2022 Best Restaurants in Aurora
We’ve gathered the very best spots to chow down in Aurora, Colorado. You can see our methodology here.
Find a digital badge to celebrate your awesome accomplishment here, or contact us here if you’d like to request one as a sticker for your restaurant!
1. Denver Biscuit Company
Try the: DBC Club
Also honored in:
“Biscuits stacked a mile high from the mile high city. Serving biscuits all day every day. Located in Denver, Colorado Springs and Kansas City!
Also home to Atomic Cowboy, Fat Sully’s and Frozen Gold.”
2. Seoul Korean BBQ & Hot Pot
Try the: Kimchi
Also honored in: 2021 Best Restaurants in Aurora
“Seoul Korean BBQ & Hot Pot is regarded as one of the best Korean BBQ restaurants in Colorado. As the 2020 recent winner of “Best Hot Pot” and “Best Korean Soup” by Asian Avenue magazine, Seoul Korean BBQ & Hot Pot continues to raise the bar and set the standards for high quality Korean & Japanese cuisine.
When you walk into our restaurant, you will be greeted with a warm and welcoming environment and service. Our professional and friendly staff will aim to exceed all your dining and culinary expectations.”
3. Ted’s Montana Grill
Try the: Bison Burger
Also honored in: 2021 Best Restaurants in Aurora
“Our co-founders Ted Turner and George W. McKerrow imagined a restaurant where friends and family could sit down to an experience founded on the ideals that have made our country great. Where important ingredients like simplicity, honesty and authenticity would create classic American dishes.”
4. Three Little Griddles
Try the: Breakfast Burrito
“Three Little Griddles opened in May 2014 and is located at Smoky Hill and Gun Club in Aurora. Our second location opened in February of 2016 and is located I-25 and Dry Creek.”
5. Pho 888 Vietnamese Noodle & Grill
Try the: Spring Rolls
Also honored in: 2021 Best Restaurants in Aurora
“Come in and enjoy our authentic Vietnamese food, our friendly staff, and our warm atmosphere. You will come as a customer, but you will leave as family!
Pho 888 is located at the corner of Sable Blvd and E. 6th Ave in Aurora, CO. Since our grand opening in 2010, we have been privileged to bring to our customers the authentic taste of Vietnam. Our menu includes many varieties of phở as well as many other traditional Vietnamese dishes which are all made with love. Love for cooking, love for the many recipes which have been passed down from our family and homeland, and love for our customers. Come visit us today and taste for yourself what it means to be part of our family. You too will love Phở 888!”
6. Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar
Try the: Butter Cake
Also honored in:
- 2022 Best Restaurants in Arlington
- 2022 Best Restaurants in Fresno
- 2021 Best Restaurants in Plano
- 2021 Best Restaurants in Fresno
- 2021 Best Restaurants in Arlington
- 2021 Best Restaurants in Aurora
“We have a long-standing tradition of hospitality in the Simms family and have gathered the knowledge and traditions of three generations to create something we hope will be a special place for you and your family. As a kid, I treasured my time spent enjoying the Rocky Mountains and now, more than ever, I cherish the time I get to spend there with my family. I’ve always wanted to find a way to share that small mountain town vibe. Inspired by unplanned adventures, an enduring love of food and fireside conversations, Lazy Dog was created to do just that.
We have sourced ingredients from places and farmers we love and respect. Each ingredient we use is carefully picked and prepared. We make every meal by hand each day, including all of our sauces, marinades and dressings. We also have a seasonal menu, which is our ode to the current season, and where we celebrate Mother Nature’s beautiful bounty the best way we know how. If you have any questions or feedback about our menu, please don’t hesitate to share them with us here. I hope we will be your home away from home!”
7. Sam’s No 3
Try the: Kitchen Sink Burrito
Also honored in:
“Sam’s No.3 name and foods have been a Denver staple since 1927 when Sam Armatas, an immigrant from Lefkada Greece, opened on Curtis Street in Downtown Denver. Spero (son of Sam), Alex, Patrick, and Sam (Grandson’s) re-established their first brick and mortar Sam’s No.3 in Aurora in 1998, in Downtown Denver—back on Curtis Street and across the Street from the original location, in 2003, and in Glendale in 2013. Sam’s No.3 has been featured in many more articles, podcasts, YouTube, Indie Films, student films, and more. Multiple national shout-outs from NBC Sunday Night Football, MSNBC Morning Joe, USA Today, Flea from The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jack Black from Tenacious D!”
8. L&L Hawaiian Barbeque
Try the: Chicken Katsu
Also honored in: 2021 Best Restaurants in Aurora
“In the early years, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue was a successful chain of drive-in restaurants with a reputation for serving fresh plate lunches throughout the Hawaiian islands. In late 1999, our founders – Johnson Kam and Eddie Flores, Jr. – introduced their signature, Asian and American fusion take on the classic plate lunch to the residents of California. Since then, the concept has found fans around the world and there are over 200 L&L Hawaiian Barbecue restaurants in Hawaii, California, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Texas, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Japan. Needless to say, in addition to the fresh, culturally-commingling flavors of Hawaii, every L&L meal is infused with the warmth of aloha – the legendary spirit of welcome that makes every guest feel at home.”
9. Cuba Bakery & Cafe
Try the: Havana Sandwich
Also honored in: 2021 Best Restaurants in Aurora
“Cuba Bakery & Café is the culmination of many miles traveled and many cakes and meals cooked from Cuba, to the streets of Miami Florida to right here in Aurora Colorado. Our story is not that different from others you might have heard: An immigrant family comes to the United States, serves food they know and love, works hard and the rest is copy on a Web site. But, through the years we’ve learned that a recipe for a dish is not a recipe for success. Customers connect with a bakery and restaurant with their hearts just as much as their taste buds. So come in and have a cafecito or a Cuban sandwich, have a seat and have a chat.”
10. Rosie’s Diner
Try the: Chicken Fried Steak
“Step back into the 50’s by entering Rosie’s Diner. Owner Sam Dehghani keeps the tradition of the American diner flourishing in Aurora Colorado with Rosie’s Diner.
Rosie’s, a stainless steel modular, was built by Paramount, one of the last remaining diner manufacturers in the country. Nancy Walker, born Ann Myrtle Swoyer in Philadelphia, played Rosie, a New Jersey diner waitress, in a long-running series of commercials for Bounty. The “Rosie’s” commercials were filmed in a Paramount Diner called “The Silver Dollar Diner” originally located in Little Ferry, New Jersey then moved to Rockford, Michigan.
Since diners became a part of the American landscape, the culture has been affected in many ways, including cooking, dining out, popular culture, music design, fashion and language. Today Rosie’s offers great food, breakfast all day and old fashioned handmade milkshakes and malts. At Rosie’s a quarter gets 2 tunes on the jukebox at each booth. For a unique trip into the world of nostalgic flavor visit Rosie’s Diner.”