Denver’s 6 hottest restaurant openings of 2023

Jen Jasinski’s locally adored French restaurant relocated this year from its original, 20-year-old downtown spot to new digs in Midtown East in February. What’s new is the fresh and modern decor that includes whimsical floral wallpaper and deep red banquettes. Not to mention a revitalized menu by executive chef Jeremy Wolgamott featuring classically prepped Left Bank-inspired classics like steak frites and coq au vin, plus reimagined takes on allium soup and duck a l’orange. Bonus points for the brand-new kids’ menu (cleverly named Oui Chefs)—an ode to the family-filled neighborhood it now calls home.

Sisters Aminata and Rougui Dia’s French-Senegalese Denver Tech Center star got a second location in the 9+CO development in September. The duo serves the same sensational Paris-meets-Dakar lineup, plus a brunch menu that shouts out the owners’ West African heritage with ingredients like brie and baobab preserves and chicken yassa poutine. What’s exclusive to this new location is an expanded wine selection, plus a full bar known for attention-grabbing cocktails like the hibiscus-infused tequila concoction Le Bissap.

Chefs Brian De Souza and Sydney Younggreen scored a significant following after launching a reservation-only dinner series with a rotating New American menu in 2020. They channeled that momentum into a 40-seat fine-dining restaurant they opened in July, serving imaginative dishes like cabbage mille-feuille with leek cream, pan-seared branzino with celeriac puree, and more. If you’re drinking, consider a glass from one of the best wine lists in town, and enjoy it all in a dark and cozy dining room decked with cozy leather booths—but fans of this talented duo are known to be enthusiastic, so book well in advance.

This Southern comfort food empire has no shortage of culinary accolades: It’s the brainchild of a Top Chef alum, was nominated for a James Beard Award, and named one of Bon Appétit Best New Restaurants. So when it opened its first-ever Denver edition in July, crowds came flocking for its signature coal-roasted rotisserie chicken, skillet cornbread, and 72-hour short rib—which, in true Colorado fashion, comes with green chile-spiked grits. The sprawling space is also adored for brunch and happy hour, thanks to a knockout cocktail selection made with fresh fruit juices, herbs, spices, and bourbon.

This funky pan-Asian spot leveled up with a new chef at the end of the summer this year. Paul Sananikone, formally the director of sushi at Jing Aspen, brings fine-dining firepower to Bao Brewhouse’s basement level and pulls from techniques he learned from his hibachi chef father and Thai mother. The result is a globally accented Chinese street food selection that includes dishes like mushroom dumplings and fried tofu bao. Rest assured the beloved tap room remains casual, while the upstairs tea room is all about family-style feasts of short rib spicy noodles and dim sum. All these updates have led to hotspot status for this LoDo mainstay, so reservations are practically mandatory.

This hotly anticipated Highland spot opened in June and believes the best things happen in the morning. Which explains its breakfast-heavy menu by Top Chef alum Carrie Bird and “burrito architect” Michael Fox. Playful spins on American classics like Le Big Mac Omelet, sausage rolls with maple dipping sauce, and the winning huevos rancheros Baird made to beat celebrity chef Bobby Flay have earned it a rep as one of the most sought-after brunch spots in town.