Best New Restaurants 2012

Our food scene has never been more vibrant, and with global street eats, Scandinavian-inspired cuisine, and modern comfort food, it’s a thrilling time to be a foodie in the Mile High City. Book a table at one of these eight newcomers—and taste the future of Denver dining.

Pinche Taqueria

Trend: Street food

In 2010, on the front end of Denver’s food-truck trend, Kevin Morrison launched Pinche Tacos, a roving seven-by-14-foot trailer serving made-to-order street tacos. Within a month, the truck was attracting long lines of diners waiting for staples such as the queso a la plancha (griddled Cotija cheese with tomatillo salsa and avocado) and the lengua (crispy beef tongue) served on palm-size corn tortillas.

With the fan base firmly in place, Morrison opened Pinche Taqueria, a brick-and-mortar eatery on the edge of Capitol Hill this past October, and boy, did he get it right. The restaurant smartly builds upon the eats that made Pinche so sought after with a bigger menu, brunch, and the all-important liquor license. This is street food with a decidedly foodie point of view—carefully sourced ingredients, locally made tortillas, and ingenuity. In the town that invented Chipotle and has authentic Mexican food in spades (see Federal Boulevard), Pinche Taqueria is a reminder of what Mexican street food can and should be. 1514 York St., 720-475-1337, pinchetacos.com

■ Opened: October 2011

■ Order this: Rajas con crema y maiz, pork belly agrodolce