Short answer: the MICHELIN Guide revealed its 2026 Colorado selection on September 14. Fifteen restaurants are new to the guide: one new star for Milpero in Denver, three new Bib Gourmands, and 11 new Recommended restaurants. The full selection now lists 63 restaurants across 22 cuisine types, and 10 of them hold stars.
This is the first list since Michelin extended its inspections to the whole state. Inspectors reached Colorado Springs, Breckenridge and Telluride, and all three towns made the guide. Closer to Denver, the expansion added two restaurants, both in Aurora.
One New Star: Milpero
Milpero is a Mexican tasting-menu counter from Johnny and Kasie Curiel, built around masa they nixtamalize in house. A milpero is the farmer who tends a milpa, the traditional corn field.
It is the couple's third starred restaurant, after Alma Fonda Fina and Mezcaleria Alma. Their Boulder restaurant, Cozobi Fonda Fina, keeps its Bib Gourmand, and Alteño in Cherry Creek stays on the Recommended list.
Colorado's starred restaurants for 2026:
- Two stars: The Wolf's Tailor, Denver. Still the only one in the state.
- One star, Denver: Alma Fonda Fina, Beckon, Brutø, Kizaki, Margot, Mezcaleria Alma, Milpero.
- One star, elsewhere: Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Bosq in Aspen.
Three New Bib Gourmands
The Bib Gourmand marks good food at a good price. Michelin calls them the inspectors' personal favorites when they dine on their own time.
- Annette, Aurora. Caroline Glover's restaurant is the only new Bib from the expanded coverage area.
- Pig and Tiger, Denver. Taiwanese night-market cooking from Darren Chang and Travis Masar in Five Points. Westword named it 2025's Best New Restaurant.
- Rougarou, Denver. Southern and Creole cooking on Welton Street. Westword named it 2025's Best New Bar.
That brings Colorado to 13 Bib Gourmand restaurants.
Eleven New Recommended Restaurants
- Denver: Dear Emilia, Florence Supper Club, Heretík, Madeline
- Aurora: Dân Dã
- Boulder: Casa Juani
- Colorado Springs: Four by Brother Luck, The Penrose Room
- Breckenridge: Radicato, Rootstalk
- Telluride: The National
Six of the 11 sit outside the guide's original coverage area. Heretík opened in May and left the ceremony with a Recommended listing and the sommelier award.
Four Special Awards
- Exceptional Cocktails: Kyle McNerney, Four by Brother Luck
- Sommelier: Theo Adley and Jenessa Reiman, Heretík
- Outstanding Service: Joseph Freyre, The Penrose Room
- Young Chef: Cameron Baker, Radicato
What Did Not Change
No restaurant lost a star or left the guide this year, according to Westword. Its critic also named places he expected to see and did not: Marigold in Lyons, Black Cat Farmstead in Longmont, and Bin 707 Foodbar in Grand Junction.
My Hot Take: Temaki Den Deserves More
Temaki Den has been a Recommended restaurant in 2024, 2025 and now 2026. Three years at the same level is too long for this counter. It deserves at least a Bib Gourmand, and I would not argue with a star.
The hand rolls and flame-seared nigiri at The Source come from the Kizaki brothers, the family behind Sushi Den and the starred Kizaki on South Pearl. Michelin prices Temaki Den a tier below Kizaki, and a counter of hand rolls at that price is the kind of meal the Bib Gourmand was built to reward.
The Next Month for the Honorees
A Michelin listing sends people looking. Westword notes that past honorees, starred or not, have reported more traffic, along with higher expectations from the guests who arrive. The first few weeks decide how much of that traffic turns into regulars.
- Put the award where diners look. The homepage, the About page, and the Google Business Profile description should say it plainly, with the year.
- Have photos ready for the press. Writers building "where to eat" lists this month need images they can publish the same day.
- Post the news once, then post the food. The dishes that earned the listing are what keep new guests booking.
- Answer every review for the next few weeks. New guests bring new expectations, and every reply is public.
If Your Restaurant Is Not on the List
Colorado has thousands of independent kitchens and 63 listings. Inspectors are anonymous and pay for their meals, and they find restaurants the way everyone else does: press, local lists, and search. Before the results came out, we ran the searches diners use to find a special meal and wrote up who actually shows up in them.
Every move in the list above works without a star. A finished Google Business Profile, a menu Google can read, and photos a writer can use make a restaurant easier to find, easier to cover, and easier to book. Denver operators who want the full sequence can start with our Denver restaurant marketing breakdown or the free visual bottlenecks checklist.
Questions Owners Actually Ask
Which Colorado restaurant got a new Michelin star in 2026?
Milpero in Denver, a Mexican tasting-menu restaurant from Johnny and Kasie Curiel. It was the only new star in the 2026 Colorado selection, announced September 14, 2026, and it is the Curiels' third starred restaurant after Alma Fonda Fina and Mezcaleria Alma.
How many Michelin star restaurants are in Colorado in 2026?
Ten. The Wolf's Tailor in Denver holds two stars. Alma Fonda Fina, Beckon, Brutø, Kizaki, Margot, Mezcaleria Alma and Milpero in Denver, Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, and Bosq in Aspen each hold one. The full 2026 selection lists 63 restaurants.
What are the new Bib Gourmand restaurants in Colorado for 2026?
Annette in Aurora, Pig and Tiger in Denver, and Rougarou in Denver. Colorado now has 13 Bib Gourmand restaurants, the distinction Michelin gives for good food at good value.
When was the 2026 Michelin Guide Colorado announced?
September 14, 2026. It was the guide's fourth Colorado selection and the first since Michelin extended its coverage to the whole state, beyond the original areas of Denver, Boulder, Aspen and Snowmass, and Vail and Beaver Creek.
Did any Colorado restaurant lose its Michelin star in 2026?
No. According to Westword's coverage of the announcement, no restaurant lost a star or was removed from the Colorado selection in 2026.
Sources: Office of Governor Jared Polis, "MICHELIN Guide Recognizes 15 New Colorado Restaurants" (September 14, 2026); Westword, "Michelin Guide reveals 2026 Colorado statewide restaurant awards" (September 14, 2026); Denverite, "Johnny Curiel just got another Michelin star" (September 14, 2026); MICHELIN Guide, Colorado restaurants.