Colorado has been on the global culinary map of the prestigious Michelin Guide since 2023 the esteemed dining guide released its first-ever Michelin Guide awards in the state. But this year Michelin expanded its program across all of Colorado, adding new locations to consideration including Colorado Springs.
You can read about Colorado Springs’ first Michelin honorees here. Other highlights of Michelin Colorado 2026 winners include a new Michelin Star restaurant: Milpero in Denver. Three restaurants received new Bib Gourmand honors for great food at a good value. Those are Annette in Aurora, Pig and Tiger in Denver and Rougarou, also in Denver.
The full Michelin Guide Colorado selection now includes 63 restaurants spanning 22 different cuisine types.
“The first statewide Colorado selection reflects the remarkable evolution of the state’s culinary landscape from its humble beginnings in 2023,” said Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Michelin Guide. “From established culinary hubs to emerging dining destinations, the talent, creativity and diversity found throughout Colorado continue to impress our inspectors. The evolving culinary scene has become a destination in and of itself, offering travelers compelling reasons to explore the state through its restaurants. Congratulations to this year’s chefs and restaurant teams for their continued hard work and passion.”
Here is the full listing of Colorado’s Michelin Guide award winners with their Michelin descriptions as of 2026.
Two Michelin Stars
Restaurants may receive one to three Michelin Stars for the quality of their food based on five criteria: quality of the ingredients used, mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in the cuisine, harmony of flavors, and consistency between visits. One star signifies “High quality cooking. Worth a stop!” Two stars signify “Excellent cooking. Worth a detour.!” Three stars signify “Exceptional cuisine. Worth a journey!”
The Wolf’s Tailor
Denver
Cuisine: Contemporary, Creative
“Offering a seamless dining experience as intriguing as its name, this comfortable haven blends together creativity, attention to detail, and charm. Chef Taylor Stark and his team stitch together an ambitious multicourse menu from culinary influences near and far.”
As part of the Id Est family of restaurants, the chef’s table experience of The Wolf’s Tailor could be considered its culinary laboratory. With two Michelin Stars, The Wolf’s Tailor stands above the rest, but sister concepts BRUTØ, Basta and Hey Kiddo have all been honored by the Michelin Guide. And its owners Erika and Kelly Whitaker received the national James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur award last year. Undoubtedly, the group stands at the forefront of Colorado dining.
One Michelin Star
Alma Fonda Fina
Denver; Mexican/Contemporary cuisine
Chef Johnny Curiel started off in his family’s restaurant in Guadalajara, and after years of high-end culinary experience, he revisits dishes and flavors from his upbringing with creativity and finely honed technique delivering results that are both satisfying and delicious. Resist the temptation to fixate on any one item, as the menu is littered with treasures: perfectly crisped pork belly carnitas make for a brilliant taco on a sourdough flour tortilla, while agave-roasted sweet potato with nutty salsa matcha and luxuriously creamy whipped requesón is a revelation, and vibrant seafood crudos like thinly sliced Maine diver scallop with tomatillo and apple aguachile are downright electric. No desserts are offered for the time being, so there’s no reason to leave any extra room.
Beckon
Denver; Contemporary cuisine
More than just a name, it’s an ethos at this ambitious RiNo dining room from Chef Duncan Holmes where staff warmly welcome you. Once inside this Scandi-cool space, diners pull up a chair at the 18-seat counter facing the kitchen where a focused team is hard at work. The multicourse contemporary tasting menu rotates quarterly (think harvest-themed in the fall). This kitchen offers far from typical dishes. Seared quail breast with a confit leg is spot on, especially when sided by creamed kale made with sunflower seeds and a quail reduction.
Bosq
Aspen; Contemporary cuisine
At this singular enclave, Chef Barclay Dodge and his team are executing seasonally inspired cooking that focuses on foraging, fermenting and local farms. The menu format allows diners to customize their own tasting of four or more courses. From hand-picked spruce tips to butter from locally sourced cooperative dairy cows, this is a concept that pays attention to details — even ingredients from farther afield, like lobster from New England, gets a hit of local flavor from being grilled over juniper wood.
Brutø
Denver; Mexican/Contemporary cuisine
Chef Michael Diaz de Leon runs the show here, where the team takes a serious approach to locality and seasonality, not only in the produce but also the grains, which they mill or nixtamalize in-house. The mastery of the hearth as the primary cooking implement makes this operation special, and it infuses each of the tasting menu’s courses with distinct notes. The menu, which is Mexican at its core, has a clear narrative, and is perhaps best displayed in lamb prepared two ways — as a street-style taco and ground lamb leg kushiyaki with a quenelle of mole chichilo.
Frasca Food and Wine
Boulder; Italian cuisine
All are treated as special guests here, where Chef Ian Palazzola’s cooking is Italian, but in a hyper-specific way: It’s the food of the northeast Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. You’ll find pasta and seafood on the prix fixe and tasting menus, but Slavic and Alpine elements also appear. Focused and distinct, the menu might showcase a lesser-known part of Italy, but the ingredients are clearly Coloradan. The plates are beguiling with a minimal, straightforward approach, as in cjalson, half-moon fresh spinach pasta pockets filled with an English pea and potato purée.
Kizaki
Denver
Cuisine: Japanese
“Going back more than four decades, Chef Toshi Kizaki has been a veritable trailblazer of Denver’s sushi scene, but even now in his 70s, he’s not content to rest on his laurels. In a culmination of his long career, he now raises the stakes with this luxurious counter, bringing a new echelon of omakase to the Mile High City. Blending traditional edomae techniques and creative modern flourishes, the extensive menu alternates between small dishes like gorgeously marbled black-and-white sesame tofu and nigiri carefully crafted by Chef Kizaki himself.”
Margot
Denver
Cuisine: Contemporary
“After years spent as an esteemed pop-up, Chef Justin Fulton’s passion project has found a permanent berth at a cozy eight-seat counter tucked inside a larger shared space. Offered as a contemporary multicourse tasting that follows the seasons, his signature cuisine is both global and distinctly Coloradan, taking inspiration from local ingredients while weaving together wide-ranging influences.”
Mezcaleria Alma
Denver
Cuisine: Mexican
Chef Johnny Curiel continues to collect honors, including this Michelin Star for the parallel concept next to his flagship Alma Fonda Fina.
“As the name suggests, the small stylish space has a mezcal bar vibe — and a list of inventive, mouthwatering agave spirit-based cocktails to go with it — but it’s also a showcase for Chef Curiel’s culinary talents. Evoking the vibrant creativity of Mexico City’s restaurant scene, the succinct menu is sprinkled with international flavors, as in an herbaceous ceviche of kanpachi that incorporates dill and roasted garlic, or a subtly spiced aguachile of Santa Barbara uni and Hokkaido scallop with mandarin and crispy ginger.”
Milpero (Denver; Mexican cuisine) — 2026 addition
Chef Johnny Curiel has already established himself as an adept practitioner of contemporary Mexican cuisine, but at this rarefied workshop, his aims are more ambitious still. A multifaceted tasting menu studiously marries tradition with invention, celebrating regional cuisines. The myriad of distinctive moles stitched throughout the meal illustrates the point, from a beet-tinted mole rosa dotting a bluefin tuna flauta, to a robust mole amarillo matched with American wagyu and hearty ayocote beans. The meal ends with a satisfying yet whimsical flourish of warm chocolatey champurrado poured over an atole mousse in the shape of a corn cob. Service is seamless and warmly hospitable, and both striking cocktails and a singular assortment of top-flight Mexican wines are sure to impress.
Bib Gourmand
As of 2026, the Micheline Guide Inspectors have identified nine Colorado restaurants to award the Bib Gourmand designation, which recognizes eateries for great food at a great value. Read more about all of Colorado’s inaugural Bib Gourmand restaurants.
Annette (Aurora) — New addition
Ash’Kara (Denver)
Basta (Boulder)
Cozobi Fonda Fina (Boulder)
The Ginger Pig (Denver)
Glo Noodle House (Denver)
Hop Alley (Denver)
La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal (Denver)
MAKfam (Denver)
Mister Oso (Denver)
Pig and Tiger (Denver) — New addition
Rougarou (Denver) — New addition
Tavernetta (Denver)
Michelin Recommended Restaurants in Colorado
Michelin’s Recommended Restaurants are establishments serving notably good food, though not quite deemed up to the Star or Bib Gourmand standards. Colorado received 40 Michelin Recommended restaurants:
A5 Steakhouse (Denver)
Alteño (Denver)
Barolo Grill (Denver)
Blackbelly Market & Restaurant (Boulder)
Boulder Dushanbe Tea House (Boulder)
Bramble & Hare (Boulder)
Brasserie Brixton (Denver)
Casa Juani (Boulder) — New addition
Dân Dã (Aurora) — New addition
Dear Emilia (Denver) — New addition
Dio Mio (Denver)
Element 47 (Aspen)
Florence Supper Club (Denver) — New addition
Four by Brother Luck (Colorado Springs) — New addition
Heretik (Denver) — New addition
Hey Kiddo (Denver)
Kawa Ni (Denver)
Madeline (Denver) — New addition
Marco’s Coal Fired (Denver)
Mawa’s Kitchen (Aspen)
Mercantile Dining and Provision (Denver)
Mirabelle (Avon)
Oak at Fourteenth (Boulder)
Osaki’s (Vail)
Prospect (Aspen)
Radicato (Breckenridge) — New addition
Restaurant Olivia (Denver)
Rootstalk (Breckenridge) — New addition
Safta (Denver)
Santo (Boulder)
Smok (Denver)
Splendido at the Chateau (Beaver Creek)
Stella’s Cucina (Boulder)
Sweet Basil (Vail)
Temaki Den (Denver)
The National (Telluride) — New addition
The Penrose Room (Colorado Springs) — New addition
Ukiyo (Denver)
Wildflower (Denver)
Zoe Ma Ma (Boulder)
Michelin Guide Colorado Special Awards
In addition to the Bib Gourmand and Stars, the Michelin Guide announces Special Awards for unique contributions to the culinary scene.
Michelin Special Awards 2026
Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award
Kyle McNerney, Four by Brother Luck, Colorado Springs
Michelin Sommelier Award
Theo Adley and Jenessa Reiman, Heretik, Denver
Michelin Outstanding Service Award
Joseph Freyre, The Penrose Room, Colorado Springs
Michelin Young Chef/Culinary Professional Award
Cameron Baker, Radicato, Breckenridge
Past Michelin Guide Colorado Special Awards
Michelin Special Awards 2025
Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award
Dustin Lawlor, Hop Alley, Denver
Michelin Sommelier Award
Nick Heilman, Bosq, Aspen
Michelin Outstanding Service Award
Heather Morrison, Olivia, Denver
Michelin Young Chef Award
Aiden Tibbetts, Wildflower, Denver
Michelin Special Awards 2024
Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award
Jessenia Sanabria, Sweet Basil, Vail
Michelin Sommelier Award
Chris Dunaway, Element 47, Aspen
Michelin Outstanding Service Award
Allison Anderson, Beckon, Denver
Michelin Young Chef / Culinary Professional Award
Johnny Curiel, Alma Fonda Fina
Michelin Special Awards 2023
Exceptional Cocktails Award
Caroline Clark, The Wolf’s Tailor (Denver)
Sommelier Award
Ryan Fletter and Erin Lindstone, Barolo Grill (Denver)
Outstanding Service Award
Sergei Kiefel and front-of-house team, Frasca Food and Wine (Boulder)
Young Chef/Culinary Professional Award
Kelly Kawachi, Blackbelly Market (Boulder)
History of the Michelin Guide Colorado
“This is a proud moment for Colorado and for the Michelin Guide, with five Michelin-Starred restaurants highlighting the state’s debut selection of restaurants,” said Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Michelin Guides, in an inaugural press release. “It’s quite an impressive feat for a debut selection to include so many Michelin Green Stars. Our famously anonymous inspectors were wowed by these restaurants’ high-quality, local ingredients, sourced seasonally and sustainably. It’s a very exciting time for the culinary community here, and we feel the momentum growing.”
With the awards, Colorado became the eighth location in North America evaluated by the international Michelin Guide. The state joins the company of New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C., California, Florida, Toronto and Vancouver. Atlanta was the next addition.
The Colorado Tourism Office led the effort to bring the Michelin Guide to Colorado as a strategy to highlight the state’s dining scene as a destination. Restaurants were reviewed for consideration in six Colorado cities: Denver, Boulder, Aspen, Vail, Snowmass and Beaver Creek. As the New York Times reported, tourism boards and resort companies in those areas paid $70,000 to $100,000 to participate, along with $100,000 annually by the Colorado Tourism Board. Visit Colorado Springs and Visit Aurora chose not to participate, but you can read our list of 30 Best Restaurants in Colorado Springs. (This New York Times article provides interesting insights into the development of the Michelin Guide’s paid partnership model and opinions on its benefits and detriments in Colorado.)
In 2026 the Michelin Guide expanded its program statewide throughout Colorado. As noted in our Michelin Guide Is Coming to Colorado Springs, that brought Michelin inspectors and the program’s prestige to more cities, including the Springs, Breckenridge, Telluride and more.
The Colorado Tourism Office hails the introduction of the Michelin awards as a historic moment for Colorado’s dining scene and an opportunity to attract more global visitors and tourism dollars. “These prestigious awards signify more than just recognition for our restaurants; they symbolize a significant elevation of Colorado’s status on the global culinary map and the state’s steadfast dedication to sustainability,” said Tim Wolfe, director of the Colorado Tourism Office, in a press release. “With this momentous event, we’re set to attract travelers and food lovers from around the world, bolstering our economy and cultural influence. This inaugural ceremony marks the beginning of Michelin’s presence and recognition in Colorado, and I am excited for expanded opportunities in the future.”
Governor Jared Polis added in a 2025 press release, “Colorado’s delicious restaurant scene only continues growing stronger, and with the addition of the Michelin Guide in Colorado, I expect even more excitement around our incredible restaurants. Our favorite restaurants are the heart of our communities and important job creators and this celebration will strengthen the entire restaurant industry.”
You can explore more info about the Michelin Star restaurants in Colorado, across the U.S. and around the world at guide.michelin.com.
