Best 10 Restaurants in LoHi Neighborhood
As one of Denver’s hottest neighborhoods, The Lower Highlands (LoHi) offers some of the best restaurants in town.
Residents enjoy the walkability of the neighborhood and often find themselves eating at one of the better Denver restaurants just a few minutes’ walk from their homes. Westword magazine named the area The Best Restaurant Neighborhood in 2011.
The Linger
The Linger (2030 W. 30th Avenue) is located in the former Olinger Mortuary building – slightly morbid, but you’ll be struck by its stylish flair and air of dark humor. Westword Magazine characterize the atmosphere of the restaurant as reminiscent of the film, “Harold & Maude.”
The Linger offers a rooftop deck that looks out into the woods and views of the city skyline from the dining room, giving diners striking views while they enjoy their meals. Crowds have swarmed The Linger since it opened last summer.
The designers of the restaurant incorporated the building’s history with its new purpose. Some of the seats have been crafted out of old hearse seats. The hostess stand is made from a church pulpit. The menus are designed to look like toe tags.
The menu at The Linger is a mix of global street food and a wide array of beers, wines and cocktails.
Highland Tap & Burger
The Highland Tap & Burger (2219 West 32nd Avenue) is located in a space known as Aztec Sol.
Colorado is known for its wide selection of local brews, so it’s hard to pinpoint the place to find a truly good selection since so many restaurants can boast “a wide range of local beers,” but The Highland Tap & Burger is a good place to start.
The Highland Tap & Burger offers 60 varieties of beers, with 18 Colorado microbrews.
As for the burgers, some of the offerings include:
- A short-rib sandwich braised in Cutthroat porter
- The Mother Earth black-bean veggie patty
- The Tap Burger – a 1/3-pound beef patty topped with pulled pork, onion rings and cheddar and American cheeses
- The pulled pork sandwich braised in root beer
Z Cuisine and A’ Côté
Z Cuisine was rated Best of Denver by Westword magazine from 2005 to 2009. It’s a French Parisian Bistro, serving fresh, local produce. Patrick DuPays is the chef here. He’s traveled around the world to discover new foods and produce. He brings his travel experience combined with 22 years of cooking to your table each time you dine here.
A’ Côté is an authentic French Absinthe Bar. They offer a daily blackboard menu that features seasonal recipes.
Rootdown
Rootdown is the sister restaurant to the Linger. Their main draw are their unique, and often exotic, cocktails. The cooks and waiters here put a big focus on pairing the right food and drink for you so that all of your senses leave the restaurant totally pleased.
Their menu is varied, not tied to one genre or another. In fact, the restaurant chefs work to create their own style of sorts.
For those of you who are into the Raw Food movement, and for others who have never tried it but want to give it a go, Rootdown offers a Raw Food night once a week. In the most simple terms, raw food is food that hasn’t been heated over 118 degrees, leaving all natural enzyme & nutrient activity of the ingredients in tact & maximizing bio-availability. There’s a lot more to the movement, but that should give you an idea of the types of foods served. On Raw Food Night at Rootdown, they serve a four-course dinner for $39 per person. The current menu includes:
- Tom Kha Kai
Coconut Broth, Fresno Chiles, Mushrooms, Lemongrass Oil - Summer Rolls
Carrot, Daikon, Red Cabbage Kraut, Butter Lettuce, Ginger Chile Sauce - Pad Thai
Kelp Noodles, Sweet Sesame Tamarind, Scallion, Thai Basil - Mango Kaffir Lime Trifle
Ladyfingers, Star Anise Syrup, Starfruit
More Restaurants to Check Out in LoHi
As the best neighborhood for dinning in Denver, we could go on forever about each of the restaurants, but that would take a lot of the fun out of exploring the area! Instead, here’s a list of more restaurants you should check out. It’s not exhaustive, so keep your eyes open, walk or bike to get a better feel for the neighborhood, and have fun exploring.
- Duo – rustic dishes for urban living
- LoHi Steak Bar – craft beers, steaks and fries
- Lola – Bloody Marys, Mexican seafood and city views
- Wooden Spoon – a tiny but amazing bakery
- Patsy’s Inn Italian Restaurant – Italian food that can be ordered vegetarian, a rare treasure for those who don’t eat eat
Ready To Dine in LoHi Every day?
If you are looking for a home in one of Denver’s hot, up-and-coming neighborhoods with the best restaurants in town within walking distance, The Lower Highlands is the neighborhood for you.
I am a Denver/Boulder area real estate agent. If you are interested in learning more about buying or selling a home in The Lower Highlands, please contact me.
- If you would like to compare homes in The Lower Highlands to other neighborhoods in Denver or Boulder,please let me know. I can make your search for a new house much easier by discussing the current market with you and feeling out your best choices from there.