Best Restaurants Open Sunday in Denver 2026

Why a Sunday list matters in Denver

Sunday in Denver splits cleanly. The ambitious, small-team rooms (Beckon and its tasting counter, several Capitol Hill kitchens) close Sunday and Monday to rest. What stays open is the steakhouse trade, the Japanese counters that run a full week, and the downtown rooms built for hotel and theatre crowds. That leaves a real choice on a Sunday night rather than a scramble.

The order below leads with the city's most serious Sunday tables, the Michelin-listed Tavernetta and Guard and Grace, then the two Japanese rooms, then Sushi Den and Rioja on Larimer Square. Every name links to its full review, and hours are checked against each restaurant's published schedule. For the rest of the week, start with the Denver dining guide.

The Sunday list

Tavernetta

Modern Italian · Union Station, Denver · about $70–110 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 15:00–22:00

Frank Bonanno's flagship Italian room sits across from Union Station at 1889 16th Street, and it carries a place in the Michelin Guide's Colorado selection. The kitchen makes its pasta in house, and the agnolotti and the tableside formats are the order. A Sunday dinner runs roughly $70 to $110 a head before wine, drawn from one of the deepest Italian cellars in the city. It opens Sunday from three in the afternoon to ten, so it covers both an early Sunday supper and a late one.

Guard and Grace

Modern steakhouse · Central Business District · about $70–130 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 16:00–22:00

Troy Guard's modern steakhouse at 1801 California Street is the downtown Sunday pick, a glass-walled room in the financial district that the Michelin inspectors added to the Colorado selection. The dry-aged cuts and the raw bar are the draw, and a full steak dinner lands between $70 and $130 a head. It opens Sunday from four to ten, one of the few serious steak rooms keeping a Sunday service downtown, which makes it the reliable booking when out-of-town colleagues land on a weekend.

Matsuhisa Denver

Japanese · Cherry Creek, Denver · about $80–150 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 17:00–21:00

Nobu Matsuhisa's Cherry Creek room at 98 Steele Street brings the chef's Japanese-Peruvian repertoire to Denver, and the black cod with miso remains the dish to order a decade in. Expect $80 to $150 a head once the sushi and the hot plates add up. It opens Sunday from five to nine, Sunday through Thursday hours, so a Sunday booking here is calmer than the weekend crush. The bar seats are the easiest Sunday walk-in if the dining room is full.

Uchi Denver

Japanese, sushi · RiNo / Five Points · about $60–120 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 16:00–22:00

Tyson Cole, who won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest, runs this RiNo outpost of his Austin original at 2500 Lawrence Street. The hama chili and the maki are the signatures, and a Sunday meal runs roughly $60 to $120 a head depending on how far you push the omakase. It opens daily from four to ten, Sunday included, with happy hour from four to six that makes the early Sunday seat the value play. The room is loud and young rather than hushed.

Sushi Den

Japanese, sushi · Platt Park / South Pearl · about $50–100 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, from 16:00 (open seven nights)

Toshi Kizaki has flown fish from the Nagahama market in Fukuoka to South Pearl Street for more than three decades, and Sushi Den at 1487 South Pearl remains the bar locals book first. A Sunday meal runs about $50 to $100 a head at the counter. It opens every night, Sunday included, which sets it apart from the rooms that close to start the week. There are no Sunday-only gaps here, but the counter still fills, so arrive at opening or reserve.

Rioja

Mediterranean, New American · Larimer Square · about $50–90 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 10:00–22:00

Jennifer Jasinski won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest in 2013, and Rioja on Larimer Square at 1431 Larimer Street is the room that earned it. The artichoke tortelloni is the dish people return for, and a dinner runs $50 to $90 a head. Sunday is a full day here, ten in the morning through ten at night, which makes it the rare Larimer Square room covering Sunday brunch and a late dinner in one sitting. Book the brunch slot early; it goes first.

How to book a Sunday table in Denver

Denver is a reservation city for its steak and Italian rooms and a walk-in city for its counters. Tavernetta and Guard and Grace both take Sunday bookings on Resy and OpenTable, and the prime seven o'clock slots go a week out, so reserve. Matsuhisa keeps bar seats for Sunday walk-ins. Sushi Den and Uchi both run a counter, and a Sunday opening-time seat is the simplest solo-dining in Denver move in town. Hosting colleagues on a Sunday? Guard and Grace's long tables and downtown address suit a Denver team dinner, and Rioja's Larimer Square setting works for a relaxed group brunch before an afternoon downtown.

Frequently asked questions

Which upscale restaurants are open on Sunday in Denver?

Several of Denver's best rooms keep a Sunday service. The Michelin-listed Tavernetta near Union Station opens Sunday from three, Troy Guard's Guard and Grace serves downtown from four, and the Japanese counters at Matsuhisa, Uchi and Sushi Den all open Sunday, as does Jennifer Jasinski's Rioja on Larimer Square. The chef-driven tasting rooms tend to close Sunday and Monday, so a confirmed list is worth keeping.

Is Tavernetta open on Sunday in Denver?

Yes. Tavernetta opens Sunday from 3pm to 10pm at 1889 16th Street, across from Union Station. It is one of the few Michelin-listed Denver rooms keeping a full Sunday service, with house-made pasta and a deep Italian cellar. A dinner runs roughly $70 to $110 a head before wine. The early Sunday seating is the calmest; the seven o'clock slot books out a week ahead, so reserve on Resy or OpenTable.

Where can I get good sushi in Denver on a Sunday?

Three of the city's best Japanese rooms open Sunday. Sushi Den on South Pearl Street runs seven nights and flies its fish from Fukuoka, Uchi in RiNo opens Sunday from four with Tyson Cole's signature hama chili, and Matsuhisa in Cherry Creek serves Sunday from five with the black cod miso. The counter seats are the easiest Sunday walk-in at all three; arrive at opening if you have not booked.

Are most fine-dining restaurants in Denver closed on Sunday?

Many of Denver's ambitious, small-team kitchens close Sunday and Monday to rest their crews, including several Capitol Hill and tasting-counter rooms. The ones that stay open are mostly the steakhouses, the Japanese counters that run a full week, and the downtown and Larimer Square rooms built for hotel and theatre trade. That is why a verified Sunday list matters in a city whose best rooms keep restaurant-industry hours.

What is the best Sunday steak in Denver?

Guard and Grace is the Sunday steak pick, Troy Guard's glass-walled room at 1801 California Street in the financial district, open Sunday from four to ten and listed in the Michelin Guide's Colorado selection. The dry-aged cuts and raw bar are the draw, and a full dinner runs $70 to $130 a head. It is one of the few serious downtown steak rooms keeping a Sunday service, so it books out for prime slots.

Hours verified against each restaurant's published schedule and reservation platform as of June 2026; confirm directly before travelling, as service days change. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.