by: Janet Day

Old West meets New West at a mile above sea level. Denver, like most cities, has a varied mix of restaurants reflecting the diverse nature of an urban population, with the cuisines in some areas mirroring the immigrant populations that moved in – Italian railroad workers and miners in the 1800s, Asian refugees in the 1980s and Central American immigrants today. Denver is a city of neighborhoods where the corner pub and small restaurants serve up cold drinks, comfort food or cutting-edge cuisine, and conversation.

Mexican, Tex-Mex and Southwestern-influenced restaurants abound throughout the area. Some of the most authentic Asian food – Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Thai – can be found along South Federal Boulevard in West Denver or suburban Aurora, where many Asian immigrants moved in the 1980s. Historic Italian restaurants and delis dot the neighborhoods of Northwest Denver. And beef is king in the many steakhouses across the metro area.

Some restaurants hold hard to history, including the Buckhorn Exchange in downtown Denver and The Fort in Morrison, where authentic historic dishes made of buffalo and game are served. Other restaurants in Denver’s hottest neighborhoods – Lower Downtown, Riverfront, Cherry Creek – look solidly toward the future with innovative chefs designing cutting-edge dishes in contemporary settings.

The western suburbs include Wheat Ridge, where South American restaurants are springing up, and Golden, where the smell of hops from the legendary Coors brewery fills the air. Outer suburbs such as Thornton, Westminster, Greenwood Village and Lakewood – once just a series of chair restaurants – are finding their own flavors as restaurateurs move out of the city.