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Home Field Advantage: Denver Broncos Dining Guide
Where to eat before watching the Broncos beat the Raiders, Chiefs and more
BY JOHN LEHNDORFF
RIOT BBQ
Professional football players are notoriously superstitious – especially on game days, but they’ve got nothing on their fans.
Denver Broncos fans have developed elaborate rituals around what they wear, where they sit and what they drink, all with the hope it will bring their team good luck – or at least no jinx them.
The blue and orange superstitions include where and what fans eat before heading to home games at Empower Field. They like to toast Bo Nix and avoid the mile-high food and beverage prices inside the stadium.
For the Denver Broncos’ 2025-26 regular season home games, Colorado AvidGolfer offers a full menu of opponent-themed dining destinations for Sundays, plus Monday and Thursday night prime time tiffs. Not to jinx it, but you’ll also need reservations for Broncos’ home playoff games.
Tennessee Titans
Sunday, Sep. 7: 2:05 p.m.
Dazzle, 1080 14th Street (at the Denver Arts Complex), Denver, dazzledenver.com
For the start of the Broncos’ regular season, fans need the kind of pre-game meal that would shine in Nashville and Memphis. Dazzle is Denver’s internationally known jazz club, beloved by musicians and fans, and a brunch bucket list spot. Sundays famously feature live music and a bottomless Mimosa, Bellini and Bloody Mary Bar. Featured entrees include biscuits and gravy, a brunch charcuterie platter, avocado scrambled egg toast, huevos rancheros, waffles with strawberries, and Salvadoran chicken tamales.
Cincinnati Bengals
Monday, Sep. 29: 6:15 p.m.
BurnDown,476 S Broadway, Denver, burndown-denver.com
Monday night games call for leaving work early. For this game, Broncos fans need a place where they can look down on Cincy quarterback Joe Burrow’s highly questionable fashion sense. Where better than up on the roof at BurnDown, a hip new dining and music venue with mountain views? Burn- Down’s cocktail-friendly fare ranges from a honey sriracha fried chicken sandwich to “sticky salmon” in sweet Thai glaze with stir-fried rice, edamame and crispy wontons.
P.S.: We’ll take real Colorado green chile over Cincinnati “chili’ (with cinnamon, dark chocolate and spaghetti!) any time.
New York Giants
Sunday, Oct. 19: 2:05 p.m.
Carl’s Pizza 3800 W. 38th Ave., Denver, carls-pizza.foodjoyy.com
Between jet lag and the altitude, the Broncos are likely to eat the New Jersey Giants’ lunch on this October afternoon. A great place to get in the mood is Carl’s Pizza, a North Denver neon icon since Carl DiGiacamo opened the eatery in 1953. The strictly old school red sauce joint boasts piz-zas on thin, thick or panfried crusts, sausage and pepper sandwiches, and pasta with meatballs. At Carl’s, the sauce is always on top of the mozzarella, never under it. This is NOT the place to bad-mouth the Broncos!
Dallas Cowboys
Sunday, Oct. 26: 2:25 p.m.
Riot BBQ, 2180 S. Delaware St., Denver, riotbbq-company.com
We’ve always enjoyed watching the Cowboys get beaten, especially by the Broncos. Texans tend to boast about “America’s team” (for no apparent reason) as well as the superiority of their barbecue over all others. To understand how misguided they are, just have a plate of remarkable barbecue with a Mexican twist at Denver’s Riot BBQ. Serious contenders include juicy Wagyu pastrami and prime brisket. Fans need to taste the burnt ends, coffee-rubbed pork belly, brisket ta- cos and memorable al pastor pork ribs marinated with guajillo, ancho and pasilla chilies. Side dish extras range from Mexican dirty rice and ham salad to dulce de leche cake.
Las Vegas Raiders
Thursday, Nov. 6: 6:15 p.m.
Welton Street Cafe, 2883 Welton St., welton- streetcafe.com
We could feel sorry for the wandering Las Vegas/Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, who have no lucky food to call their own. But, no, we’re Raider haters. A late lunch at the Welton Street Cafe on a Thursday is just right for getting worked up about the Silver and Black. Freshly relocated, Denver’s legendary soul food eatery offers a deep roster of favorites from wings, fried chicken and Jamaican savory hand pies to burgers and fried catfish sandwiches. Frankly, we’d be happy just feasting on a plate of stellar sides like hushpuppies, macaroni and cheese, red beans and rice, and the winning finale: peach cobbler.
Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday, Nov. 16: 2:25 p.m.
Bastien’s Restaurant, 3503 E Colfax Ave, Denver, bastiensrestaurant.com
The oddsmakers suggest that the Chiefs will smash the Broncos right before Thanksgiving. We wouldn’t bet on it with Bo Nix in the quarterback driver’s seat. Whether fans end up celebrating a victory or need to commiserate after this critical
home game, we recommend a well-aged sugar steak at Bastien’s. This authentic flashback to 20th-century steakhouses still dishes up its deep lineup of grilled meals with vegetables, spuds, and soup or salad. Carnivores can settle in with a 6-ounce New York strip, 20-ounce bone-in rib-eye or 14-ounce tomahawk pork chop. Bastien’s is famous for its sugar-based rub that lends only a hint of sweetness while sealing in those pricey juices. Steak toppings include sweet-savory grilled peaches with caramelized onions and Gruyere cheese.
Green Bay Packers
Sunday, Dec. 14: 2:25 p.m.
Swanky’s Vittles and Libations, 1938 Blake St., Denver, swankys.com
The 25-year-old Swanky bills itself as “Denver’s original and best official Packer Backer bar.” For a good, pre-game time, stop by Dec. 14 to celebrate that time in 1998 when the Broncos beat Brett Favre and the Packers for their first Super Bowl win.
Naturally, there’s a fair amount of cheese on Swanky’s pre-game menu. You have your mac & cheese bowl with Texas toast and bratwurst, your fried cheese curds, your fried bologna sandwich with American cheese and mayo, and the “Hangover,” a 1⁄2-pound smashburger with bacon, green chile, fried egg and pepper jack cheese. Wash it down with a cold can of PBR and be sure to offer the folks at the bar a Terrell Davis-style Mile High Salute as you leave for the game.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday, Dec. 21: 2:05 p.m.
Star Kitchen, 2917 W. Mississippi Ave., Denver, starkitchenco.com
This late-season game has the potential to be consequential as the playoffs approach. For a cool fueling experience, dive into the multiverse of dishes available on the dim sum menu at Star Kitchen. No Denver-area eatery does a finer job with this culinary show as carts wheel through the room offering plates of steamed or fried dumplings, noodles, spare ribs, and BBQ pork-filled buns. Burn off pre-game nerves nibbling on chicken feet with black bean sauce. For good luck, dessert is red bean-filled sesame balls and egg custard tarts. A word to the hungry: Star Chef is hugely popular on weekends. Arrive early.
Los Angeles Chargers
Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026: Time tbd
La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal, 2233 Larimer St, Den- ver, ladiabladenver.com
Call us superstitious, but we have a funny feeling this first game of 2026 will be a double-overtime thriller between the old AFL rivals. The best way to warm up before a potentially frozen day is with a bowl of pozole and plates of stellar tacos from this Michelin Guide-recommended destination. La Diabla offers rich, flavor-layered takes on traditional Mexican dishes like duck confit mole. Don’t miss the namesake five pozole variations from rojo to verde and vegan, topped with meats or a poached egg.
Consider ordering some of La Diabla’s surprisingly craveable chapulin tacos and offer one to a table-mate. After they admire the crunch, tell them it is a grasshopper taco.
John Lehndorff is the former Dining Critic of the Rocky Mountain News and the Exhibit Historian for Boulder Eats! Exhibit opening November 15 at the Museum of Boulder.
Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.
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