Major Tom is the slightly more buttoned-down sister restaurant from the people behind Beckon, located just next door. The dimly-lit space brings to mind dusk on a space shuttle, and with just 30 seats and a killer sparkling wine and champagne program, it’s ideal for date night. Sidle up to the tiny chef’s counter inside and watch as the kitchen churns out platters of oysters and baskets of piping hot french fries, perfectly charred miso-glazed cabbage, and toasted sourdough.

Yes, this is a steakhouse with perfectly-cooked sizzling meats and a clever menu divided into Baller Moves and Normies, but what we can’t get over is the wine “list.” The well-priced bottles are on the wall when you walk in, and you simply grab whatever looks good and take it to your table. Brilliant. The meats come from all over, so you can pick among Argentinian tri-tip with red chimichurri and a side of chorizo, achiote marinated pork ribs, and what could be the best duck confit in town.

They call their pizza style New York 2.0. We call it the only thing we want to be in a committed relationship with. Redeemer’s pies have the slight sass of a sourdough tang, and they’re available either by the slice from a to-go window in the alley, or as a 16-inch pizza in the bench- and stool-filled dining room. There are definitely some chichi ingredients here (soy pickled mushrooms and lemon pea cream sauce count as chichi, right?), but our favorite is the spicy-salty Diavolo.

Yes, Safta gets plenty of the old-money Cherry Creekers navigating their E-classes through Brighton Boulevard’s never-ending construction, but it also gets 20- and 30-somethings taking a ride share over from Larimer Street. Both sets would travel anywhere for Safta’s pillowy pitas, best eaten with a swoosh of creamy hummus with spicy lamb, or harissa-spiked chicken and honeyed cheese borekas. There’s plenty of room for everyone in the bright, industrial-cozy space that anchors The Source Hotel.

Even though it opened in 2015, this Chinese restaurant is still the cool kid in RiNo. Hop Alley is named after Denver’s 19th-century Chinatown, but it’s also a conversation starter and tongue-in-cheek wink at the neighborhood’s history. Located in a former soy sauce factory, the place serves up plates like tongue-numbing la zi ji and char siu beets that will convert even non-beet people. They recently expanded into a neighboring business, which means you might actually be able to snag a table.

Cart-Driver sets the standard for pizza in Denver. The wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pies have turned the heads of locals and snobby New York transplants alike, proving yes, there actually is good pizza in Denver. The perfectly crunchy, chewy, cheesy pies are loaded up with toppings like wood-roasted chanterelles, littleneck clams, and spicy calabrian honey. Head out to the attached patio to escape the cramped shipping container space (seriously, the whole restaurant is 640 square feet).

This high-energy, always-buzzing food hall is the place to have a great meal from morning until night. Start with coffee at Crema Bodega and a fresh-made pastry from Izzio Artisan Bakery, and close it down with a pizza and pasta dinner at Vero Italian, a scoop of Tin Cup whiskey and pistachio brittle at High Point Creamery, and a couple draft cocktails at the central Curio Bar. If you absolutely, positively have to narrow it down to just one meal, make it Vero Italian.

It makes sense that one of the world’s coolest bars picked Denver’s coolest neighborhood to move into. Death & Co. started in NYC, so you might have some pretty major expectations for drinks like the Sandia Sunset with jalapeño tequila, mezcal, watermelon, aloe, and mint, or the martini shaken with vodka and gin. But don’t just stop in for a pre-dinner cocktail or a nightcap—the food coming out of the kitchen is just as good as those legendary cocktails.

To say that Dio Mio is an Italian restaurant is like saying Beyonce is a singer—technically accurate, but not really painting the full picture of just how glorious each is at their respective craft. The radiatori pasta coated with basil pistachio pesto and topped with sesame and seaweed furikake is next-level, and the nearly foot-long chicken parm is the best in town thanks to a layer of sweet salami compote and spicy and tangy Thai chile giardiniera.

From the team that brought you excellent ceviche and churros at Señor Bear, Mister Oso serves that same style of pan-Latin food and party vibe, only with more tacos. Start with the downright perfect queso fundido, continue with lamb barbacoa and birria tacos, and finish with those excellent churros. Wash it all down with a pisco punch on Mister Oso’s magical, vine-covered patio and—for a second—the world might feel a little less like a dumpster fire.

Butcher Block Cafe has been slinging cinnamon rolls and smothered breakfast burritos since before the moniker “RiNo” was even a thing. The energy is exactly what you want a 40-plus-year-old diner to be: dated decor, big booths, menus written on the walls, and strangers chatting it up over cups of watery diner coffee at the counter. Come here for a solid early breakfast—it opens at 5am most days—where $10 can more than fill you up.

Denver’s first tasting menu-only restaurant was opened by people who worked at Frasca, Boulder’s best Italian restaurant, and they bring that same eye for hospitality to the bungalow-turned-18-seat restaurant. (Cold? Someone will bring you a blanket. Don’t want to go home yet? Linger on the patio around the blazing fire pit.) Plan ahead for this one, as the eight-course weekend dinners typically book up at least a month out.

Uchi is technically in Curtis Park, but since the Denver outpost of the Austin-born sushi spot is only a block from RiNo and is so good, we’re including it here. There are many different ways to do Uchi—Happy Hour nigiri in the lounge, a 10-course omakase in a private room, sizzling wagyu hot rock in the woodsy dining room—but our favorite is to grab a perch at the lively bar and pick something off the long list of daily specials that never disappoint. It’s perpetually busy, so drop in early.