Social Sightings: A Leopard Speedo, a Hangover-Curing Soup and More Best of Denver Highlights

Hell or High Water is in the mezzanine of Honor Farm, where you're highly likely to spot Doug in leopard print. Hell or High Water/Instagram

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Monday mornings are tough, but this series isn't. Social Sightings is a quick taste of recent food tidbits; it goes down as easy as your first cup of coffee, and should whet your appetite for the week ahead.

Our annual Best of Denver issue hit the streets (and the web) last week. It's been a Westword staple since 1984, and it's fully loaded with the editorial staff's favorite finds in over 350 categories — some of which are noticeably specific.

Why? I've been asked that a number of times since the issue dropped, so here's a quick explainer.

From the beginning, the Best of Denver has had two components. The first is the Readers' Poll, which asks our readers for their picks in the most easily accessible categories, such as Best Italian Restaurant and Best Dumplings. Readers can vote daily over two months for their favorites, and the Readers' Choice winners are announced in the Best of Denver issue (find the full list of 2023 Readers' Choice winners here).

The editorial staff not only picks its own winners for every Readers' Poll category, but also honors hundreds of additional winners in additional categories, highlighting fun, unique spots we love in Denver. And we have a lot of fun doing it: This isn't your average guide to the Mile High.

With 130 categories in the food and drink section alone this year, here are some standouts among our editorial picks:

click to enlarge

Yes, we did research how well the chicken-lemon-rice soup at Chef Zorba's cures a hangover.

Molly Martin

Best Soup for a Hangover
Chef Zorba's and its chicken-lemon-rice soup.

Best Use of a Leopard Speedo
Doug Frank's unofficial uniform at Hell or High Water Tiki.

Best Edible Arrangement
The plant-forward pastries from the Botanical Bakery of Denver.

Best Patio for Tortured Writers
The old-school piano bar Charlie Brown's, where the smoking patio beckons.

Best Sandwich Shop in an Alley
While Spinelli's took Best Sandwich Shop, we also gave props to Duke's Good Sandwiches and its Denver chopped cheese.

Hungry for more? Check out the 2023 Best of Denver editorial picks in the Food & Drink section.