10 spots for comfort food across Colorado’s Front Range
Just as winter is about skiing in the mountains in Colorado, it’s about finding comfort back home. It’s about finding a taste of home — that heavy chow that brings us warmth and brings us back. Consider these feasts across the Front Range:
Gray’s Coors Tavern, Pueblo: We can’t talk about comfort food in Colorado without talking about the slopper. And Gray’s is the acclaimed birthplace of the open-faced burger popularly smothered in green chili. Some go with red chili, spooning it up with the fries and chopped onions.
Luchals, Colorado Springs: Inside CO.A.T.I. Uprise, the hip downtown food hall, Luchals has wowed with Southern delights such as hot and sweet chicken wings, fried catfish, fried green tomatoes, and savory shrimp and grits. The hospitality has expanded to a location in Fountain.
Edelweiss German Restaurant, Colorado Springs: It’s a family-owned institution, with the food to match the cozy setting transporting guests to Germany; sometimes musicians in lederhosen serenade the dining room. Chow down on doughy pretzels, schnitzels and bratwurst.
Castle Cafe, Castle Rock: The fried chicken is known to still be crackling from the cast-iron skillet when it arrives to the table. It arrives with a family-style spread also including homemade rolls, veggies, and mashed potatoes and gravy. Save room for hot spinach and artichoke dip.
Latke Love, Littleton: It’s not your average latke, not that fried potato pancake you might have in mind. It’s fist-shaped latke under piles of irresistible, genre-bending toppings. “Rabbi, I’m Confused” is a favorite: smoked, saucy, tangy pulled pork and pickled red onion.
La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal, Denver: Loyal customers frequent this hideaway specializing in the traditional Mexican soup. Pozole is a well-seasoned, aromatic soup made with hominy and meat. More know this after La Diabla earned a spot in Colorado’s first Michelin Guide.
The Ginger Pig, Denver: This is another spot that got Michelin love. Chef-owner Natascha Hess lets her imagination and love for Asian food run wild. Don’t miss the Korean corn dog, Hong Kong French toast and Ants Climbing a Tree, but one spicy noodle bowl on the menu.
Mac Nation Cafe, Indian Hills: Alton McCullough has created mac and cheese to honor about every state. The New Mexico blends jalapenos, cream cheese and bread crumbs while the Alabama is a mix of sauteed shrimp, bacon, ricotta, sweet corn, tomato and green onion.
Switchback Smokehouse, Kittredge: The barbecue is admittedly best enjoyed in the summer, on the patio by the creek. But the meats hit no less in winter. They are the expected (pulled pork, chicken, ribs) and unexpected (smoked duck, Montreal brisket, candy-like bacon).
Waltzing Kangaroo, Fort Collins: The stated mission of the Australian owners is “to share the world’s most perfect food: the Aussie meat pie.” What lies inside the flaky crust? Steak and pepper gravy in one; lamb and rosemary gravy in another; and plenty of others too.