Denver's Five Points flexes its culinary muscles with these 7 delicious eats: Denver7 | Your Voice

DENVER — When you think about the Five Points neighborhood, you may think of its rich jazz and blues history, a vibrant small business community, its importance to Black culture in Denver, or perhaps even the neighborhood's challenges, but the historic area also boasts some serious culinary street cred.

"There's phenomenal food in Five Points, which I would agree not a lot of people know about," said Matias Gutknecht, the co-owner of Taco Uprising.

From tacos to soul food to New York-style pizza, the Denver neighborhood has been recognized for having some of the best eats in Denver – and even in the country.

"They call this the Harlem of the West," said Joshua Pollack, the owner of Rosenbergs Bagel and Deli.

So, in preparation for a special set of on-location broadcasts on Friday, May 2 – we'll be live from Five Points all morning and at 5 and 6 p.m. – Denver7 sent Jaclyn Allen to taste test 7 delicious foods in Five Points.

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7. Mimosas

Let's get started with brunch on Welton Street at Mimosas. You can probably guess their specialty.

Alexis Diggs, the manager at Mimosas, showed us the mimosa tower, which comes with three bottles of champagne in it.

"You can get cranberry juice, orange juice," she said. "We make it to order."

Save space, though, for their southern-style chicken and waffles, as well as their creamy shrimp and grits with andouille sausage.

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6. Taco Uprising

Just down the street, Taco Uprising has mouth-watering breakfast tacos, but the most popular taco is the Birria.

"Inside is slow-cooked beef, and then it is shredded. We put some cheese in there, a little bit of onion, cilantro," said Matias Gutknecht, the co-owner of Taco Uprising. "And then the consumme is meant for dipping and that's the stock that it was cooked in for a long time."

Two thumbs up.

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5.Rosenberg's Bagels & Deli

Next stop, a Five Points staple: Rosenberg's Bagels & Deli.

"When I found this neighborhood 14 years ago, I was like, 'Oh, this is where we need to be,'" Pollack said.

Rosenberg's takes classic New York-style bagels to the next level.

"We have a fancy machine that recreates the New York water chemistry for both our pizza dough and our bagel dough," said Pollack.

One of his most popular bagels is the "Heart Attack" bagel.

"You've got bacon, Taylor ham, breakfast sausage from Polidori. You got two fried eggs, two slices of cheese," said Pollack. "It'll never get old when people come in and they look at the menu and say, 'Can I get a Heart Attack?'"

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4. Famous J's Original Pizza

Just a few doors down, what's been named the best New York-style pizza in Denver has the same owner, who is happy to give tips on how to eat it.

"So you have to pick it up, and you've got to fold it," said Pollack. "A big thing in New York pizza, you've got to be able to hold it up with one hand and not have it flop down, so you see that nice undercarriage."

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3. Tea Lee's

When you're craving a spot of afternoon tea, head to Tea Lee's Teahouse to try the quiche and tea cakes. Owner Rise Jones serves 32 different types of tea.

"One of our No. 1 tea sellers is the ginger peach Rooibos," said Jones, who said the quiche she serves has a secret ingredient. "See if you can figure out what it is!"

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2. Duke's Good Sandwiches & Burgers

Duke's Good Sandwiches and Burgers has one of the best smash burgers in the city, and the Denver chopped cheese sandwich is better than good.

"We actually flew out to New York City and went to Harlem, where the original chop cheese is," said Michelle Sawyer, the restaurant's co-owner. "We wanted to put a spin on it for Denver, so I put onion pepperoncini and the giardinira. So it's a little spicier, a little different."

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1. Welton Street Cafe

Last but certainly not least, the granddaddy of all Five Points restaurants, the Welton Street Cafe.

"We're the OG. Everything has changed along the Welton corridor, except Welton Street Cafe," said Fathima Dickerson, the co-owner of the Five Points landmark.

From the Kool-Aid to the chicken wings, the restaurant has become a cultural icon, and the Pâté isn't what you think.

"So this is for the culture," said Dickerson, whose parents came from St. Thomas. "And so, of course, every community has their own version of a turnover, and so ours is a Pâté. So you have, like, calzones, you have empanadas, and this is what delicacy we brought to our community as Caribbean people."

So from breakfast to tacos, pizza to tea, burgers to Caribbean, Five Points' fast-growing food scene has something for every palette.

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