The 2025 Scoopie Award Winners

Best Coffee Shop: Honey Hill Café

Honey Hill Café, in the Park Hill neighborhood, has been diligently providing locally sourced coffee, ice cream, and fresh ingredients for their delicious breakfast and lunch menu items, all which are a hit with the locals. The mouthwatering stocked pastry case and excellent baristas will also have you coming back for more. Don’t miss out on their cinnamon rolls and their homemade granola in their yogurt parfait. It’s also the perfect place to catch up with a friend, get a little work done, or even have a cocktail on the patio.

Best Bakery: La Fillette Bakery

Since expanding locations from their previous Hilltop location off 8^th Ave to Mayfair, La Fillette is just as popular as ever, if not more so. With busy weekend wait times, we love that the bar is on a first come, first serve basis and to-go is always an option. Their pastry case teases with rotating items such as homemade pop tarts, macrons, eclairs, cupcakes, and morning buns. With flaky croissants that are what butter dreams to be, their fully customizable build-your-own breakfast sandwich will become your favorite weekly staple. The Rosti potato with a gruyere fondue and the rotating flavor of the month croissant muffin are not to be missed.

Best Tacos: Torchy’s Tacos

Torchy’s Tacos happens to be our only non-Colorado native business to be a Scoopie winner but their tacos and queso are so good, we had to just accept it. With locations in Northfield and Lowry, we dig the not-so-secret menu items, their crispy chips, and family packs which are perfect for those quick dinners after kids’ sports.

Best Pizza: Mici Italian

We remember Mici Italian when they first opened in Downtown Denver in the early 2000’s and their pizza was unlike anything Denver was putting out. It was fresh toppings, pillowy dough, and cornmeal dusting on the crust that had us coming back for more. Fast forward 20-plus years and multiple locations later, and Mici Italian continues to impress with their family recipes, dedication to quality ingredients, and daily fresh-made dough. What’s also in the sauce? A lot of love. Mici Italian donates over $80,000 of value to local school and children’s organizations. What’s not to love?

Best Date Night Restaurant: Annette

What can we say about Annette that hasn’t already been said. Since opening in late 2016 in the Stanley Marketplace, Caroline Glover’s Annette has won it all, including a coveted James Beard Foundation Award in 2022 for Best Chef: Mountain. Annette dazzles with plates so thoughtfully composed and executed, they are both a spectacle for your eyes and mouth to behold. Lovingly handmade pastas and the whole roasted fish with salsa verde will fill your belly and soul at the same time. Happy hour includes a $20 7x wagyu burger and fries and under-$10 cocktails that, in our opinion, are totally worth it. Enjoy their professionally assembled wine and cocktail list in house or visit their sister bar and fellow Scoopie winner Traveling Mercies upstairs for a nightcap after dinner.

Best Cocktails: Traveling Mercies

Perched high atop the Stanley Marketplace, Traveling Mercies starting winning awards just shortly after its opening and was even a 2025 James Beard Foundation Semi-Finalist for Best New Bar Award. Known as a cocktail and oyster bar, we love its clean, crisp interior with coastal vibes that would bring you oceanside if it weren’t for the gorgeous mountain views. Turn your head away and focus on the beautifully briny, plump oysters paired with a selection from the masterfully chosen cocktail or wine selection and be transported to a place by the bay. Check out their opening, late-night, and all day Tuesday happy hours.

Best Fitness Studio: Central Park Rec Center

With a wide array of classes offered weekly at affordable monthly or even drop-in options, Denver Parks and Rec is hard to beat for fitness classes. Zumba, Active Older Adults, yoga, barre and HIIT cycle classes are just a few of the offerings. Keep in mind, though, that the classes to fill up and can frequently be cancelled, so make sure you check the schedule before going. For Denver residents 5 to 18 years old and 60-plus years old, membership is free with the My Denver Card and My Denver Prime.

Best Pet Groomer: Maw & Paw Pet Market

Located by the Stanley Marketplace, Maw & Paw Pet Market does pet grooming differently, and our subscribers love it. First, they adhere to a policy of no kennels ever, which means they schedule with enough time to make sure your pet never steps foot in a kennel waiting for their appointment. They also maintain a one-on-one grooming session, so your dog feels safe with one set of hands on them during their grooming. They also carry pet supplies such as food, supplements, treats, and much more.

Best Place to Stay When Visiting Central Park: Gaylord Rockies Resort

“The Gaylord,” as it is commonly known to us Denverites, wins this and with good reason. We’d all like to stay here. In true resort style, nowhere else nearby can you find a hotel boasting a waterpark complete with waterslides and a lazy river, five restaurants, epic mountain views, and seasonal family-friendly events including ICE!, their larger-than-life holiday ice sculptures, festive activities and kid-enchanting shows. With close proximity to the Light Rail A-Line Station, Denver International Airport, and Central Park, you’ll be opting to do a staycation with your out-of-town guests.

Best Neighborhood Pool: Splash Landing Pool

Located in the North End neighborhood, Splash Landing is Central Park’s newest pool with two water slides, zero-depth entry for swimmers of all ages, and dedicated lap lanes. Party Pad reservations are open in the summer but tend to fill up quickly. There are also after-hours private party reservations, so check out their website starting May 1^st for more details.

Best Mechanic: Central Park Auto Shop

Just one block from Stanley Marketplace, Central Park Auto Shop is owned by two brothers and is known for their family-style hospitality. Having grown over the years to be a trusted resource in the neighborhood, they offer a comprehensive range of services including mechanical repairs, auto body work, and even auto sales. The icing on the cake is a fleet of loaner Nissan electric cars while you wait for yours to be ready.

Best Pediatrician: Colorado Kids Pediatrics at Central Park

Located in Central Park’s 29^th Ave Town Center, Colorado Kids Pediatrics offers a full range of pediatric care including prenatal visits for expecting parents, well-child check-ups, immunizations, minor injury care behavioral, consultations, and same-day appointments when your child is sick. Their dedicated team is committed to providing quality service in a comfortable, safe office setting where children and parents can feel at ease. 

Best Interior Design Company: Georgeson Design + Build

Kyndra and Larry Georgeson have created something special with this ideal design/contractor team. Truly a one-stop shop for interior design and design-build solutions for Central Park and Park Hill homeowners looking to renovate and have their projects managed from start to finish. Check out their online portfolio to kickstart your reno-project heart.