It’s no secret Denver loves brunch. Each Friday we’ll divulge the newest and best brunches around. Not only will we highlight our favorite spots for all your brunching needs, but also add lists of things you crave. So pour a mimosa, grab a cup of coffee, and get ready to eat.
Troy Guard does a lot of tasty things, including brunch. But not just any brunch, his HashTAG restaurant serves breakfast foods from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. That means when a hankering for crazy pancakes or a pork green chili omelet comes on, you can go any day of the week.
The restaurant opened in 2017 inside the Eastbridge Town Center in Central Park. The complex also includes an outpost of Guard’s Los Chingones and, as of last month, TAG Burger Bar. In 2023 Guard opened a second location of HashTAG in Highlands Ranch. Each location sports a butter yellow color theme, and walls decorated with classic breakfast tools such as muffin tins and frying pans. It’s a colorful, fun place to go, perfect for families, friends, or even a brunch date with someone you know you like.
Expect even more options soon. The restaurateur has plans to open another location in downtown Denver later this year. Until then, dig into the goodies at the already bustling original HashTAG in Central Park.
Eat the Menu
The menus between the two HashTAG locations prove similar and chock-full of goodies including hot cakes, sandwiches, omelets, and eggs Benedicts. Starting on the sweet side, the Big Cast Iron Cinnamon Roll ($7.75) slays. Then add on the Mini Hot Cake Trio ($13.75) to get a taste of the restaurant’s signature pancakes. The line up includes blueberry with candied pecans, caramel apple with granola, and sea salt caramel with chocolate chips and cinnamon streusel. Though it sounds like a lot, share the platter with friends, or two hungry kids, and you’ll get a few bites of each. For an extra $2 the pancakes can be made gluten free.
The sandwich menu proves extensive as well, and each order comes with hashbrowns and the option for gluten-free bread as well. Try the Cordon’wich ($14), HashTAG’s take on the classic dish with fried chicken, ham, swiss, and chipotle-honey butter nestled inside a buttermilk biscuit. The Colfax’wich ($14) also slaps with soft scrambled eggs, applewood-smoked bacon, cheese, and greens on a toasted bun.
On the less heavy side, there’s a small menu of tasty meals that don’t feel like you’re going the healthy route. We love the Pho Real Hangover Cure ($14), a lovely ginger-lemongrass soup filled with chicken, rice noodles, pickled carrot, pickled fennel, cilantro, scallion, and jalapeño.
If looking for a morning dose of veggies, the Hippy Hash ($14) comes with charred, seasonal veggies, roasted sweet potatoes, eggs, and spicy sriracha pepper puree.
Drink Up
The tagline for the restaurant reads “home of boozy brunch,” and it’s no lie. Start with mimosas, which come as a single ($8.50), carafe ($32), or as a cute, four-mini-cup flight ($18). Juices include fresh squeezed orange, pineapple, grapefruit, and blend of passionfruit, orange, and guava. If going the group route, options also include the Big A$$ Breakfast Punch ($45), which serves about four people. Inside you’ll find a lively mix of Deep Eddy Grapefruit Vodka, rum, fresh juices, orgeat, and ginger beer.
For a single drink, wake up with the Morning Glory Margarita ($9.25), a drink made with pineapple, lime, agave, and blanco tequila. The Espresso Martini also perks one up, and comes in two sizes, regular ($12), or mini ($5). Of course getting a good old cup of bottomless coffee ($3.95) is enough of an eye opener in the morning. The beans come from local company Coda Coffee, and the blend is made just for the restaurant.
Don’t Miss
Indulge in the savory and sweet chicken and waffles ($17.50) for breakfast, brunch or lunch. Not only does the crisp-yet-fluffy waffle hit all the right notes, but the bacon syrup adds an extra layer of decadence. But wait, that’s not all. The fried chicken on top gives the perfect crunch to the succulent meat inside, made sweet and spicy with a dollop of chipotle-honey butter. Yes, you can put butter on fried chicken. The whole dish comes with a dusting of powdered sugar, though personally it wasn’t needed given the sweetness of the honey and syrup.
Visit HashTAG daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. 10155 E. 29th Dr., Denver, hashtag-restaurant.com
