Named one of the top five establishments to drink tequila in America by Food and Wine Magazine, LoLa has also become one of Denver’s most acclaimed dining destinations, serving cuisine inspired by Mexico’s coastal regions. 5280 Magazine’s Chef of the Year and LoLa owner, Jamey Fader, mixes up Denver’s best regional Mexican cuisine with his ever changing, seasonally inspired menus.

LoLa now occupies what was the original home to the Ollinger Mortuary and the 1926 winter resting place of Wild Bill Cody in what is now our downstairs tequila bar, BeLoLa. With over 150 selections of tequila Lola has a sleek and sexy space that is conducive to an evening of serious study with Mixologist Jimmy Zanon. Denver’s very best brunch starts early and ends late with live music on Sundays.

This sleek downtowner is a treasure trove—and its crown jewel is chef-partner Lon Symensma, whose world travels are reflected in his contemporary East-West cookery. The menu is designed for grazing and sharing such artistically presented creations as green papaya salad with tamarind sorbet, egg noodles with squid and scallops, and elegant sandwiches like the pulled beef with raclette and spicy radish. But once you take a bite of the luscious kaya toast with coconut jam and an “egg cloud,” you’ll be hard pressed to let anyone else near it. As for the service, it’s as polished as everything else.

Domo hasn’t won Westword’s reader’s choice award for Best Japanese Restaurant fourteen years in a row for nothing. On the contrary, it’s a Denver treasure all the way around. To open the heavy wooden door is to enter a rustic cottage in the feudal-era countryside, scattered with fascinating knickknacks like jars of viper wine and three-million-year-old chunks of rock salt; to exit out the other side is to discover a lush garden retreat, complete with a drum-bridged koi pond and a traditional shrine. The menu is equally uncommon: chef-owner Gaku Homma’s so-called Japanese country fare comprises one-pot specialties such as donburi, nabemono, teriyaki, and the signature, chirashi-like Wanko sushi—all served with an array of sides and the fruity house sauce. Meanwhile, if there’s one thing Domo’s not known for, it’s efficient service—prepare to linger for a spell.

There are as many taquerias as there are mountain peaks around Denver, but as with the Rockies, a few rise above all the rest. El Taco de Mexico is one of them. The women behind the counter are as notoriously no-nonsense as the food is simple: tacos and burritos alike serve as lessons in Mile-High Mexican 101, with their perfectly cooked meats and stellar sauces—namely the smokiest of salsas and purest of green chiles, thin and smooth. Throw in an extra-cinnamony horchata to wash it all down, and you’ll still leave with nearly as many pocket pesos as you came in with.

There are only two contenders for Denver’s best sushi—and they’re polar opposites. One is Sushi Den, a dark and rollicking madhouse on Old South Pearl. The other is Sushi Sasa. Opened by former Sushi Den employee Wayne Conwell just north of downtown, it’s spare and serene, all pale hues and hushed conversations—the ideal setting for precise, pristine pieces of toro, needlefish, Spanish mackerel, and more. But then, that’s to be expected: order omakase, and you’ll be treated to all sorts of stunning surprises from the kitchen as well—think sea bass in black bean sauce and wasabi cheesecake. It's those contemporary global influences that so distinguish Sushi Sasa and compel its clientele of sophisticates to crowd in constantly; reservations are strongly recommended.

1515 Restaurant is fine dining Denver style. It's a nationally recognized, award-winning restaurant that takes contemporary American cuisine, splashes it with some European flair, and adds some one-of-a-kind "eclectic Colorado cuisine" to top off the menu.

People come for the food as well as the ambiance. The bar scene on the first floor is usually crowded with a hot crowd, with lots of people watching of those who come through the door. The upstairs dining room is a bit quieter, and focused on the fabulous food like braised lamb shank or Kobe beef with saki-glazed ahi. There are a few vegetarian options and features an award-winning wine list that's received praise from Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator.

Tucked away in Writer’s Square just off Larimer, Red Square Euro Bistro is like no place else in LoDo. First and foremost is the vodka bar: rounding out a list of nearly 100 from 20 different countries (including El Salvador and Kazakhstan!), all available by the shot or the bottle, is a wild selection of house infusions—dill, horseradish, and honey being especially good choices. (If spirits aren’t your poison, check out the imported Russian and Czech beers instead.) Then there’s the contemporary European food: borscht with eggs, veal dumplings, beef stroganoff, and pavlova with champagne sabayon help absorb all that alcohol. And in warm weather, the courtyard patio beyond the sleek red-walled dining room is a locals’ hangout from happy hour onwards.