Witches and wizards of Denver can dust off their wands and dig those Gryffindor robes out of storage, because Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is coming to town. The stage play, which follows the unlikely friendship and ensuing misadventures of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy’s respective sons, Albus and Scorpius, at Hogwarts, debuts on May 30 at the Buell Theater in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
With a wildly successful decade-plus run on and off Broadway, Cursed Child promises to transport viewers directly into the wizarding world, no Floo Powder required. That said, if you’re unable to score tickets (no shade, live theater is a luxury) or simply don’t want the magic to end, there are plenty of eateries that capture the allure and enchantment of the Potterverse in and around Denver.
From the whimsy of dining out to a Hagrid-approved cafe to desserts rivaling Honeydukes, these 15 restaurants, cafes, and bars are performing gastronomic wizardry in the Mile High City.
La Forêt
The Forbidden Forest is often the setting for spooky scenes, but later books show it in a softer, more peaceful light. No restaurant in Denver captures this alluring, sylvan aesthetic better than La Forêt. With aspen trunks stretching from earthen floors, leafy greenery dangling from a canopy of branches, and live plants in every nook and cranny, La Forêt (French for “the forest”) offers bewitching Alpine-French dishes that might even impress snooty Fleur Delacour.
Starters like French onion soup, fried frog legs, and baked Brie with sage honey and spiced fig jam are just the tip of the iceberg. La Forêt’s dinner menu boasts classic short rib beef Bourguignon, Trout Muiniere with capers, lemon, and brown butter, and a wild boar chop with white wine, chicken jus, and gooseberry. Snag delicacies like smoked Salmon Benedict, Croque Madame, and champignon crepes at Sunday brunch.
Though the kids wandering the Forbidden Forest wouldn’t be able to partake, adults should enjoy the restaurant’s Pastis Hour from 4 to 5 p.m. for a hand-picked assortment of specialty drinks and small plates. 38 S. Broadway, Denver, laforetdenver.com
The Wolf’s Tailor
The dim lighting and overall moody vibe of Wolf’s Tailor call to mind the Slytherin Common Room in Hogwarts’s dungeons. Wolf’s Tailor maintains an air of secrecy by withholding its menu from the internet, and the formidable price point and limited reservations engender a level of exclusivity people like Draco Malfoy might find highly appealing. That said, if you’ve got the Galleons, dining at Wolf’s Tailor is a one-of-a-kind experience.
With a strong emphasis on local, seasonal, sustainable ingredients, the chef-driven restaurant has earned two stars from the Michelin Guide to date. Wolf’s Tailor is strictly a tasting menu experience; there are no à la carte food items. The expertly curated dining adventure uses food to craft a narrative, with each course serving as a new chapter.
Dishes may include plates like diver scallops with winter squash mousse and preserved watermelon tajin; sourdough piada with corn miso honey butter, benne buckwheat, and truffles; or wagyu striploin with wasabi and soubise. Diners may choose from several drink pairing packages, or individually priced drinks may be purchased separately. 4058 Tejon St., Denver, thewolfstailor.com
The Inventing Room
If Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes and Honeydukes sweet shop did a collaboration, it might look something like The Inventing Room in Denver. This unique venue centers around “seasonal demonstrations combin[ing] science and sweets,” and its whimsical creations are straight out of the Potterverse.
Owner Ian Kleinman utilizes his background in molecular gastronomy to magick together mind-boggling concoctions like liquid nitrogen ice cream sundaes, glow-in-the-dark sweets, and exploding whipped cream that causes “smoke” (trapped liquid nitrogen gas) to billow out of patrons’ mouths like clouds. Chefs take customers on a 30-minute journey through the science behind cooking while they enjoy six mind-blowing dessert creations. The last 15 minutes are spent exploring the black light room and munching on a liquid nitrogen sundae of choice.
Between whirring machines, mad scientist lab equipment, and the snapping, crackling, and popping confections, the Inventing Room is the next-best thing to Apparting into Hogsmeade. Be sure to book reservations online in advance; walk-ins are not permitted. 4433 W. 29th Ave. #101, Denver, tirdenver.co
Williams & Graham
The child Hermione Granger might be disappointed if she popped into the tiny corner bookstore at 3160 Tejon St., because despite its facade, it’s not a bookstore at all. But the adult Hermione may just love how the grandiose bookshelves behind the front desk camouflage Williams & Graham, an award-winning speakeasy serving some of the best cocktails in Denver. Not unlike Hogwarts’s labyrinthine hidden passageways, the bookshelves swing open to unveil a dark hallway leading to a magnificent hidden bar with a timeless, cloak-and-dagger ambience.
Over 500 spirits bottles perch on floor-to-ceiling shelves behind the bar, waiting to be poured into one of the 60-plus signature cocktails like the Rolling 3’s with mezcal, pink pineapple, pasilla pepper, and lime; or the Wah Gwaan with salted peanut dark rum, Caffè Borghetti, absinthe, Coke, lime, and mint. Alternatively, mixologists may improvise a recipe based on customers’ preferences, tastes, and mood.
Mixology magic is the hook, but the watering hole boasts an impressive food menu to boot. Opt for the roasted bone marrow appetizer, and finish with the W&G Classic Burger (dry-aged steak grind, special sauce, Port Salut cheese, and caramelized onions on a Brioche bun) and French fries with malt gastrique aioli. 3160 Tejon St., Denver, williamsandgraham.com
Wonderyard Garden + Table
Wonder and whimsy are the name of the game at Wonderyard Garden + Table. This Larimer Street haunt is straight out of an Instagram spread, with playful, quirky details as far as the eye can see. We imagine it’s a lot like stepping into Luna Lovegood’s bedroom, or at least her colorful dream world.
Customers can sip blueberry frose in giant teacups, nosh on prosciutto-and-pear pizza inside gargantuan bird cages, and share ube cheesecake under dreamy string light installations. Many dishes incorporate Wonderyard’s stone-milled whole wheat flour dough, found in the flatbreads, the croutons on the kale Caesar salad, and even the pita bread for the chicken shawarma wrap.
Presentation is king, and Wonderyard takes it to the next level with fantastical bar drinks like Le Cloud, a vodka-based strawberry cocktail with lemon, egg whites, and a supernal cotton candy cloud suspended above the coupe glass. Large-format cocktails designed for four or more guests add a touch of merriment, and sober or under-21 guests will appreciate the selection of non-alcoholic beverages.
Discounted drinks and small plates during happy hour offer the perfect excuse to visit Wonderyard, even if you’re working with a Weasley-sized wallet. 2200 Larimer St., Denver, wonderyard.com
Denver Cat Company
With a heart as enormous as the half-giant himself, Rubeus Hagrid is one of the Potter series’ most beloved characters. If you take after the Keeper of the Keys and have a deep affinity for furry, four-legged friends, Denver Cat Company is a must-visit. This coffee shop cum cat rescue is home to up to 20 cats at a time, all in need of forever homes.
Due to food safety laws, Denver Cat Company only offers a small selection of coffee drinks and pre-packaged food for purchase. Don’t come in expecting a double-shot oat milk caramel macchiato with your Maine coon, but a basic coffee and a Clif bar should be doable.
The focus is on felines over food and drinks, and it’s easy to picture Hagrid teasing a tabby with a laser pointer or stroking a calico perched in a carpeted tree. The open space features hidey-holes, scratching posts, and toys galore. As a bonus, its Tennyson Street location is just a 10 to 15-minute drive from the Buell Theater – an easy stop before a Cursed Child performance. 3929 Tennyson St., Denver, denvercatco.com
The Burns Pub & Restaurant
Broomfield’s Burns Pub perfectly captures the essence of classic taverns across the pond. The menu is heavy on British comfort food, there’s a perpetually convivial atmosphere, and its entire ethos radiates log cabin vibes, complete with a crackling fireplace. It’s just the sort of place you’d expect to find Sirius Black moodily sipping Stranahan’s whiskey or Arthur Weasley tucking into a shepherd’s pie and marveling at the electrical outlets.
Family-owned and operated from day one, Burns Pub serves timeless alehouse fare. Dig into the Crab Boxty or go for the Scotch Egg as an appetizer. Follow it up with Fish and Chips, a short rib sandwich, or ask about the savory pie of the day. A side of bacon peas or mash and gravy perfectly rounds out a meal.
Burns Pub offers an extensive list of whiskies, as well as plenty of ales, lagers, and ciders for the beer drinkers, plus wine and cocktails aplenty. It’s not the Leaky Cauldron, but if British pub vibes are the goal, Burns Pub is the place to be. 9009 Metro Airport Ave., Broomfield, theburnspub.com
Adventure Time Bar
Denver’s latest cocktail lab, Adventure Time, opened its doors in January 2026. The fledgling concept is already making waves with inventive, ever-changing themes, uproarious gimmicks, and mad scientists manning the bar. Adventure Time serves popping, fizzing, smoking cocktails and bar bites that could be straight out of an N.E.W.T.-level Advanced Potions class at Hogwarts – and all of it deserves an O for Outstanding.
It’s not all bells and whistles. There’s some magnificent science happening behind the scenes at Adventure Time that might even impress Severus Snape himself. Owner Sam Wood and his team experiment with molecular mixology, brewing up items like Moscow Mules that somehow taste just like jerk chicken, Dubai chocolate martinis served over shaved ice, and a frozen Ramos gin fizz served on a plate with a fork and knife.
Most signature cocktails can be made without alcohol, so non-drinkers can still enjoy innovative potables like the Sip Krackle Pop (a rice crispie Old Fashioned) without miso brown butter bourbon; or the Fizzy Lifting Room (a force-carbonated salted caramel martini) sans vodka and Apple Pucker. 101 Broadway #9, Denver, adventuretimebar.com
The Brown Palace
With grand, sweeping ceilings rivaling those of Hogwarts’s Great Hall, the Brown Palace in Denver is both elegant and timeless. The cultural and historic institution offers five different marvelous dining and drinking concepts, many of which parallel scenes from the wizarding world.
Visitors may be reminded of Dolores Umbridge’s office while enjoying a traditional afternoon tea with scones, pastries, and finger sandwiches in the Grand Atrium. The velvet drapery, gilded mirrors, and sparkling chandeliers of the Palace Arms French restaurant may summon images of the Hogwarts Trophy Room during a feast of oysters Rockefeller, half roast chicken with 40 garlic cloves, and bananas foster flambé.
The Ship Tavern’s nautical theme and seafood-forward menu offer patrons a taste of the Durmstrang pirate ship while they sip Fish House Punch and eat New England Clam Chowder or brave the whole one-pound Maine Lobster Roll. If spirits and stogies sound tempting, Churchill Bar boasts fine leather furniture, a second-to-none cigar collection, and an ambrosial barrel-aged smoked Old Fashioned. Visit during December for utterly dazzling holiday decor – the Brown Palace Yuletide experience is pure magic. 321 17th St., Denver, brownpalace.com
The Marigold
If Professor Sprout and Neville Longbottom opened a bar, it might look something like Marigold Plants & Spirits, an urban Eden in Denver. Part cocktail bar, part plant shop, Marigold brings Denver’s city dwellers closer to nature with a vast assortment of plants for perusal or purchase while sipping rosé and tossing back custom Moscow Mules.
The Five Points gin joint specializes in bespoke cocktails, which change frequently and often build on the bar’s theme with floral or plant-forward components. The Peperomia combines blanco tequila, chile liqueur, mezcal, green tomato, poblano, pineapple, and vanilla for a sweet and savory libation. Maples in Autumn fuses High West bourbon and whiskey with Applejack, Strega, sweet vermouth, and maple, a playful autumnal refreshment. Aromatic seasonal tonics crafted with gin and a house blend of botanicals and citrus are exquisite.
The outdoor rooftop bar, serene patio, and paradisiacal Japanese garden and pond offer peaceful spaces to hunker down and pore over One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and The Farmers Almanac alike. Pop in for excellent happy hour deals every day till 8 p.m., and if you’ve got a magical eyeball like Mad-Eye Moody, keep it trained on Instagram for events like “Mari-oke” (karaoke), movie nights, and live music. 2721 Welton St., Denver, marigolddenver.com
Forest Room 5
In Deathly Hallows, Harry, Ron, and Hermione camp in forests while on the run from Voldemort’s lackeys. The Golden Trio’s spartan backpacking experience was a harrowing one, but as nature lovers know, real-life camping adventures are a blast. For elevated yet kooky glamping vibes right in the Mile High City, look no further than Forest Room 5.
With all the warmth and coziness of Hagrid’s log cabin, plus the funky mysticism of Professor Trelawney’s lair, Forest Room 5 blends nature, art, nightlife, and mystery. Guests drink whiskey while perched on tree stumps around roaring campfires, nurse local craft beers while marveling at the eclectic decor, and sip cocktails inside the famous teepee.
The menu features upscale takes on camping classics. Juicy, tender, and perfectly sized, the signature Kobe beef sliders are one of the best-kept secrets in the city. Smoky mac and cheese with oven-roasted mushrooms, bacon, parmesan, and smoked gouda cheese is always a hit. Colorado pan-fried trout is perfect after a day of hiking, and a sea salt brownie will hit the spot if you’re hangrier than Ron Weasley on the hiding-from-Voldemort diet. 2532 15th St., Denver, no website
School House Kitchen
What better way to honor a literary series primarily set in a school than dining at a tavern that was once an educational facility? The space that now holds School House Kitchen was initially built as a one-room schoolhouse. Since 2015, it’s functioned as a thriving school-themed restaurant and whiskey bar in Arvada.
Small details play up School House’s classroom theme – the bar top is covered with number 2 pencils, the chairs are made from school desks, and “report cards” serve in place of comment cards. Hermione Granger would feel right at home munching on Prep School Poutine topped with white cheddar cheese curds, or a School House Salad of greens, herbed chevre, candied almonds, and vinaigrette.
Classic bar fare like a grown-up grilled cheese (cheese curds, smoked gouda, and garlic aioli on toasted sourdough), brisket tacos with slaw, pickled onions, and cilantro lime crema, and a rotating burger of the month ensures patrons have plenty in their bellies before turning to the gastropub’s staggering collection of 2,000+ whiskeys. School House is the perfect spot for a casual date, group night out, or to celebrate acing your O.W.L.s – err, finals. 5660 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, schoolhousemenu.com
The Crypt
Immortalized in the Harry Potter films by the inimitable Helena Bonham Carter, Bellatrix Lestrange is a fan-favorite villain. With her Stygian demeanor and all-black attire, the Death Eater’s goth aesthetic would blend in seamlessly at the Crypt, a dark and dreamy punk bar celebrating all things macabre.
Punk and metal music pulses while red lights illuminate skeleton decor, horror paraphernalia, twinkly lights, and fake bats criss-crossing the ceiling. Specialty cocktails have impish appellations like Death on the Beach (Midori, white and coconut rums, pineapple, and lime) and Levitated Corpse (gin, Lillet Blanc, blackberry liqueur, and lemon). There are ample wine, beer, and non-alcoholic options to boot.
Surprisingly, some of the plant-based dishes in Denver live at the Crypt. There are some meat options, but fried potato latkes with apple rum jam, a Korean BBQ fried tofu sandwich with pickles and slaw, and soba noodles with crispy onions, scallions, and ginger umami sauce are all killer choices. While Death Eaters are not role models, anyone who digs Bellatrix’s death metal style will feel right at home at the Crypt. 1618 E. 17th Ave., Denver, thecryptdenver.com
Cooper Lounge
The moment Harry first sees the Hogwarts Express train is a pivotal scene in the Potter series. If you can’t make it to the real King’s Cross station in London, dining at Denver’s Cooper Lounge is the next best thing. On Union Station’s mezzanine level, Cooper Lounge is all about chic cocktails and sophisticated dining. The striking views of downtown Denver and the station’s spectacular Great Hall are hard to beat, especially with an Espresso Martini in hand and caviar-laced French onion dip on your plate.
There aren’t many beer options, but Cooper Lounge has an extensive wine list. The cocktail menu carries timeless classics, like a Manhattan crafted with your choice of rye whiskey from Union Station’s private selection, as well as more avant-garde conceptions such as the Sacred Spells, which melds Oaxacan whiskey, premium Mexican corn liqueur, coconut cream, and mole and fire bitters. Cuisine is on the snacky side: think oysters, charcuterie boards, Niçoise salad, and deviled eggs.
Cooper Lounge is a great option for a drink and light lunch or dinner before catching the light rail. Plus, unlike Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, you don’t need to run through a brick wall at top speed to ride it. 1701 Wynkoop St., Denver, cooperlounge.com
Holey Moley
Given his rabid love for Quidditch, it’s safe to bet a couple Sickles that Oliver Wood would have a ball tapping into his competitive side at Holey Moley. A 27-hole miniature golf course with a bar and restaurant attached, Holey Moley brings chaotic fun to downtown Denver. Customers play themed nine-hole rounds of mini golf, competing in pop culture quizzes and challenges along the way.
After the game, winners and losers alike break bread and rehash the game’s high points over beer, wine, mixed drinks, and other libations. Gargantuan shareable cocktails, like the Bragging Rights Marg, make it a cinch to mend any bridges that may have been burned during a heated round.
Grub starts with apps like Firecracker Chicken Bites, Thai Lettuce Cups, and brisket-loaded fries. Go for a heavy hitter like the Hot Honey Pepperoni Pizza, or keep it light with a Chop Chop Salad. With feta and tzatziki, the Falafel Burger packs a bright, flavorful, vegetarian punch, and crispy churros always keep the party going. Holey Moley is an ideal hangout for friend groups like Oliver Wood and Ginny, Fred, and George Weasley, who thrive in the face of friendly competition. 1201 18th St., Denver, holeymoley.com
