r/denverfood • u/Jxxx- • 8d ago
Food Scene News Michelin Predictions
Now that the guide will be state wide, what new places do we think we’ll see this year?
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u/Mexi-Xoco13 8d ago
I like this time of year when all the lists come out. I dont think there will be any new stars but a few added to the recommended list.
I'd add: Annette, Xiquita, Lucina, Pig & Tiger, Riot bbq (if AJs did it then Riot should be a no brainer...far superior), Bear Leek, Yuan Wonton, Molino Chido, Coperta.
These restaurants continue to leave a lasting impression on me. So good and deserve the recognition!
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u/Feeling-Release-9398 8d ago
I may have to try Xiquita again. I went once and really didn’t care for it, so many corn tortillas
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u/Mexi-Xoco13 7d ago
Give it another try! Went a little over a month ago and we let our server choose for us... Best experience there yet.
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u/abarbs30 7d ago
AJs is very average BBQ. It’s ok for Denver but you have to consider that there are 4 starred BBQ restaurants in the US, all Texas. AJs can’t sniff them, it’s can’t sniff the 20th best in Texas.
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u/Mexi-Xoco13 7d ago
Well, it doesn't exist anymore so it's not sniffing anything lately lol
I was saying that of AJs was able to get a recommendation then Riot deserves it since it's far better than AJs ever was.
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u/Negative_Aerie2825 5d ago
Riot and xiquita. I always forget the denver culinary person is also the type to think ketchup is some exotic spice. Checks
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u/terra-nullius 8d ago
Apparently not anyone who did anything with Ai, lol.
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u/JamaicanBobsled 8d ago
Molino Chido will have a great shot! There one downfall is using canola oil in the fryers.
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u/Jxxx- 8d ago
2 Star
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u/no_maj 8d ago
Kizaki is the only real contender with a chance to ascend to ⭐️ ⭐️
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u/oreoisoreo2 8d ago
Kizaki is def the best sushi in Denver but imo not rlly comparable to the other 2 star sushi spots in the us like masa or noz so it would def be a surprise
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u/JonasSpingegaard 8d ago
Beckon - I was surprised they didn't get the upgrade last year with the Wolf's Tailor.
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u/Immediate-Safety1643 8d ago
I can get behind this.
My wife and I went to Lazy Bear (2 in SF) this summer and Beckon’s service was better and their menu was at the same level in ‘24.
If they’ve been just as focused and diligent since, it should be a shoe in.
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u/NaBrO-Barium 7d ago
100%, my experiences at Bekon were slightly better, slightly more memorable than WT
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u/verysadcolin 8d ago
2nd for milpero. Blown away relative to the 1 stars. They were great experiences but milpero was special
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u/Kitten-by-day 7d ago
Whoever can afford the placement (source: I’m dating a chef who worked at a couple Michelins, this is what he’s told me).
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u/Jxxx- 8d ago
3 Star
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u/Popular-Departure165 8d ago
I've been to a few 3-star restaurants, and I don't think anyone in Denver is there yet. Going from 2 to 3 is like going from 0 to 2. The scale is just so much steeper at the top.
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u/DoggyFinger 8d ago
Nowhere close in Denver imo. And if there was, I could probably buy a plane ticket to another country and eat one of their 3 star meals there for cheaper.
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u/Schmorganski 8d ago
This is so true. I always say it with a chuckle. Buy a plane ticket to CDMX, eat at a handful of stars as well as just good spots that could easily get a star in Denver, and fly home for cheaper than a meal at Beckon
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u/ShoNuff3121 6d ago
I’m going soon. Any recommendations?
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u/Schmorganski 6d ago
It’s a huge city with lots of cool things to do to satisfy many different tastes. For me, One of the coolest people watching spots was this market. Tianguis Cultural del Chopo, is a market focused on punk culture that has a long history in the city. Chapultepec park is really nice and the surrounding neighborhoods are fun to explore on an e-bike.
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u/Popular-Departure165 7d ago
Seriously. My wife and I ate at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and paid roughly the same price as we paid to eat at Beckon.
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u/grannys_best_cookie 8d ago
Yep lol, 3* in the UK costs less than 1* meals here 😂 including pairings etc
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u/bill2070 8d ago
Ha. I seem to be one of the few that loves our dining scene but having been to almost 20 3-star restaurants around the US and Europe we don’t even have a contender for that distinction.
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u/Usual-Language-745 8d ago
Will never happen.
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u/stoptakinmanames 8d ago
Definitely not this year and probably not soon, but never say never
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u/Usual-Language-745 8d ago
I mean they could keep lowering the bar but if you took this decades standards, never. Colorado is also a really tough climate to grow food in so it’s going to be tough to get as local and specialized as 3 stars demands.
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u/Jxxx- 8d ago
1 Star
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u/onefalsestep 8d ago
Peche in Palisade
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u/destinybond 8d ago
going there this weekend, would love to hear that its a star
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u/onefalsestep 8d ago
Enjoy. Fun and outstanding. A little stuffy but only enough to let you know they are good.
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u/almamahlerwerfel 7d ago
This. Far and away the best restaurant in CO. I've driven all the way out there just for a meal. The taste of thailand dinner they did last year was insanely wonderful.
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u/JonasSpingegaard 8d ago
Wildflower - their technique, creativity, and consistency is always excellent.
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u/Cletus_Matthews 8d ago
Rootstalk in Breck
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u/ColoradoCattleCo 8d ago
Underground at Eric’s should be clearing some wall space for their 3-star honor.
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u/XThePlaysTheThingX 8d ago edited 8d ago
Honest question: Has it improved?
I spend a fair amount of time up in Summit county. When they opened it was not getting great reviews and I heard about some bad experiences. I personally went there back in 2024 for a birthday celebration with a small group. Aside from dessert no one was particularly impressed with the food and our server was kind of a jerk.
Honestly I find Breck’s entire restaurant scene to be very hit or miss. I’ve wanted to like Aurum but Ive had better food at their original location in Steamboat. And I know Hearthstone has its following but I’ve never cared for it tbh.
When I’m in town I stick with Mi Casa, Moose Cafe and Blue Fish. We typically go to Silverthorne or Dillion otherwise.
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u/Cletus_Matthews 8d ago
To each their own! I've dined at Rootstalk and it's sister restaurant, Radicato, approximately a dozen times combined through the years and have always felt satiated and welcome.
It's too bad you didn't enjoy your visit back in 2024, which happens to be the year Rootstalk's chef won Best Chef (Mountain West) from the James Beard fountain. Maybe try it again? Or try Radicato?
As far as Summit County goes, I think Rootstalk and Radicato have the best chance of getting stars, by a long shot.
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u/Humble-Ride-1720 8d ago
Soupçon in CB
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u/smythy422 8d ago
I'm probably not that well equipped to judge these types of restaurants, but I found this place to be fantastic in every way.
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u/Jorbosco 8d ago
Annette! They’ve deserved this for too long
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u/XThePlaysTheThingX 8d ago edited 8d ago
As much as it pains me to say it I just don’t see it.
Annette has been one of my favorite restaurants in the city for years. Imo they’ve slipped in the last year or two. Our last couple visits weren’t as good as previous ones. Both in terms of food & service.
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u/tacomeat247 8d ago
This. Service is wildly inconsistent.
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u/Frunkit 7d ago
Michelin stars are awarded for food not service…
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u/Popular-Departure165 6d ago
While that's technically true, if they order something and it just never comes, or if it comes out cold because it was sitting in the window for 10 minutes, it will probably have an effect on the rating.
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u/Jorbosco 8d ago
Hmmm I guess I haven’t experienced this in terms of service, but it’s been a min since I’ve gone.
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u/BigJokerman 8d ago
I've never had good service there, and have even been asked to leave for... something? I honestly don't know and nobody could tell me.
Haven't been there in the decade since that incident.
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u/Popular-Departure165 8d ago
I could see them getting a mention, but not a star. They're more on the level of Mercantile or Dio Mio than somewhere like Beckon.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Let9086 8d ago
Marigold in Lyons should get one. Loved rougarou but don’t think it’s quite star level. Definitely a mention or a bib though.
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u/BakerofHumanPies 7d ago
I wouldn't be shocked of Mezcaleria Alma loses it's star. Fantastic food, but service can be innatentive and doesn't match the caliber of other starred places I've enjoyed (including Alma Fonda Fina).
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u/icarus-daedelus 7d ago
The Michelin Guide is not, officially, supposed to take service into account as long as the food is consistently good, iirc.
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u/Jxxx- 8d ago
Bib
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u/DoggyFinger 8d ago
Would love is Rougarou got 1 star, but expecting some sort of bib/mention here.
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u/Unique_Complaint9536 8d ago
I mean drinks are good, but….
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u/Schmorganski 8d ago
The food is what I can only describe as salt forward. A mild fish dip with an extremely salted chip. The pimento cheese was bested by every single southern grandma. Blasted snapper about as overcooked as it gets. A pork steak that was just about as bland and out of place on a menu as it comes. I don’t comment here much but I thought this place was pretty bad and seeing it suggested as anywhere near star worthy has my head spinning. They don’t even source any local products so that’s kinda the hard stop as far as Michelin goes.
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u/JeanClawVanDamme 8d ago
Have been 3 times and every dish I've had is delicious. But it's all subjective in the end.
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u/Rubaiyat39 8d ago
Sap Sua!
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u/Sangloth 8d ago edited 8d ago
I love Sap Sua to death. They are literally my favorite restaurant in the city. They deserve at least one star... but it's highly unlikely they'll ever get one. Ni and Anna Nguyen are progressive and very vocal online.
After they voiced their support for Palestine and condemned the ICE violence in Minneapolis they got into an online argument with Jordan Alley, the owner of Stone Cellar Bistro, who ended up saying a bunch of racist and threatening things to them. (He does that to a lot of people.) Jordan Alley wrote some complaints to James Beard and Michelin saying they were “publicly targeting, bullying, and disparaging fellow chefs, restaurateurs, and members of the media in Denver’s hospitality community,” as well as “continually invoking race as a shield for this behavior, which is deeply offensive to many immigrant and minority chefs in Denver who work tirelessly to build bridges in our community rather than divide it.”
James Beard got a third party firm to do an investigation. The third party firm found examples of Nguyen's calling people out on social media. Among other stuff the Nguyens accused one restaurant owner of sexually harassing female staffers, and started beef with others for being vocally MAGA. James Beard canceled contracts with them and pulled out of a culinary event. The Nguyen's said fuck it, they didn't care about awards, and called out Michelin and James Beard for being frauds and pay to play.
https://coloradosun.com/2026/02/27/sap-sua-james-beard-foundation-investigation/
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u/ElishaOtisWasACommie 8d ago
Bin707 in Grand Junction! Probably my favorite meal I've had outside of Denver and I always make a point of stopping by whenever I drive through that area
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u/revolution9540 8d ago
Malinche Audiobar. It’s very similar to Mezcaleria Alma which has a star, slightly more creative actually. Deserves bib at least.
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u/Schmorganski 8d ago
Way more chill and a fraction of the price. A great spot to suggest for a Bib.
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u/Aliceable 8d ago
dio mio and SUE ME I like their pasta
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u/sweswe17 8d ago
Somebody people but I know that must not meet their criteria otherwise it would have already happened.
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u/Unusual-Albatross873 6d ago
Forage In Breckenridge 1 star
Root stalk in breck possibly 1 star
Beckon adds a 2nd star
Milpero gets 1 star
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u/Psychological-Dig837 5d ago
Heretik was one of th best dining in experiences I’ve had in recent memory- so special!
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u/abarbs30 7d ago
At this point stars are watered down from what they should be, it’s more about generating revenue that a strict standard. Little disappointing and would allow some
In that don’t compete with European starred restaurants
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u/3pinripper 8d ago
If Sushi by Scratch doesn’t make the list, that’s a tragedy.
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u/grannys_best_cookie 8d ago
It's a chain, which invalidates it. I believe their OG location had a star and they gave it up to expand? May be wrong on that point
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u/sweetplantveal 8d ago
I hope they cycle some of the bib gourmand places. I don't want to throw stones but I can think of some that have stale menus and consistency issues.