These are my personal recommendations of the 10 best new restaurants that were added to the Denver metro dining scene in 2025, ranging from a bewitching Southern spot serving chicken on a stick to a family-run restaurant offering soul-fortifying Tibetan noodle soup.
In a year when ambitious, boundary-pushing projects have become harder to back, the most compelling restaurants leaned into the specific and sometimes truly weird — introducing flavors still new to many Denver diners, choosing unconventional locations, experimenting with formats like shared spaces or food halls, while all the while delivering thoughtful, beautiful food.
I’ve primarily focused on locally owned, independent restaurants. I’ve also included some existing concepts that have upgraded to a new space and significantly changed or expanded their offerings. While the list isn’t exhaustive, it captures the spirit of a year that reminded me why Denver’s dining scene is worth exploring and makes me excited for all that’s to come.
This list is by no means definitive. There are several places that opened this year that I’ve been very interested to try, but I just haven’t made it to yet. If you know of a spot that would have been a great fit but doesn’t appear, please leave your thoughts in the comments. It will give everyone all the more reason to be excited for the year ahead, and more great meals to come in 2026.
Also check out my other guides to my picks for Denver’s Best New Restaurants of 2024 and Favorite 9 Denver Dishes of 2024.
Boombots Pasta Shop
Nov 2025. Sunnyside
This new Italian-ish spot in Sunnyside exudes feel-good energy with a retro-modern decor and fantastically fun pastas. Since opening doors at the beginning November, business at Boombots has been brisk since owners Cliff and Cara Blauvelt have built a loyal following with their first restaurant, Odie B’s, which sits next door and now shares a kitchen with Boombots.
Executive chef Connor Gushen and Cliff Blauvelt (serving as culinary director) collaborated on the globe-trotting opening menu built around pasta. The samosa agnolotti, which nails the flavors of the South Asian pastry, is a great place to start, or go for something heartier like the porcini pasta stroganoff with slices of braised beef. A great add-on for the table is the dirty martini-inspired bucatini, coated with a vodka sauce mixed with olive pasta, pickled onions, and blue cheese.
Appetizers like the house-cured meat board (Gushen honed his charcuterie skills at the much-loved, but since closed Vesta) or the tangy shredded root veggie salad are also worthy orders. Drinks from bar manager Lee Clark and GM Tyler Arthur range from Italian whites to Slovenian reds, sake, and cheeky cocktails like a Pasta Water Martini. For non-drinkers, the Bell Ringer is a pepper-forward zero-proof option that lands like a crisp, grown-up V-8.
2647 W 38th Ave, Denver, CO 80211. boombotspasta.com
Cimera
Oct 2025. RiNo
As the new rooftop restaurant at The Source, Cimera has the kind of views that could make any place an instant success, but this Pan-Latin concept brings so much more to the table.
Peruvian chef Diego Muñoz — an El Bulli alum — consulted on the menu, while day-to-day execution is led by executive chef Geoff Cox, who spent over a decade running the kitchen at Hop Alley, earning and retaining a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Cox knows how to build flavor and has the chops to ensure dishes never wander into the realm of boring, delivering food that completely avoids the trap of soulless hotel restaurant fare.
Helping that cause is a menu that draws inspiration from Mexico, Central, and South America. Cox traveled to Peru to tour top restaurants in Lima and work with Muñoz, preparing to execute a lineup that includes raw dishes like tiraditos and a great Peruvian ceviche made with grouper, Chifa-inspired plates like noodle saltado, and comfort-forward highlights such as the signature papa rellena — a stuffed potato croquette filled with braised beef. There are also good options for our vegetarian friends, like an umani-laden order of mushroom tacos. For a dramatic showstopper for the table, get the whole roasted bass drizzled with ají-herbed cream sauce.
Drinks are quite good, from tropical twists on daiquiris, mojitos, and pisco sours to a truly great Golden Berry Whiskey Sour, a boozy concoction finished with a float of Malbec. The space itself matches the menu, with a vivid mountain-village mural by Aaron Petz, lush greenery, and warm wood accents — making it a perfect local escape for sunsets, drinks, and satisfying bites.
3330 Brighton Blvd #200-2, Denver, CO. Top floor of the Source Hotel. cimeradenver.com
Gladys
Jul 2025. Edgewater
After more than 20 years of friendship, Rocky Hunter and Dave Grant have entered a new phase as co-owners of Gladys, a 100% vegan restaurant that recently expanded in mid-July from a food stall into a full-service spot at Edgewater Public Market.
An expanded menu now offers a range of seasonal bites and small plates to go along with the sandwiches and large plates. Winners currently include a summer squash with almond cream and tarragon oil and a beautiful garden-fresh sweet pea toast. There’s a new braised mushroom sandwich called the Garden Dip, that’s as close to a vegan version of a French dip as you’ll find anywhere and the entrees are a real treat, especially a pillowy burnt scallion gnocchi. To end the meal, you can tie it all together with a strawberry rhubarb cake, served warm and finished with vanilla crème fraîche made from BioLife’s plant-based cream.
Also new is an excellent non-alcoholic beverage program with drinks like Bruno’s Cologne (made with house Chartreuse, cucumber, mint, tarragon syrup, and mint extract) and the Cast No Shadow, a zero-proof take on a margarita with a concentrated lime and jalapeno base topped with a salt foam. Due to the limitations of being in a food hall space, the restaurant will not pursue getting its own liquor license and instead encourages guests to bring in alcoholic drinks from neighboring businesses like Barquentine Brewing Company.
5505 W 20th Ave Suite 186, Edgewater, CO 80214. gladysrestaurant.com
Kizaki
Apr 2025. Platt Park
This chef’s counter is the latest chapter from sushi master Toshi Kizaki. After 40 years building Sushi Den into a Denver institution, he’s launched a so-called “retirement project,” an intimate tasting menu restaurant that bears his name and has already earned One Michelin Star.
Centered around Edomae-style sushi, there’s a relentless focus on quality: fish is carefully sourced to meet Kizaki’s exacting standards, and sushi rice grown on his own plot in Japan. Whether it’s Alaskan Salmon or kohada nigiri, each is served at the perfect temperature and chosen for its ideal texture.
There are diversions into contemporary Japanese cuisine, like a luscious snow crab chawanmushi and a crunchy whole fried shrimp. Courses flow seamlessly into one another all the way through to dessert.
While the food is serious, Toshi-san isn’t above having a little fun — playfully arranging ceramic penguins in front of guests, or signing menus with a smile at the end of the meal. At $225 per person, it’s definitely a splurge — but right now, it’s one of Denver’s finest tasting menus, that feels complete in its flawless execution and deliberate vision.
1551 S Pearl St, Denver, CO 80210. denchukizaki.com
Margot
May 2025. Platt Park
As of May 20th, Justin Fulton has found a permanent home for Margot, a fine dining concept that had been posting up on the off nights at various different restaurants for the last three years. Running Tue – Sat evenings, Margot now supports an eight-seat chef’s counter that costs $165/pp and runs through 12 courses, with two seatings a night. The restaurant, which is already a One Michelin Star restaurant, shares the South Pearl building with Kizaki, which also appears on this list.
If you can’t commit to a tasting menu, walk-ins are welcome in the main dining room where an à la carte menu, designed for sharing and building your own tasting menu, is available. Some dishes are large-format takes on chef’s table dishes, while others skew “more rustic and comforting,” Fulton said over DM. Five plates for two people is enough for a full meal.
Items from a June tasting menu included Parisian gnocchi and olive oil brioche – which have become signature Margot dishes. Recent a la carte menu items include heirloom tomato salad, oysters, and seasonal vegetable dishes sourced from local farms (e.g., Esoterra, Kiowa Valley Farm), and a rotating crudo (currently hamachi with fennel and apricots).
1551 S Pearl St, Denver, CO 80210. margotdenver.com
Molino Chido
Nov 2025. Aurora
Molino Chido is here to feed the people. Opened on Nov 11 at Stanley Marketplace, it’s chef Michael Diaz de Leon’s first restaurant working with restaurateur Tommy Lee (Uncle, Hop Alley) and the focus is on Mexico City-inspired street food.
It’s a homecoming of sorts for Diaz de Leon. After leading Brutø to its first Michelin star in 2023, he spent a year traveling and doing pop-ups. The urge to settle down was already there when Lee approached him. Diaz de Leon calls the seasoned operator the final piece that made launching a new restaurant click, and the concept came together fast after the two linked up.
The team wants to be known for doing simple food really well. Fair enough. But with Diaz de Leon, drawing from the best flavors and techniques he’s picked up around the world is second nature. So even tacos, quesadillas, and burritos take diners on unexpected detours: pavo tacos with Yucatecan recado negro and a jammy ajitama-style egg, al pastor boosted by tamari, miso-cooked frijoles, and curry-potato flautas with mole masala.
Ready to die young? Add a costra cheese crust to any taco for $2. (Try it with the prime strip loin.) The in-house molino turns out 1,000 tortillas daily made from Bow & Arrow maíz and nixtamalized in-house. A natty wine list and AGM Javier Portillo’s cocktails — including a great caffeine-filled carajillo — nicely compliment the savory menu.
2501 Dallas St Unit 140, Aurora, CO 80010. molinochido.com
Pema
Jun 2025. RiNo
In early June, Yangdi Sherpa and her son, Sonam, opened Pema in the former Dochi donut space on Larimer at the edge of RiNo. The family brings years of experience in the food industry – they’ve operated Indian Oven, a buffet-style spot on S. Colorado Blvd, for over 15 years, though that location will soon close. While Pema also features Indian dishes, the emphasis is on homey, comforting items you’ll find being served in homes across Nepal.
A surprisingly calm and quiet space, despite its location on a busy street. The interior features minimalist, clean, and modern furnishings, with a soothing palette of white, gray, and black. The family’s love of their home country is reflected in the photographs and artwork depicting Nepal, and decorative elements like fuzzy yaks figurines that sit on the shelf just behind the register.
While tikka masala, vindaloo, and saag are available, go for Tibetan and Nepali specialties that you won’t find at other restaurants. The thenthuk – a savory clear broth with thumb-sized chunks of wheat noodles and vegetables is a great place to start. If ordering spicy items like the keema noodles, you can restore your palate by ordering a mango lassi.
2449 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80205. pemadenver.com
Pig and Tiger
Aug 2025. Five Points
Darren Chang, a first-generation Taiwanese American from LA, has teamed up with Chef Travis Masar, to honor his heritage and bring more Taiwanese food to Denver. The concept began as a food stall at Avanti F&B in Boulder in 2020, where they quickly built a loyal following and now Pig & Tiger is ready for its big moment as a dedicated restaurant in Five Points.
There’s a wide variety to choose from, including rice and noodle dishes, sharable plates, and a zero-proof–friendly cocktail menu. The May Mei, a refreshing salted plum spritz inspired by Chang’s mother’s favorite drink, is finished with a dusting of li hing mui powder on the glass rim.
On the savory side, try the Pig & Tiger Salad, which zigs where most salads zag by going with a mildly bitter base of chrysanthemum greens and arugula, topped with strips of tofu gan and dressed in housemade chili vinaigrette. The Mapo Tofu is an easy (vegan-friendly) crowd-pleaser, swapping pork for roasted mushrooms in a dark, fermented black bean sauce, served with short-grain rice.
I really mean it when I say you should save room for dessert: the grown-up take on Chang’s childhood shaved ice order is a delight, made with shaved frozen pineapple juice over silky almond panna cotta and topped with an almond crunch, while Masar’s take on a chocolate marquise, is infused with black sesame and served with ginger ice cream, and offers a rich, decadent finish.
2200 California St, Denver, CO 80205. pigandtiger.com
Rougarou
Aug 2025. Five Points
Denver isn’t exactly known for a cliquey restaurant scene, but Rougarou comes about as close as the city gets to a cool-kids’ clubhouse. Open since August, industry folks have been filling its tables from day one, eager to see what owners McLain Hedges and Mary Allison Wright have cooked up with their latest venture. A self-described “shapeshifting Southern” restaurant, Rougarou is an evolution from their dive bar-y award-winning spot, Yacht Club.
Inspired by the American South, Executive Chef John David Wright – brother of Mary Allison and formerly of Hop Alley – has launched a well-balanced, nuanced menu that reveals new flavors with each bite. Classics like boiled peanuts (pro tip: drink up the lingering lemon‑pepper sauce) sit alongside a strawberry-flecked collard green salad, blackened Georgia trout, and a soon-to-be signature blue cheese tart.
Naturally, the cocktail menu is equally ambitious, with martinis, “tropical-ish” sips like a sorghum daiquiri and mai tai, plus riffs on Southern standards like the Hurricane and Sazerac. My only gripe: some housecrafted zero-proof options would be welcome – right now it’s mostly iced tea or canned and bottled choices.
2844 Welton St, Denver, CO 80205. lerougarou.com
Saigon Noodle Club
Aug 2025. Edgewater
Owners Long Nguyen and Shauna Seaman opened Saigon Noodle Club at the beginning of August, following their run with the Pho King Rapidos food stall and truck in Denver. After permit and inspection delays, they’re now serving food as part of a wave of changes at Edgewater Market. Saigon Noodle Club focuses on affordability, with all menu items priced $15 or under – perfect for the market’s diverse crowd, from roaming teens to families grabbing a quick meal.
It’s a different concept from their previous spot, with a simplified menu focused on signature meat or vegetarian bowls and rolls and their beef phở. They’ve also recently brought back some of my PKR favorites like the chicken over rice (only available on Mondays).
My new favorite item is a non-broth noodle dish called the “Phở Sizzle,” featuring wok-seared phở noodles in a spiced tallow sauce and piled high with herbs. The wings with spicy salt-and-pepper seasoning have also quickly become a fan favorite.
5505 W 20th Ave, Edgewater, CO 80214. pkr-denver.com
Know of another great restaurant worth checking out? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.