Discovering Denver’s Best Food & Culture

Denver was the first stop on the Colorado adventure my sister Heidi and I took in search of a little horse-riding therapy, a trip I’ve written about for The Telegraph. Before we headed into the mountains, though, we spent time exploring a city whose attractions include a mansion hotel with copper bathtubs, a neighbourhood pizzeria with ambitions beyond its wood-fired oven, and an immersive art experience that made us feel as though we’d wandered into another universe.

My suggested itinerary brings together places we visited with a few ideas for extending your exploration, including restaurant recommendations from Denver’s Monarch co-owner Danny Matthews.

Friday evening: check into Urban Cowboy Denver

We stayed at Urban Cowboy Denver, an 1880s mansion whose period details and sumptuous fabrics made arriving feel like stepping onto the set of The Gilded Age or Charmed. There was also the distinct possibility of resident ghosts, although the copper claw-footed bathtub was considerably more appealing than any prospect of a supernatural encounter.

It’s a characterful base for a city break, with the added advantage that your first evening’s drinks and dinner are just outside. The former stable block, now the Public House, has the feel of a western saloon crossed with a speakeasy. We wasted little time settling in for cocktails and pizzas from Monarch, its resident kitchen.

Where to eat at Urban Cowboy Denver: Monarch pizza

Monarch describes itself as a pizzeria-meets-bistro, with sourdough pizzas, seasonal vegetables and a changing menu. The pizzas were delicious, but the thinking behind the restaurant is as much about the people around the table as what’s on it.

“Monarch really started with the idea of community,” says co-owner Danny Matthews. “That begins with the farmers, producers and craftspeople we work with, but ultimately it’s about bringing all of that to the table. For us, so many of the best memories in life happen around food: breaking bread, talking, celebrating, or simply spending time with friends and family.”

Neither Danny,  nor co-owner Justin, grew up in Denver, although both have made the city home. Their inspiration comes from the neighbourhood restaurants and pizzerias of their childhoods, alongside places they loved while living in New York and Chicago and travelling abroad.

“There’s a nostalgia to those restaurants. They aren’t necessarily places you save for a birthday or anniversary. They become part of your life. You know the people working there, they know you, and sometimes you’re there for a full dinner and other times you’re just stopping in for something to eat and to see familiar faces. That sense of belonging is ultimately what we want Monarch to become.”

That makes it a lovely starting point for a weekend in Denver, with dinner somewhere whose ambition is to become part of everyday life in the city. The menu changes weekly, so check what’s cooking before you visit rather than arriving with your heart set on a particular topping.

Saturday morning: discover Denver on a walking tour

Janet was our guide on a Historic Denver downtown walking tour, a useful way to put the city into context before heading off on your own. Lower Downtown, known as LoDo, is a good starting point for exploring, with historic buildings, independent shops and plenty of places to stop for something to eat or drink.

Denver Union Station is a destination in its own right, with a beautiful, grand interior that feels more like a five-star hotel lobby than a railway station. Its restaurants, bars and shops make it somewhere to spend time, whether you’re stopping for coffee, meeting for drinks or settling in for a meal, with no train ticket required. Nearby, on Wazee Street, Rockmount Ranch Wear is another stop to include, its flagship store bringing a little western style to an afternoon exploring LoDo.

RiNo: Denver’s River North Art District

We also visited RiNo, the River North Art District, and for me this is the place to be. Street art, cool eateries and places such as Nocturne give it a creative energy that makes it an essential part of a Denver weekend. Allow time to explore rather than treating it as a quick detour, using the district’s mural map to guide your wander before stopping for food or returning for an evening of jazz.

Saturday afternoon: Meow Wolf Denver’s Convergence Station

Meow Wolf Denver was a surprising highlight of our Denver stay. In my Telegraph piece, I described it as though Futurama, Fraggle Rock, Blade Runner and The Adventure Game had been put in a blender, which gives you some idea of how gloriously difficult it is to explain.

Denver’s installation is called Convergence Station, an immersive art experience spread across four surreal worlds, with more than 70 installations. There’s a story running through it, but the appeal is also in exploring, investigating and letting yourself be drawn into spaces that bear little resemblance to anything outside.

Give it a generous part of the afternoon rather than squeezing it between lunch and a tightly timed dinner reservation. For a weekend centred on culture and experiences, it brings something very different to the itinerary, even if a conventional gallery visit wouldn’t normally be your first choice.

Where to eat in Denver: Larimer Square, RiNo and LoHi

Denver’s food scene is wonderfully eclectic, with places that have very different ideas about what makes a good night out. Around Larimer Square, there’s a concentration of cool eateries that makes choosing dinner part of the fun. Tamayo brings modern Mexican cooking and amazing cocktails, while NADC Burger, short for Not a Damn Chance, takes the opposite approach to an extensive menu by focusing on one signature burger.

For jazz and good food, there’s Nocturne in RiNo, combining live music with dinner for an evening that gives both equal billing. Over in LoHi, or Lower Highland, Linger serves miniature versions of dishes from around the world as global small plates, in a building that used to be a mortuary. It’s an unlikely setting for dinner, and another example of the character running through Denver’s restaurants.

From Mexican cocktails and a single-minded burger joint to a jazz supper club and global food in a former mortuary, there’s plenty here to keep a food-focused weekend interesting. Monarch adds its own neighbourhood perspective to that mix, and Danny sees the city developing an increasingly distinct food identity.

For him, the appeal lies particularly in restaurants that combine ambitious cooking with an easy, welcoming atmosphere.

“Something we’ve personally always gravitated toward, particularly from our time in New York and Chicago and from travelling in places like London, is the neighbourhood bistro style of restaurant. The cooking can be ambitious, ingredients can be incredibly thoughtful and the hospitality can be excellent, but none of that has to make the experience formal.”

That philosophy feels particularly suited to a city break, when a memorable dinner needn’t involve packing another outfit or organising the whole evening around a formal occasion.

“We love the kind of restaurant where you can walk in on a Tuesday night, sit at the bar or grab a table, eat something genuinely great and feel completely comfortable being there. The owners are around, the staff know the regulars, and the restaurant becomes woven into the neighbourhood.

“There are already restaurants in Denver doing versions of that incredibly well, and we think that middle ground between casual dining and traditional fine dining is an exciting part of where the city is heading. That’s the space we personally love, and hope Monarch can contribute to.”

“They’re all very different, which is actually part of what makes Denver exciting right now. There are people here cooking from very personal perspectives and creating restaurants that feel distinctly their own.”

These are Danny’s recommendations rather than restaurants I’m reviewing from personal experience. Check their current menus, opening days and booking arrangements to find the right fit for your evening.

Sunday: Denver Botanic Gardens and the Art Museum

We visited both Denver Botanic Gardens and Denver Art Museum during our stay, and they give you two very different ways to spend the final day of a weekend.

The gardens’ York Street site covers 24 acres, so allow time to wander rather than treating it as a quick stop. After an afternoon inside Meow Wolf’s surreal worlds, a morning among plants and open-air spaces makes a pleasing change of pace.

If your departure time allows, add Denver Art Museum afterwards, or choose it as the main event if you’d prefer more art. Check the exhibition programme before you go so you can build the visit around what interests you, rather than attempting to see everything in the time available.

The walking tour, gardens, museum and Meow Wolf gave our Denver stay variety before we headed into the Rockies. For a standalone weekend, I’d leave the same breathing room between them, particularly when the restaurants are such a tempting part of the itinerary.

Staying longer: Red Rocks and the Rocky Mountains

With a few extra days, Denver makes a useful base for exploring beyond the city, with the option of returning to your hotel and another good dinner each evening.

Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre

The open-air amphitheatre at Red Rocks is set among enormous red sandstone formations, making the setting an attraction in its own right. You can visit without attending a concert, explore the park’s trails and look around the visitor centre, although access to the amphitheatre can finish early on event days. If the concert programme coincides with your stay, seeing a performance here would make a memorable addition to the trip.

Hadyn was our guide on our half-day outing with Aspire Tours. For visitors planning an excursion from Denver, the company offers a half-day Red Rocks & Beyond sightseeing tour, alongside a Red Rocks Morning Hike for those wanting a more active visit.

Explore the Rocky Mountains with Aspire Tours

You can also head into the Rockies without hiring a car. Aspire Tours runs small-group excursions from Denver, including the full-day Discover Rocky Mountain National Park sightseeing tour and a separate Rocky Mountain National Park Hike. Choose according to how much walking you want to do, and check the seasonal itinerary before booking, as mountain conditions can shape the day’s route.

It’s a way to combine Denver’s food and cultural attractions with time in Colorado’s mountain landscapes, while keeping the city as your base.

Heading home: Capital One Lounge at Denver Airport

Our journey home brought delays at Denver airport, but the Capital One Lounge made the extra waiting considerably more bearable. Rebecca came round with her tea trolley, there were themed cocktails and fresh pastries, and a meditation room and plenty of quiet spaces offered somewhere to unwind before the flight. Best of all was the ‘go’ rack, stocked with wraps and freshly baked cookies to take on the plane, without any judgement about helping yourself to something for later. If you’re going to be delayed, this is a brilliant place to wait.

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Planning a weekend in Denver

The RTD A Line connects Denver International Airport with Union Station in approximately 37 minutes. Once in the city, group your plans by neighbourhood and allow for transport between attractions rather than assuming everything is within a short walk.

Denver’s Mile High City nickname refers to its altitude. We felt the elevation during our Colorado trip, so I’d keep the arrival evening relaxed and resist filling every hour of the first day.

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For the mountain adventure that followed our Denver stay, read my Telegraph feature: Horse-riding soothed my angsty teenage soul. Can it do the same in menopausal midlife?

I visited as a guest of Colorado Tourism, with flights provided by Air Canada.