I ordered the meatball hoagie and a happy hour beer. Both were great…read more The best part: the staff couldn't have been more accommodating. I like my bread toasted so it doesn't get soggy. They suggested toasting it and serving it on the side--perfect. The Milk Market crew was all smiles with guests and one another, and they regularly checked in on me. My heart melted when I saw someone who appeared to be unhoused order at the counter. I watched the interaction, and it was beautiful: generous, respectful, kind... WOW. If I lived here, I'd definitely come back. Support good food and really kind people. Thanks Milk Market Crew for reminding what kindness looks like.

There is a strange, uncomfortable realm of existence that occurs on the final day of a trip. You…read morehave checked out of your hotel room, your luggage is trapped in a rental car trunk or bell closet, and your plane does not depart until late into the night. You are essentially a displaced traveler with a boarding pass, trying to avoid sitting in an airport terminal for five hours while security employees begin recognizing your face. That is how we ended up at the Denver Milk Market on a Thursday evening. Located in the Dairy Block on Wazee Street, it is a sprawling food hall designed by chef Frank Bonanno. It is a very pleasant sanctuary to kill some time before ascending into the night sky. The beauty of a venue with a dozen or so food counters is that a group of exhausted travelers does not need to achieve any sort of culinary consensus. One person can eat bao buns, another can eat handmade pasta, and a third can get fried chicken while another simply grabs a few drinks without any diplomatic negotiations. While we were wandering, a woman sat at a table with a microphone hosting a game of trivia to what appeared to be an entirely imaginary audience. Not a single person in the room appeared to be participating. It was a fascinating piece of experimental theater focusing on the loneliness of human knowledge. She called out questions about pop culture, agriculture and other various topics into the empty void, completely unbothered by the silence. I respected her commitment to the craft. The alley outside was maybe the finest part of the establishment. The Dairy Block alleyway is paved and lit up overhead. There was also a side room featuring communal seating and free games like skee ball, a shuffleboard table, and foosball. It turns waiting for a late flight into a minor social outing instead of a punishment. My primary critique is aimed not at the food hall itself, but at the city of Denver as a whole. Everything shuts down ridiculously early. The city has built a ecosystem of food halls, alleyways, and bars that is full of potential, yet the municipal clock seems to dictate that all citizens must be safely tucked in by nine o clock. For a traveler trying to enjoy the city after a long day in a convention center or stretch an evening before a red eye flight, this early curfew is an inconvenience. The Denver Milk Market is an attractive and versatile option for the weary traveler or hungry lunch crowd. It may not be a holy site that requires a special trip across town, but if you have some time to burn, a desire for a game of shuffleboard, and a late flight home, it performs its job admirably. Just make sure you get there before the city decides it is bedtime.