Denver, CO
For Southern in Denver, the local food press points to Sassafras American Eatery, Highlands, Lucile's Creole Café, and Rougarou. Picks from Westword and 5280 Magazine, updated July 2026.
Editor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in Westword and 5280 Magazine. Updated July 2026.
Sassafras American Eatery, Highlands
A breakfast-and-lunch spot in a Victorian bungalow built around chef Colin Mallet's biscuits, with collard greens, gumbo finished with file powder, and fried green tomatoes rounding out the Southern side of the menu. The homey house setting and patio make it a weekend-morning favorite in the Highlands.
Lucile's Creole Café · Capitol Hill
A nearly three-decade Creole breakfast-and-lunch institution making its own hot sauce and seasonings. Creole-style eggs Benedict and red-bean-and-ham hash come alongside homemade biscuits, a New Orleans morning transplanted to Denver, and the beignets and chicory coffee round out a menu that draws a weekend line.
Rougarou · Five Points
From the team behind the acclaimed cocktail bar Yacht Club, this upscale Five Points kitchen explores shape-shifting Southern cooking from the Delta to the coast. A serious cocktail program runs alongside the food, and the name nods to a shape-shifting creature of Cajun folklore.
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