Best New Restaurants of 2024
End of year wrap-up of the restaurants that hit a little different
As a subscriber of the free New Denizen newsletter, you’re getting first access to my list of the six Denver restaurants that debuted in 2024 and quickly became my top recommendations for dining out, aka my picks for the “Best New Restaurants of 2024.”
Like many of you, I’m tired of perfunctory “best of” lists churned out at year’s end to hit content quotas or please algorithms. That said, I put a lot of care into curating this roundup because I believe well-crafted lists are valuable. Most people don’t track every new opening (even I can barely keep up), and a quick, curated recap of the past year can be a great resource for discovering your next favorite spot.
As in the past, I’ve set parameters to keep the list focused: only locally owned, independent restaurants are considered. Outposts or riffs of existing concepts, including those that originated outside Colorado (now happening with increasing regularity), are ineligible. Seasonal food stands and trucks with regular service are included, as many of Denver’s most promising concepts begin without a year-round presence or brick-and-mortar location.
Each restaurant on this list earned its spot because of its delicious, satisfying food. Beyond that, they each offer something unique to Denver’s food scene. Together, they reflect a shift that began in Denver about a decade ago, when chefs started focusing on translating their personal stories, heritage, and philosophies into their cooking, trusting that diners would meet them at the table and embrace their vision.
Some real talk: Compiling this list without outside help or funding does have its limitations. I never write about or recommend places I haven’t experienced. This means I’m restricted by my ability to personally visit every interesting restaurant that opened in the last year prior to sitting down and writing this story.
I want to underscore that no one list can be definitive. The fact is that worthy places have probably been missed for one reason or another. If you know of a spot that would have been a great fit but doesn’t appear, please leave your thoughts in the comments of the blog post. The rest of us will benefit from your suggestions as someplace we should consider checking out in 2025.
So with no further ado, here’s the list. For the full summary of each restaurant, read the full story.
In alphabetical order:
Baekga
Korean (May 2024)
Dân Dã
Vietnamese (April 2024)
Dos Caras / Carnitas de Cobre
Seasonal Mexican and carnitas-only pop-ups by a pair of brothers (May 2024)
Luchador Tacos & More
Latin & Mexican (Aug 2024)
Mezcaleria Alma
Mexico City-inspired cuisine (Nov 2024)
Xiquita
Mexican with an emphasis on pre-hispanic ingredients and techniques (Aug 2024)
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Best,
Laura