For $50, the lox-loving gods at Safta will let you loose on their all-you-can-eat spread. The offerings are truly glorious, including the cult favorite creamy hummus and harissa charred cabbage off the dinner menu, alongside pastrami hash, all the babkas, and more smoked fish than in a hypothetical aquarium that tragically went up in flames. Plus you’ll finally be able to answer the question of just how many honeyed cheese borekas is too many honeyed cheese borekas.

For those who wish Denver were a bit more like a raging 1970s-era Palm Springs party, head down to Champagne Tiger to make all your flamboyantly raucous dreams come true. This French-style American diner is the place to go big, where you should definitely get caviar on top of your tater tot waffle and order the full bottle of champagne. We shouldn't need to tell you that this is a drag brunch destination, but what you’re probably not expecting is the level of food served.

Fox and the Hen is the first breakfast-only spot from the people behind A5 Steakhouse, Mister Oso, and Forget Me Not. They bring that same playful energy and quality food to the morning meal here, which means you’ll get plates like In-N-Out-esque animal style hashbrowns, pizza bagels, and Bobby Flay-vos (the winning huevos rancheros chef Carrie Baird made on Beat Bobby Flay). There’s also a damn good bloody Mary named after Bryan Cranston and a full-on wall of local hot sauces.

Here’s the secret about Le French’s brunch: the best thing on the menu isn’t French. Don’t get us wrong, we love the omelets and crepes, but the Senegalese fried chicken yassa sandwich, rich with lemon, caramelized onions, vinegar, and dijon, is just that good. It’s back to French on the vibe, though, where the centerpiece black marble bar and floor-to-ceiling wine wall exude the sort of sophistication we assign to Parisians. Sip a glass of sparkling wine filled with bouncy cocktail pearls.

The scene outside Star Kitchen’s West Mississippi strip mall home on a Sunday morning is pure chaos. That’s because inside is the best dim sum in town, where carts roll fried shrimp balls, egg custard tarts, and every sort of pleated dough to the packed house of families, friends, and strangers willing to share a table to shorten their wait. After 17 years, the Star Kitcheners are efficient at what they do, so if you’re not a pro, just point to a bamboo steamer.

Skip the weekend chaos on Tennyson and head five minutes east. Necio offers easy street parking and a damn fine brunch that’s still under the radar (for now). This Mexican spot nails the AM game: a juice bar with optional mezcal shots, a benedict with serrano lime hollandaise on jalapeño cornbread, and potatoes that might be Denver’s crispiest. Even the fruit bowl overdelivers with papaya and strawberries, not filler melon.

Snooze might be the most polarizing restaurant in Denver. There are those who resent the homegrown chain for the hours-long wait times and $17 bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. But there are also fans who can’t get enough of their benedict duos (instead of choosing between habanero pork belly and smashed avocado versions, you get both) and pancakes that test the limits of the genre, with varieties like pineapple upside down and PB&J with bacon. Yes, it still gets super busy on weekends.

This 20-year-old Highland bistro serves one of the best brunches in town, and no one talks about it. While the space itself is the requisite exposed brick and duct situation, it’s the menu that’s so special, full of the best possible versions of pretty much every brunchy type food.

Lucile’s makes us homesick for beignets and the bayou, even though we’re Colorado natives. The Creole brunch spot does so many things well, like ultra-fluffy biscuits, spicy andouille sausage omelets, and piping hot beignets, which is probably why even after 40 years and seven Front Range locations, they still attract major crowds, especially on the weekends. Eating on the Southern-style porches at the Boulder and Wash Park locations is an extra treat.

The Universal’s banana and caramelized walnut pancakes are actually bigger than your face. They’re also really freaking good, as is the chorizo and chipotle aioli breakfast sandwich, a front-runner for Denver’s best AM handheld bite. And it’s all available at The U, which is sort of a less sparkly, less hipstery Snooze. Grab a solo stool at the bar or cram some tables together with a group—The Universal is so welcoming that we’ll forgive them for clinging to QR code menus.

Don’t ask why Café Miriam serves their bacon, egg, and cheese croissant sandwiches with a side of yet another croissant (albeit mini and honey drizzled). Be grateful for the well-priced espresso drinks and menu of sweet and savory crepes, all of which are best enjoyed at one of the tiny French café-style tables outside. You’ll feel like you’re on a quaint Parisian corner—at least until the Tesla Cybertrucks start jockeying for City Park parking spots and quash your carefree French vibe.