9 food and drink trends to watch in 2024, and where to find them in Denver by unknown
Staying on trend is a never-ending chase, and no one wants to be left behind.
While the Mile High City seems to catch on to trends in the culinary world a little later than New York City or L.A., social media sites like TikTok and Instagram help speed things up. So we’re getting out our crystal ball to predict what will be hot this year with restaurants and bars.
Here are nine food and drink trends you might catch a glimpse of in local kitchens in 2024.
MSG
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a food additive used to enhance flavor, and local spots like MAKfam and Death & Company are embracing the ingredient to dispel the common misconception that MSG is any worse for you than anything else.
Denver cocktail bar Death & Co., on the ground floor of the Ramble Hotel in RiNo, recently introduced its Wavelength cocktail with Chardonnay barrel-aged gin, bitters, sherry, tomato, passion fruit and MSG.
MAKfam, a Cantonese restaurant that opened in October, has a playful piece of art on its wall featuring the slogan “It’s better with MSG,” as well as a riff on a gin martini dubbed “MSGin” with Chinese plum brine and MSG.
“We’re proud to say we use MSG in our food, and I feel like there’s a lot of negative connotation with it, but you could say the same thing about sugar, and we want to take that idea back,” co-owner Kenneth Wan previously told The Denver Post.
Espresso martinis
The espresso martini’s recent revival has given diners a pep in their step, whether you prefer the caffeine-infused cocktail for a jolt of energy before dinner or paired with dessert to end the meal. Denver restaurants aren’t missing out on this three-bean trend, and nearly every drink menu boasts some sort of rendition of the creamy cocktail.
Logan Street Restaurant & Bar is a particular date-night favorite with a classic espresso martini on the menu. Or you can shake it up with a tequila-based Espresso Martinez with Fruitful Coconut Liqueur, 477 Coffee Liqueur, Bluegrass Cold Brew, Aztec Chocolate Bitters and agave syrup at Cantina Loca.
Out-of-state chefs and brands
Denver is on almost everyone’s radar these days, and an increasing number of out-of-state chefs and brands continue to expand here to get a piece of the Mile High pie.
Whether it’s for a shot at a Michelin star or just to enjoy the vast outdoor activities we have to offer, the transplants just keep coming. This year, Portland-based chef Carlo Lamagna plans to open Magna Kainan, a Filipino restaurant in RiNo. Also, Le Colonial, a Vietnamese-French, fine-dining restaurant with locations in Chicago, Houston and Atlanta, is opening its first Denver spot in Cherry Creek. And South Carolina-based 5th Street Group is expanding its Church and Union, an upscale, New American concept, to Denver in June 2024.
Texas-based gas station chain Buc-ee’s is getting in on the action, too, with its first Colorado outpost opening in Johnstown this March, and Chicago-based Portillo’s is also eyeing Colorado for a first-time expansion.
Global sandwiches
Denver’s sandwich game is having a bit of a renaissance. More and more bakery owners with culinary backgrounds are having fun in the kitchen, combining their bread skills with their savory appetites. In turn, sandwiches are leveling up from the usual turkey and ham stacks with global influences.
Congress Park Market, owned by Spinelli’s, features a Japanese egg salad sandwich ($13.99) with shallot and rice vinegar on a homemade Shokupan loaf by chef Michael Neale, who previously worked at the upscale Chinese food restaurant Hop Alley. GetRight’s, owned by former chef Matt Dulin, experiments with sandwich and pizza specials every week, like a recent French-inspired, scrambled egg sandwich with black truffle on a fresh-baked croissant.
Fancy mocktails
Bartenders take their mocktails as seriously as a shaken martini or expert Old Fashioned these days, especially as more diners take their turns at Dry January.
Denver restaurants like Rooted Craft Kitchen in Highland have created zero-proof elixirs that make it easy to forget why you ever needed to add alcohol to it in the first place. Level up your mocktail game with the Yuz Me Up ($10) with yuzu, Fresno peppers, rice wine vinegar and tonic.
“Having interesting non-alcoholic beverages is a must for any restaurant in 2024, with more people choosing not to consume booze yet still wanting a well-crafted cocktail,” said Rooted co-owner and beverage director Scott Ericson. “Our shrubs have an intensity of flavor, with a bite. The vinegar does a great job of taking the place of the alcohol.”
Sustainable sourcing
Michelin doled out sustainability awards to Denver restaurateur Kelly Whitaker’s Bruto and The Wolf’s Tailor in Denver, as well as Blackbelly Market and Bramble & Hare in Boulder at the guide’s inaugural ceremony in Colorado this year.
They were recognized for their above-and-beyond sustainable practices, like Blackbelly’s in-house butcher program and work with local ranchers and farmers, or Bruto’s food-waste management through fermentation and its in-house milling process.
And this year, we’re going to see an emphasis on sustainable sources among restaurant menus, like C Burger by local restaurateur Bryan Dayton, who’s behind popular spots like Corrida, Oak at Fourteenth and Brider. C Burger, which has a kiosk within Sanitas Brewing Co. in Englewood and a second Boulder location on the way, focuses on regenerative, organic and local meat.
Diversified dumplings
Dumplings in Denver have long since branched out from the typical pork and chicken stuffings. We’ve seen French onion soup dumplings rise in popularity at ChoLon, but newcomers like Nana’s Dim Sum, Seoul ManDoo, MoMo House and Yuan Wonton have also joined the dumpling race with their diversified selections.
Get out of your dumpling comfort zone with beef and cheese dumplings from Nana’s, a fried Korean dumpling with kimchi from Seoul ManDoo, a Sichuan eggplant dumpling from Yuan Wonton or a Nepalese tofu treat from MoMo House.
Approachable luxury
Luxury is no longer defined by exclusivity. Denver diners are finding more value in approachable, down-to-earth experiences than they are in white tablecloths and suited service at fine-dining restaurants. Upscale spots like Beckon and Annette provide luxury through personable experiences and educated meals, in which waiters walk you through every bite. Servers are dressed in T-shirts and the wooden tables are bare with eccentric plateware to create a more laid-back ambiance.
Girl dinner
The “girl dinner” became popular on TikTok in 2023 when millions of women posted their favorite way to enjoy a meal by themselves. Essentially, the trend is focused on snacks as meals, whether that’s a charcuterie board, a spread of dips, some caviar and potato chips or just a block of cheese and some crackers.
Denver restaurants are embracing the “girl dinner” as more diners choose to nibble on a spread of small bites rather than indulging in a large, hearty entree. Spots like Safta and Ash’Kara are already perfect for an array of mezze platters, like hummus dip, labneh and falafel. Three Saints Revival in downtown Denver has also introduced a new bread service with a Trio of Schmeers for snacking, including Serrano chili butter, edamame hummus and porcini pimento chili crisp.
