What to eat in Denver
Mile-High mashups — Mexican-American inventions, steakhouse oddities, and enough green chile to smother everything.
Five dishes. Zero regrets.
Mexican hamburger
A grilled burger patty wrapped in a flour tortilla with refried beans, then smothered in Denver's signature orange-green chile and cheese. A North Denver invention since 1967.
Try it at: The Original Chubby's
Green chile–smothered burrito
Denver's unofficial sauce: a porky, peppery green chile ladled over everything, at its best drowning a burrito until the tortilla drinks it all in. Colorado's answer to gravy.
Try it at: The Original Chubby's or El Taco de Mexico
Sugar steak
A ribeye crusted in a secret sugar-and-spice rub that caramelizes over the grill into a sweet, crackly bark — a sweet-and-savory steakhouse ritual since 1958.
Try it at: Bastien's Restaurant
Denver fried tacos
Corn tortillas stuffed with cheese and meat, folded over, and deep-fried whole until blistered and golden — a third-generation Denver family recipe from Mexico City Restaurant.
Try it at: Mexico City Restaurant and Lounge
Fool's Gold Loaf
An entire hollowed loaf stuffed with a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, and a pound of bacon — the 8,000-calorie sandwich Elvis flew his private jet to Denver for in 1976.
Try it at: Nick's Café in Golden
