Reporting by Nate Trela, Fort Collins Coloradoan
Colorado has a new restaurant with a Michelin star, and a familiar name behind it.
Milpero became the third restaurant by chef Johnny Curiel to receive a Michelin star, joining Alma Fonda Fina and Mezcaleria Alma to get the coveted designation. Colorado now has nine one-star restaurants and one two-star.
Fourteen other restaurants were added to the guide, pushing the number of entries for Colorado to 63. The number of honorees was about average for the four years Michelin has reviewed restaurants in Colorado, but several came from areas of the state that were not previously considered for the guide.
“The first statewide Colorado selection reflects the remarkable evolution of the state’s culinary landscape from its humble beginnings in 2023,” Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Michelin Guide, said in a statement. “From established culinary hubs to emerging dining destinations, the talent, creativity and diversity found throughout Colorado continue to impress our Inspectors.”
Milpero wins Michelin star
Milpero in Denver provides an 18-course menu for $225 per person, bringing in diners (with reservations) in groups of eight. The Michelin Guide notes the linkage between Curiel’s restaurants.
“A multifaceted tasting menu studiously marries tradition with invention, celebrating regional cuisines,” the Michelin Guide notes say. “The myriad of distinctive moles stitched throughout the meal illustrates the point.”
The notes highlight both a “beet-tinted mole rosa dotting a bluefin tuna flauta,” a “robust mole amarillo matched with American wagyu and hearty ayocote beans” and “warm chocolatey champurrado poured over an atole mousse in the shape of a corn cob.”
Colorado Bib Gourmand winners
Three restaurants earned Bib Gourmand designations for being “restaurants that serve exceptional food at great value.”
- Annette in Aurora
- Pig and Tiger in Denver
- Rougarou in Denver
Special award-winning restaurants in Colorado
Four restaurants were added to the guide as recommended restaurants and given special awards by Michelin.
- Four by Brother Luck in Colorado Springs saw Kyle McNerney won the Exceptional Cocktails Award.
- Theo Adley and Jenessa Reiman of Heretík in Denver won the Sommelier Award.
- The Penrose Room in Colorado Springs saw Joseph Freyre win the Outstanding Service Award.
- Radicato in Breckenridge saw Cameron Baker win the Young Chef/Culinary Professional Award.
Michelin Recommended restaurants in Colorado
Seven additional restaurants were recommended in the guide.
- Casa Juani — Boulder
- Dân Dã — Aurora
- Dear Emilia — Denver
- Florence Supper Club — Denver
- Madeline — Denver
- Rootstalk — Breckenridge
- The National — Telluride
What changed with the Michelin Guide reviews of Colorado?
When the Michelin Guide began reviewing Colorado restaurants in 2023, it only rated eateries in Denver, Boulder, Aspen, Snowmass Village, Vail and Beaver Creek, as their local governments paid to be considered.
For the 2026 guide, Michelin considered the entire state. Six of the recommended restaurants and one Bib Gourmand honoree were the first restaurants to be in the guide outside of its original coverage area.
Nate Trela covers trending news in Colorado and Utah for the USA Today Network, with an emphasis on consumer finance, legal issues and state laws.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan.
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