Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Eating in Denver can be expensive. A high minimum wage, increasing rents and pricy ingredients have made eating out a costly endeavor for many Denverites.
According to a report from Bank of America released earlier this year, spending at restaurants in Denver was down 6.7 percent in September.
Aside from customers not showing up, many award-winning restaurants, such as Q House or Fruition, have shuttered their doors due to financial strains.
“It’s just getting so expensive to own a restaurant,” said Lizeth Carrasco, whose parents own 20th Street Cafe. “We’re actually thinking about increasing our prices soon because of how expensive it is.”
We wanted to see if it was still possible to get a $10 lunch near our office in Downtown Denver, one of the most expensive areas to live in the metropolitan area.
Eating in Denver can be expensive. A high minimum wage, increasing rents and pricy ingredients have made eating out a costly endeavor for many Denverites.
According to a report from Bank of America released earlier this year, spending at restaurants in Denver was down 6.7 percent in September.
Aside from customers not showing up, many award-winning restaurants, such as Q House or Fruition, have shuttered their doors due to financial strains.
“It’s just getting so expensive to own a restaurant,” said Lizeth Carrasco, whose parents own 20th Street Cafe. “We’re actually thinking about increasing our prices soon because of how expensive it is.”
We wanted to see if it was still possible to get a $10 lunch near our office in Downtown Denver, one of the most expensive areas to live in the metropolitan area.
