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One of the things that I find fascinating about the city of Denver is the presence of its many food market halls.  Denver may not have invented the concept of the food hall, but she sure took the idea and ran with it.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with food halls, they are establishments, often giant warehouse buildings, with many different food concepts (and in many cases, retail concepts as well) set up inside.  Many food halls have a common area with tables to sit at and one or more bars, so that people can order their alcoholic beverages separately from their food.  The beauty of it is that you can go in a group, and each person can order what they want from an array of different types of restaurants, and then you can all sit together.  It’s very social, and very “foodie.”  From a restaurateur perspective, the concept is brilliant, because it’s a great way to test drive a concept without committing to an independent brick and mortar.  They have the opportunity to piggyback on traffic, and rent is shared among several different establishments.  At many food halls, the vendors are rotated every few years or so, keeping them relevant and giving new restaurateurs to get their foot in the door.

The food hall scene has certainly been growing steadily in urban areas around the country, but I’ve never seen so many pop up so fast in a city the size of Denver.  Each one has its own personality and its own distinguishing traits.  The big question, though, is how do you decide which food hall to go to in Denver?    As a frequenter of, quite frankly, ALL of these eateries, I decided to create a little guide to each one to help you navigate through Denver’s expansive world of food market halls!  This guide captures the style of each food hall and what it’s known for or what I love at each one:

Denver Central Market

Denver Central Market is located in RiNo (which stands for River North), a booming area of Denver for restaurants, shops, and bars just northeast of downtown.  This food hall seems to cater to locals and has more of a “market” feel than many of the others – there’s a butcher, a seafood shop, a meat and cheese store, a bakery, a coffee shop, etc.  The food options are more limited, but it’s a nice place to pick up coffee and a pastry in the morning, and there is also a great salad shop, Green Seed Market, and a tasty pizza and pasta spot, Vero.  If you’re going for one thing, go for the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ice Cream at High Point Creamery – it’s to die for.  The food hall is in an old warehouse building, kind of “industrial-cool,” and I love the natural light that streams through the giant windows.   There is a small amount of outdoor seating as well.  Parking can be difficult in this area – it’s street parking only, which can be hit or miss, but seating seems to be a bit easier than some of the other food halls.  The market is open early and closes late, but each business within the market has different hours.

Broadway Market

This is Denver’s newest food hall.  It’s unique in that it has a centralized pay system – you’ll get a Broadway Market credit card when you walk in the door, and you’ll use it to purchase any food or beverages in the market, and then when you leave, you’ll pay for everything at once.  It’s both convenient and dangerous, as you may not realize how all that eating and drinking is adding up!  But you can also try a sampling of some of the most renowned restaurants in Denver, all under one roof – Maria Empanada, Little Curry Shop, and Mondo Market, as well as sushi, fried chicken, juices, and more.  They have a bar, and they also have a beer wall, where you self-serve yourself from the 24 rotating craft taps.  The glasses fill from the bottom up using pressure and a magnet, and it’s honestly pretty cool.  The retail scene, though small, has some fun goodies… I bought two gifts as well as something for myself on my first visit!  A couple words of warning: seating can be difficult during peak times, especially with a group.  Secondly, although they have a small parking lot and their location on South Broadway lends itself to a decent amount of foot traffic, the parking lot still fills up quickly.  If that happens, the best you can hope for is metered street parking a few blocks away.

Avanti

If you’re young and single and trying to mingle, go to Avanti for late night dinner and drinks on a Friday or Saturday night, and be prepared to be swarmed with others of your kind!  If you’re not young, not single, and/or not trying to mingle(!), I would recommend going to Avanti at any time other than Friday or Saturday night.  Sunday Funday is EXTRA fun on a nice day, as Avanti has several different rooftop areas with a fantastic view of downtown Denver.  The different food concepts are housed in shipping containers, and they recently changed up their vendors, so there are several that I haven’t tried.  They still have longtime favorite Quiero Arepas, as well as some new places that look intriguing like The Rotary, which specializes in Churrasco-style rotisserie.  I personally would say that I’d go here for the day-drinking.  The parking situation is valet or street parking, so keep that in mind.

Zeppelin Station

This one is a bit off the beaten path, even though it’s not far from the RiNo action.  Located off 35th Street just southeast of Brighton, Zeppelin Station tends to be geared towards weekday lunches.  Stop here for a Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich at The Budlong, a fresh poke bowl at OK Poke, or a bahn mi from the famous Vinh Xuong Bakery.  Finish off your meal with a pick-me-up from Dandy Lion Coffee or a sweet treat at Gelato Boy.  There are a couple retail shops to prolong your lunch break just a little.  This is also a great place to come for a bite to eat after a tour of the local breweries nearby.  On a nice day, the large garage doors will be opened up to make it open-air.  In my experience, parking is usually available as well.

The Source Hotel

What started as an old iron factory transformed into a small food hall has now grown into a chic hotel with with an artisan market hall, restaurants, and an amazing rooftop bar called The Woods, which has one of the best views in Denver.  Since most of the food options are sit-down restaurants, it feels a little less like a food hall, but there is a coffeeshop, a bakery, bars (including a juice bar), two breweries, a liquor store (which has wonderfully unusual goods), and a lovely flower shop, which still give it the market-like feel.  There are two excellent higher-end dinner spots – Acorn, which serves eclectic upscale American, and Safta, which features flavorful Middle Eastern dishes in a stylish setting.  I would also recommend Smōk, a slightly more casual yet still trendy barbecue joint offering wood-fired and smoked foods.  Just a hop, skip, and a jump from Zeppelin Station, The Source Hotel is located on Brighton Boulevard, and it does have both valet and garage parking; however, you do have to pay to park in the garage.

Stanley Marketplace

Easily the most kid-friendly food hall, Stanley Marketplace is more of a one-stop shop lifestyle hall where everything you need is under one roof.  Located in Stapleton (just a ten minute drive northeast from downtown Denver), the market hall was once an abandoned aviation manufacturing facility right next to the old Stapleton Airport, but now the old warehouse is home to many different restaurants, shops, and services and also serves as a community gathering place.  Let the kids run around or take them to a gymnastics or karate class while you hit the salon, get your nails done, take a yoga or pilates class, or treat yourself to some wine at The Infinite Monkey Theorem.  Go to Denver Biscuit Company (which locals fondly refer to as DenBisCo) for brunch, or to Annette for trendy, seasonal dinner fare.  The retail scene is fun, the parking is (generally) abundant, and the marketplace is pet-friendly.  It’s not open late, but it’s perfect for daytime or an early night out.

Dairy Block / Milk Market

Once home to Windsor Dairy, the historic micro-district of downtown Denver known as Dairy Block is now the location of Milk Market, a food hall that is unique from the others in that it is all run by one chef, Frank Bonanno.  This food hall is mostly centered on food, but they have a large selection of delicious options including bao buns, poke, salads, a salumeria, seafood, pizza, and crepes.  I recommend the pasta at Mano Pastaria – I get it every time I go.  Besides the great food, I love Milk Market for its fun design, wine on tap, and fun cocktails.  In fact, you could do a whole cocktail crawl with the variety of restaurants and cocktail bars on the whole Dairy Block.   Don’t leave without truly exploring all that Dairy Block has to offer, including shops, The Maven Hotel, and some fun little surprises in the alleyways.  I wouldn’t recommend parking here if at all possible since it’s downtown – you will pay to park or you’ll have to use the metered parking on the streets.

Union Station

Denver’s 100-year-old historic train station is not exactly a food hall, but it might as well be one with its fun eateries, bars, shops, and The Crawford Hotel.  It is charmingly old and beautiful, like you just stepped into a 1920s movie, but has a very updated and trendy feel, plus it has all the quaint necessities, like a gorgeous flower shop, BLOOM, and the famous Denver bookstore, Tattered Cover.  My favorite hidden (or somewhat hidden) gem is Cooper Lounge, a glamorous cocktail lounge on the second floor of the station which overlooks the streets below.  I’m also quite fond of Mercantile – it has a little market with pastries and other tasty goods, a small but delicious lunch menu, and a dinner menu that’s at a whole new level (including a wine library!).  There’s plenty of outdoor seating if the weather is nice.  If you’re trying to park, the northeast side of Union Station is generally a little easier, or better yet, the train will drop you off at the doorstep!

I hope you love these eateries as much as I do.  Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.  Enjoy your Denver adventures!

P.S.  5 Denver restaurants to expand your kid’s palette, and a Denver farmers market video!