Earth Day and every day is the perfect time to recognize restaurants going the extra mile when it comes to sustainability and sourcing local. While plenty of places tout farm-to-table, nose-to-tail, and local foods, Slow Food has highlighted some of the best Denver area programs through its Slow Food Snail of Approval award.
This movement began as a grassroots campaign in Italy, when Romans protested the opening of a fast food restaurant near the Spanish Steps in 1986. Fast forward four decades, and it’s now a global organization with a mission that reads “good, clean, and fair food for all.”
Since 2014, the organization has handed out the Snail of Approval award to farms and restaurants worldwide. In order to gain a snail, the group’s mascot, businesses must go through a screening process that examines six different criteria: sourcing, environmental impact, cultural connection, community involvement, staff support, and business values.
Slow Food Denver has been operating for 25 years, and since then has given out 35 snails to local purveyors. There’s 24 to check out in Boulder as well, and if you want to hit them all, pick up a Snail Trail Passport, which offers discounts to accredited businesses and allows you to collect stamps along the way. Once you visit all of the participating businesses, you’re entered into a drawing for a $100 gift card.
This Earth Day, make a point to visit these special places, starting with this list of 10 restaurants, bakeries, and venues around town.
Coperta
Italy is the OG Slow Food destination, so it makes sense at least one Italian restaurant in town has garnered a Snail of Approval. Owned by chef Paul C. Reilly, his sister Aileen Reilly, and her husband JT Taylor Jr., the southern Italian concept uses ethically-sourced ingredients, and relies on Earth’s bounty each season. Dubbed “a cuisine of sustenance,” the menu includes fresh-baked focaccia, antipasti, and handmade pastas, all featuring meat and produce from Colorado farms and ranches. 400 E. 20th Ave., Denver, copertadenver.com
Flagstaff House
After decades in service, Flagstaff House in Boulder received a Snail of Approval this year thanks to chef Chris Royster’s dedication to working with ethical producers and partnering with Cure Organic Farm just a few miles away from the restaurant. The local fine dining institution serves à la carte dishes and curated tasting menus, all featuring what’s really in season, including what the chef can forge from the foothills around Boulder.
Fulfilling the community involvement part of Slow Food’s requirements, the restaurant also works closely with charitable projects, including the Rocky Mountain Chef’s Challenge for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. 1138 Flagstaff Rd., Boulder, flagstaffhouse.com
Annette Scratch Kitchen
Owned by lauded chef Caroline Glover, since 2017 Annette has brought a new kind of locally-driven restaurant to Aurora. With one glance it’s easy to see how Annett embodies Slow Food values, not only by choosing seasonal Colorado ingredients, but by welcoming diners to watch the team as they work in the open kitchen. Expect woodfired vegetables, housemade pasta, ethically-sourced meats, and food cooked with intention. 2501 Dallas St., Aurora, annettescratchtotable.com
Brutø
Michelin-starred Brutø, located in the Dairy Block, serves an 11-course tasting menu inspired from food around the world. In addition to featuring heritage grains and ethically-sourced seafood, the restaurant employs creative strategies to stem food waste.
For example, fermentation expert Mara King and her team use scraps to create sauces, syrups, pickles, and other ingredients found in entrees and even in cocktails. What the team does at Brutø gets mirrored in the other establishments under the restaurant group Id Est, including Hey Kiddo, The Wolf’s Tailor, Basta, and Dry Storage, which all have a Snail of Approval as well. 1801 Blake St., Denver, brutodenver.com
Chook
Throw in a little Australian slang around and you have Chook, the name of Denver’s Aussie rotisserie chicken spot. Currently Chook boasts three locations, each sporting the Snail of Approval as well as the prestigious B Corp Certification. The small fast-casual eatery earned these awards thanks to the team’s dedication to composting and recycling, responsibly sourcing protein, and relying on Colorado produce for side dishes. Multiple locations, chookchicken.com
Gladys Restaurant
Gladys Restaurant, located in the Edgewater Public Market, serves only plant-based foods and highlights Colorado’s seasonal vegetables. You won’t find any plastic wrap in the kitchen, a rarity in the restaurant industry, and any takeout materials are compostable.
Recently owners Rocky Hunter and David Grant took their five-year-old concept from counter service and moved it into a sit-down restaurant space inside the foodhall. Some of the vegan dishes got elevated, while others, like the meatless burger and famous Reuben sandwich, remained on the menu. 5505 W. 20th Ave., Edgewater, gladysrestaurant.com
Moon Raccoon
At Moon Raccoon, all the small-batch pastries are made from local grains, which is one reason owners Kate Lange and Zoe Deutsch have received a Snail of Approval. One way they achieved the honor comes from sourcing, and each day the ingredient sources are listed on the website, which includes eggs from Greeley, cream from Bellevue, produce from Longmont, and grains from Boulder. Taste the dedication in the team’s inventive flavor combinations, like the recent hojicha black sesame danish with banana caramel.
The newish bakery also hosts Sofglina Pasta, a fellow award winner. 2839 W. 44th Ave., Denver, moonraccoonbakingcompany.com
Restaurant Olivia
This pasta-focused restaurant earned a Snail of Approval in 2024, and over the years the commitment has only grown. As of last year, Olivia and its newly-opened sister restaurant, Dear Emilia, have tapped the talents of sustainability director, Paula Thomas, who previously worked with the Slow Food organization.
Thomas now collaborates with the management team to implement sustainable practices, from checking the sustainable seafood program Seafood Watch by the Monterey Bay Aquarium to turning produce scraps into pickled and fermented foods. The housemade pastas and breads also rely on locally sourced, drought-tolerant grains that sequester carbon and promote soil health. 290 S. Downing St., Denver, oliviadenver.com
Blackbelly Market & Restaurant
Blackbelly Market & Restaurant was started by chef Hosea Rosenberg as a way to highlight Colorado cuisine. Now, the chef’s spot has both a Snail of Approval as well as a Michelin Green Star for Sustainable Gastronomy. All this comes thanks to waste-reducing practices like curing and fermenting. The team also does whole-animal butchery, and dry ages less popular cuts of meat to create scrumptious sandwiches and charcuterie boards. The restaurant also donates $1 from every salad order to sustainable agriculture nonprofit Zero Food Print. 1606 Conestoga St., Boulder, blackbelly.com
Corrida Boulder
If you’re climate-conscious, you probably know the cattle farming industry is a major contributor to global emissions. That’s why it’s significant that Spanish-inspired Corrida Boulder, along with the restaurant group’s C Burger, serves beef from regenerative ranches. These ranches use practices like rotational grazing, which helps encourage soil health and ensures plants have recovery time between feedings. Corrida Boulder also sources vegetables locally and serves sustainably-harvested seafood. 1023 Walnut St., Boulder, corridaboulder.com
