7 Must-Try Restaurants in Cherry Creek, Denver

Cherry Creek isn't just an upscale, trendy place to live. The neighborhood is also home to world renown restaurants and chefs building up the city's fine dining scene. Outside of fine dining, you will still find delicious casual fare with a vast selection of wine and craft cocktails. Oh, and of course beer. Lots of beer.

If you’re moving to Cherry Creek, or a Denver local in search of great food, come hungry and explore. Here’s where to go.

1. Barolo Grill

An award-winning Cherry Creek restaurant, Barolo Grill serves authentic Northern Italian food with hand-crafted cuisine. Choose from a rotating tasting menu including Polpo with Spanish octopus and carrot-cardamom puree, Uovo ravioli with sheep ricotta filling and local duck egg yolk, and other mouth-watering favorites. The main course menu includes a unique selection of pasta. Try the squid ink, twists of house-made pasta with braised goat, and pasta stuffed with gorgonzola piccante. Barolo Grill takes its wine seriously and scours the world to find the perfect pairing for their signature dishes. If you’re seeking out an upscale Italian experience, look no further.

2. Fortune Wok to Table

Discerning foodies looking for authentic Chinese food head to Fortune Wok to Table for upscale cuisine in a casual restaurant. Pop into their fast-paced first floor for quick bites. Try their dumplings, Shanghainese street noodles, or fried rice with a choice of steak, shrimp or veggies, and tofu. Or savor your meal on the second floor with a changing menu includes duck cucumber and seafood hot and sour soup, black pepper halibut, wok fried green beans, pork belly, and other favorites. Although less hyped than other Cherry Creek restaurants, Fortune Wok to Table also offers a selection of wine and beer.

3. Piatti Denver

Situated in the premier Cherry Creek restaurant and retail area, Piatti Denver serves up seasonally-inspired, Italian cuisine that focuses on local farms and producers. Pizzas ranging from traditional house marinara margaritas to a complex prosciutto pie. This one comes topped with fig conserve, caramelized onions, gorgonzola cheese, and arugula.

Pasta and other Italian main entrees round out the menu. Choose from Saffron Pappardelle, Chitarra 'Pomodoro', pork cheap, Veal Saltimbocca, and fish stew. And if you're not into wine, ask about their barrel-to-table wine list with a selection of craft beers and cocktails.

4. Cherry Cricket

Come to Cherry Cricket if you're ready to skip over the upscale restaurant scene and just want a really good burger. The founders are proud of their Denver roots, and also consider themselves the "Black Sheep of the Creek" in a neighborhood with such a focus on upscale dining. Outside of burgers, you’ll find crispy mac and cheese bites, enchiladas, tacos, and green pork chili. If you’re looking for burger suggestions, local favorites include the Colorado Bison Burger and the chickpea Burger. Wash it all down with a Joseph James Foxtail Ale.

5. Grind Kitchen Watering Hole

As the name implies, Grind Kitchen Watering Hole offers plenty of ways to imbibe. From classic to craft cocktails and popular happy hours, you’ll be indulging in beer buckets and your favorite spirits in no time. Chef and owner Preston Phillips hails from Alabama and brought the flavors of Dixie with him to this popular Cherry Creek restaurant. Choose from a selection of award-winning fried chicken, halibut fish and chips, and double cheeseburgers. Despite its casual food with a twist, the atmosphere is still on the upscale side to embrace the Cherry Creek sophistication locals have come to expect.

6. True Food Kitchen

Dr. Andrew Weil, Physician and doctor of integrative medicine, founded True Food Kitchen with the idea that food should make you feel better instead of worse. The team works on an anti-inflammatory pyramid of dishes and foods. The goal is to help you avoid or counteract chronic inflammation and optimize your health.

But it also tastes as good as it strives to make you feel. Choose from bowls with grains, Korean noodles, or curries. Entrees like redfish, grass-fed steak tacos, and lasagna bolognese. And don’t worry, if you want to indulge beyond the health-focused dishes, tantalize yourself with the selection of craft cocktails. Their Citrus Colada, Basil Cucumber Collins, and Yuzu Martinis are a few favorites. There's also a rotating seasonal list of beer and ciders and a wine list to pair with your favorite dishes.

7. Hillstone

Locals who embrace lunch as an event dine at Hillstone. You’ll find hungry Cherry Creek locals here for an afternoon of expansive window views, sipping wine and cocktails. Hillstone prides itself on their handcrafted sushi. Delicious salads, burgers, and ahi tuna with shiitake ponzu round out their house specialties. But this isn’t the place to come and throw a few back during happy hour. Hillstone strives to enhance the guest experience and suggests a formal dress code.

Cherry Creek’s reputation for fantastic food just keeps growing, with more restaurants opening up and competing with the best every day. That’s good news whether you’re a seasoned foodie or just like to eat good food. Make Cherry Creek restaurants part of your regular rotation and keep your palate happy.