Root Down

Food here is incredible. The price is a tad high, but you knew that, but the food exceeds expectations. Check it out, but expect to drop about 50 bucks a person.

I stopped here for brunch before heading to the airport. This place is packed but I managed to find a seat for myself at the bar. The lady who worked at the bar was excellent and provided fast service. I ordered the Huevos Ranchero Benedict with the pork belly. Definitely different from all the other Benedicts I had at other restaurants. It was delicious. I also ordered a side of the ramen deviled egg — a bit salty. And for dessert, I had the bread pudding. It was like Christmas in my mouth. I’m definitely going to make a stop here next time I’m in Denver.

I went here for brunch and really enjoyed it. Beware, it does get really busy, even early. I made a reservation for 10:30 and even then, service seemed a bit slow. All that being said, I think it’s a good sign when you have to have around 30 people to work a morning shift.
I had a Bloody Mary, a croissant, and a half order of the banana French toast. The Bloody Mary was one of the better ones I’ve had in a while. I’d go back just for that. The croissant came with miso butter and some sort of jam. I want to put that miso butter all over everything I eat for the rest of my life. Try it. The French toast was hard on the outside, but really moist inside. When I was finished I was kind of wishing I had gotten the bigger order…

Converted service station. Hipster vibe in a neighborhood setting. Farm to table food and innovative drinks. Highly recommend! !! My favorite types of restaurants are the nontraditional. I like restaurants who’s dishes are unique and full of flavor. A foodie delight!!! Sit in a booth in the bar… I loved the vibe in there best!

My gal and I like to stop in here for the occasional date night or evening out with friends and it’s always on point; this, however, is a summary of the first time we came.
We were visiting from out of town and considering a move to Denver, and had heard of Root Down from a local friend. So we waltzed in at 8pm on a Saturday with no reservation. «Sir, that will be about two hours wait.» No big deal — I’m from Chicago, I know that probably means an hour, tops! The «host» strikes up a conversation, where are you from, etc. etc. We talk for a few minutes, about the food scene in Chicago and where we’ve been in Denver, and then step over to the bar to have a cocktail and settle in while we wait. Not five minutes later he puts a hand on my shoulder, «Sir, your table is ready» and escorts us to the only two-​top in front of the huge window overlooking the Denver skyline. He then introduces himself as the OWNER of the restaurant, says he hopes we «fall in love with Denver,» and proceeds to serve us our entire meal, course after course, personally. I feel like we ate the entire menu while making happy grunting noises.
Suffice to say, that night was one of the most special dining experiences we’ve ever had, and a big part of why we keep coming back. He even remembered us the next time we came in, waved and congratulated us on our move! Who does that?!

Ha.
Your clientele wants to look like they live the lavish lifestyle but won’t get free valet because they don’t want to tip.
I love watching the type of people that go into this place.
Either you’re actually a yuppie that enjoys small-​sized plates and over priced foods… or you WANT to be a yuppie and show up for Mimosas and brunch in your Jcrew factory clearance discounts with a cool $ 1k in your bank account after Friday payday ready to splurge on mimosas and $ 9/​beers that are $ 2 down the block.

We used to live by Root Down in LoHi and it quickly became one of our favorite spots in Denver. We used to always walk down the street to enjoy some great food and cocktails for a night out.
The Lamb Sliders are the best thing on the menu (as far as I’m concerned) but I’ve never been disappointed with any other choice. The Banh Mi Turkey Burger served on ciabatta bread with Sambal cream cheese, pickled carrots and daikon, cucumbers, mint, cilantro, jalapeño and sweet potato waffle fries is a close 2^nd.
The one thing I enjoy more than their food offerings is their cocktail menu. I always sip on the Don Draper (an old fashioned with citrus infused rye whiskey, demerara, angostura bitters) and my wife loves their Pepper Blossom (vodka, St. Germain, basil, jalapeño, grapefruit juice, lemon juice).

Ate here on a whim last weekend. I hadn’t been here in forever. Line out the door. My friend and I walk up to the desk, and get seated immediately. I don’t know how that happened, but it was great! Valet outstanding. I left my phone in the car, he ran the three blocks to get it after he parked the car. Super helpful and nice. He wouldn’t park our car until he made sure we had a table, which was awesome.
Food– we had the butternut squash risotto and some drinks. The risotto was amazing. I wish I could remember what drink my friend had– I think it was a Vesper? But she loved it. I had a Moscow Mule. Fab. Service– perfect. Came by at the right moments, friendly, wonderful.
There is no question why the line is always out the door here. Worth it.

Love Root Down restaurant!
I first went here about 2 – 3 years ago, on the recommendation of my older daughter. She has a few dietary restrictions, and had heard and read about Root Down being able to meet those restrictions. Turned out my younger sister had been wanting to come here too. After we checked in with a few other people we know who eat in Denver, and looked on Unilocal and Urban Spoon for reviews, I made the reservation for our party of 6. This was for a birthday dinner for another family membe, and then on to a show at the DCPA.
I got there 30 mins. early, since I didn’t know exactly where I was going and didn’t want to get stuck in rush hour traffic coming from Boulder on a Friday night. I headed to the bar, of course, to wait for the others. My sister came in a few minutes later, and we had some drinks, ordered some apps and waited for the rest of our group coming from Ft. Collins. We were very impressed with the bartender, her recommendations, her drinks were made perfectly, and the apps were AMAZING too!
Once the rest of the group showed up, we moved to our reserved table and went to town ordering a variety of menu choices and recommendations from our waiter. He then told us all the food was served family style, so larger plate sizes than many other places, which was good to know,. So, we cut back on how much we ordered, otherwise someone would have had to find a wheelbarrow to roll me out of there on.
My goodness! The waiter was right on about the portion sizes. We were all so happy though with everything we ate, but we left no room for desserts, sadly. However, we decided to come back after the show to have dessert, since it was a birthday celebration night.
Next time I came, was last year (Oct. 2015) with some out of town family who were staying in Denver for a conference. They had heard about Root Down and wanted to try it. Couldn’t get a reservation, but luckily, we got in without one, but only because we stayed in the bar long enough to wait for a no-​show, or cancelation, or whatever. Again, we were all very pleased with everything.
Excellent service!
Excellent food!
Parking can be tricky though.
Best to make a reservation at least a week or more out, if possible.

Amazing food, we had short rib, trout & rack of lamb all served with perfect sides. I wish they were in Seattle.
Great atmosphere, energy and very clever lighting. Attentive and friendly staff. On the list for the next trip to Denver.

I have been here a few times and I have to say that it never disappoints. The food is inventive and just the right amount of hipster-​y. (Definitely on the almost excessive side of the hipster-​y scale.) I do appreciate that their ingredients are insanely fresh and many of them come from the greenhouse owned by the restaurant. If loving farm to table makes me wrong then I don’t want to be right. The cocktails are in the same vein, inventive and trendy. The menu is relatively small which is almost always a good sign.
They have a really good happy hour (not sure about times) with awesome value on drinks and small plates. They also have a Sunday dinner that comes with 3 or 4 courses from a fixed menu (you choose between two options for each course.) I can only remember 3 items I had, but I kinda feel like it was 4 courses total. Not sure. I think it was $ 30, which is pretty good considering a single entrée can be at least that amount. Each course is a little smaller than a regular entrée would be, but it’s still plenty and its fun to get to try several different things. I had a pasta starter, Wagu beef for my entrée and bread pudding with bourbon ice cream for desert. The pasta was fabulous as was the bread pudding. The beef wasn’t amazing, but was still pretty good. They have a cocktail with St. Germain in it that is pretty wonderful and very «fresh» tasting.
It’s usually pretty crowded and noisy, but not so loud that you can’t hear the people with you. The décor is trendy and comfortable. Strangely enough, every time I’ve been here except once, my party of 4 – 6 has been seated in a large booth in the bar area which I love and now request specifically. So I have only once sat in the actual «dining room,» but I really love that big booth in the bar! The service is always superb and the staff is very knowledgable and friendly. I have never had less than incredible service here.
In conclusion, this place is fabulous (not cheap) and it’s one of my «go-to’s» for out of town guests.

I had an amazing lamb patty on top of a beet salad. The food tasted fresh and it seemed like they do a good job of locally sourcing ingredients.
We were there for brunch-​they had a bottomless mimosa option that looked super popular! We probably should have ordered that, but I’m confident we will return. I suggest making a reservation online, as this spot is popular for good reason!

Can’t say enough good things about this place. This is a perfect seasonal restaurant with changing menu’s, the next as good as the previous one. Parking may be tough but valet is not expensive.
I love the veggie sliders which I ordered on both the occassions i visited the restaurant. I have had the green beans salad, baby beets salad, stuffed gnocci (or something similar) and butternut squash risotto.
The salads are EXCEPTIONAL. I would go there as many times I am in denver.

Root Down is probably the most popular brunch spot in town right now. We arrived shortly before 10:00 am on Sunday and there was already a huge line. If you don’t have a reservation, the right side of the restaurant fills up walk-​ins at the bar and a few of the community tables.
The menu is focused on seasonal organic and local food. They also have an amazing cocktail menu. While most people were chugging down Bloody Marys and bottomless mimosas, I went with the coconut ginger fizz, which was delicious (even the gin was organic). The blood orange mimosa is also a tasty take on the classic mimosa.
Gluten-​free eaters will rejoice at the options on the menu. We started off with the ramen deviled eggs. The turmeric egg yolk was great, but I loved the pickled celery scallion salad with yuzu vin even more. I’ve never had a Benedict with quinoa cakes before, but I might be a convert. They were crispy and slightly sweet. The Root Down Benedict had perfectly poached eggs and a divine ibérico cheese & sun-​dried tomato Hollandaise sauce. The side of home fries were quite colorful to boot.
However, the best thing we ate was the almond flour-​buttermilk pancakes. I can’t believe these are gluten-​free. They were both crispy and fluffy and topped with pear butter, honey whipped cream, and coconut flakes. The side of fresh fruit were thinly sliced and lightly sprinkled with salt and chili pepper (Mexican style).
This was one of the best brunches I’ve ever had. On top of that, the gluten-​free options were amazing and my girlfriend was ecstatic. I can’t wait to return to try their happy hour and dinner menu!

Veg and gluten-​free friendly, very popular neighborhood joint. It was packed at 7 PM on a Wednesday, so reservations are highly recommended, or you might score a few seats at a communal table in the bar area.
The menu has a little of everything. The plates are small for what you pay, but farm to table dining usually comes with a premium.
We started with the squash and parsnip soup, which I wasn’t a huge fan of. It lacked salt, started off sweet, then became increasingly more spicy. I found it too watery as well.
The chickpea fries on a bed of kale salad were delicious. The cheesy cashew Romanesco sauce that came with it was very addictive. A nice vegan and GF dish to share.
If you have room for dessert, you must have the crème brûlée pie. One of the most unique desserts I’ve ever had. I go crazy for whipped cream, and this one has loads of whipped sour cream on top of vanilla custard and a gluten-​free peanut butter chocolate pie crust. They brûlée bananas on the side and top the whole plate off with a load of chopped toasted peanuts, another thing I can never have too much of. OMG. I wanted to keep eating but simply couldn’t. So rich and delectable. If they froze and shipped this dessert, I’d order it online.
Worth the Über drive if you’re staying downtown.

Fantastic place to grab food. I came here after my flight to Denver and was immediately impressed.
They do brunch/​breakfast as well as lunch and dinner. My boyfriend and I ordered the pancakes as a starter and oh my gosh they were delicious. We devoured it in minutes. Everything was super fresh and I can’t even remember all of the ingredients.
I ordered the breakfast burrito which had black beans, chorizo (?), avocado, + egg and it was so good. The mole sauce + pico de gallo weren’t too overpowering and gave it just enough flavor. The home fries were really good too. I love when restaurant’s put a unique spin on this side and they had purple potatoes, regular potatoes, and sweet potatoes all roasted with sea salt. Yum!
Boyfriend has the lamb burger and pretty much licked his place clean. All of the above were decently priced as well. I think it came out to $ 34 for the two of us (including the pancake starter).
Must go if you’re in Denver.

The kind of place you get excited about to spend a bit of time in line and a bit more coin than you originally expected to build anticipation in preparation to having a great meal.
Brunch menu speaking here; if you’re seeking a more comprehensive review, move along.
Gravlox/​smoked salmon, herbed cream cheese, and heirloom veg on a fresh bagel. Possibly the best breakfast sandwich to ever hit these taste buds. Seriously delicious.
Did have the pulled pork omelette and it was tasty, but the sandwich had already set such a high bar.
Bottomless mimosas will get you there; the house-​made bloodies might make you stay. Very solid brunch.

I can not give this place enough stars!!! This is my favorite restaurant in Denver besides Linger (whom i believe it owned by the same people)
Favorite Drink: Pepper Blossom 10+++++ I can not get this drink anywhere else!
Favorite Appetizer: Sweet Potato Fries with in house ketchup
Favorite Dinner: Roasted Kashmiri Chicken (I ask for tofu sauce due to a sever coconut allergy)
Favorite Dessert: Carmel squares 10+ & tiramisu gelato (Only a special I believe)
the bar has one huge window and a sliding «garage» door that leads you on to the smaller bar patio. The main room has awesome seating that is comfortable and not blazing bright. The kitchen is in the dinning room so you can see the chefs at work! The restrooms are always clean and they also conserve water. The service has always been amazing and they have valet parking that is complimentary (just tip) If you are in Denver and want to great place to go try Root Down!!!

I don’t know what I can say that others haven’t — it IS worth the hype. The food is that good. The ambiance is that amazing. It is locally sourced. I would eat here for breakfast, lunch and dinner… and I have.
So, here are my tips:
DO call ahead and make a reservation.
DO «splurge» and go for the delicious drinks.
DO get the pancakes as an «appetizer» for breakfast for your table.
DO get bagels from Rosenbergs HERE without waiting for 30 minutes in line in Five Points.
DO consider the lamb burger for breakfast.
DON’T miss out on this spot.
(And… don’t leave with out checking out the really cool water-​saving toilets… yes, I just said go check out the toilets. Trust me, do it.)

A Sunday Brunch review for this restaurant that seems to have taken over a renovated tire shop
The wait was estimated 1 hour but was definitely shorter, luckily they text you when your table is ready so you can roam around (you have 10 minutes to make it back)
A bit disappointed with the food given the hype around this restaurant, but at least the waitress comped our soda due to the long wait
—huevos rancheros: this Benedict was highly recommended by the waiter but the skimp 2 pieces of «tender» pork belly were hard and the poached eggs we’re so undercooked that the egg whites were even runny
—fried chicken & goat cheese biscuits: also recommended by the waiter, the fried dark meat chicken was juicy and good but the biscuits were nothing to rave about
NOTE: there’s a $ 14 unlimited mimosa deal during brunch