Michelin, whose guides are the preeminent arbiter of fine dining across the globe, landed in Colorado for the first time on Tuesday evening, revealing the state’s inaugural stars at a live ceremony in Denver. Five restaurants earned stars and snagged a spot in the newly minted guide, which encompasses Denver, Boulder, Aspen, Snowmass, Vail, and Beaver Creek Resort.
Meanwhile, no restaurants received two or three stars in this first edition of the Colorado guide. Nearly all of the newly-starred restaurants hail from Denver: Beckon, BRUTØ, Frasca Food and Wine, and the Wolf’s Tailor. One Aspen restaurant, Bosq, rounded out the group. “We are on the map as a culinary destination,” said Timothy Wolfe, director of the Colorado Tourism Office, at the ceremony’s culmination.
Michelin also announced a cohort of nine Bib Gourmand recipients in advance of the ceremony. Bib Gourmand recognition is awarded to restaurants deemed of high quality while remaining more affordable than their starred peers. Some critics have argued that the Bibs function largely as a way to relegate restaurants that don’t adhere to Michelin’s notions of fine dining—expensive, Eurocentric, Japanese-influenced—to a less prestigious tier, reinforcing a hierarchy that ultimately centers French fare. Colorado’s first Bib Gourmand recipients included La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal, a Mexican restaurant, and the contemporary Chinese restaurant Hop Alley.
The guide’s arrival in Colorado reflects Michelin’s expansion efforts in North America, broadening its purview beyond its usual stomping grounds of New York and California and into relatively smaller markets like Florida (Miami, Orlando, and Tampa), Atlanta, Vancouver, and Toronto.
The months leading up to the ceremony have brought excitement and speculation—and a good dose of skepticism. The decision not to include Aurora and Colorado Springs among its scouting regions drew rebuke from chefs Caroline Glover and Brother Luck, respectively of the two regions, who said they were disappointed to see their cities excluded. Glover, a James Beard Foundation-awarded chef who helms Annette in Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace, characterized it as a “big oversight” to CBS News. To the New York Times, Luck said it was a “slap in the face.”
The reason for their exclusion from the guide (Colorado Springs is the second largest metro in the state) might lie in a recent Times report, which alleged that local tourism boards are essentially paying to be scouted—a dynamic that would bias Michelin toward cities that can afford to ultimately finance their own guides.
According to the Times, the tourism offices in Denver, Boulder, Aspen, Vail, Snowmass, and Beaver Creek each paid Michelin somewhere between $70,000 and $100,000 for inclusion in this year’s guide. By contrast, Aurora and Colorado Springs paid nothing; they found themselves boxed out. “I love all my children equally,” Wolfe told the Times. “But if Colorado Springs wanted to get involved, they have to get involved.”
The Michelin guides’ director, Gwendal Poullenec, told the Times that while Michelin accepts “partnership” money, the vetting process to “assess the maturity” of a prospective market takes ultimate precedence. The “vibrancy” and “dynamic potential” of a given dining scene, he said, are also taken into account.
Taking home Green Stars this year—in recognition of commitment to sustainability—were Blackbelly Market and Bramble and Hare in Boulder, as well as Denver restaurants BRUTØ and the Wolf’s Tailor.
Ryan Fletter and Erin Lindstone of Denver’s Barolo Grill were honored with the Best Sommelier distinction, and Kelly Kawachi of Blackbelly Market received the Young Chef award. Caroline Clark was honored for her cocktail program at the Wolf’s Tailor, and Sergei Kiefel of Frasca Food and Wine took home the Outstanding Service Award.
Below, find a full list of 2023’s Michelin-starred restaurants in Colorado.
One-starred restaurants
- Beckon, Denver
- BRUTØ, Denver
- Frasca Food and Wine, Denver
- The Wolf’s Tailor, Denver
- Bosq, Aspen
Bib Gourmand restaurants
- AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q, Denver
- Ash’Kara, Denver
- Basta, Boulder
- The Ginger Pig, Denver
- Glo Noodle House, Denver
- Hop Alley, Denver
- La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal, Denver
- Mister Oso, Denver
- Tavernetta, Denver
