Best Burgers in Denver: 10 Burger Joints (2026)

The best burgers in Denver are at The Cherry Cricket in Cherry Creek, My Brother’s Bar at 15th and Platte, and Twansburger, which is moving into Onefold on East 18th Avenue this month. The other seven on my list: Dalton’s Cheeseburgs, NADC Burger, Crown Burgers, Tessa Delicatessen, Gaia Masala & Burger, Candlelight Tavern and Hamburguesas Don Jesus. All ten are inside Denver city limits. Nine were confirmed open on October 20, 2026; Twansburger was between locations, and I explain below what that means for your visit. This guide is part of our Restaurants section and our Denver burger city page.

How I ranked the best burgers in Denver

I built this ranking from published sources, not from a single star rating. A restaurant made the cut only if it appeared in at least two 2026 lists (Westword, the Denver Gazette, Prohibition Denver, SmashAtlas or Yelp) and was confirmed open in October 2026. Twansburger is the one exception: it is moving, not closing. I checked addresses, hours and menus against each restaurant’s own pages where they exist, and every fact below names its source. The order is mine. History and a house-ground patty count for more than hype, which is why a 1945 tavern sits above a wagyu newcomer.

Some well-known names are missing on purpose. Park Burger closed its Highland location at 2643 W 32nd Ave on July 28, 2026, after more than 15 years, when its lease ended (BusinessDen). Bull & Bush in Glendale and Big Sky Burger in Lakewood are outside the city, so they get their own section at the end. And there are no Google ratings here. I could not take a dated reading of them, and an undated score tells you little.

Best burgers in Denver at a glance

This table lists all ten picks with their neighborhood or street and the burger to order.

Map of central Denver covering the burger spots in this guide, from RiNo and Larimer Square to Capitol Hill, Cherry Creek, East Colfax and Washington Park. (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0, https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright)

The 10 best burger restaurants in Denver

1. The Cherry Cricket: Denver’s classic burger tavern since 1945

The Cherry Cricket is Denver’s burger institution, and its readers keep saying so. It won Best Burger and Best Fries in the Westword Readers’ Choice 2026 awards, its third win in a row, according to the restaurant. The story starts in 1945, when it opened as Mary Zimmerman’s Bar. Lloyd Page renamed it the Cherry Cricket in 1950 and put up the Gordon Signs sign that still hangs outside.

Television got there early. Chef Aarón Sánchez called it “the best thing I ever ate” in 2009, and Man vs. Food featured it on the Travel Channel in 2011. Wynkoop Brewing Company, founded by John Hickenlooper, had taken it over in 2000. Then a kitchen fire in 2016 shut it until April 2017 (Cherry Cricket history).

October’s burger of the month is the Harvest Moon: smoked gouda, brown-sugar-glazed pork belly, apple butter, apple-cabbage slaw and crispy poblano. That is a lot of sweetness on one bun. If you want to judge the Cricket on its own terms, the standing menu is the fairer test. Still, $1 from every Harvest Moon goes to the Angel Relief Fund. The original now has siblings at 2220 Blake St downtown (2018), in Littleton (2023) and in Broomfield (2025), but the Cherry Creek tavern under the old sign is the one to visit.

• Address: 2641 E 2nd Ave, Denver, CO 80206 (Cherry Creek)
• Phone: 303-322-7666
• Hours: daily, 11 a.m. to midnight
• Website: cherrycricket.com

2. My Brother’s Bar: a burger in Denver’s oldest bar

My Brother’s Bar is the answer if you want a burger with history. It calls itself “the oldest bar in Denver… since 1873”. Brothers Jim and Angelo Karagas came from Detroit and took over the old Whitey’s around 1970. The name comes from a line they used on customers: “Don’t look at me, it’s my brother’s bar” (DiningOut).

The Platte St. corner entrance of My Brother’s Bar, the oldest bar in Denver, at 15th Street and Platte Street (October 2023). (Photo: anaxmedia, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/72547033@N06/53851409403)

Order the JCB, the Jalapeño Cream Cheese Burger. It is the house signature and the one I would point a first-timer to. The menu also has the Ralphie Burger, made with bison. Patties are thick and arrive medium rare unless you say otherwise (The Infatuation). Want to know what medium rare means in degrees? My colleague Clara breaks it down in our burger patty internal temperature guide.

Bison burger with melted cheese on a sesame bun and onion rings at My Brother’s Bar in Denver, the bison option the menu calls the Ralphie Burger. (Photo: anaxmedia, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/72547033@N06/53850253087)

• Address: 2376 15th St, Denver, CO 80202 (corner of 15th and Platte)
• Phone: 303-455-9991
• Hours: Mon–Thu 11 a.m.–midnight, Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–2 a.m., Sun 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
• Website: mybrothersbar.com

3. Twansburger: the best smash burger in Denver, now at Onefold

Twansburger is my pick for the best smash burger in Denver. Founder Antoine “Twan” Villaume trained at Gjelina in Venice, California. He started the concept during the 2020 lockdown and launched it at the NTMRKT market in early 2021 (SmashAtlas).

It does one thing: a double smash cheeseburger. Twan grinds organic Angus chuck and brisket in house, then adds American cheese, house pickles, onion, iceberg and house sauce on a Martin’s Potato Roll. SmashAtlas listed it at $13 before the move. That house grind is why it ranks above NADC’s wagyu. In a patty smashed this thin, the blend matters more than the label on the beef.

Check before you go. In October 2026 Twansburger is moving “permanently” into Onefold at 1420 E 18th Ave, leaving the alley behind La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal it had used since 2025 (Westword). I could not confirm the reopening date, the hours or the new prices, so look at Twansburger’s official Instagram first.

• Address: Onefold, 1420 E 18th Ave, Denver (from October 2026)
• Hours and price at the new location: not yet confirmed

4. Dalton’s Cheeseburgs: a smash burger counter inside a mini-golf bar

Dalton’s Cheeseburgs is a smash burger counter inside RiNo Country Club, a 21-and-over bar with mini golf. It opened on May 6, 2022, and takes its name from Patrick Swayze’s character in Road House (SmashAtlas).

The Double Cheeseburg stacks smashed patties of house-ground chuck with Cooper Sharp American, “7 Hour Sauce”, onion and pickles on a Martin’s Potato Roll: $14 as a single, $17.50 as a double. The Cooper Sharp is the tell. Choosing a sharper American cheese over the standard slice shows someone thought about this burger. Bring ID. Nobody under 21 gets in, burger or not.

• Address: 3763 Wynkoop St, Denver, CO 80216 (RiNo)
• Price: $14 single, $17.50 double

5. NADC Burger: wagyu smash burgers in Larimer Square

NADC Burger serves 100% American wagyu smash cheeseburgers with beef-tallow fries and milkshakes. The name stands for “Not A Damn Chance”. Pro skater Neen Williams and Michelin-starred chef Phillip Frankland Lee founded it (Westword).

Larimer Square in Denver at dusk in December 2025, with a “NADC Burger, now open” sign on the sidewalk in the 1400 block of Larimer Street. (Photo: Pdubs.94, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=180812585)

The best detail is hidden. Sushi By Scratch sits behind a graffiti-covered door in the same space. Burger names and prices change, so check the menu on the official page. Wagyu looks good on a sign, but on a thin smashed patty I would rather have a well-chosen chuck grind. That is why NADC sits fifth and not higher.

• Address: 1441 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80202 (Larimer Square)
• Hours: daily, 11:30 a.m. to midnight
• Website: nadcburger.com/locations/denver

6. Crown Burgers: the pastrami-topped Royal Burger

Crown Burgers is where Denver gets the Royal Burger, a burger topped with slices of pastrami. George Brokalakis, born in Crete, came through Salt Lake City in 1967 and founded Crown Burgers in 1987. He died on June 21 at 76, and his son Dmitri now runs the restaurant (Westword). Pastrami is the most unusual topping in this guide, and it is the reason Crown made my list ahead of another plain diner burger.

• Address: 2192 S Colorado Blvd, Denver (between Warren Ave and Evans Ave)
• Phone: 303-753-9696
• Hours and website: not confirmed, call ahead

7. Tessa Delicatessen: deli burgers on house milk buns

Tessa Delicatessen puts its burgers on milk buns baked in house. Chef Vince Howard founded the deli on East Colfax, and Westword’s 2026 burger guide includes it. A deli that bakes its own buns is a good sign. I could not confirm a burger price, though, so check the Toast page before you go.

• Address: 5724 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80220 (East Colfax)
• Online ordering: Tessa on Toast

8. Gaia Masala & Burger: Indian-American burgers in Capitol Hill

Gaia Masala & Burger is the place for an Indian-American burger, led by its tikka masala burger. Hira Kunwar and Nandalal Nyaupane have run it since 2021. A second location at 704 Main St in Longmont was announced for 2026 (BusinessDen).

• Address: 609 Grant St, Denver (Capitol Hill)
• Exact burger name and price: not confirmed, check the menu

9. Candlelight Tavern: the late-night bar burger in Washington Park

Candlelight Tavern is a Washington Park neighborhood bar with burgers from $9 to $15, depending on the side. The bar stays open until 2 a.m. and the kitchen serves until 11:30 p.m., which makes it my late-night pick. It appears in the Denver Gazette’s January 2026 roundup and in Westword’s 2026 burger guide.

• Address: 383 S Pearl St, Denver (Washington Park)
• Hours: bar until 2 a.m., kitchen until 11:30 p.m.
• Price: $9–$15

10. Hamburguesas Don Jesus: Mexican-style burgers and the $27 Gigante

Hamburguesas Don Jesus serves Mexican-style burgers, and its Gigante is the biggest burger in this guide. For $27 it piles up four patties, four slices of ham, four cheeses, a bacon-wrapped hot dog, mortadella, pineapple, avocado and fries (Axios Denver). That price dates from May 2023 and may have changed since. Bring a friend. Better, bring two.

• Address: 800 Decatur St, Denver, CO 80204
• Website: none found; use its Google Business Profile for hours

Near Denver: burger spots just outside city limits

Two well-known burger spots sit just outside Denver, so they miss my top 10. Bull & Bush, a pub founded in 1971 and known for its Queen Mother burger, is at 4700 E Cherry Creek Dr S in Glendale, a separate city surrounded by Denver (5280). Big Sky Burger, home of the Bulgogi Burger, is at 1958 S Garrison St in Lakewood (Westword).

Where to eat a burger in Denver: FAQ

Where can I get the best burger in Denver?

The Cherry Cricket in Cherry Creek is the safest pick for the best burger in Denver: according to the restaurant, it won Westword Readers’ Choice Best Burger in 2026 for the third year running. For history, go to My Brother’s Bar. For a smash burger, go to Twansburger or Dalton’s Cheeseburgs.

What is the oldest burger joint in Denver?

My Brother’s Bar has the oldest roots: it calls itself the oldest bar in Denver, dating to 1873, and the Karagas brothers have run it since around 1970. The Cherry Cricket, opened in 1945 and named in 1950, is the oldest place in this guide famous mainly for its burgers.

Was the cheeseburger invented in Denver?

Denver claims it was. A marker honors Louis Ballast, who is credited with the cheeseburger in Denver in 1935. For this year’s cheeseburger deals, read our National Cheeseburger Day 2026 deals roundup.

What is a green chile cheeseburger, and where can I try one in Denver?

A green chile cheeseburger is a cheeseburger topped with green chile, a Colorado and Southwest icon. None of the sources I used names a green chile burger at these ten restaurants. Ask about specials when you go: menus like the Cherry Cricket’s burger of the month change every month.

Where is the best smash burger in Denver?

Twansburger is my pick for the best smash burger in Denver, with house-ground organic Angus on a Martin’s roll. Dalton’s Cheeseburgs ($14 single, $17.50 double) comes next, then NADC Burger, which uses 100% American wagyu.

How much does a burger cost in Denver?

Expect to pay about $9 to $17.50 for a burger at the places in this guide, before tax and tip. Candlelight Tavern runs $9 to $15, Twansburger was $13 before its move, and Dalton’s charges $14 or $17.50. The Gigante at Hamburguesas Don Jesus, $27 when Axios reported it in 2023, is the outlier. Tipping is expected at sit-down restaurants in the US.

Burger prices in Denver compared, before tax and tip: Candlelight Tavern $9–$15 (top of range shown), Twansburger $13 before its move, Dalton’s $14 single and $17.50 double, and the $27 Gigante at Hamburguesas Don Jesus. (Chart: Burger Breton, original chart rendered with QuickChart; data from SmashAtlas, Denver Gazette and Axios Denver)

Which Denver burger was on Man vs. Food?

The Cherry Cricket was featured on Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel in 2011. Chef Aarón Sánchez had already called it “the best thing I ever ate” in 2009.

Which Denver burger restaurants are open late?

My Brother’s Bar and Candlelight Tavern are the late-night picks. My Brother’s Bar is open until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Candlelight Tavern’s bar is open until 2 a.m. and its kitchen until 11:30 p.m. The Cherry Cricket and NADC Burger both serve until midnight every day.

Are there Mexican or Indian burgers in Denver?

Yes. Hamburguesas Don Jesus on Decatur Street serves Mexican-style burgers, including the Gigante. Gaia Masala & Burger in Capitol Hill serves Indian-American fusion burgers, such as a tikka masala burger.

What other Western burger classics can I make at home?

If this guide leaves you craving a West Coast drive-in burger, my colleague Alice’s Carl’s Jr. Famous Star copycat recipe rebuilds the chain’s classic at home. For more cities, see the Burger Breton Restaurants section.

Sources

This guide was checked on October 20, 2026. Main sources: Westword, The ultimate guide to the best burgers in Denver (Antony Bruno, 2026), Denver Gazette, 10 great burger spots you’ll find in Denver (January 23, 2026), SmashAtlas, the official sites of The Cherry Cricket, My Brother’s Bar and NADC Burger, and the articles linked in each section above.