The Mile-High City is known for its intense blue skies and proximity to the Front Range Rocky Mountains. Heavily populated, the city is home to a wide variety of groups, such as artisans, high powered entrepreneurs, and also a vibrant gay community. In the recent decade, the downtown Denver area underwent a serious facelift and with many thus far decrepit warehouses being turned into lofts, office space, and also retail and restaurant properties, cheap lunch restaurants are easy to find and quite frequently open the door to an amazing lunching experience.
One of the quintessential cheap lunch restaurants in downtown Denver is the Paramount Café at 519 16th Street. Open daily from 11:00 AM until 2:00 AM, the basic fare are burgers, fries, and a host of other traditional dine at a bar favorites. Focusing on Happy Hour and frozen Margaritas that are to die for, this restaurant located on the 16th Street Mall is a favorite for the surrounding offices where workers descend like clockwork during lunch hour to get away for just a little.
Up the mall and a couple of blocks over is the Wynkoop Brewing Company at 1634 18th Street. Just a tat pricier than the Paramount, you will find pretty much the same fare, but if you keep in mind that in addition to being considered one of the cheap lunch restaurants it is also famous for its pool tables upstairs, you know why many a long hour is spent at this locale! Try the fish and chips, and you will not be disappointed. Arrive for happy hour during the workweek from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and you know that you will most likely also stay for dinner!
A hop, skip and a jump away is the Wazee Supper Club at the corner of 15th and Wazee. Offering the traditional fried fare of cheap lunch restaurants that capitalize on a hip, on-the-go clientele that might stop in for a bite but during the workweek stick around for happy hour from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, this restaurant is reasonably priced, a lot of fun, and loud! Always a reason to celebrate, try the award winning Bianca Style pizza and you will not be disappointed.
When a hankering for something basic hits, the Wall Street Deli is the place to go! When it comes to cheap lunch restaurants, it does not get much cheaper than this. Open from 7:00 AM (or 7:30 AM on Tuesdays) until 3:30: PM (or 3:00 PM on Mondays), this is the ultimate lunch spot for the office crowd. Located within close proximity to one another are two branches where the hungry may venture in search of sustenance.
Another one of the cheap lunch restaurants you simply have to see to believe is the Delectable Egg which also has two downtown locations: one on 1625 Court Place and another at 1642 Market Street. Opening at 6:30 AM and remaining open until 2:00 PM, the claim to fame for this establishment is breakfast, but you have not lived until you have had a full blown breakfast complete with juice and milk for lunch!
Though a bit pricier than the other selection, but for a Southern fish restaurant amazingly cheap, is Bayou Bob’s Restaurant & Bar. Open from 11:00 AM until 9:00 PM Mondays through Wednesdays and until 10:00 PM Thursdays through Saturdays, it is on 1635 Glenarm Place, just down a bit from the Paramount. Try the blackened catfish and you will have a lunch fit for a king!
Next on the list is the Rocky Mountain Diner at 800 18th Street. Though burgers and other American fare abound, try the Chile Rellenos but leave plenty of room for the Mile High chocolate cake! Opening at 11:00 AM, the ambiance is that which Denverites remember from the early 1990s.
If you don’t mind hopping into your car and driving for a couple of minutes, Govnr’s Park is the insider tip for the margarita thirsty crowd that also appreciates the best cheese fries in town! At 672 Logan St., the restaurant opens at 11:00 AM. Frequently offering live bands and other entertainment, this is a fun lunch and after work venue that is reasonably priced.
