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Whether you’re visiting Denver or looking for a new morning hangout in your neighborhood, the best cafes in Denver are an oversupply of choices for coffee, tea, and breakfast. We’ve got you sorted for some tasty choices to get your mornings off to a good start in Denver.
There are more options in Denver for cafes than you might realize – you just have to know where to go. And sometimes you just need to go a little further afield.
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Hidden classic Denver neighborhood cafés
I’d suggest heading to the charming little corner of 12th and Madison. There you can take your pick between two cafés.
The French Press
To sit down and have a delicious breakfast and coffee, go to The French Press on the south side of 12th Avenue. Try the Sterling’s Sweet Biscuits (which is actually a savory breakfast with chipotle biscuits and chorizo gravy) or the Almond Tres Leches French Toast. Have a seat inside or, weather permitting outside, and enjoy the people watching.
Under the Umbrella
If you’re on the go and out walking the dog or exploring the neighborhood, stop by Under the Umbrella. You can order at the corner window and grab a dog biscuit for Fido. They have tasty coffee from a local Denver roaster (see Pablo’s later in this list) and good snacks, and always have a friendly word for customers.
Copper Door Coffee Roasters
The best café for nature lovers is at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The entrance faces York Street near the intersection with 11th Ave. Copper Door has a few locations in Denver, but here you can enjoy the atmosphere of Congress Park and the Denver botanic gardens.
This is one café that you can access without buying a ticket into the gardens itself. But you can grab a coffee and a pastry, and sit outside in the warm seasons, surrounded by some of the incredibly landscaped creations that Denver Botanic Gardens has on display.
Tattered Cover Bookstore and Café
The best café for introverts and bookworms is at the classic Tattered Cover Book Store on Colfax Ave. This is a small café with some outdoor tables in a breezeway between buildings, surprisingly quiet and sheltered for its location just off Colfax Ave. But since you’re here for the atmosphere, you’ll probably opt to sit indoors surrounded by the books. Tattered Cover is a Denver institution for very good reason.
This Tattered Cover location sits in the former Bonfils/Lowenstein Theater, so it’s a grand space with an intimate atmosphere. When you finish your coffee, you can browse the store and curl up in one of many reading nooks set up with comfy chairs and couches. This is Denver’s favorite bookstore, and has been since long before “online shopping” was a thing. It first opened in 1971, and outlived many independent bookstores for a reason—this business understood how to cater to book lovers.
Sadly, Tattered Cover’s independency ended with bankruptcy and sale to Barnes & Noble in late summer 2024, and they closed several locations. However, the Colfax store is still around. Do yourself a favor and spend a little time here while the old character remains.
Local tip: To park at this location, use the alley entryway to the parking garage west of the bookstore.
Bring your parking ticket into the store with you, and have it validated at the café for free parking.
To cast a wider net of the best cafés in Denver, following are recommendations from other local insiders for west, east, and downtown coffee shops.
Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters in west Denver
Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters has three locations in the west and northwest suburbs of Denver. There’s one in Lakewood, one in Westminster, and one in Arvada. The owners are deeply serious about the perfect brew and about running a welcoming company that maintains strict standards and principles.
They hold coffee tasting and brewing classes regularly at their shop locations. They ship their coffees for retail and wholesale purchases as well.
Little Owl’s downtown Denver locations
Little Owl Coffee has four central locations. The stores are tiny, and truly focused on coffee and service. Little Owl has a dedicated local following among serious coffee aficionados. They offer a coffee subscription service so that you can enjoy ongoing tastings at home.
Queen City Collective Coffee
Queen City Collective has a central Five Points location along with a southwest (Baker) shop and a northwest (Wheat Ridge) location. The owners previously were humanitarian workers in Africa, where they built relationships with local farmers. After returning home to Denver, they started their local roasting company based on the idea of knowing the entire supply chain “from farm to cup”.
You can order coffee and “small food options” at the store locations. Queen City is also a roasting company, so you can take home a bag, or get regular deliveries from their subscription service.
Glissade on the east side of Denver
Glissade Coffee Company is a roaster located in Aurora. The owner spent years apprenticing in a Seattle roaster before opening up his Colorado coffee shop. Glissade is a favorite among true Denver-area coffee lovers. The Aurora coffee shop is a bright and beautiful space where you can have a croissant or breakfast burrito with your coffee. You can also purchase coffee to take home or you can order regular shipments.
Pablo’s Coffee, locations through east central Denver
Pablo’s Coffee is a longstanding Denver roaster (26 years and counting), and you’ll find plenty of locals ready to back up their claim that they have Denver’s best coffee. They have three locations—Colfax and Syracuse in east Denver, Governor’s Park (6th and Washington), and Capitol Hill (13th and Pennsylvania).
Pablo’s sells directly to customers, of course, but they also supply other local favorite coffee shops, including Under the Umbrella, recommended earlier in this list.
This list of the best cafés in Denver just scratches the surface, but it offers a little something for everyone. Whether you are looking for just the right location and mood, or you want to sample the best that serious coffee geeks have to offer, you can find the right spot to spend a morning.
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