With thousands of people set to descend on Denver for CEDIA Expo 2026, one of the main attractions for show attendees will be finding somewhere to eat and to have some fun.
In the previous week’s KMB Communications blog, the team at KMB looked at some after- show activities that Expo attendees could engage in that were unrelated to the event. The blog points out activities ranging from concerts and museums to theatrical reviews, and this week’s blog tackles those hunger pains that everyone feels after a day spent walking the show floor or sitting in a classroom.
Using Google ratings, along with some guidance from the foodie-approved Michelin Star rating system via Opentable.com, here are seven restaurants worth checking out while in Denver:
- Corinne Denver
- Alma Fonda Fina
- Salt Water Social (seafood)
- McGregor Square
- Tavernetta
- Culinary Dropout
- Breakfast: Fox and the Hen
A Closer Look at 7 CEDIA Expo 2026 Dining Options
As a major metropolitan city, it is not surprising that Denver offers a wealth of restaurant choices. Those choices run from the affordable, mass-market chain franchise brands to local spots, and of course those high-end foodie oasis businesses.
Here is a look at seven restaurants Google has rated 4.4 stars and higher:
Corinne: Located at 1455 California Street, Corinne offers breakfast, brunch, lunch, happy hour and evening dining. Breakfast provides choices such as cappuccino, tea and coffee, as well as juice, and “Detox,” which is acai, pomegranate, coconut water, and lime. Breakfast choices include eggs, breakfast sandwiches and pancakes.
Brunch provides salads, burgers, and omelettes. Lunch includes choices like soup, cobb salad, sandwiches, chicken and frites. Dinner options range from scallops and shrimp to ribs, ribeyes, filet mignon, and burgers.
Alma Fonda Fina: The Opentable.com website lists this restaurant as a Michelin-rated business. Opentable’s write-up says Alma Fonda Fina represents Chef Curiel’s career journey.
Alma Fonda Fina serves happy hour and dinner clientele. The happy hour menu includes beer, wine, and food items such as Queso Fundido, Taco Arabe, and Chile Relleno. Dinner plates include Guacamole Alma, Quesadila Frita, Enmolado De Pato, and Pancita Pibil. CEDIA Expo attendees can visit Alma Fonda Fina at 2556 15th Street.
Salt Water Social: Another highly rated restaurant to make the list, and this restaurant may surprise people from Boston, Baltimore, Seattle and other well-known seafood cities. Salt Water Social offers seafood with dinners that feature crab, tuna, salmon, scallops, and favorites like fish and chips.
The restaurant provides brunch, happy hour and dinner seating, and Salt Water Social will also host private parties. Salt Water Social’s address is 201 Columbine Street.
McGregor Square Restaurants: The next CEDIA Expo dining stop isn’t a single restaurant—it’s a location that KMB Communications could not leave off the list—McGregor Square.
McGregor Square restaurants include La Loma, as well as the McGregor Square Food+Drink food hall; The Original, Call Me Pearl, The Grandstand Café, and Tom’s Watch Bar.
McGregor Square is located at 1901 Wazee Street.
Tavernetta: Also making the Opentable.com list of Michelin-rated restaurants is Tavernetta. Show attendees can visit the restaurant at 1889 16th Street Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and if attendees are in Denver during the weekend, the restaurant is open 3 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Tavernetta offers lunch, happy hour, dinner and an after-dinner menu. Basing its menus on Italian specialties, the restaurant serves handmade pasta and plates such as Branzino (pickled eggplant), Pesce al Cartoccio (halibut), and Manzo (steak).
Culinary Dropout: Offering a more relaxed dining environment for CEDIA Expo attendees, Culinary Dropout is a regional restaurant chain with its Denver location set at 4141 E. 9th Avenue.
Open seven-days-a-week with brunch, happy hour, and dinner hours, Culinary Dropout’s menu includes appetizers such as marinated olives and Molinari Sopressata, as well as soup, deviled eggs, and nachos. The menu also includes a choice of salads, sandwiches, Detroit-style pizza, and entrees highlighted by fried chicken and ribs.
Fox and the Hen: Rounding out the KMB Comm list of the Denver restaurants for CEDIA Expo 2026 is Fox and the Hen. Located at 2257 W 32nd Avenue, this breakfast restaurant serves pancakes of all types including chocolate chip and blueberry, and bacon.
Entrée items include Tacos Con Huevos, turkey and smoked cheddar, and the Foxy Burrito.
A Local Perspective of the Denver Food Scene
Reading a website is one thing, but getting recommendations from a local Denver-area resident is another thing entirely. Offering her suggestions for some restaurants to check out while in town for the show, Elizabeth P. Lord-Levitt, principal designer, Elizabeth P. Lord Residential Design says these establishments are worth checking out:
- Anything on Larimer Square:
- Boa Brewhouse
- Osteria Marco
- Rioja
- Tamayo
- Tavernetta
The designer emphasizes that Union Station has some great restaurants and the location is pretty she adds:
- Mercantile
- Ultreia
- Cooper Lounge (drinks)
- Terminal Bar (drinks)
Lord says that her current favorite restaurant is Heretik in Rino. Rino, she continues, also has some great options:
- Work & Class
- Cart-Driver
Best Cocktails:
- Death & Co. Denver
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