Two MICHELIN Stars
The Wolf's Tailor
Contemporary, Creative · $$$$
Colorado's only two-MICHELIN-Star restaurant. Two stars is the guide's “worth a detour” tier.
The DAELUXE Guide
Denver’s Hottest
Food & Drink
The restaurants, rooftops, cocktail bars, hidden gems and local favorites actually worth trying.
51 places. Every MICHELIN label below is the restaurant’s real standing in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Colorado, announced September 14, 2026 — stars, Bib Gourmands and Guide listings kept separate, because they are not the same award.
MICHELIN & Fine Dining
Stars, tasting menus and the reservations worth planning around. Every MICHELIN designation on this page is the restaurant's actual standing in the guide, not our opinion of it.
MICHELIN Star
Beckon
Contemporary · $$$$
Set tasting menu served at a counter. One MICHELIN Star.
MICHELIN Star
Brutø
Contemporary · $$$$
Holds one MICHELIN Star plus a MICHELIN Green Star, the guide's separate award for sustainability.
MICHELIN Star
Kizaki
Japanese, Sushi · $$$$
Intimate omakase counter. Earned its first MICHELIN Star in 2025 and has kept it.
MICHELIN Star
Margot
Contemporary American · $$$$
Contemporary American from chef Kelly Whitaker, starred since 2025. A plan-ahead reservation, not a walk-in.
MICHELIN StarHot Right Now
Milpero
Mexican, Contemporary · $$$$
The only Denver restaurant to earn a new MICHELIN Star in the 2026 Colorado selection.
MICHELIN GuideDae's Pick
A5 Steakhouse
Steakhouse, American · $$$$
Steakhouse, selected in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide.
“One of my favorite steakhouses.”
— Dae
Dae's Pick
Guard and Grace
Steakhouse
The steakhouse Dae names first when someone wants a steak dinner in Denver.
“10/10, one of my favorites in Denver.”
— Dae
MICHELIN GuideDae's Pick
Alteño
Mexican, Contemporary · $$$$
Contemporary Mexican at the top of the price band, MICHELIN Recommended.
Hot Right Now
New, newly recognized, and hard to get into. Everything here picked up a fresh MICHELIN recognition in the 2026 Colorado selection or opened recently enough that the table is still the hard part.
MICHELIN GuideDae's PickHot Right Now
Dear Emilia
Italian · $$$$
Italian, and one of the new MICHELIN Recommended additions in the 2026 guide.
MICHELIN GuideDae's PickHot Right Now
Florence Supper Club
Italian-American · $$$$
Italian-American supper club, new to the MICHELIN Guide in 2026.
MICHELIN GuideHot Right Now
Madeline
American, Contemporary · $$$$
Contemporary American, new MICHELIN Recommended selection in 2026.
MICHELIN GuideHot Right NowDrinks
Heretik
Basque, French · $$$
New to the guide in 2026, and its wine team took the 2026 MICHELIN Sommelier Award for Colorado.
Bib GourmandHot Right Now
Pig and Tiger
Taiwanese, Contemporary · $$
Contemporary Taiwanese, named a new MICHELIN Bib Gourmand in 2026.
Bib GourmandHot Right Now
Rougarou
Southern, American · $$
Southern cooking, named a new MICHELIN Bib Gourmand in 2026.
Dae's PickHot Right Now
Perdida
Contemporary · Cherry Creek
A Cherry Creek room high on Dae's current list.
“Cherry Creek, amazing.”
— Dae
Italian & Pizza
Pasta rooms, red sauce, and the pizza we actually drive for.
Bib GourmandDae's Pick
Tavernetta
Italian, Contemporary · $$
Italian, and a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand — the guide's award for value. Recognized, not starred.
MICHELIN GuideDae's Pick
Restaurant Olivia
Italian, Contemporary · $$$
Pasta-led Italian, MICHELIN Recommended.
Dae's Pick
Gaetano's
Italian-American
Old-school Italian-American. A red-sauce room, not a tasting menu.
MICHELIN Guide
Dio Mio
Italian, Contemporary · $$
Fresh pasta, MICHELIN Recommended and priced like it is not.
Asian, Ramen & Dim Sum
Denver's deepest bench right now — dumplings, noodles, omakase counters and late-night bowls.
Bib GourmandDae's Pick
Hop Alley
Chinese, Contemporary · $$
Contemporary Chinese, MICHELIN Bib Gourmand.
Bib GourmandDae's Pick
MAKfam
Chinese · $
Chinese-American cooking, and the only Denver Bib Gourmand MICHELIN prices at a single dollar sign.
MICHELIN Guide
Kawa Ni
Japanese, Contemporary · $$
Contemporary Japanese, MICHELIN Recommended.
Dae's Pick
JINYA Ramen Bar
Ramen
The ramen answer when you want a bowl and not a reservation.
Mexican & Latin
Three of Denver's seven MICHELIN-Starred restaurants are Mexican. No other cuisine in the city comes close.
MICHELIN StarDae's Pick
Alma Fonda Fina
Mexican, Contemporary · $$
A MICHELIN Star at two dollar signs — the only one of Denver's starred rooms MICHELIN prices that low.
“Amazing.”
— Dae
MICHELIN StarDae's PickDrinks
Mezcaleria Alma
Mexican, Contemporary · $$$
The second MICHELIN-Starred restaurant from the Alma team, built around mezcal.
Bib GourmandDae's Pick
La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal
Mexican · $$
Pozole and mezcal, MICHELIN Bib Gourmand.
Bib Gourmand
Mister Oso
Latin American · $$
Latin American small plates, MICHELIN Bib Gourmand.
BBQ, Burgers & Local Favorites
Brisket, smash burgers, brunch and the neighborhood places we send everyone to.
MICHELIN GuideDae's Pick
SMŌK BBQ
Barbecue, American · $$
Denver barbecue, MICHELIN Recommended.
Dae's Pick
NADC Burger
Burgers
Short for “Not A Damn Chance.” Burgers, short menu, does one thing well.
Bib Gourmand
Ash'Kara
Israeli, Mediterranean · $$$
Israeli and Mediterranean, MICHELIN Bib Gourmand.
MICHELIN Guide
Mercantile Dining and Provision
American · $$$
All-day market and restaurant, MICHELIN Recommended.
MICHELIN Guide
Hey Kiddo
Contemporary, Fusion · $$$
Small contemporary room, MICHELIN Recommended.
MICHELIN Guide
Wildflower
Contemporary · $$$
Seasonal contemporary cooking, MICHELIN Recommended.
Cocktails, Bars & Nightlife
Speakeasies, listening bars, wine rooms and rooftops. Where the night goes after dinner.
Dae's PickDrinks
Death & Co
Cocktail Bar
The Denver bar from the Death & Co group. Menu-driven cocktails, done properly.
Dae's PickDrinks
Forget Me Not
Cocktail Bar
A cocktail bar Dae keeps going back to.
“Really good.”
— Dae
Dae's PickDrinks
Sorry Gorgeous
Cocktail Bar
One of the newer cocktail rooms in the rotation.
Dae's PickDrinks
El Malinche Audio Bar
Audio Bar
A listening bar — the drinks matter, and so does the sound system.
Dae's PickDrinks
Corsica Wine Bar
Wine Bar
Wine bar for the long, slow second half of an evening.
Dae's PickRooftop & ViewsDrinks
Avanti Food & Beverage
Food Hall
Food hall with a rooftop deck. The easiest answer in the city when a group cannot agree on one cuisine.
“Especially the rooftop.”
— Dae
What the labels mean
- Dae's Pick
- Dae has personally been here and recommends it.
- Two MICHELIN Stars
- Holds two MICHELIN Stars in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Colorado — "worth a detour."
- MICHELIN Star
- Holds one MICHELIN Star in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Colorado.
- Bib Gourmand
- Named a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand — the guide's value award — in 2026.
- MICHELIN Guide
- Selected as a MICHELIN Recommended restaurant in 2026. Not starred — recognized.
- Hot Right Now
- New recognition in the 2026 guide, or newly opened and hard to get into.
- Rooftop & Views
- Rooftop, patio or a view worth going for.
- Drinks
- Cocktails, wine and nightlife rather than a sit-down dinner.
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Denver dining, answered
Which Denver restaurants have MICHELIN Stars in 2026?
Denver has eight MICHELIN-Starred restaurants in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Colorado. The Wolf's Tailor holds two stars — the only two-star restaurant in the state. Seven hold one star: Alma Fonda Fina, Beckon, Brutø, Kizaki, Margot, Mezcaleria Alma and Milpero, which earned Denver's only new star this year. Brutø also carries a MICHELIN Green Star for sustainability. The selection was announced on September 14, 2026, so check the guide directly before quoting it as current.
What is the difference between a MICHELIN Star, a Bib Gourmand and a MICHELIN Guide listing?
They are three separate awards and they are not interchangeable. A Star recognizes outstanding cooking — one star, two for 'worth a detour', three at the top. A Bib Gourmand recognizes good food at good value, usually more casual; Denver has ten. A MICHELIN Recommended listing means inspectors selected the restaurant for the guide without awarding a star or a Bib; Denver has nineteen. Plenty of restaurants get described online as 'Michelin restaurants' when they are Recommended, not starred. This guide labels each one with what it actually holds.
What is new in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide for Denver?
Milpero earned a new one MICHELIN Star, the only new star in Denver. Pig and Tiger and Rougarou were named new Bib Gourmands. Dear Emilia, Florence Supper Club, Heretik and Madeline joined as new Recommended selections. The Heretik wine team took the 2026 MICHELIN Sommelier Award for Colorado. The statewide 2026 selection covers 63 restaurants across 22 cuisine types, the first year the guide has covered all of Colorado rather than a handful of cities.
Where should I eat in Denver if I only have one night?
If the reservation is already hard to get, Alma Fonda Fina is the one to try for — a MICHELIN Star at two dollar signs, which is unusual anywhere. If you want a steak, Dae's answer is Guard and Grace. If you want to eat well without planning around it, go to a Bib Gourmand: Hop Alley, MAKfam, Glo Noodle House, Tavernetta or La Diabla will all be better than most cities' fine dining. Book two to four weeks out for anything starred.
Where should I eat in Denver on a budget?
Work the Bib Gourmand list. That award exists specifically for good cooking at a fair price, and Denver has ten of them. MAKfam is the only Denver Bib MICHELIN prices at a single dollar sign. Hop Alley, Glo Noodle House, La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal, Mister Oso, The Ginger Pig, Pig and Tiger, Rougarou and Tavernetta all sit at two dollar signs. None of them require a reservation strategy the way the starred rooms do.
What are the best cocktail bars in Denver?
The bars on this list are the ones the DAELUXE team actually goes to: Death & Co for menu-driven cocktails, Forget Me Not, Sorry Gorgeous, El Malinche Audio Bar if you want the sound system to be part of the night, and Corsica Wine Bar for a slower second half of the evening. Avanti Food & Beverage is the rooftop answer and the easiest call for a group that cannot agree on one cuisine.
Does Denver have good rooftop bars and patios?
Yes, and the patio season runs later into the autumn than visitors expect. Avanti Food & Beverage is the rooftop on this guide today: a food hall with an open-air deck, multiple kitchens under one roof, and no need for the whole group to agree on one cuisine. More rooftops get added here as the DAELUXE team shoots them — this is the newest section of the guide.
Who puts this guide together?
DAELUXE is a Denver real estate team led by Dae Trejo, under Keller Williams Realty Urban Elite. The food content came first: people started asking for recommendations off the restaurant videos, so this page is the answer we send. Every entry marked as Dae's Pick is somewhere the team has personally been. Every MICHELIN label is the restaurant's real standing in the guide. If you are moving to Denver and want to live near this, that is the other half of what we do.
MICHELIN designations reflect the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Colorado selection announced September 14, 2026. The MICHELIN Guide is published by Michelin and is not affiliated with DAELUXE. Everything marked as a DAELUXE pick is our own opinion. Restaurants open, close and change hands — confirm before you drive.
Think we missed somewhere? Tell us and we’ll go eat there.