brought to you by Frontier Airlines
Weekend getaways are becoming more popular than ever before and have proven to bring more happiness into our lives. In our own search for happiness, we partnered with Frontier Airlines, as they offer the lowest fares and have several direct flights out of Austin Bergstrom International Airport. Denver is known for its breweries, dining scene, and mountainside views, so a quick 2-hour direct flight on Frontier was a must. This is our guide to a weekend in Denver.
Before visiting a new city, I like to cross-reference my research by crowdsourcing recommendations from my followers (like you, thanks), any locals I know, city magazines and online travel resources like Eater, Conde Naste, etc. Places that are mentioned several times throughout my research are moved to the top of my list to visit. Here are the top places we found to stay, enjoy a beer, and most importantly eat.
Union Station
Denver should first and foremost be noted for the ease of travel throughout the city. Not only was our flight smooth (thanks to Frontier), but transportation from the airport into the city was also a cinch due to the train from Denver International to Union Station. The train takes just about 40 minutes in and out of the city. Instead of renting a car, we were able to take Uber + Lyft within the city, walk, ride bikes [super bike-friendly city], and even took a bus from Union Station to Boulder, CO for a day.
Food Halls
Avanti Food and Beverage, a Collective Eatery: Avanti was one of my favorite spots from our trip! We visited on a Sunday and could tell right away this was a popular weekend hangout in the Highlands area. Avanti is essentially a modern-day food hall complete with a rooftop bar. Here you will find a collection of fairly priced local eateries, everything from tacos to poke bowls. We tried QuickFish’s rainbow bowl which was a great afternoon snack between meals!
Milk Market Denver: Food halls in Denver are essentially the equivalent of food trucks in Austin. They are everywhere and provide a great opportunity for smaller chefs and restaurateurs to break into the scene. Milk Market hosts sixteen all local, take-away and dine-in concepts in its Downtown space. The food hall is open from 7 am to 11 pm daily with a 1 am closing time on weekends.
Uchi Denver: Austin’s popular sushi restaurant, Uchi, recently opened in Denver so we had to treat ourselves to a meal here on our trip. I was very impressed that the level of service and food quality remained consistent at Uchi Denver. The restaurant has become a hit with the locals and was recently featured in Denver’s 5820 Magazine as the editors pick for top sushi.
Biju’s Little Curry Shop: This was certainly our most casual meal, but also a clear favorite. We had seen X-Hot Vindaloo Chicken from Biju’s Little Curry Shop on the Food Network prior to our visit, and being avid fans of spicy curry bowls — we had to indulge. The staff told us that the sauce was an 8/10 on spice level and it definitely had a burn… we actually regretted mixing in all of the sauce because it was hard to finish the whole bowl at that level of spice. Hoping they open one of these in Austin soon!
Corinne: Lunch at Corinne was fantastic! The restaurant is located inside of the Le Meridien Hotel right across from the Denver Convention Center on California Street. They have a wide selection of food on their menu ranging from healthy options like salads and poke to hearty pasta and decadent desserts. I will be dreaming of the peanut butter pretzel pie for weeks to come!
Panzano: On Sunday we had brunch at Panzano inside the Kimpton Hotel Monaco. They serve primarily Italian dishes with a few brunch specials on the weekends. The mushroom pizza was delicious with a honey glaze and Calabrian peppers for the perfect sweet and spicy flavor combination. I also had the omelet of the day which had smoked salmon and goat cheese. Yum! OH, and get the Banana Bread French Toast for a sweet treat.
Breweries & Beer Gardens
It is no secret that Denver is known for having some of the best breweries in the country and with the craft beer scene taking off, there are endless numbers of breweries + beer gardens to visit. These were our favorites!
10 Barrel Brewing Company: 10 Barrel boasts a twenty barrel brewing system with over twenty-four freshly brewed beers on tap. The space features a rooftop patio overlooking the RiNo neighborhood, homemade grub from the kitchen and an open space layout where you can see the brewing in action.
Tap Fourteen Rooftop Beer Garden: On a mission to try every craft beer in Colorado? Well, you can start here. Tap Fourteen features 70+ local Colorado beers at any given time, and not only do they support local beer but the also have 50+ Colorado whiskeys on the menu. There are two locations one near Coors Field Ballpark and one in Uptown.
Recess Beer Garden: Tucked into the LoHi Neighborhood in Denver is a local favorite called Recess. Pup friendly with tasty beer and food made this an easy place to enjoy the outdoor weather and conversations.
Hotel
Kimpton Hotel Monaco: The Kimpton Hotel Monaco was just a 15-minute walk from Union Station in Downtown Denver and centrally located near the 16th Street Mall district. We loved the downtown views from our room and took the free bikes out for a ride on Sunday after brunch for a trip up to the Highlands. The hotel also had a happy hour in the lobby every afternoon with free wine, beer, and horderves.
Boulder
Looking for a change of scenery? Take the city bus 45 mins northwest to Boulder and you’ll be surrounded by mountains in one of the most charming towns in America. Boulder is also home to the University of Colorado’s 600-acre campus, as well as the popular Pearl Street Mall which hosts an array of dining and shopping options.
Arcana: Arcana Boulder is known for using seasonal Coloradan ingredients native to its home state including local bee pollen, elk berries, etc. Even the chairs and tables themselves were hand-crafted from beetle kill pine. The menu changes regularly and we loved the brunch offered here!
Kilwin’s Ice Cream: Kilwin’s is an old fashioned ice cream chain in the heart of Boulder’s Pearl Street district. They were handing out samples of their homemade fudge on the street when we stumbled on in for ice cream. It was delicious and the perfect end to our day in Boulder.
Why Fly Frontier?
Frontier Airlines has been recognized as an industry leader in airline fuel-efficiency by The International Council on Clean Transportation, and they are now America’s Greenest Airline. With the addition of their new lightweight seats that are made from recycled leather products, they are saving 214 gallons of fuel per year. This reduction in 2018 alone is the equivalent of 359 billion plastic straws disappearing or 15.2 billion plastic water bottles saved. Flying Frontier is one quick way to reduce your carbon footprint while flying the skies!
Frontier Airlines is headquartered in Denver, Colorado and you can find out more about Frontier Airlines Low Fares Done Right on their website. We hope you book a trip to one of their 100+ destinations in the United States, Dominican Republic, Canada, and Mexico soon!
