Denver Welcomes Year Three of MICHELIN Guide Colorado Awards with the State's First Two Starred Restaurant, Three New One Starred Restaurants, New Recommended and Three New Special Award Winners

DENVER, Sept. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, the MICHELIN Guide recognized 32 Denver restaurants in the third year of their Colorado Guide. The famously anonymous MICHELIN Guide inspectors honored a diverse range of restaurants across the city that exude culinary excellence. 

Denver joins Boulder, Aspen and Snowmass Village, and the Town of Vail and Beaver Creek Resort in the Colorado MICHELIN Guide, the eighth Guide destination in North America, partnering with the Colorado Tourism Office.

"Congratulations to Denver's MICHELIN Guide-recognized restaurants including the state's first ever two starred restaurant, The Wolf's Tailor; newly selected one starred restaurants, Kizaki, Margot and Mezcaleria Alma; new recommended restaurants, Alteño, Ukiyo and Wildflower; in addition to MICHELIN Special Award winners, Dustin Lawlor of Hop Alley for Exceptional Cocktails Award, Heather Morrison of Restaurant Olivia for Outstanding Service Award and Aiden Tibbetts of Wildflower for Michelin Young Chef Award," said Richard W. Scharf, president and CEO of Visit Denver, one of the organizations responsible for bringing the program to Colorado. "Receiving a Michelin award represents a chef and restaurant's commitment to the highest hospitality standards. We are grateful to restaurant owners and chefs who believe in Denver and chose this city to execute their vision. In doing so, they invite visitors from around the world to discover the city's unique and fresh flavors that make Denver home to some of the best food in the world." 

The MICHELIN Guide gives honors at several levels. MICHELIN Stars are based on five criteria: quality of products, mastery of cooking technique, harmony and balance of flavors, the personality of the chef as expressed in the cuisine and consistency between visits and throughout the menu. The Guide's Bib Gourmand selection highlights restaurants that offer great quality food at good prices and are judged by the same criteria used for the Star designation. The MICHELIN Green Star is awarded to restaurants that are leaders in sustainable gastronomy. Finally, Recommended restaurants include those that are above average and prepare high quality meals with fresh ingredients.

Below is a list of celebrated Denver restaurants in each category. More information about these restaurants and the MICHELIN Guide program are available on the Visit Denver website.

Exceptional Cocktails Award

• Dustin Lawlor, Hop Alley

Outstanding Service Award

• Heather Morrison, Restaurant Olivia

Young Chef or Culinary Professional Award

• Aiden Tibbetts, Wildflower

Two MICHELIN Stars

• The Wolf's Tailor (NEW!)

One MICHELIN Star

• Alma Fonda Fina
• Beckon
• Brutø
• Kizaki (NEW!)
• Margot (NEW!)
• Mezcaleria Alma (NEW!)

MICHELIN Green Star

• Brutø
• The Wolf's Tailor

Bib Gourmand

• Ash'Kara
• The Ginger Pig
• Glo Noodle House
• Hop Alley
• La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal
• MAKfam
• Mister Oso
• Tavernetta

Recommended Restaurants

• A5 Steakhouse
• Alteño (NEW!)
• Barolo Grill
• Brasserie Brixton
• Dio Mio
• Guard and Grace
• Hey Kiddo
• Kawa Ni
• Marco's Coal Fired
• Mercantile Dining and Provision
• Restaurant Olivia
• Q House
• Safta
• Smok
• Temaki Den
• Ukiyo (NEW!)
• Wildflower (NEW!)

The MICHELIN Guide is a reliable resource for travelers looking for an excellent meal in more than 40 destinations worldwide. The Guide was first published in France at the turn of the 20th century to encourage the development of car mobility as well as tire sales by giving practical advice to motorists. Since then, the Guide has specialized in restaurant and hotel recommendations.

About Visit Denver, The Convention & Visitors Bureau 

Celebrating 116 years of promoting the Mile High City, Visit Denver is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. Denver welcomed more than 37.1 million visitors in 2024, generating $10.3 billion in spending, while supporting tens of thousands of jobs and making Tourism one of the city's largest industries. Learn more about Denver at Visit Denver or Tourism Pays Denver. Follow Denver's social media channels for up-to-the-minute updates on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. 

With press or photo inquiries, please contact: 

Taylor Shields, Director of PR & Communications 

Caroline Campbell, PR & Communications Manager 

Natalie St. Hilaire, PR & Communications Coordinator 

[email protected] 

Link to Digital Assets: Michelin Guide Ceremony 2025

About Michelin North America, Inc.

Michelin is the leading mobility company and manufacturer of life-changing composites and experiences. For more than 130 years, Michelin has made contributions to human progress and to a more sustainable world. Michelin is constantly innovating to manufacture high-quality tires and components for critical applications for demanding fields, including mobility, construction, aeronautics, low-carbon energies and healthcare and offer the finest experiences, from providing data- and AI-based connected solutions for professional fleets to recommending outstanding restaurants and hotels curated by the MICHELIN Guide. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America has approximately 23,500 employees and operates 35 production facilities in the United States (michelinman.com) and Canada (michelin.ca). 

SOURCE VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau