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Denver · Vegetarian Tasting · 2026 Edition

Best Vegetarian Tasting Menus in Denver 2026

Denver has no fully dedicated vegetarian tasting-menu restaurant at the fine-dining level, but it does not need one. The city's best kitchens cook close to the farm and will build a vegetarian tasting on request, and two of them are vegetable-forward enough that the meatless order is the better one. Six rooms follow, from Beckon's Michelin-starred eight-course counter to Alon Shaya's Israeli salatim spread at Safta. Each entry names the chef, the tasting format, the price where it is published, and exactly how to ask for the vegetarian version, since these menus are built around what is in season.

A seasonal vegetable course at a fine-dining tasting room in Denver
Photo: Google Places. Seasonal vegetable cooking in Denver fine dining.

How vegetarian tasting menus work in Denver

The honest version: Denver does not have a fully plant-based fine-dining tasting room the way Los Angeles or New York does. What it has is a cluster of seasonal, farm-driven kitchens that already lean hard on vegetables and will assemble a vegetarian tasting if you ask in advance. That makes the request, rather than the restaurant, the thing to get right. Flag it when you book and call a day or two before, so a fixed tasting like Beckon's or Mizuna's can swap a vegetarian course in cleanly instead of improvising on the night. At the vegetable-forward rooms, Safta and Rioja above all, you barely need to ask.

The list below opens with Beckon, the city's Michelin-starred chef's counter, then Mizuna, the two James-Beard-pedigree Mediterranean and Israeli rooms in Rioja and Safta, and the pasta houses Restaurant Olivia and Barolo Grill. Every name links to its full review. Prices and course counts are noted where published; where the kitchen prices the vegetarian version on the day, that is said plainly. For the wider city, start with the Denver dining guide.

The rooms

1

Beckon

One Michelin star · RiNo, Five Points · Duncan Holmes

Vegetarian tasting: 8-course menu, $150 · vegetarian and gluten-free with advance notice · book on Tock

Beckon is Denver's Michelin-starred chef's counter, an 18-seat room in RiNo where James Beard semifinalist Duncan Holmes runs an eight-course seasonal tasting at $150, with a wine pairing at $75 and a non-alcoholic pairing at $50. The kitchen accommodates vegetarian and gluten-free diners with advance notice, swapping courses to keep the sequence intact rather than pulling proteins on the night. Because the menu changes with the season and the counter seats only eighteen, this is the most complete vegetarian tasting experience in the city, but only if you flag it on the Tock booking. This is the room for a vegetarian who wants the full counter ritual. A fitting choice for a Denver anniversary dinner.

2

Mizuna

Contemporary American · Capitol Hill · Frank Bonanno

Vegetarian tasting: 11-course chef's tasting, adapted on request · book direct

Mizuna is Frank Bonanno's long-running Capitol Hill fine-dining room, where the kitchen rewrites the menu monthly and offers an eleven-course chef's tasting that it will adapt for vegetarians. The cooking is rich and classic, built on technique rather than trend, so a vegetarian tasting here leans into pasta, vegetables and dairy rather than mock-meat. Bonanno's group is known for accommodating dietary requests, but the eleven-course format needs notice to rebuild cleanly. This is the choice for an old-school, special-occasion tasting where the kitchen flexes for you. Request the vegetarian version by phone when you book. A strong pick for a celebratory Denver dinner that has to impress.

3

Rioja

Mediterranean · Larimer Square · Jennifer Jasinski

Vegetarian path: Vegetarian Four Ways plus produce-rich menu · tasting on request · book direct

Rioja, from James Beard award winner Jennifer Jasinski, has anchored Larimer Square since 2004 with a Mediterranean menu built on local, seasonal produce and handmade pasta. Its long-running Vegetarian Four Ways plate is a signature, and the kitchen is fluent enough in vegetables to assemble a vegetarian tasting on request from the seasonal menu. This is a room where the meatless dishes are not an afterthought but some of the most ordered plates on the table. The setting, a handsome historic-square dining room, suits a milestone. Ask for a vegetarian tasting when you reserve. A reliable seat for a Denver celebration with vegetarians at the table.

4

Safta

Modern Israeli · RiNo, The Source · Alon Shaya

Vegetarian feast: salatim spread plus vegetable mains · family-style tasting on request · book direct

Safta, the Denver flagship from James Beard winner Alon Shaya, builds its meal around a salatim spread, a table of small vegetable plates served with blistered, fresh-baked pita, before larger dishes. That structure makes it the most naturally vegetarian-friendly fine-dining room in the city, since a meatless feast here needs almost no adaptation. Ask the kitchen to lead with the salatim and the vegetable mains and you have a generous, family-style vegetarian tasting in a buzzing RiNo room at The Source. This is the choice for a group where not everyone eats meat. Request the vegetarian feast when you book. A lively setting for a Denver team dinner.

5

Restaurant Olivia

Italian · Washington Park · Ty Leon

Vegetarian path: handmade pasta and a deep vegetable selection · tasting on request · book on Tock

Restaurant Olivia, chef Ty Leon's pasta-focused Italian room in Washington Park, is a Michelin-listed favourite with a large vegetarian selection across its handmade pastas and vegetable plates. The kitchen offers tasting formats and will steer a vegetarian through the menu or assemble a meatless multi-course on request, drawing on the pasta program rather than reaching for substitutes. The room is intimate and the cooking precise, which makes it a quieter alternative to Safta's bustle. This is the choice for a vegetarian pasta tasting in a neighbourhood setting. Note the request in the Tock booking. A warm seat for a Denver first date.

6

Barolo Grill

Northern Italian · Cherry Creek · multi-course prix fixe

Vegetarian path: multi-course prix fixe (about $95) with vegetarian courses · book direct

Barolo Grill has served northern Italian cooking in Cherry Creek for decades, with a multi-course prix fixe at around $95 and a wine program built on Barolo and Piedmont. Its menu carries genuine vegetarian courses, from a souffle-like spinach-and-parmesan sformato to tortellini filled with roasted squash and taleggio, so a vegetarian can build a full prix-fixe path without leaving gaps. This is the most classical room on the list, the choice when the occasion calls for white tablecloths and a long Italian wine list. Ask for the vegetarian courses when you reserve. A polished setting for a Denver business dinner.

Choosing the right room

Match the room to the table. For the full tasting-menu experience, Beckon's Michelin-starred eight-course counter is the city's best, provided you flag the vegetarian request when you book on Tock. Mizuna's eleven-course chef's tasting is the old-school, special-occasion option, adapted on notice. For vegetable-forward cooking where the meatless order is simply the better one, Safta's salatim spread and Rioja's Mediterranean menu lead the field, and neither needs much asking. For pasta, Restaurant Olivia and Barolo Grill both let a vegetarian build a multi-course path without substitutes. Across all of them, the move is the same: note the vegetarian request in the reservation, call a day or two ahead for the fixed tastings, and confirm whether you want a full vegetarian tasting or a vegetarian path through the menu. Plan the rest of the city with the best tasting menus worldwide and a Denver solo dinner.

Frequently asked questions

Does Denver have a dedicated vegetarian tasting menu restaurant?

Not a fully dedicated one at the fine-dining level, but several of Denver's best tasting rooms will build a vegetarian version of their menu on request. Beckon, the Michelin-starred chef's counter, runs an eight-course tasting at $150 and accommodates vegetarian and gluten-free diners with advance notice. Mizuna serves an eleven-course chef's tasting that the kitchen adapts. Rioja and Safta are vegetable-forward enough that the vegetarian order is often the best one. The key is to flag it when you book, since these menus are built around what is in season. See the full Denver dining guide for more.

How do you request a vegetarian tasting menu in Denver?

Note it in the reservation and call ahead a day or two before. At Beckon and Mizuna the tasting is a fixed sequence, so the kitchen needs notice to swap a vegetarian course in cleanly rather than improvising on the night. Beckon takes the request through its Tock booking; Mizuna, Rioja, Safta, Restaurant Olivia and Barolo Grill take it by phone or in the reservation notes. Give the party size, any other dietary needs, and confirm whether you want a full vegetarian tasting or a vegetarian path through the regular menu.

What is the best vegetarian fine dining in Denver?

For the full tasting-menu experience, Beckon is the address, a Michelin-starred 18-seat chef's counter in RiNo where chef Duncan Holmes runs an eight-course seasonal menu at $150 and accommodates vegetarians with notice. Mizuna, Frank Bonanno's long-running fine-dining room, serves an eleven-course chef's tasting it will adapt. For vegetable-forward cooking where the meat is almost beside the point, Safta's Israeli salatim spread and Rioja's Mediterranean menu are the picks. Each is bookable directly or on Tock, and each handles a vegetarian tasting with advance notice.

Which Denver restaurants are best for vegetarians?

The most vegetable-forward fine-dining rooms are Safta and Rioja. Safta, from James Beard winner Alon Shaya, builds its menu around a salatim spread of small vegetable plates with fresh pita, so a vegetarian meal there needs little adaptation. Rioja, from James Beard winner Jennifer Jasinski, keeps a long-running Vegetarian Four Ways plate and a Mediterranean menu rich in produce and pasta. Restaurant Olivia's handmade pasta and Barolo Grill's vegetable antipasti and tortellini round out the group. All five are strong vegetarian options even before you ask for a tasting.

How much does a tasting menu cost in Denver?

Denver's tasting menus are a relative value next to the coasts. Beckon's eight-course menu is $150, with a wine pairing at $75 and a non-alcoholic pairing at $50. Barolo Grill's multi-course prix fixe runs around $95. Mizuna's eleven-course chef's tasting and Rioja's and Safta's tasting formats are priced by the kitchen and confirmed when you book, with vegetarian versions generally matching the standard price. Pairings, tax and service are extra. Confirm the current price and the vegetarian format when you reserve, since these menus change with the season.

Keep reading

Plan the rest of the city with the full Denver dining guide, or by occasion: a Denver anniversary, a Denver team dinner and a Denver solo dinner. For the rooms above in full, read Beckon's full review, Safta's full review and Rioja's full review. For the format in other cities, see the best vegetarian tasting menus in Las Vegas or the best vegetarian tasting menus in Washington DC.

Vegetarian-tasting details verified against each restaurant's published information in June 2026; course counts, prices and vegetarian formats are confirmed by the venue on booking. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.