MICHELIN Guide Unveils First Statewide Selection for Colorado, from Mountains to Main Streets

• Milpero in Denver receives One MICHELIN Star

• 15 restaurants join the selection for the first time

• Full selection includes 63 restaurants spanning 22 cuisine types

The MICHELIN Guide revealed the first-ever statewide selection for Colorado. The selection welcomed one new MICHELIN Star restaurant, which is Milpero located in Denver.

In addition to a new Starred restaurant joining the MICHELIN Guide family, the selection also included three new Bib Gourmand restaurants, which awards restaurants for great food at a great value. The three restaurants include Annette in Aurora, and both Pig and Tiger and Rougarou, which are located in Denver. The full restaurant selection across the state now included 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. 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. - Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guide

Milpero (Denver; Mexican cuisine)

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.

The MICHELIN Guide Inspectors identified three new restaurants to receive a Bib Gourmand distinction, which recognizes eateries for great food at a great value. The full list can be found below and now includes 13 restaurants.

Restaurant - Address
Annette (new) - 2501 Dallas St., Aurora, Colorado 80010 Ash’Kara - 2005 W. 33rd Ave., Denver, Colorado 80211 Basta - 3601 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, Colorado 80303 Cozobi Fonda Fina - 909 Walnut St., Ste. 100, Boulder, Colorado 80302 Glo Noodle House - 4450 W. 38th Ave., Ste. 130, Denver, Colorado 80212 Hop Alley - 3500 Larimer St., Denver, Colorado 80205 La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal - 2233 Larimer St., Denver, Colorado 80205 MAKfam - 39 W. 1st Ave., Denver, Colorado 80223 Mister Oso - 3163 Larimer St., Denver, Colorado 80205 Pig and Tiger (new) - 2200 California St., Denver, Colorado 80205 Rougarou (new) - 2844 Welton St., Denver, Colorado 80205 Tavernetta - 1889 16th St., Denver, Colorado 80202 The Ginger Pig - 4262 Lowell Blvd., Denver, Colorado 80211

MICHELIN Special Awards

In addition to the Bib Gourmands and Stars, the Guide announced four Special Awards:

Award / Recipient / Establishment
Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award - Kyle McNerney - Four by Brother Luck Michelin Sommelier Award - Theo Adley and Jenessa Reiman - Heretík Michelin Outstanding Service Award - Jospeh Freyre - The Penrose Room Michelin Young Chef / Culinary Professional Award - Cameron Baker - Radicato

The restaurants join the MICHELIN Guide selection of hotels, which features the most unique and exciting places to stay in Colorado and throughout the world.

Each hotel in the selection has been chosen by MICHELIN Guide experts for its extraordinary style, service and personality — with options for all budgets — and each can be booked directly through the MICHELIN Guide website and app. The selection for Colorado features the state’s most spectacular hotels, including Dunton Hot Springs (Two MICHELIN Keys) a unique luxury hotel tucked in a remote area on the Dolores River; modern eco-hotel Populus Denver (One MICHELIN Key); or the St. Regis Aspen (selected) a world-class luxury accommodation at the foot of Aspen Mountain.

The MICHELIN Guide is a benchmark in gastronomy. Now it’s setting a new standard for hotels. Visit the MICHELIN Guide website, or download the free app for iOS and Android, to discover every restaurant in the selection and book an unforgettable hotel.

• Excellent cuisine, worth a detour : 1

• High quality cooking, worth a stop : 9

• Mindful Voices : 3

• Bib Gourmands (Good food at moderate price) : 13

• Recommended restaurants : 40

• Total number of restaurants in selection : 63

• Cuisine types reflected in Starred restaurants : 4

• Cuisine types reflected in Bib Gourmands : 9

• Cuisine types reflected in selection : 22

Restaurant / Address
The Wolf’s Tailor - 4058 Tejon St., Denver 80211 Frasca Food and Wine - 1738 Pearl St., Boulder 80302 Brutø - 1801 Blake St., Denver 80202 Beckon - 2843 Larimer St., Denver 80205 Bosq - 312 S. Mill St., Aspen 81611 Alma Fonda Fina - 2556 15th St., Denver 80211 Mezcaleria Alma - 2550 15th St., Denver 80211 Margot - 1551 S. Pearl St., Denver 80210 Kizaki - 1551 S. Pearl St., Denver 80210 Milpero (new) - 3455 Ringsby Ct., Denver 80216

Colorado’s 2026 Recommended restaurants

Restaurant / Address
A5 Steakhouse - 1600 15th St., Denver, Colorado 80202 Alteño - Clayton Hotel & Members Club, 249 Clayton St., Denver, Colorado 80206 Barolo Grill - 3030 E. 6th Ave., Denver, Colorado 80206 Blackbelly Market & Restaurant - 1606 Conestoga St., Ste. 1, Boulder, Colorado 80301 Boulder Dushanbe Tea House - 1770 13th St., Boulder, Colorado 80302 Bramble & Hare - 1964 13th St., Boulder, Colorado 80302 Brasserie Brixton - 3701 N. Williams St., Denver, Colorado 80205 Casa Juani (new) - 901 Pearl St., Boulder, Colorado 80302 Dân Dã (new) - 9945 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, Colorado 80010 Dear Emilia (new) - 3615 Delgany St., Denver, Colorado 80216 Dio Mio - 3264 Larimer St., Denver, Colorado 80205 Element 47 - The Little Nell, 675 E. Durant Ave, Aspen, Colorado 81611 Florence Supper Club (new) - 375 S. Pearl St., Denver, Colorado 80209 Four by Brother Luck (new) - 321 N. Tejon St., Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903 Heretík (new) - 1441 26th St., Denver, Colorado 80205 Hey Kiddo - 4337 Tennyson St., Ste. 300, Denver, Colorado 80212 Kawa Ni - 1900 W. 32nd Ave., Denver, Colorado 80211 Madeline (new) - 1313 E. 6th Ave., Denver, Colorado 80218 Marco’s Coal-Fired - 2129 Larimer St., Denver, Colorado 80205 Mawa’s Kitchen - 305 Aspen Airport Business Center, Ste. F, Aspen, Colorado 81611 Mercantile - 1701 Wynkoop St., Ste. 155, Denver, Colorado 80202 Mirabelle- 55 Village Rd., Avon, Colorado 81620 Oak at Fourteenth - 1400 Pearl St., Boulder, Colorado 80302 Osaki’s - 100 E. Meadow Dr., Unit 14, Vail, Colorado 81657 Prospect - Hotel Jerome, Auberge Collection, 330 E. Main St., Aspen, Colorado 81611 Radicato (new) - 137 S. Main St., Breckenridge, Colorado 80424 Restaurant Olivia - 290 S. Downing St., Denver, Colorado 80209 Rootstalk (new) - 207 N. Main St., Breckenridge, Colorado 80424 Safta - The Source Hotel, 3330 Brighton Blvd., Ste. 201, Denver, Colorado 80216 Santo - 1265 Alpine Ave., Boulder, Colorado 80304 Smok - The Source Hotel, 3330 Brighton Blvd., #202, Denver, Colorado 80216 Splendido at the Chateau - Chateau Beaver Creek, 17 Chateau Ln., Beaver Creek, Colorado 81620 Stella’s Cucina (temp closed) - 1123 Walnut St., Boulder, Colorado 80302 Sweet Basil - 193 Gore Creek Dr., Vail, Colorado 81657 Temaki Den - The Source Hotel, 3350 Brighton Blvd., Ste. 100, Denver, Colorado 80216 The National (new) - 100 E. Colorado Ave., Ste. B, Telluride, Colorado 81435 The Penrose Room (new) - The Broadmoor, 1 Lake Ave., Colorado Springs, Colorado 80906 Ukiyo - 1317 14th St., Ste. 0, Denver, Colorado 80202 Wildflower - 3638 Navajo St., Denver, Colorado 80211 Zoe Ma Ma - 919 Pearl St., Boulder, Colorado 80302

New for 2026, the Mindful Voices platform brings together inspirational voices from across the hospitality industry – an editorial space where chefs, hoteliers, and winemakers can share their stories and pioneering practices, both with one another and the rest of the world.

“Mindful Voices will give a platform to all those who are rewriting the rules in their respective fields,” said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guide. “This new framework draws directly from what our Inspection teams witness firsthand: encounters and experiences that are transforming how things are done and that deserve to be shared. Staying true to its identity and values, the MICHELIN Guide will amplify and give full resonance to these voices from the worlds of gastronomy, hospitality and wine so that they can be heard, wherever they may be.”

Located in Denver, Chef Eric Skokan from Bramble & Hare is recognized as a Mindful Voice for emphasizing the use of local ingredients across their menu. The restaurant operates a 500-acre organic farm with over 250 varieties of vegetables, legumes, herbs and grains, which are used throughout the menu and even extends into the bar program.

Chef Kelly Whitaker of both Brutø and The Wolf’s Tailor, both also located in Denver, was also recognized as one of this year’s Mindful Voices. Each restaurant operates on a circular approach centered around preservation, waste reduction, and local sourcing of ingredients while prioritizing whole-ingredient utilization.

Learn more about the new Mindful Voices initiatives here.

The MICHELIN Guide in North America

Michelin announced its first North American Guide in 2005 for New York. Guides have also been added in Chicago (2011); Washington, D.C. (2017); California (San Francisco in 2007, statewide 2019); Florida (Greater Miami, Orlando and Tampa in 2022, adding Greater Fort Lauderdale, The Palm Beaches and St. Pete-Clearwater in 2025, statewide in 2026); Toronto (2022); Vancouver (2022); Colorado (2023); Atlanta (2023), Mexico (2024), Texas (2024), Québec (2024), the American South (2025), Boston (2025), Philadelphia (2025), the Southwest (2026) and the American Great Lakes (2027).

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About Michelin:

Michelin is building a world-leading manufacturer of life-changing composites and experiences. Pioneering engineered materials for more than 130 years, Michelin is uniquely positioned to make decisive contributions to human progress and to a more sustainable world. Drawing on its deep know-how in polymer composites, Michelin is constantly innovating to manufacture high-quality tires and components for critical applications in demanding fields as varied as mobility, construction, aeronautics, low-carbon energies, and healthcare. The care placed in its products and deep customer knowledge inspire Michelin to offer the finest experiences. This spans from providing data- and AI-based connected solutions for professional fleets to recommending outstanding restaurants and hotels curated by the MICHELIN Guide. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 175 countries and employs 122,600 people.