Best Burgers in Denver: Green Chile and More

The best burgers in Denver often come smothered in green chile, Colorado’s signature stew of roasted chiles, usually with pork. Look for them, and for classic cheeseburgers, in LoHi and the Highland area, RiNo, LoDo, Capitol Hill, South Broadway and Cherry Creek. Denver also claims the cheeseburger itself: a granite marker on Speer Boulevard records that Louis Ballast of the Humpty Dumpty Barrel Drive-In tried to trademark the name in 1935.

That claim is part local pride, part legend. The marker was dedicated in 1987, but no historic “cheeseburger” trademark has turned up in US Patent and Trademark Office records, and restaurants in Los Angeles and Louisville have rival claims. Green chile is less disputed. Pueblo, about 110 miles (180 km) south, gave the state the Slopper, an open cheeseburger drowned in green chile, and Pueblo chiles have their own following among Colorado cooks.

Burgers in Denver: key facts

• Local style: the green chile cheeseburger, topped or smothered with Colorado green chile.
• Local history: the Humpty Dumpty Barrel Drive-In marker, dedicated to the 1935 cheeseburger claim.
• Regional dish: the Pueblo Slopper, a cheeseburger served in a bowl of green chile.
• Neighborhoods to explore: LoHi and Highland, RiNo, LoDo, Capitol Hill, South Broadway and Cherry Creek.
• Altitude: Denver sits at 5,280 feet (1,609 m), hence its “Mile High City” nickname.
• Currency: US dollar (USD); Denver bills add state and city sales tax to the menu price, then the tip.

Every guide we publish on Denver is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. For other cities, browse all our burger restaurant guides.