Downtown Denver Food Tour: LoDo tastings with a guide

Five tastings across LoDo's oldest neighborhood, guided through a century of Denver's food and history

A three-hour walking food tour through LoDo, Denver's historic lower downtown, stopping at five award-winning local restaurants for tastings: AVPN-certified Neapolitan pizza, Colorado green chili, Argentine empanadas, Southwestern fry bread tacos, and a Portuguese custard tart. A live English-speaking guide shares stories about Denver's gold-rush origins, Wild West past, and the neighborhood's transformation from warehouse district to culinary hub. Children from age 3 are welcome. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free tastings available with advance notice.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Dairy Blockpass by
2. Coors Field5m
3. LoDo15m

Downtown Denver food and history tour

• Start at Marco’s Coal Fired Pizzeria
• Walk along historic Larimer Street
• Taste empanadas at Lazo Empanadas
• Try green chili at The Cherry Cricket
• Pass by National Ballpark Museum
• Explore Ballpark District neighborhood
• Pause at McGregor Square
• See The Rally Hotel exterior
• Pass historic Windsor Dairy building
• Eat fry bread taco at Kachina Cantina
• Walk through Dairy Block
• Visit Wynkoop Brewing Company
• Enjoy pastel de nata at Ultreia in Union Station
• Stop at Coors Field stadium
• Visit Oxford Hotel lobby
• End at Denver Union Station

The experience

LoDo, Lower Downtown, is where Denver's story begins, and this tour moves through it one bite at a time. You'll start at Marco's Coal Fired Pizzeria Ballpark, steps from Coors Field, tasting AVPN-certified Neapolitan pizza (the only Denver pizzeria with Italy's official stamp) fired in ovens burning over 1,000 degrees. From there the route takes you through Larimer Street, where the city's first settlement took root during the 1858 gold rush, and into the neighborhoods that grew around it: past the National Ballpark Museum, through the Ballpark District's brick facades and street art, and into McGregor Square, one of downtown's newest gathering spaces opened in 2021.

The tastings themselves move across continents. After the pizza comes Lazo Empanadas, a family-owned spot serving ground beef empanadas with housemade chimichurri. Then The Cherry Cricket Ballpark for award-winning Colorado green chili: a dish so central to Denver's identity it shows up on menus from diners to fine dining. At Kachina Cantina on the Dairy Block, you'll taste a roasted pork belly taco on blue corn tortilla with peach morita salsa, a Southwestern fusion that reflects how diverse cultures shape the city's food scene. The Dairy Block itself, built on the site of the old Windsor Dairy, has become a micro-district of restaurants, bars, and art installations woven together by a signature alley. Your guide fills the walking time between stops with stories about Denver's frontier days, secret tunnels, the city's famous bordellos, and how neighborhoods like this one transformed from industrial warehouses into gathering places.

The tour closes at Union Station, Denver's 1881 Beaux-Arts landmark completely revitalized in 2014. Inside, at Ultreia, you'll finish with a Portuguese pastel de nata (a flaky custard tart with powdered sugar) served beneath the station's soaring ceilings. The stop ties together the whole journey: global flavors, local craftsmanship, and the mix of grit and glamour that defines downtown Denver. You'll also pass the Oxford Hotel, the city's oldest operating hotel built in 1891, and see how historic preservation has woven century-old architecture into the modern dining and brewery scene that made Denver known as the "Napa Valley of Beer."

What’s included

• Five restaurant tastings (Neapolitan pizza with bufala mozzarella and fresh basil.
• ground beef empanada with housemade chimichurri.
• Colorado green chili with flour tortilla.
• roasted pork belly taco with peach morita salsa.
• Portuguese custard tart with powdered sugar).
• live English-speaking guide.
• walking route through LoDo with stops at historic sites including Coors Field, McGregor Square, the Dairy Block, Union Station, and the Oxford Hotel.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 12:15, 13:00 and 13:45

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Under 3: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 16

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Delicious Denver Food Tours

Is this one for you?You end the morning with five tastings and a working knowledge of Denver's neighborhood: the kind of tour that works because the walking and the stories fill the gaps between bites, so you're never standing around hungry or bored. The three-hour length holds everything together without eating your whole day.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 12 years). Under 3: they can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly do I taste on the Downtown Denver Food Tour?

The tour includes five tastings: AVPN-certified Neapolitan pizza with bufala mozzarella and fresh basil; ground beef empanada with housemade chimichurri; award-winning Colorado pork green chili with a flour tortilla; roasted pork belly taco on blue corn tortilla with peach morita salsa; and a Portuguese egg custard tart with powdered sugar. Alcoholic drink pairings are available to purchase on site for $30.

How long does the Downtown Denver Food Tour take?

The tour runs three hours and covers LoDo on foot, moving between five restaurants and stopping at historic sites and landmarks like Coors Field, McGregor Square, the Dairy Block, Union Station, and the Oxford Hotel along the way.

What is LoDo and why does the tour focus on it?

LoDo, Lower Downtown, is Denver's oldest neighborhood, founded during the 1858 gold rush along the South Platte River. It grew into a bustling warehouse district tied to the railroad era, then declined by the 1980s before historic preservation transformed it into one of Denver's liveliest hubs. Today century-old brick architecture houses trendy restaurants, craft breweries, and independent shops, making it the perfect backdrop for a food tour that connects Denver's frontier past to its modern culinary identity.

Can I do this tour if I'm vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free?

Yes. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free tastings are available with advance notice when you book, so the restaurant stops can accommodate your dietary needs.

What stories does the guide share during the tour?

The live English-speaking guide shares stories about Denver's gold-rush origins and Wild West past (including tales of secret tunnels and historic bordellos) as well as the neighborhood's transformation from an industrial warehouse district into a culinary and cultural hub. You'll also hear about how Denver became known as the "Napa Valley of Beer" and the role landmarks like Union Station and Coors Field played in shaping the city.