Five Downtown Denver Tastings That End Inside Union Station
A three-hour walk through LoDo where the history between stops explains why each restaurant is standing there.
Downtown Denver keeps five restaurants inside a walkable stretch of LoDo, and this three-hour tour stops at every one. The route starts near Coors Field and finishes under the arches of Union Station. Five tastings are included, and the three drink pairings are a separate purchase on site. Between the plates, the guide fills in how a gold-rush claim on Larimer Street became a warehouse district, then the neighborhood you are eating in.
Tastings run from a Neapolitan pizza with bufala mozzarella to an empanada with chimichurri, a bowl of Colorado pork green chili, a pork belly taco on blue corn, and a Portuguese egg custard tart.
Downtown Denver Food TourThree hours on foot with five tastings across LoDo and the Ballpark District.www.viator.comWhat the Five Tastings Cover
The first plate lands at Marco's on Larimer Street, where the Neapolitan pizza carries Italy's AVPN certification for its dough, sauce and toppings. Lazo Empanadas follows with a ground beef empanada and housemade chimichurri. The Cherry Cricket pours Colorado pork green chili with a flour tortilla. At this stop the chili arrives on its own, though the same pot also goes over the burgers. Kachina Cantina serves a roasted pork belly taco on a blue corn tortilla with peach morita salsa. Dessert is a Portuguese egg custard tart at Ultreia, inside Union Station.
The Walk Between the Plates
The four savory stops run 20 to 25 minutes each, and the walking in between carries the history. Larimer Street is where William Larimer staked a claim in 1858 and the settlement that became Denver took hold. The Dairy Block was the Windsor Farm Dairy, built to move milk through a city the railroads were still filling in. Wynkoop Brewing opened in 1988 in a brick warehouse across from Union Station and helped start the Colorado craft beer scene. Coors Field, McGregor Square, the National Ballpark Museum and the 1891 Oxford Hotel all sit along the route.
Who It Suits
The route is flat downtown sidewalk and suits all fitness levels. Strollers are welcome, and children can walk the whole thing, though drink pairings stay limited to travelers 21 and over. The tour holds 4.9 from more than 1,900 reviews, and it runs rain or shine.
Booking and Timing
Plan to arrive 5 to 10 minutes early. Check-in happens inside the restaurant, out of the weather. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free tastings have to be arranged in advance. Cancelling at least 24 hours before the departure time returns the full fare. The three drink pairings cost USD 30 on site, and gratuities are separate. One booking takes up to fifteen travelers and needs an adult on the reservation.
The tour ends with the custard tart inside Union Station, and the guide will point you back toward Larimer Street if you need the directions. The map pin on this page marks the Marquis Theater; the walk meets a block up the same street, inside Marco's at 2129 Larimer. The Great Hall stays open after the group breaks up, with bar seating under the arches and train platforms out the back.