of chicken, seafood or steak. Please relax with your choice of a bottle of selected wine, chilled beer or a cocktail.

Top review

sandra

Dined on Apr 18, 2025

Three of us dined and we all enjoyed the meal and our food. Service was good. We were pleasantly surprised to find bread and salad/soup included with entree as many places do not have that. The appetizer was good too. The salad was ok, and could use a little update. We wish it was open for lunch as many of we seniors don't go out at night so much and it isn't close to home for us.

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