Best road-trip restaurants in Colorado

$$$$ · Rocky Mountain & Colorado Rockies

Understated French bistro running thirty-plus years, ignoring trends with consistent roasted chicken, classic cooking and a deep wine list.

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Chef-owner Almaze Adhanom's Havana Street kitchen serving well-executed classics plus lesser-known Ethiopian specialties on injera.

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Havana Street Ethiopian spot recommended by locals for traditional injera platters and communal dining.

$$ · Sundance

The only authentic Tajik teahouse in the Western Hemisphere, hand-carved by artisans. (Boulder Creek)

$$ · Sundance

Authentic, well-loved downtown Thai kitchen serving Boulder since 2010. (Pearl Street)

$ · Sundance

Longtime Pearl Street Mall counter for falafel, shawarma, and gyros.

$$$ · Sundance

Long-running Pearl Street sushi favorite with a lively happy hour.

$$ · Sundance

Quirky 1949 institution famous for burgers, Ugly Crust pizza, and beatnik murals. (University Hill)

$ · Sundance

Beloved counter-service handmade Chinese noodles from a mother-son team. (Pearl Street)

$$ · Rocky Mountain & Colorado Rockies

Historic saloon operating since 1879 serving craft burgers and pub fare in one of the oldest continuously operating bars in the West.

$$ · Mesa Verde National Park

Improbably good sushi on Main Street in canyon country — a local favorite when you've hit your burrito limit. Handy variety play for multi-night Mesa Verde stays.

$$$$ · Rocky Mountain & Colorado Rockies

Fifty-year-old French-inspired fine-dining institution tucked in a downtown alley with a seasonal prix-fixe tasting menu and wine pairing.

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Old-school casual spot renowned for chunky, spicy bowls that regularly win the city's best green chile honors.

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One-of-a-kind Japanese country-foods restaurant with a garden and museum, serving rustic homestyle dishes.

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Adventurous Four Corners and Baja-inspired kitchen serving pozole, tacos on fry bread and Southwestern plates.

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Authentic New Mexican kitchen serving stacked enchiladas, green chile stew, pozole and pillowy sopapillas.

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Federal Boulevard favorite praised for a deeply flavorful, consistent broth and authentic homestyle Vietnamese dishes.

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Longtime Federal Boulevard noodle house consistently ranked among the city's best for traditional pho.

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Heart-of-Federal Vietnamese kitchen known for rich, layered broth with brisket and tendon cuts.

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Longstanding East Colfax Ethiopian restaurant beloved for spicy stews and generous vegetarian combinations on injera.

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James Beard-recognized modern Vietnamese restaurant from Anna and Ni Nguyen with inventive, refined seasonal plates.

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Washington Park destination from the Kizaki brothers flying in premium fish for pristine, expertly cut sushi.

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Historic north Denver hole-in-the-wall founded in 1967, famous for classic green chile ladled over burgers and burritos.

$$ · Rocky Mountain & Colorado Rockies

Historic downtown tavern building serving craft cocktails and elevated regional gastropub fare from locally sourced Colorado producers.

$$ · Sundance

Boulder County's beloved Ethiopian institution serving communal injera platters. (Old Town)

$ · Mesa Verde National Park

Beloved Mancos bakery-cafe for pastries, sandwiches, and trail snacks, seven minutes from the Mesa Verde entrance road.

$$ · Pikes Peak Highway

A casual Manitou Springs burger stop for the Pikes Peak day, easy before the climb or after the descent.

$$ · Sundance

Mountain-town Himalayan favorite since 1999 up a scenic Boulder Canyon drive. (Nederland)

$ · Million Dollar Highway

An Ouray chocolate-and-coffee stop that gives the Million Dollar Highway day a small, memorable reward after Red Mountain Pass.

$$ · Montana & San Juan Skyway

Casual downtown cantina beloved for green-chile-smothered plates, tacos and burgers in a laid-back San Juan River town.

$ · Montana & San Juan Skyway

Beloved scratch bakery known to draw lines out the door for its pastries, breads and morning baked goods.

$$ · Montana & San Juan Skyway

Downtown tapas-and-sandwich haunt with an extensive small-plates menu, deep wine list and a lovely outdoor patio.

$$$$ · Rocky Mountain & Colorado Rockies

Intimate French bistro in a historic downtown building serving escargot, steak frites, duck confit and a proper cheese course.

$$ · San Juan Skyway

A Telluride all-day cafe that gives the western San Juan Skyway side a flexible breakfast, lunch, or pastry stop.