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Where To Find Sensational Soul Food in Denver, CO

Nola Jane Restaurant and Bar
Lea Jane’s Hot Chicken
Welton St. Café
Denver Biscuit Company
Lucile’s Creole Café
Mattie’s Soul Food
The Blazing Chicken Shack II
CoraFaye's Cafe
Nola Voodoo Tavern
Swirk Soul Food
steak and mushrooms from nola jane restaurant and bar in denver
Nola Jane Restaurant and Bar
fried chicken with sides of mac and cheese and coleslaw from lea jane's hot chicken in denver
Lea Jane’s Hot Chicken
chicken in gravy, collards, cornbread, and baked beans from welton st cafe in denver
Welton St. Café
chicken biscuit with bacon drowning in gravy from denver biscuit company
Denver Biscuit Company
breakfast plate with french toast sticks, sausage, egg, and fresh fruit from lucile's creole cafe in denver
Lucile’s Creole Café
fried fish, baked beans, fried okra, and hushpuppies from mattie's soul food in denver
Mattie’s Soul Food
fish and potatoes from blazing chicken shack in denver
The Blazing Chicken Shack II
gravy porkchops with side of mac and cheese, cornbread, and collard greens from CoraFaye's Cafe in Denver
CoraFaye's Cafe
gumbo, rice, and fried catfish from Nola Voodoo Tavern in Denver
Nola Voodoo Tavern
fried chicken wings, collard greens, mac and cheese, bread from Swirk Soul Food in Denver
Swirk Soul Food

When you think soul food, you think of all of those delicious, classic flavors. Collard greens, cornbread, fried chicken–all the best things from the South. Denver is known for having great restaurants with all different kinds of cuisines, so it’s no surprise they also have a small selection of this Southern cuisine. Next time you’re hanging out in Denver and craving some tasty soul food, check out this list to guide you in the right direction. 

 

gravy porkchops with side of mac and cheese, cornbread, and collard greens from CoraFaye's Cafe in Denver
Photo Credit: Yelp.com

CoraFaye’s Cafe

15395 E Colfax Ave, Aurora, CO 80011
(303) 333-5551

CoraFaye’s Cafe is the ultimate spot for laidback, lip-smacking soul food. This hidden gem serves up dishes with family recipes dating back nearly 100 years. This spot is open from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm which makes it perfect for lunch and dinner. The menu features Southern classics like fried chicken, fried catfish, and fried frog legs as well as sides like cornbread, mac and cheese, and hushpuppies. Be sure to also try the sweet potatoes too, they are to die for. Swing by CoraFaye’s and it’ll feel like you’re dining at grandma’s house.

 

pasta and garlic bread from Nola Jane Restaurant and Bar in Denver
Photo Credit: Yelp.com

Nola Jane Restaurant and Bar

1435 Market St Denver, CO 80202-1706
(720) 592-1942

Located in Lodo, Nola Jane is the latest entry in the Soul Food restaurant business in CO and is hailed for its delicious gumbo. The restaurant is open between 11:00 am to 2:00 am, giving people all day to enjoy the tasty dishes and drinks. They offer outside catering and private rooms for occasions such as wedding receptions. Their menu offers some of the best Southern comfort food, such as the Nola Jane macaroni and cheese with authentic New Orleans BBQ shrimp with black pepper, fried okra, crawfish etouffee and the fan-favorite gumbo with rice. They do have other food options such as salads and poboys as well. 

 

fried chicken with sides of mac and cheese and coleslaw from Lea Jane's Hot Chicken in Denver
Photo Credit: westword.com

Lea Jane’s Hot Chicken

1441 26th St Denver, CO 80205
Email: [email protected]

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about a lovely Sunday afternoon picnic is some tasty fried chicken, sun and refreshing drinks. You don’t have to stress out during this time, and you can drop by Lea Jane’s for some authentic fried chicken. Soul Food doesn’t get better than crispy chicken with a side of collard greens and some banana pudding for dessert. Some of their best sellers include the plain Jane, fried chicken, deviled eggs and jumbo tenders.

 

pork chops smothered in gravy with sides of collard greens, baked beans, and cornbread from Welton St. Cafe in Denver
Photo Credit: westword.com

Welton St. Café

2736 Welton St Ste 107 Denver, CO 80205
(303) 296-6602

This family-run restaurant has been serving Soul Food for over twenty years and has garnered quite a loyal customer base due to its fantastic service and food. The fusion of Caribbean and Southern cooking that brings out unique flavors in the food sets the cuisine apart from other restaurants in the area. The must-have dishes include smothered pork chops with a side of cabbage, an impossible burger and a catfish sandwich.

 

gumbo, rice, and fried catfish from Nola Voodoo Tavern in Denver
Photo Credit: Nola Voodoo Tavern

Nola Voodoo Tavern

2231 Bruce Randolph Ave, Denver, CO 80205
(720) 389-9544

If you’re looking for some of Denver’s best comfort food, a spot you definitely want to check out is Nola Voodoo Tavern located in the historic Cole neighborhood near downtown. This New Orleans-inspired bar makes each diner feel at home with its southern hospitality and homestyle cooking. Their most popular soul food dishes here are the gumbo, fried okra, hushpuppies, and fried green tomatoes. 

 

gravy buttermilk biscuit sandwich with crispy bacon from Denver Biscuit Company in Denver
Photo Credit: westword.com

Denver Biscuit Company

141 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80209
(303) 377-7900

Soul Food at home is incomplete without a biscuit, and this restaurant is arguably the best at making them. The flavors in the food are more pronounced owing to the freshly baked biscuits, in-house gravy and the perfectly seasoned chicken that combine to make a mouth-watering sandwich. The dishes they offer include the shrimp and grits biscuit bowl, the Winona and the schooner. Most of the sandwiches will feature battered catfish or buttermilk fried chicken.

 

french toast with sausage, eggs, and fresh fruit from Lucile's Creole Cafe in Denver
Photo Credit: flickr.com

Lucile’s Creole Café

275 S Logan St Denver, CO 80209
(303) 282-6258

This spot has been serving Soul Food for nearly thirty-six years and is going strong still today. The restaurant has a vast breakfast, lunch and dinner menu that guarantees meal satisfaction with the most serene ambiance. For breakfast, the pain perdu, Lucile’s oatmeal, carlin county red bean, and sausage gravy biscuit are excellent options. Their lunch and dinner menus include the New Orleans-style gumbo, Andouille poboys, among fresh and tasty options.

 

fried fish, baked beans, and fried okra from Mattie's Soul Food in Denver
Photo Credit: westword.com

Mattie’s Soul Food

4309 Freeport Way Denver, CO 80239
(702) 793-9982

Mattie’s offers the warm and fuzzy feeling you might get from homemade cooking. They offer various meal options such as catfish poboys, candied yams, smothered fried pork chops or whole chicken over rice. The spot is also famous for its desserts, especially Paulette’s famous pound cake, Tracy’s spice cake and Geneva’s banana pudding. They also have a different menu for outside catering. The restaurant is open from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Mondays to Wednesdays and from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Thursday to Sunday.

 

fried chicken wings, collard greens, mac and cheese, bread from Swirk Soul Food in Denver
Photo Credit: Yelp.com

Swirk Soul Food

2205 S Peoria St, Aurora, CO 80014
(303) 337-0549

This hole-in-the-wall spot serves up some of the most delicious, authentic soul food in the Denver area. The fried chicken here is crunchy, tender, and juicy all at the same time, and the mac and cheese is unmatched! Some other popular choices are the fried catfish and the pulled pork sandwich. For dessert, try the delicious peach cobbler. If you have a hankering for some real southern soul food then Swirk Soul Food is a spot you’d want to swing by.

 

chicken wings with side of french fries and chicken wings with sides of fried shrimp and collard greens from The Blazing Chicken Shack in Denver
Photo Credit: Yelp.com

The Blazing Chicken Shack II

5560 E 33rd Ave Denver, CO 80207
(720) 596-4501

The calm presence of this restaurant makes for a therapeutic dining experience with delicious food in town. We recommend the pork neck bone with cornbread and rice, oxtail, hotlinks and catfish. Other dishes on the menu that are worth trying are the gizzard and fries, caramel cake, potato salad and fried okra. You will not be disappointed by this no frills southern cooking spot. 

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Restaurant recommendations kindly provided by: Haley Paez | @milehighandhungry

Haley Paez is the food lover behind one of Denver’s best food Instagram accounts and blog – @milehighandhungry. With close to 50K followers, she updates locals and travelers on the best eats in town. Even though she is not a Denver native, since moving here from a food capital – Chicago – her love for culture, cuisine, and community came with her and blossomed into this Instagram page. 
 
She tells Denver’s story through the lens of food. All the creative artisans that put themselves on plates are often untold and she brings them and their treasures to life via pictures and video. As someone who grew up with a desire to travel, she accomplished this by trying the food of far away places right in her neighborhood. Therefore, her page shows a wide variety of cuisines to show that traveling doesn’t always take place on planes, instead, it finds a way to come through on our plates as well. Follow her on Instagram @milehighandhungry to join her journey through the Denver food scene and beyond! 
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For more recommendations on where to eat and drink around Denver, check out our Denver city page.
 
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on July 14, 2022 and last updated on October 18, 2023. Please refer to restaurant websites and social media pages for the most up-to-date information.