Here are the top things I love about Mercantile, from morning until night:

Breakfast: Counter-service egg-and-cheese calzones, grain bowls with kale and pork belly, and burnished pastries (from owner Alex Seidel’s wholesale bakery, Füdmill) let you start the day your way.

Lunch: Fried chicken banh mi. Enough said.

Dinner: Fine-dining service and executive chef Matt Vawter’s hyper-local, hyper-seasonal New American fare has earned national awards and much Centennial State love.

Shopping: Go for a killer cheese selection (including Seidel’s excellent sheep’s-milk-based Fruition Farms Creamery products), charcuterie, house-made pickles and jams, and a library of pantry ingredients from Denver-based Savory Spice.

Drinks: Mercantile’s lists are traditional and playful—quotes from the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Homer Simpson are scattered throughout—and its new “What We’re Drinking” wine selection provides the chance to try an ever-changing lineup from boutique labels. $$$$, Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop St., 720-460-3733

(MORE: Read our 2015 restaurant review of Mercantile Dining & Provision)

Denise Mickelsen
Denise Mickelsen
Denise Mickelsen is 5280’s former food editor. She oversaw all of 5280’s food-related coverage from October 2016 to March 2021.