Colorado's First Two-Michelin-Star Restaurant Highlights Seasonal Ingredients In An Inventive Tasting Menu

While cities like New York and San Francisco have a well-known food scene with dozens of Michelin-starred restaurants, great eats can also be found in the middle of the country. Just look at Denver, Colorado, which was added to the Michelin Guide in 2023. It now has 31 Michelin-recognized restaurants (at the time of writing). For the best of the best, there's The Wolf's Tailor. This restaurant got its first Michelin star in 2023 and the second in 2025, making it the first Colorado restaurant to get two stars. It's a well-earned recognition for this fine dining destination that serves a seasonal tasting menu using local ingredients to create unique dishes with international flavors.

The restaurant was opened by Chef Kelly Whitaker in 2018, and the name is "a nod to the craftsman who fashioned sheep's clothing for the sly wolf," according to its Instagram description. As Whitaker explained to the Michelin Guide: "The wolf doesn't have to be the villain. You can tailor the story. You can make something wild into something restorative." Whitaker has spent time traveling, including to Japan and Italy, which has helped inform some dishes that pop up on the menu, like the handmade noodles from both cultures. This is a place where you should expect the unexpected, with stories behind every dish and flavors and techniques from around the world.

Though you do get the theme for the day when you book your table, the menu for the course meal is hard to find in advance. You don't even get one for your dinner when you sit down; it comes at the end as a souvenir. But as one reviewer noted, you can expect dishes like chicken liver macaron with Mokum carrot honey and whitefish with spruce amazake, and everything is presented beautifully.

The Wolf's Tailor has a true hands-on approach to the food, going as far as to do things like milling its own grains for its handmade pasta, planting heirloom corn in partnership with a local seed bank, and fermenting all kinds of things. The restaurant is dedicated to caring for the environment and the community with its work, and it doesn't let anything go to waste. "We're not farm-to-table," Chef Whitaker said. "We're system-to-table. We're defending our fishermen and farmers, not just supporting them."

Dining here could turn an ordinary visit to Denver into an unlikely once-in-a-lifetime vacation. As one person posted on Tripadvisor: "The Wolf's Tailor in Denver offers something far beyond a typical restaurant visit. The atmosphere, presentation, and overall experience feel elevated from start to finish." There are some things to keep in mind before you book. There's indoor seating where you can watch the chefs work in the open kitchen as well as an outdoor dining area, including some private tents on the patio. It is a pricey meal; at the time of writing, the multi-course menu costs $225, and the drinks pairing options, including wine, cocktails, and alcohol-free options, start at $65. Note that it may not be ideal for those with specific dietary requirements, as they don't offer substitutions. 

Given the demand for a seat at The Wolf's Tailor, you definitely have to reserve a table ahead of time. For more of Chef Whitaker's food, you may also visit his other restaurants, which include the Michelin-starred Bruto in Denver, and a restaurant and a bakery in Boulder, once named the "happiest city in America." If you're staying in Denver, try Kizaki, the city's best sushi bar that features a sleek Michelin-starred omakase experience.