Revolutionizing · Modernizing · Simplifying
Revolutionizing · Modernizing · Simplifying
A naked-neck chicken beat out a Michelin-starred tasting menu. That is where we are in Denver right now.
5280 dropped its list about five days ago, "The 10 Best New Places to Eat and Drink in Denver, Summer 2026," and the whole thing only covers restaurants that opened in the last three months. Three months. That is the part people miss when they say the restaurant scene has cooled off. This freshman class is stacked, and the magazine basically handed you a hit list.
So let me walk you through it, because a couple of these are already booking weeks out and you are going to want a plan.
Number one is Heretik, chef Theo Adley's RiNo spot at 1441 26th St. It opened May 7. If the name Adley rings a bell, that is the chef behind Marigold up in Lyons, and this is his second concept. Basque and southwestern French small plates is the play here. We are talking raw oysters served with house-made chipolata sausage, which is the kind of combination that sounds strange until you have it and then you cannot stop thinking about it.
And here is the dish everybody keeps mentioning. A rotisserie "cou nu" chicken, naked neck, with matchstick fries. Simple on paper. But that is the whole trick with a place like this. You do the fundamentals so well that a roast chicken becomes the thing people drive across town for.
The bar is doing its own thing too. Basque txakoli wine, wild-fermented ciders, and a pan con tomate martini, which honestly is dangerous for me because I will order anything that sounds like a snack pretending to be a cocktail.
This is not just a local darling either. Heretik made Robb Report's list of the 15 most exciting U.S. restaurant openings of spring 2026. National attention, RiNo address, opened barely two months ago. That is a strong debut.
Number two is Madeline, and this one has a good backstory. It is chef Quincy Cherrett's first brick-and-mortar, at 1313 E. Sixth Ave. in Country Club, and it also opened May 7. Same day as Heretik, which is a wild day for Denver dining if you think about it.
Here is the detail that matters for the real estate people among us. Madeline moved into the former Fruition space. If you were around, you know what Fruition meant to that stretch of Sixth Avenue. So there is weight to that address, and Cherrett is not a stranger to the grind. Culinary Institute of America grad, ran the 22 Provisions food truck, then the Eloise stall over at Avanti. This is someone who worked the food-hall and truck circuit before getting the keys to a real dining room. The signature to know is the pan-seared green curry halibut with forbidden rice.
Number four is where things get serious. Milpero is Michelin-starred chef Johnny Curiel's sixth restaurant, and his first tasting-menu concept. It is in Globeville. Globeville. If you told me a few years back that a
Sixteen seats total, and they only seat eight guests at a time. The tasting menu runs
The full ranked list keeps rolling. Milly's Bagels sits at number three, which tells you Denver's bagel obsession is not slowing down one bit. Odd Rabbit is at five. Toad Kitchen at seven. There is a Wellness Counter in the mix and a few more.
And do not sleep on number six, Paperboy. This is a Texas brunch spot planting its first out-of-state location at 3940 W. 32nd Ave. in West Highland. Texas brunch operators do not usually cross state lines casually, so the fact that they picked that corner of 32nd Avenue for their first move outside Texas says something about where they think the money and the crowds are. West Highland has been one of the strongest food corridors on this side of town for a while now, and a proven brunch name is only going to tighten those weekend waitlists.
Look, 5280 does one of these every season, but what makes this one worth your attention is the range. A Basque small-plates room in RiNo. A green curry halibut in Country Club. A 16-seat Mexican tasting menu in Globeville. A Texas brunch invasion in West Highland. Mexican tasting menus, brunch spots, multicourse experiences, all of it opening inside the same three-month window.
So here is my honest advice. Screenshot the list. Book Milpero now if you want it this summer, because that eight-at-a-time math does not work in your favor. Grab a Heretik reservation for the chicken. And keep Madeline for the night you want to eat somewhere with a little history in the walls.
Hayley already has three of these circled. I am not going to win that argument, and frankly I am not trying to.