The short answer
What changed for Denver in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide?
The city's count rose from 31 to 37. One restaurant gained a first star, two near Welton Street became Bib Gourmands, four recent openings were recommended and one steakhouse was removed. No star was lost.
The fourth Colorado selection, announced on September 14, 2026, was the first to cover the whole state. For Denver it was a year of addition rather than upheaval.
Most of the attention around the 2026 guide went to the places that had never been eligible before: Colorado Springs, Aurora, Breckenridge and Telluride. That is a statewide story, and our sister site Best Restaurant Colorado covers it tier by tier. This page is about Denver alone: who arrived, who left, and what the changes say about where the city is eating.
| Award level | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two Michelin Stars | 1 | 1 | None |
| One Michelin Star | 6 | 7 | +1 (Milpero) |
| Bib Gourmand | 8 | 10 | +2 (Pig and Tiger, Rougarou) |
| Recommended | 16 | 19 | +4 new, −1 (Guard and Grace) |
| Total in Denver | 31 | 37 | +6 |
2025 counts from the MICHELIN Guide Colorado 2025 selection; 2026 counts as reported by KDVR and Visit Denver. Statewide, the 2026 guide recognized 63 restaurants.
The new star
Milpero, and a chef with three
Johnny Curiel was already the most decorated chef in Denver's Mexican cooking. Alma Fonda Fina in LoHi earned a star in 2024, and Mezcaleria Alma next door earned its own in 2025. In 2026 his tasting-menu restaurant Milpero, at 3455 Ringsby Court in RiNo, became the only new starred restaurant in Colorado, which gives Curiel three starred Denver restaurants. The James Beard Foundation also shortlisted him for its regional chef award in 2026.
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One Michelin Star New 2026
Milpero
A tasting menu from the Fonda Fina Hospitality Group, in the RiNo industrial blocks off Brighton Boulevard. It is Denver's newest starred room, so expect bookings to be competitive; our tasting menu guide explains how counter restaurants release seats.
The more telling statistic is the one that did not change. Every restaurant that held a star in 2025 kept it in 2026, including the two-star Wolf's Tailor. The guide is revised every year and stars can be lost as easily as they are won, so a clean sweep of retentions is a quiet sign of how consistent Denver's top kitchens have been.
New Bib Gourmands
Five Points gets on the map
Both of Denver's new Bib Gourmands are near Welton Street in Five Points, a neighborhood that had no Michelin-recognized restaurants before this year. The Bib is MICHELIN's award for a very good meal at a reasonable price, and for a normal night out it is often the most useful list in the guide.
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Bib Gourmand New 2026
Pig and Tiger
Taiwanese-inspired cooking from chefs Darren Chang and Travis Masar, on California Street at the edge of downtown and Five Points.
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Bib Gourmand New 2026
Rougarou
Southern cooking on Welton Street, the historic main street of Five Points.
With these two, Denver has ten Bib Gourmands, the most of any Colorado city by a wide margin. Our RiNo and Five Points guide puts them in context with their neighbors.
New to the recommended list
Four arrivals, all of them young
All four of Denver's new recommended restaurants opened recently, which says something about how quickly inspectors are moving in this city.
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Recommended New 2026
Dear Emilia
A love letter to Emilia-Romagna from the team behind Restaurant Olivia: chef Ty Leon, bar director Austin Carson and hospitality director Heather Morrison, whose service at Olivia won a Michelin award in 2025. It opened on January 29, 2026, inside The Current, an office building in RiNo.
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Recommended New 2026
Heretík
The Denver restaurant from Theo Adley, the chef behind Marigold in Lyons, with a menu previewed as Basque and French in influence. Adley and Jenessa Reiman won the 2026 MICHELIN Sommelier Award here, one of only four special awards in Colorado this year.
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Recommended New 2026
Florence Supper Club
An Italian-American supper club on South Pearl Street in Washington Park, in the classic red-sauce tradition.
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Recommended New 2026
Madeline
Chef Quincy Cherrett's seasonal New American restaurant opened in May 2026 in the former Fruition space on East Sixth Avenue, south of Cheesman Park.
The departure
Guard and Grace leaves the guide
Guard and Grace, Troy Guard's downtown steakhouse at 1801 California Street, had been on the recommended list since the guide's first Colorado edition in 2023. It is not in the 2026 selection. Westword reported that Guard said he was not bothered, pointing to steady crowds, and that he is planning new concepts, including G&G Surf Club in the Denver Tech Center. A restaurant leaving the guide is not a verdict that it has closed or declined; it means inspectors did not list it this year.
Its removal leaves Downtown, the office core, without a recognized restaurant. LoDo, Union Station and Larimer Square, all within a short walk, still have five between them.
Beyond MICHELIN: a James Beard winner
The year's other headline came in June, when a Denver dumpling specialist won the Mountain region's top chef prize ahead of a shortlist that included Curiel. That restaurant has no MICHELIN listing, a reminder that the two awards look for different things; our Asian restaurants guide has the story.
What it means if you are eating out
- RiNo got deeper. With Milpero, Dear Emilia and Heretík it now has ten recognized restaurants, the most of any neighborhood.
- The value list grew. Two new Bib Gourmands near Five Points are the easiest of this year's additions to get into on short notice.
- New restaurants book fast. A fresh listing brings a wave of interest. If you want Milpero or Dear Emilia, plan ahead and use waitlists; our reservations guide explains how.
- The full list is searchable. All 37 are in the directory, filterable by neighborhood and cuisine.
Common questions
Questions, Answered
How many Denver restaurants are in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide?
37: one with two stars (The Wolf's Tailor), seven with one star, ten Bib Gourmands and nineteen recommended restaurants, according to the selection announced on September 14, 2026.
Which Denver restaurant earned a new MICHELIN star in 2026?
Milpero, chef Johnny Curiel's tasting-menu restaurant at 3455 Ringsby Court in RiNo. It was the only new star in Colorado in 2026.
Which Denver restaurants were new in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide?
Seven: Milpero (one star), Pig and Tiger and Rougarou (Bib Gourmand), and Dear Emilia, Florence Supper Club, Heretík and Madeline (recommended).
Did any Denver restaurant lose its MICHELIN listing in 2026?
Yes. Guard and Grace, a recommended restaurant since 2023, is not in the 2026 selection. No Denver restaurant lost a star.
Sources
Where These Facts Come From
Awards and addresses are checked against the sources below. We do not publish hours or prices; confirm details with each restaurant before you go. Spotted an error? Tell us.
- Visit Denver: Denver welcomes year four of MICHELIN Guide Colorado awards
- KDVR: 2026 MICHELIN Guide, all recognized restaurants in Colorado
- Denver7: MICHELIN reveals updated Denver guide
- Michelin: first statewide selection for Colorado
- Westword: Michelin Guide reveals 2026 Colorado statewide awards
- Westword: Troy Guard looks to the future after Guard and Grace loses Michelin status
- James Beard Foundation: 2026 James Beard Award winners
- CBS Colorado: Denver chef Penelope Wong wins James Beard Award
- Denver Gazette: New restaurant in Denver imagined as love letter to northern Italy (Dear Emilia)
- Westword: New restaurant Heretík opening in Five Points
Keep exploring
More Denver Guides
RiNo and Five Points restaurants
Ten recognized rooms in RiNo and two new Bib Gourmands on Welton Street.
LoHi, Sunnyside, Berkeley and West Highland
Northwest Denver: the two-star, two Curiel stars and four neighborhood rooms.
South Pearl, Wash Park and Cherry Creek
Two stars in one building, a supper club, Barolo Grill and Baker's Bib.
Mexican restaurants in Denver
Three Curiel stars, pozole in Ballpark, Cherry Creek's Alteño and more.
Chinese, Japanese and Taiwanese in Denver
Kizaki, Hop Alley, MAKfam, Pig and Tiger, and Federal Boulevard's Little Saigon.
Italian restaurants in Denver
Tavernetta, Barolo Grill, Olivia, Dear Emilia, Florence Supper Club and Dio Mio.
Tasting menus and chef's counters
How Denver's counter restaurants book, what they cost in time, and how to choose.