Girl dinner first started in 2023 when TikToker Olivia Maher posted a video of bread, cheese, grapes, and pickles, and announced, “This is my meal, I call this girl dinner.”
Since then, the trend has taken off because, well, girls have been eating girl dinner since the dawn of time. Girl dinner can consist of any low-effort meal (or, should we say, snack), including but not limited to: melted shredded cheese on top of tortilla chips, a handful of olives, four to six chicken nuggets, french fries, a bag of gummy worms, and so on.you get the idea. Traditionally the snacky meal gets washed down with a diet coke, martini, or glass of wine.
With Galentine’s day around the corner, we’ve gathered a few spots around Denver where you can bring your besties and indulge in an elevated girl dinner meal.
Denver Girl Dinners Billed as Girl Dinners
Today, the most common iteration of girl dinner is a Caesar salad, fries, and a martini. These restaurants around the Mile High City specifically offer girl dinner specials with some variation of that combination.
Call Me Pearl
Call Me Pearl might be known for oysters, but it’s running a girl dinner special through the end of February that might trump the bivalve. For $33 you get caprese salad, bacon fat fries, a lobster bisque shooter, and Pearl’s Dirty Martini. Located on the ground floor of The Rally Hotel, the chic lounge is the perfect setting for girl dinner with its vintage floral armchairs, plush velvet couches, sleek bar, and dazzlingly oversized pearl-themed chandelier. 1600 20th St., Denver, callmepearlbar.com
The Corner Office
If you know, you know. The Corner Office’s girl dinner special isn’t listed anywhere, but it’s always available if you ask for it by name. For $35, you’ll get a martini, a Caesar salad, and perfectly crispy fries. Just bring your work bestie and say the magic words, “Can I get the Girl Dinner?” and you’re in. 1401 Curtis St., Denver, thecornerofficedenver.com
FIRE Restaurant & Lounge
Every Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., FIRE Restaurant & Lounge on the rooftop of the ART hotel offers girl dinner with a view. For $45 per person, you’ll get a family-style spread made for snacking and sipping with charcuterie, a classic Caesar salad, two baskets of fries, two desserts, plus your choice of a bottle of wine or martinis. Once you and the gals are done yapping, walk around the hotel and check out the captivating artwork that adorns the property. 2001 N. Broadway, Denver, thearthotel.com
Happy Camper
Happy Camper in LoHi is known to have a rowdy bottomless brunch, but its girl dinner happy hour special also turns the party out. Available Monday through Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m., the Girl Dinner comes with a Caesar salad, fries, and your choice of a spritz or a glass of house wine for $20. Pull up a chair on the campsite-inspired patio, gather around the fire pit, and start snacking and chatting. 3211 N. Pecos St., Denver, happycamper.pizza/denver
Fin N Tonic
This late-night raw bar in RiNo shucks oysters all night long, making it an easy go-to for a spontaneous yap-and-sip. What’s even better is its Girl Dinner Sunday special that comes with two martinis, a dozen oysters, and a plate of truffle fries for $50. This nautical joint is equal parts boozy and briny, perfect for a bestie catch-up. 2461 Larimer St., Denver, fin-n-tonic.com
Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Girl Dinners
These places might not advertise a “girl dinner” special, but the energy is there. And for the girls looking for something beyond Caesar salad and fries, these snacky spots have got you covered.
Golden Hour Wine Bar & Social Club
Golden Hour in LoHi just dropped a new all night happy hour Tuesday through Thursday that basically screams girl dinner. Think charcuterie boards, deviled eggs ($8), caprese bites ($8), brulee brie crostini ($13), and more, all served in heart-shaped dishes. Plus, $9 house wines and a $12 Espresso Martini, French 75, and Amante Spritz. The decor is playful and polished with deep green walls, plush pink seating, palm leaf-inspired light fixtures, and gold accents. It’s tailor-made for a girls night out. 3282 Tejon St., Denver, goldenhoursocialclub.com
Semiprecious
Semiprecious debuted last summer hoping to bring a slice of Western European aperitivo culture to the Sunnyside neighborhood. The sleek, yet undeniably hipster, bar will make you and the girls feel like you’ve stopped in for happy hour at an apéro spot in Spain or Italy.
Known for its high-tech cocktails, grab one of the watering hole’s hand-carbonated spritzes or a perfectly chilled martini. Pair it with anything off the snack list, which includes olives and almonds ($5), dolmas ($5), and cheese ($12), all ideal for grazing while gossiping. 2839 W. 44th Ave., Denver, semipreciousdenver.com
ESP HiFi
For the gals that love vinyl records and natural wine, ESP HiFi offers an effortlessly cool setting for girl dinner. The space channels Japanese kissa vibes, with crackling records playing through a high-fidelity sound system that’s as much a draw as the drinks. The natural wine list leans heavily on small producers farming family-owned plots. Cocktails are equally considered and best paired with snacks like olives and almonds ($10), bread with butter and jam ($12), or truffle chips ($6). There’s even caviar with creme fraiche, chives, and truffle chips ($60) for the bougie babes. 1029 Santa Fe Dr., Denver, esphifi.co
The Peach Crease Club
Anything with a punny name automatically makes it a good candidate for girl dinner, and The Peach Crease Club fits the bill. The drinks are named after the dishes they were inspired by, like Fattoush (gin, dry vermouth, cucumber, tomato, red onion, za’atar, olive oil, and labneh) and Banana Bread (malted rye, single malt whisky, miso, and banana), so that’s a meal in itself. But we also recommend ordering off the extensive snacks list which includes nuts ($6), hummus ($10), chips with sour cream and onion dip ($10), tinned fish (MP), meats, cheeses, and more. 4180 Wynkoop St., Suite 130, Denver, peachcreaseclub.com
Traveling Mercies
Traveling Mercies is located upstairs at the Stanley Marketplace. The quaintly decorated raw bar offers a great view of the Front Range and is styled with wicker chairs, petite bistro tables, and black-and-white stripes that give the space a European seaside feel.
Not billed as girl dinner, but perfect for it, the menu leans heavily into oysters and drinks. Oysters are $3 all night on Tuesdays (and until 5 p.m. on other days), and happy hour includes $30 bottles of house white or rose, $12 Espresso Martinis, and $1 off wine by the glass, beer, and off-menu cocktails. Add on the Anchovy & Parmesan Cheese Straws and a side of Spiced Pecans, and girl dinner is set. 2501 Dallas St. Suite 311, Aurora, travelingmerciesbar.com
Boombots Pasta Shop
This eclectic pasta restaurant pairs a retro-sleek atmosphere with a menu that’s easy to pick at. For a full girl dinner moment, bring your bestie and split the oversized mozzarella sticks ($14) and one of the salads, and don’t forget to add a round of pasta water martinis ($15). Its new happy hour was also built for girl dinner with options like oysters (three for $9, six for $17, or a dozen for $32), snack plates like mixed nuts and pickles, a $12 meat and cheese board, $7 salads, $8 house wine, and $6 mini martinis. 2647 W. 38th Ave., Denver, boombotspasta.com
The Velvet Cellar
Located in LoDo’s historic Saddlery building, The Velvet Cellar gives the girl gang a reason to get a little sophisticated. During happy hour there are great options for girl dinner like a $16 mini board with meats and cheeses; $10 calamari; and loaded fries topped with carne asada, escabeche, salsa verde, spicy aioli, and cotija for $9. Select cocktails and house wines are $9, and red and white sangria carafes are available for $32. Grab a seat at the sleek back bar or sit along the seats facing 15th Street and do some people watching for sport. 1500 Wynkoop St., Denver, thevelvetcellar.net
