Restaurants in Arvada

Behind Bombay Clay Oven’s castle-like façade lies a gateway to the Mughlai style of Indian cuisine, which features yogurt, cream, fruit, and a wide range of spices lending silky textures and delicately distinct flavors to roasted meats and vegetables. In the kitchen, kebabs of lamb and beef sizzle in the eatery’s traditional tandoor oven, balanced by a lengthy bill of vegetarian fare.

On Fridays and Saturdays, Bombay’s dining room fills with live music, which diners can enjoy from the confines of Middle Eastern–style booths draped in curtains and padded with basmati rice.

Fill up on fare at 5280's editor's pick for Top New Bar with today's Groupon. For $25, you'll get $50 worth of hearty grub and Colorado-based brews at Jonesy's EatBar, a warm and cuddly dinnery that houses an original soda fountain from an original 1950s pharmacy.

The A.V. Club described Melita's as "a daring lunchtime experiment" for fusing Greek and Mexican flavors into such dishes as the sheep's-milk-cheese chicken quesadilla or the gyros supreme, a hearty pita sandwich loaded with fresh guacamole. Their personal-sized greek pizza, which was named “best pizza at a Greek market” by Westword, delivers grilled tomatoes and kalamata olives on a crispy crust, and the greek burger piles gyro meat and updated translations of The Iliad atop a grilled patty. Patrons can dine on these or more traditional dishes––from chicken souvlaki to falafel––inside or on a sunny front patio.

Seasoned cook Jose Aparicio, affectionately known as Chef Pepito, puts his more than 20 years experience to use preparing authentic Peruvian dishes with an American twist, cooking inside a sleek, brightly colored eatery decked out with rustic wrought-iron chandeliers. He marinates his classic ceviche’s halibut in lime before mingling it with corn, potatoes, red onion, and cilantro, as well as sizzles up heartier entrees such as _tacu tacu_—bean cakes and brown rice topped with a quintessential Peruvian seafood sauce. He also riffs on classic Peruvian food with mushroom ceviche and spiced filet mignon with crunchy potatoes.

Behind the bar, which is inlaid with exposed brick, drink mavens craft Peruvian cocktails, such as pisco sours and the Mosquito, a variation of the mojito that’s amped up with Cointreau and fruit juices before being swatted, not stirred.

At Carrie’s Place, friendly and attentive service accompanies each plate—piled high with smoked barbecue, juicy burgers, and grilled fish. Fresh produce and ingredients sourced from local farms are used in the traditional Southern dishes, including slow-cooked beef brisket, chicken and waffles, catfish, and deep-fried Hank Williams records. Hearty baby back ribs and buttery roasted corn on the cob can share table space with light dishes of grilled salmon and cobb salad. There’s an authentic home-cooked flavor to side dishes such as fried okra, corn bread, and baked beans. Feel free to complement your feast with a fruit smoothie or spicy chai, and end the meal with slices of rich sweet-potato and pecan pie or brownies crowned with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Inside India Tavern, a large bay window casts a natural glow on grape and lime-green walls and plates of homestyle Indian fare. Named 5280 Magazine's Editors' Choice of their Top of the Town feature, diners can cozy up to a table beside the stone fireplace as they partake of clay-oven tandoori dishes made with chicken, lamb, or goa fish. After sopping up a ginger or saffron curry entree with fresh-baked naan bread, they can also question a knowledgeable server on the difference between mild, medium, and hot spice or why humans drive on parkways and park on driveways.