So, have you been to Punch Bowl Social [2] yet? That seems to be the question every Denver diner and nightlifer is asking. The highly designed, 24,000-square-foot space offers something for everyone: bowling, foosball, ping-pong, 1980s video games, a rocking bar, and most important (in my view), lots of food.

Punch Bowl serves what proprietor Robert Thompson (Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar [3], the late-Argyll Gastro Pub) calls "gastro-diner" eats. Translation: Classic American food that executive chef Sergio Romero dials up a thoughtful notch. Staples such as chicken wings and a pastrami sandwich get the following treatments: The wings are slathered in an aji amarillo chile sauce and served with crème fraîche-blue cheese; the sandwich features house-cured meat and gribiche, a fancy mustardy replacement for mayonnaise. And, remember those addictive salty-sweet potato chips at Argyll? Well, Romero resurrects them in the form of Punch Bowl's fries. 

And then there's the breakfast menu, served from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m., with dishes such as the delicate Maine lobster omelet (pictured) with melty burrata, an abundance of freshly picked claw meat, and peppery fresh mizuna.

Of course, with a menu this large, it will take months to try everything. But there's real promise here—if only for the unexpected quality of ingredients and execution.

Bonus: Punch Bowl is open almost 24 hours: 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

65 Broadway, 303-765-2695

Follow Amanda M. Faison on Twitter at @5280Eats [4] and on Pinterest [5].