The Best Food and Drink Events in Denver This Week

As we creep closer to summer, the culinary lineup is heating up. Not only is farmers’ market season in full swing, with favorites like the South Pearl Street edition back in business, but it’s AAPI Heritage Month.

This Sunday, May 14, is Mother’s Day; check out our list of the best dining specials in town and see if you can still snag a reservation. It’s also the final day of Burger Week, so you can at least score Mom a $7 burger at one of over fifteen restaurants, including Fat Sully’s, our 2023 pick for Best Hamburger.

Keep reading for more of the best food and drink events this week and beyond, including the return of Civic Center Eats on May 17, and Westword’s inaugural Out to Brunch event next month.

Through Sunday, May 14
Westword Burger Week is back. All week long, you can feast on $7 burgers from participating restaurants;  earn a chance to win prizes when you share your dining adventures on social media. Get more info at burgerweekdenver.com.

Through Wednesday, May 31
It’s Lamb Jam Restaurant Month, which means that an impressive lineup of eight local chefs — including Bo Porytko of Misfit Snack Bar and Linda Hampsten Fox of the Bindery — are each serving a special lamb dish through the end of May. A secret panel of judges will be visiting all participating restaurants to crown a winner, but diners can also vote for their favorites online; the chef with the most votes will nab the People’s Choice Award and get a $1,000 donation to the charity of their choice. For more information, visit americanlamb.com/lambjam.

Thursday, May 11
Chef Paul C. Reilly and the team at Apple Blossom (822 18th Street) are hosting a special collaborative dinner with Haykin Family Cider starting at 6:30 p.m. The four-course meal with beverage pairings is $110 per person; this intimate dinner is limited to twenty guests, and reservations can be secured on OpenTable.

Friday, May 12
Local celebrities and community leaders unite for the annual Tortillas for Tepeyac, a tortilla-rolling competition and fundraiser for Tepeyac Community Health Center, a trusted health provider in the Globeville Elyria-Swansea community. Attendees include Colorado Poet Laureate Bobby LeFebre, mascots like Myles and Dinger, and more. The event will take place at the Infinity Park Event Center (4400 East Kentucky Avenue, Glendale) from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $75.

Friday, May 12, and Saturday, May 13
Party with alpacas and learn more about Chawar, an Ecuadorian agave spirit; the company will be bringing its pack of fluffy brand ambassadors to two events this weekend. Catch them at the North Boulder Liquor Store from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday and from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday in Denver at the SoBo Alpaca Pub Crawl, which will start at Somebody People.

Sunday, May 14
Taste of Colorado is splitting up this year, with all the usual events moving out of Labor Day weekend and into several Sundays this summer, coinciding with the new ¡Viva! Streets event that will close and activate Broadway and Welton Street. The first taste of Taste runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on May 14 in Civic Center Park; get the details here.

Keep reading for future events…

Wednesday, May 17, and Thursday, May 18
Civic Center EATS, an annual summer gathering of some of the city’s best food trucks, will be back for the 2023 season every Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. through September 14, starting May 17. For more information, visit civiccentereats.com.

Friday, May 19
Breckenridge Brewery and People for Bikes are teaming up for a Pedal Powered Happy Hour from 4 to 7 p.m. on National Bike to Work Day. This zero-waste party features live music by the Sweet Lillies Band and bike-themed games and prizes. Be sure to pedal to the party to enjoy a free pint. The brewery is also releasing a custom Crowler at the event called the Pedal Powered Pilsner; $1 of each sale will go to People for Bikes.

Friday, May 19 through Sunday, May 21
The Northglenn Food Truck Carnival returns. This free-to-attend event includes a lineup of 20 to 25 food trucks per day, along with a full carnival complete with rides, live music and plenty of deep-fried snacks. Carnival day passes are available for $35; for more information and to purchase passes (and access a $5- off coupon), visit foodtruckcarnival.com.

To celebrate a decade in business, Odyssey Beerwerks (5535 West 56th Avenue in Arvada) is throwing a three-day, kid-free party. The festivities include special beer releases, a drag queen brunch and a lineup of food trucks. For more information, visit odysseybeerwerks.com.

Saturday, May 20
Stranahan’s is hosting its eighth annual Colorado Whiskey Cask Thief, offering guests the opportunity to taste the rarest “stolen sips” of Stranahan’s whiskeys, extracted directly from the barrel. There will also be food catered by AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q, whiskey-infused ice cream from Sweet Action, live music and more. Ticket options include general admission from noon to 3 p.m. for $70 and an early-access option for $75 (VIP tickets have already sold out).

Sunday, May 21
Following a pandemic hiatus, Wings & Whiskey is back at Ace Eat Serve. The event, which starts at 4 p.m. for general admission and 3 p.m. for VIP, features eight Denver restaurants competing for best wings, along with live music, beer from Great Divide, craft whiskey cocktails and a whiskey-tasting booth, a wing-eating contest, a ping-pong toss and a silent auction, all benefiting the Denver Youth Employment Academy. Tickets start at $65.

Monday, May 22
Work Options, a Denver-based nonprofit that has been providing free culinary job training to under-resourced Coloradans for over 25 years, is hosting the Culinary Classic at the Mosaic Community Campus (1785 Quebec Street) at 6 p.m. Enjoy small plates from twenty of the best chefs in town as they compete for the Golden Spoon award for best dish at this strolling dinner. Tickets start at $89.99.

Saturday, June 10
Westword is introducing a brand-new event, Out to Brunch, that will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at York Street Yards (3881 Steele Street). The festivities will include bottomless beverages and unlimited trips to a fest-sized Bloody Mary bar, plus unlimited bites from restaurants such as Safta, Citizen Rail and The OG. Tickets are available now; general admission is $40 and VIP is $65, which includes early entry and exclusive access to the VIP lounge.

Know of an event that belongs on this calendar? Send information to [email protected].