13 Best Restaurants in Lakewood, Colorado

Best High-End Restaurants

For a special night out, the first part lists Lakewood’s best high-end, fine dining restaurants.

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Annette

550 West Jewell Avenue

Annette is the best place to go for a nice night out with great food and a beautiful atmosphere. The modern American restaurant’s beautiful interior, complete with wall-length wine racks and fresh flower arrangements, will amaze you as soon as you walk in the door.

The menu changes with the seasons to feature the best Colorado products. Some of the tempting options are seared scallops with truffle cauliflower puree, roasted rack of venison with a blackberry glaze, and house-made pasta primavera that is packed full of vegetables.

Every dish shows how creative and skilled the kitchen is by combining tastes and textures in fun and surprising ways. With great service modeled after the best places in Europe, your night at Annette is sure to be a very happy one. This popular spot for fine eating is quickly becoming one of the best places in Denver to celebrate important events, so you need to make a reservation.

The Breakfast Club

3441 S. Wadsworth Boulevard

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for you? The Breakfast Club is Lakewood’s best choice for breakfast. This casual diner serves delicious breakfast and brunch dishes that taste like they were made by mom (if mom was a really good cook!). It’s popular with both locals and tourists.

Huge amounts are what this place is all about. Enjoy their famous Farm Girl breakfast, which comes with a fluffy cookie covered in delicious sausage gravy and perfectly crispy hashbrowns on the side.

You could also choose something lighter, like an omelette filled with spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, and jack cheese. Also, don’t forget to eat the cinnamon roll pancakes—these huge treats are so rich and tasty! From traditional breakfast dishes to one-of-a-kind treats, you’ll want to come back to try everything on the menu.

Appaloosa Grill

535 S. Mason Street

With a fancy but laid-back Rocky Mountain vibe, Appaloosa Grill has been wowing guests since 1998 with its modern American food that highlights regional tastes. Chef Kevin Taylor finds the best local foods and puts them together in beautiful ways that are both beautiful to look at and delicious to eat.

Start your dinner with a refreshing watermelon and arugula salad with feta and mint. Then, for more flavor, try the famous elk chop served with a huckleberry glaze. On the menu, you can choose from a wide range of dishes, such as ribs and steaks cooked over a wood-fire grill and seafood that is brought in every day.

All of Appaloosa’s guests can enjoy its great food thanks to its extensive veggie and gluten-free menus. Appaloosa Grill has been a popular place for fine eating in Lakewood for over twenty years. With delicious food, great service, and live music in the bar on the weekends, it’s easy to see why. Make your plans today to be sure of a great meal.

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• Best Casual Restaurants

Check out these local favorites for a tasty and memorable meal when you want great food in a relaxed atmosphere.

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The Urban Farmhouse

2209 Kipling Street

Hidden away on a private part of Kipling Street, the Urban Farmhouse is a mix of a cozy cafe and a stylish restaurant with both city and country styles. A farmhouse-style room with exposed brick walls, reused wood accents, and fresh flowers on every table makes you feel welcome.

The modern American menu, on the other hand, takes ideas from around the world to make tastes that aren’t what you’d expect. Waffles from Belgium are served with fried chicken, syrup, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream on top. It’s a sweet and spicy treat.

They put extra vegetables on their avocado toast by adding carrots, goat cheese, and balsamic. And unique foods like Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches with crispy fries keep things interesting. When you order something, it will always be beautifully arranged and taste great. One of the best meals in Lakewood can be had on the charming porch for brunch, lunch, or dinner.

Las Tortugas

7260 W. Alaska Drive

Two sisters from Guadalajara opened Las Tortugas, a lively Mexican restaurant in Lakewood, in a separate building on Alaska Drive. From the moment you walk through the door, the bright colors and traditional decor take you south of the line.

The cozy atmosphere is nice, but the real family recipes are what make this casual taqueria a favorite in the area. Carne asada and al pastor tacos are filled with meat that has been slow-roasted for hours until it is soft to the fork.

With tamales, tortillas suizas, chili verde, and other dishes made in-house, it’s hard to pick just one. Even better, fresh tortilla chips that are still warm from the fryer add to the taste. After a big meal, you can enjoy a tasty margarita, a Mexican drink, or a beer while the place is calm and friendly. Want great Mexican food without any pretense? Las Tortugas meets your needs.

Momo Sushi

7287 W. Alaska Drive

Momo Sushi is the best place in Lakewood to get ridiculously fresh sushi at a price you can afford. It’s hidden away in a small shopping center on Alaska Drive. People in the area love this simple restaurant because they are dedicated to quality and care.

You can find all of your favorite sushi rolls, nigiri, sashimi, and more on the menu. The tastes range from mild yellowtail to sweet shrimp to smoky salmon roe. The platters are beautifully set out with hot pink pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce for dipping.

You can sit at the bar and watch the skilled chefs make teriyaki meats that are just as good as those at high-end Japanese steakhouses but cost a lot less. You can choose from a la carte or the five-course omakase chef’s choice. Momo Sushi is the best sushi restaurant in Lakewood.

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• Best Diners & Family Restaurants

When you’re craving comfort cuisine in casual surroundings, Lakewood offers plenty of low-key local favorites perfect for the whole family.

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The Fainting Goat

846 N. Broadway

The famous Fainting Goat gastropub is in a converted 1930s mansion near the old downtown area of Lakewood. You can’t go to Lakewood without stopping by. The confusing floor plan shows room after strange room full of locals talking over elevated comfort food and 16 craft beers on tap.

The space is beautiful, but the unique takes on classic bar snacks really steal the show. They bring hot chicken in a basket with bread and butter pickles and ranch for dipping. The chicken comes in crunchy bits. While the Prime Dip sandwich has slow-roasted prime rib, horseradish havarti cheese that melts, and au jus for dunking. It comes on a hoagie roll.

To wash it all down, try one of their funny-named house drinks, like “The Fainting Mule,” which is made with cold brew coffee liquor. This Lakewood institution has a unique setting and food that make each visit unique.

The Noshery

14745 W. Colfax Avenue

It is on West Colfax in the historic Edgewater area. The Noshery is a cozy bakery and café that really feels like the center of the neighborhood. Since 2012, the owner, Deb Smith, has been offering soups, sandwiches, salads, and sweets that are all made from scratch.

She makes chicken noodle soup the old-fashioned way, with egg noodles that are soft and pull apart. It sells out almost every day. A hot cup of coffee or tea goes great with big cinnamon rolls that are still warm from the oven.

The Pilgrim sandwich has roasted turkey, applewood bacon, Havarti cheese, and cranberry sauce inside. The Italian panini has capicola and pepperoni inside. Both of these are great for lunch. With low prices and free coffee all the time, it’s no surprise that this is where locals meet morning, noon, and night. You can stop by whenever you want for tasty food in a cozy cafe setting.

Eat and Drink RiNo

3470 W 38th Avenue

In the trendy River North Art District (also known as RiNo), Eat and Drink is the place to go for family-friendly food with an artsy twist. The bright splatter-painted ceilings and walls of this open restaurant show off the work of local artists.

Kids feel like they’re in a funhouse or an art piece when they see decorations like picnic tables that float in the air. Parents like the full bar with craft drinks, but kids love the self-service boozy slush machines!

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There are American classics like burgers, mile-high meatloaf sandwiches, spaghetti and meatballs, fish tacos, and more on the comfort food menu that everyone loves. From 3 to 6 pm every day, happy hour deals make visits even cheaper. Come to see the art, and stay to spend time with your family over tasty food in Denver’s coolest area.

Gunther Toody’s

3339 S. Wadsworth Boulevard

You can’t go to Lakewood without going by Gunther Toody’s drive-in diner. It’s a rock ‘n’ roll-themed restaurant that takes you back to the 1950s in America. People in the area have been going to this famous diner for more than 35 years for comfort food that sticks to your ribs and memories that will last a lifetime.

For a thick, creamy milkshake or malt made from real ice cream the old-fashioned way, place your order. Then, enjoy patty melts sizzling on the flattop grill and biscuits covered in gravy. Their fried chicken has one of the crispiest skins around, and the juices run clear when you take a bite.

Behind the bar, more than 20 kinds of rich, home-baked pies are calling your name. Every seat in this retro turquoise restaurant has a jukebox playing music, and the walls are covered with old license plates. Enjoy a hearty meal and some nostalgia at this Lakewood legend.

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• Best Bakeries

When a sugar fix calls, Lakewood offers some of the best bakeries around to feed your cravings beautifully.

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Amble Bakery & cafe

4251 W. Center Avenue

Stop by the cozy Amble Bakery & Cafe in Lakewood for sweets with a European flair and carb heaven. The cute baby blue house has a bakery and cafe filled with vintage items from flea markets that make you feel like you’re in your grandmother’s home, if she was a great pastry chef.

Next to trays of cookies with chocolate chunks in them are tarts that are dripping with shiny fruit glazes. There are so many loaves of freshly baked bread on the shelves that the top crackles when you squeeze it. We can’t say enough good things about their buttery, fluffy croissants and danishes.

At one of the small cafe tables, you can enjoy your treats, or you can get a latte and a cookie to go. The prices are very fair, and the food tastes like it came straight from a French or Italian country kitchen. No need to take a long flight to enjoy sweet and spicy treats from Europe. Just go to Amble.

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• Best Late Night Eats

When late night hunger strikes, these local favorites will hook you up with craveable eats into the wee hours.

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Stego’s Pub

10700 W. 38th Avenue

The fun and tasty food at Stego’s Pub last all night in the laid-back Berkeley neighborhood. The old gas station has been turned into a casual neighborhood pub since 2012. It has indoor bocce ball courts, pool tables, shuffleboard, and jukeboxes playing music from the 1980s to the present.

Stego’s menu has great bar snacks like loaded tater tot nachos with red and green chile, sour cream, pico de gallo, and melted cheese. The games are fun, but the food is even better. When you hand-bather onion rings, they get a crunchy, oil-free texture, and then the onions get soft and sweet.

And their custom burger menu lets you make huge burgers with all your favorite toppings, like bacon, avocado, green peppers, and more. These are great for after midnight. It’s always a party at Stego’s, with its warm atmosphere, friendly staff, and fun events like quizzes and karaoke that happen every week.

Conclusion

There is a wide range of food in Lakewood, from high-end places serving gourmet food to casual cafes and diners serving comfort foods that people love.

People who love food are happy when they see creative food at popular fine dining restaurants like Annette, Appaloosa Grill, and Next Door American Eatery. Families like places like The Noshery, Eat and Drink RiNo, and Gunther Toody’s because they are friendly and have fair prices. At Bacaro or Tacos Tequila Whiskey, partygoers can snack on small plates late into the night to keep the fun going.

A lot of these restaurants do more than just serve great food. They also support local farms, use seasonal ingredients, and raise money for local causes. So when you eat out in Lakewood, your meal has a real effect on the neighborhood.

If you’re hungry again, don’t go straight to downtown Denver. Instead, take a chance and go west to Lakewood for something unexpectedly great.

Here is a list of 12 delicious restaurants that will treat your taste buds. These restaurants offer great atmospheres and dishes that will make you want to go back. These Lakewood restaurants are tried-and-true local favorites that are ready to wow your taste buds with either high-class or home-style food.