The Cherry Cricket
A Denver staple, and for very, very good reason, The Cherry Cricket is the epitome of delicious, greasy bar food. All of their burgers are excellent and are fairly customizable to suit your individual tastes. If you’re looking for a pro tip, splurging for the bison burger is a next level move here – your tastebuds can thank us later.
Skirted Heifer
Right smack-dab in the middle of downtown Colorado Springs, the Skirted Heifer is second to none. What makes this burger so delicious, you ask? Well, they pile on the cheese and cook the burger in such a way that it literally melts down and creates a toasted-cheese “skirt” around the bottom of the burger. It’s simple, it’s freaking amazing, and it will change the way you view cheeseburgers forever. Their classic custard is pretty good, too. Chow down here after tackling the intense Manitou Incline and you’ll swear a burger has never tasted so good.
Blackbelly
In true Boulder fashion, this market and the burger you’ll get inside is all about local. From a Real Dill pickle on the side to the infamous thick-cut bacon from their very own butcher shop (if you’ve lived here for awhile and like to sample the culinary offerings the Denver/Boulder area is brimming with, you’ve likely seen this brand on menus around the city before – yeah, it’s THAT bacon, fresher than anywhere else). It’s hard to beat the commitment to local, sustainable, and fresh food that you’ll get at this burger joint, so if that kind of community awareness and support is your shtick, we highly recommend giving this spot a shot.
Grind
Along the same lines as Blackbelly, Grind in Glenwood Springs offers a local, sustainable approach to the classic burger. They go so far as to say that they grind each burger they serve themselves (hence the name!) to ensure your health and quality flavor is at the forefront of your dining experience. They also offer a delicious vegetarian option in their “Mayan” burger, a house-made black bean patty that packs a flavorful punch without any of the, you know, meat. Grind aims to be the kind of place you can hang around for hours with your friends, so if you’re looking to try them out, make sure to book out some time to get the full experience.
We know, we know, we’ve barely grazed (excuse the pun) the surface when it comes to the burger offerings available in Colorado and the front range, but armed with these hot spots, you can build a solid burger foundation from which you can go, expand, and make your own decisions. Look, we’d have mentioned Shake Shack, but the East Coast staple isn’t quite as Coloradan, and honestly, we’re just waiting for In N Out to make it’s proper debut before we even touch that particular burger battle. Happy burger exploring, everyone!
