Daniel Norris
I independently research and test products to help you make the best choice. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Denver is a regular stop for me when I travel for work, and it's one of the best cities for specialty coffee in the country. If you only have time for one stop, go to Corvus Coffee Roasters on South Broadway. I go every single trip, and I always bring a bag of their beans home to Hawaii.
My test order at any new coffee shop is a cortado. It's what I order at Corvus every time too, so that's the lens for this guide. Below are Corvus, two more Denver roasters worth your time, a bonus spot run by a friend, and more shops Denver coffee people recommend.
Corvus Coffee Roasters
📍 Location: 1740 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80210
The Vibe: Industrial Workshop
Corvus is my go-to in Denver, and I visit every time I'm in town. The Broadway location feels like a coffee lab. It's moody and industrial, built around the roasting operation in the middle of the room.
The Coffee: Corvus works directly with farmers and is known for unusual lots and processing. My order is always a cortado, with regular dairy milk. Their espresso is bright and complex, and it cuts through the milk without getting lost.
The Souvenir: I always leave with beans for home, and I mix up which ones I buy, so I don't have a single favorite Corvus coffee.
Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters
📍 Location: 1619 Reed St, Lakewood, CO 80214
The Vibe: Bright & Welcoming
Sweet Bloom has a big reputation in the specialty coffee world. It's just outside the downtown core in Lakewood, and the space is bright and airy, with none of the pretension you might expect from a shop this well known.
The Coffee: As the name suggests, Sweet Bloom is known for bringing out the floral and sweet side of its coffees, with a precise, clean roasting style. If they have a washed Ethiopian on the pour over bar, that's the one to try.
The Souvenir: Their Hometown Blend is the crowd-pleaser, and a good bag to bring back for your everyday morning brew.
Pablo's Coffee
📍 Location: 630 E 6th Ave, Denver, CO 80203
The Vibe: The Neighborhood Staple
Pablo's is one of the original names in Denver specialty coffee and has been roasting since the 1990s. The cafe is quirky, community-focused and comfortably worn-in.
The Coffee: Pablo's leans toward a more developed roast than Corvus or Sweet Bloom, so expect rich, chocolatey espresso drinks.
The Souvenir: Their Danger Monkey blend is the one Pablo's is known for. It's a darker, punchy roast built for espresso, so it's a good match if you pull shots at home on something like the Gaggia Classic Pro E24, the machine I use every morning.
Do you own one of these coffee shops? Or own one you think should be on the list? CLICK HERE to reach out to collaborate or if you want me to edit any of the content about your spot.
Bonus Spot: Broderick
📍 Location: 1080 S Gaylord St, Denver, CO 80209
The Vibe: The Ultimate Living Room Lounge
I have to throw in a special bonus mention here. Broderick is owned by my close friend, Patrick (and our friend Tim), who I grew up with back in Hawaii. The bar is actually named after the street in San Francisco where he used to live. His apartment was always the quintessential gathering place, and he has perfectly recreated that warm, welcoming "living room" energy right in the heart of Denver's Wash Park neighborhood.
While it is primarily known as a brilliant cocktail lounge (they started out making incredible bottled craft drinks under the name Uncle Tim's Cocktails), they also operate as a neighborhood cafe serving coffee and local pastries during the day. If you are exploring the city and need a place to transition from a late-afternoon caffeine kick into an evening drink, this is the spot.
The Order: If you want the best of both worlds, you have to order their Espresso Martini. They use a locally crafted cold brew from Sati Coffee, and it is easily one of the best you will find in the city. If you stop by, grab a drink, sink into one of their plush couches, and tell them Daniel from Hawaii sent you.
More Denver shops people recommend
On Threads, Denver coffee people recommended four more shops to me: Novo, Huckleberry, Copper Door and Stylus & Crate. I haven't been to them, so I'm not reviewing them here. If you've been, I'd like to hear what you ordered.
Coffee in the hotel room
On Denver trips I also make my own coffee in the hotel room. I pack a Hario glass V60 and the OutIn Fino grinder and brew a black pour over. My travel coffee setup covers the whole kit, and here's why the OutIn Fino is my travel grinder.
The Final Cup
Denver's coffee scene punches above its weight. If you only make one stop, make it Corvus and order a cortado. If you want to know why that's my go-to drink, I explain it in why the cortado is my favorite.
Heading somewhere warmer? Here's my guide to the best coffee in Kona, where I grew up, and my guide to the best coffee in LA.
Whatever beans you bring home, you need the right station to brew them. I've written guides on how I'd set up a counter for both:
- For the Drip Lovers: My Work From Home Guide to the Best Coffee Setup
- For the Espresso Heads: My Work From Home Guide to the Best Espresso Setup
And the best brewer in the world can't save stale beans. Between Denver trips, I use Trade Coffee to get fresh single-origin bags from roasters around the country.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through them, I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It helps fuel the coffee, the testing, and the writing. Thanks for supporting the work.
