Restaurants in Golden

Within a rustic interior, the chefs at Cactus Jack’s Saloon craft a menu's worth of casual pub eats, including burgers made from locally acquired ingredients. Outside, on an expansive, sunny deck with rows of picnic tables, servers transport patties made from all-natural Anderson beef and topped with a range of fixings, such as the Red Hot Mama’s matronly jalapeños. The tavern hosts frequent events on its creek-side stage, such as live music, duet karaoke, and open-mic nights.

After years spent working in other restaurants and bakeries, Jyll Tuggle had a dream to open her own neighborhood eatery where folks could gather to enjoy quality cuisine and hearty conversation. That dream became Under The Umbrella Cafe and Bakery, a cozy brick-walled eatery that quickly won the Denver Post’s endorsement for its light, homemade fare and friendly, local vibe. Families can frequently be found filling seats in the kid-friendly confines, drawn in by a menu peppered with house-baked cinnamon rolls, filled croissants, breakfast burritos, and grilled sandwiches served with a choice of side such as homemade potato salad. Denver-based Pablo's Coffee fills cups with heady brews as laptops luxuriate in the waves of free WiFi and area psychics flock to read their futures in the loose leaves used to steep steaming cups of Sterling tea.

The cooks at each of El Parral Mexican Restaurant's locations follow traditional recipes to yield a menu of Mexican fare. Armed with fresh ingredients, they plate tender steak and seafood dishes and reintroduce taste buds to south-of-the-border favorites, such as tortas and burritos. Behind the bar, bartenders concoct signature margaritas and pour them into glasses rimmed with salt, like the eyelids of a sad teenage poet.

Showcasing Zocalo Restaurant & Bar’s laid-back atmosphere, yellow-brick walls play off the vibrant red, yellow, and green banners hanging from the ceilings. The restaurant’s owners, Rafael and Mario Vargas, use recipes gathered from Mexico City, their birthplace, for the eatery's dishes, such as the specialty tampiqueña, chili con queso, and crispy rellenos. Their bartenders pair the tasty plates with draft or bottled beers or specialty margaritas. With two locations, Zocalo Restaurant & Bar helps Mexican-cuisine lovers replace pub-crawls with back-and-forth trips for nachos.