Who doesn't love a weekend getaway in the mountains?! I did a little work and a little play last week and spent a couple days in Denver before heading to a cabin in the woods for the weekend! I crashed my husband's work trip, which meant that I had all day Thursday and Friday to party in Denver, browse cute coffee shops, explore neighborhoods, and research the best restaurants! I had a few misses (lol), but I'm excited to share my favorites with you for your next Denver weekend!

After two days in Denver, we escaped to this adorable cottage in the woods! How perfect is this?! Here is the cottage listing if you want to check it out! It's in between Denver and Colorado Springs.

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STAY

The Crawford

This might be my favorite spot in Denver because of the location! It's inside Union Station, in the middle of downtown Denver, making it the perfect homebase for your adventure!

The Ramble Hotel

If you want a little more of a trendy vibe, and don't mind driving to your destinations, The Ramble is a good bet! It's located in the hip RiNo (river north) neighborhood and is a vibe! I didn't love the area quite as much just because it's a little more up and coming, but it's very on trend and a great place to stay!

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EAT

Guard and Grace

My husband's boss told us he and his wife were going here for dinner and once we looked at the menu, we knew we needed to go too. (Ha!) G&G is a downtown steakhouse, and we *almost* didn't go but decided to go for it, and we are so glad we did. This was our favorite meal in Denver! TBH we love a steak, but they had all the steak variations you could want, along with plenty of other menu items if you want something different. The service was fantastic, our sides were delish, and we even had dessert because everything else was so good that we knew dessert would be amazing too. We were right ;) 

Right before dinner we tried a different place for happy hour and it was a MISS. I was discouraged, but then we went to G&G and our night was redeemed! So glad we went there. In the end, Adam's boss didn't end up being able to go that night so it was a good thing we went so we could tell them about it and that they have to go next time they're in Denver! 

Steuben's

After our weekend in the mountains, we drove back to Denver and met a friend for brunch on Sunday morning. We picked Steuben's based on the menu and website *diner vibes* and it was a great choice! 

Everything we had was excellent, including the donut holes as an appetizer. ;) We tried the Jo's Breakfast, the Croque Steuben's, and the Greek Hash. All so good! The patio is such a fun vibe and we even had a great experience sitting at the bar, because it felt like a diner!

Tavernetta

This was a backup selection but it ended up being such a good choice! Italian with a twist, right next to Union Station, complete with a fireplace, and the most delicious foccacia bread and burrata (my favorite!). I had the Spaghetti Pomodoro and Adam had the *whole* Branzino! We ate here with friends and we all loved what we ordered! 

This was a trendy, moody, upscale vibe...does that make sense? ;)

Denver Central Market

Lunch spot alert! I was exploring and had seen this place on a few different Pinterest lists, so I decided to give it a shot. It's a food court! We don't have many of these in Dallas, but I know most metropolitan areas do. They had something for everyone here - I went for the BBQ and had a 1/4lb of brisket for lunch (no sides!) to hold me over til dinner. I loved being able to order just the meat and not a huge meal. They also had a pizza place, vegan spot, salads, bakery, candy store, coffee shop, bar, and more! 

This would be a great place to visit if you're with a group and everyone wants something different.

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Pigtrain Coffee

My first stop in Denver was for coffee inside Union Station at Pigtrain. It was so good! I had a monkey bread muffin and wow wow it was so good. This is the perfect spot if you're planning to spend a little time at Union Station working or people watching. ;)

EXPLORE

Union Station

I've already mentioned it a few times, but Union Station is the (working!) historic train station in downtown Denver! It has restaurants, wifi, and great seating for people watching, working, or just passing time in Denver!

Cherry Creek Mall

I wouldn't put this at the top of your list, but sometimes it's nice to know were the mall is in a new city! The Cherry Creek area is where to find some of your favorite shops and dining in Denver! I worked for a few hours at Aviano Coffee, in an outdoor shopping center near the mall, and it seemed to be full of young pros and was a great work environment for me.

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I hope this helps you on your next trip! Follow @rhondajenkins for more weekend travel guides!