Best Farm to Table Restaurants in Denver

Sazza brings local, sustainable and farm-to-table concepts to the world of pizza. "We have never felt it necessary to define our version of farm-to-table because it is a lifestyle choice, not a business decision," says Jeff Rogoff, owner of Sazza. "What does that mean? In our home, we eat only organic produce, meats and poultry and we support local purveyors whenever possible. This is the mantra that we took to Sazza and have continued to do more as Sazza evolves." Sazza also takes local beyond food, using local for necessities from ink cartridges to plates. Silverware is donated by customers. "It's all about reusing," Rogoff adds. Each season the list of specials changes based on the best products of the season, so check out what's new on offer each time you go.

BriDer is the casual side of the restaurant group that includes Acorn in Denver and Oak at Fourteenth in Boulder. It's also the one proving casual doesn't mean lesser quality or less commitment to bringing local ingredients to the table. "Even though we're considered a fast-casual restaurant, we always emphasize the importance of seasonality and the quality of ingredients that go into our food," says Executive Chef and Partner, Chase Devitt. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, BriDer is an easy walk from LoDo. Like the other chefs in the group, BriDer chefs partner with Red Wagon Farm in Boulder to source produce for seasonal salads, sandwiches, soups and curries. Rotisseries chicken is a staple but the generous baby kale and shaved apple salad also make a perfect lunch. Kombucha, cold brew, chai? Check. Ditto well-priced beer, wine and cocktails.

Acorn, an anchor in The Source, one of RiNo's multivendor spaces, continually evolves and adheres to a practice of sourcing as much as possible from local farms. New menus are never disappointing. "At Acorn, we've built some really solid relationships with our favorite farms and purveyors and regularly use these ingredients on our menus," says Executive Chef Ian Palazzola. He adds that the staff also preserves ingredients for use in winter, and kitchen and bar teams cross-utilize ingredients to cut down on waste. Among the Colorado farms Acorn chefs work with are Red Wagon, Oxford and Kilt farms, all in Boulder, as well as others in Delta County and Hotchkiss. Although the design is industrial chic, Acorn exudes a welcoming, warm aesthetic. Whether you're at the bar for an after-work cocktail or seated for a full-on dinner, order the candied pecans. Warning: they're utterly addictive.

"At Beatrice & Woodsley, we search for and serve the best quality and most sustainable products available," says Travis Messervey, executive chef. Like other Denver chefs, he says the term farm-to-table has become mostly a marketing strategy, but he believes that exemplary practices will be noticed. "Believing that good food and sourcing methods speak quietly and confidently for themselves, we focus on proper staging, practice and craft so that nature's diverse creations are best understood and celebrated. This fosters a straightforward and honest relationship with our community, without any use for catchphrases or shortcuts." The South Broadway eatery offers a rustic-American menu featuring vegetables, fish and meat along with a compact yet lovely wine list.

This restaurant is about food and community in every sense. Philanthropy is central to the philosophy of the owners and staff, as much as using local growers and food artisans. Duo lists nearly 30 Colorado food partners so diners know that much of the menu is derived from local farms and culinary artisans. It's also a highly creative menu with a comfort food bent. There might be hearty cassoulet or bison short ribs, but also satisfying vegetarian dishes such as cauliflower steak with sweet potato puree. The menu changes with each season so there's always something different but equally delicious as whatever dish you enjoyed on your previous visits. Wines by the glass are plentiful, along with a nice selection of cocktails and Colorado beers.

Located in a chic, airy space with patio seating on Union Station's courtyard, Mercantile offers the perfect mix of sophistication and comfort in its design and menu, and it's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are plenty of veggies, meat, seafood and house-made pasta options on the dinner menu, not to mention a long list of pastries available in the adjacent market, which is stocked with goods from Fruition Farm and other local growers and artisan producers. In addition, the bar serves up creative cocktails inspired by what's available each season and offers an extensive selection of beer and wine. If you're on the run but want a quick bite, sandwich or espresso during the day, grab it to go from the market. You may even see a chef selecting herbs or spices for the evening's meal.

Chef Chris Starkus brought his passion for gardening, growing and beekeeping to the heart of LoDo. "As a chef, beekeeper and farmer I understand that when you can begin from seed selection, that's really where the flavor starts," he says. "No matter if it is mushrooms from Hazel Dell or edible flowers from Lost Creek Micro Farm." Many of the menu ingredients are sourced from the chef's own farm in Lakewood and from farms and ranches across Colorado. Mushrooms, for example, appear in dishes such as Tableside Roasted Local Mushrooms, and edible flowers and local honey enhance a variety of dishes and cocktails. Urban Farmer isn't just a catchy name. It accurately describes the heart and soul of what this restaurant is about.

Potager, which means kitchen garden in French, opened in 1997 in Denver's Capitol Hill area. The founders, a father and daughter, noted the theme of the restaurant is not about a particular type of cuisine (though there are French dishes on the menu) but about locally sourced and seasonally driven foods. "We've stitched together a network of suppliers that we know personally and whose concerns are similar to our own," they said at the start. "We buy food from farmers who know their seeds and soil, ranchers who care about their animals, fish merchants who know the fisherman and are concerned about the sea." In 2019 the founders sold Potager to a new team whose stated mission is to uphold the tradition and ideals of Potager as it has always been.

Alex Seidel opened Fruition Restaurant in 2007. With its menu of upscale comfort food, it was an instant success and remains among Denver's most popular restaurants. Seidel then bought a 10-acre farm and became a hands-on farmer, producing fruits, vegetables and cheese and, at least at the start, raising animals for his restaurant and others. "I have never specifically used the term farm-to-table," he says. "I've always looked at it as a trendy label that has been given to us." What matters to him are the relationships involved, and Fruition Farms has been what he calls an education in understanding how to grow crops, make cheese and raise animals and how to harvest these foods. "Farm-to-table," Seidel says, "is all of those processes and understanding what goes into the relationship between producer and end-user. This hands-on experience has helped us create a viable, long-lasting relationship between farm and restaurant."

Root Down, in Denver's Highlands neighborhood, won't compromise on its dedication to local and sustainable goods and the philosophy that ranching, farming and fishing should be humane and not harm the planet. Almost everything is certified organic. What doesn't come from the restaurant's onsite garden is sourced from local farms, ranches and culinary artisans. "The term farm-to-table began as a small, powerful movement toward awareness of our food supply," says founding culinary director Daniel Asher. "Unfortunately, it has become diluted and casually tossed around as a clever and profitable marketing term. The foundation of the Edible Beats group (Root Down, Linger, Root Down DIA and Ophelia's) was based upon principles of environmental ethics that define every decision we make, from what type of paint to use on the walls to what we package our guest's leftovers in." As for the full-range menu, it absolutely hits the mark.