What a cool and enjoyable environment. Plenty of different places to sit. Inside at tables, at the bar, large covered outdoor tables, relaxing chairs by fire pit. Entertainment a plenty: live music, lots & lots of TVs, cornhole. Summer was our server. She was infectious with her happy demeanor. Our party of three thought the appetizers were so interesting that we made it a smorgasbord of appetizers and drinks for our dining experience. Wish we had a Culinary Dropout in Kansas City (and the cool evenings of Denver in June!) read more

Atmosphere-centric restaurant near the Hale and Congress Park neighborhoods. Good service and atmosphere, but as a whole, food was a disappointment for the hype of other reviews and the value. This was my first Culinary Dropout experience which was on a date night and dinner outing. There was ~45 minute wait for a table as it was "dinner rush hour" before the weekend. We were seated in the bar area at a high top so we were very close to live music performer! So that was an enjoyable portion of the experience! The interior was dimly lit, loud and lively, and offered a rustic but modern feel. Based on this experience, food was overpriced and mediocre. We tried the fish and chips ($23) and fried chicken ($26). We were disappointed the fish and chips were not served with fresh lemon to "baptize" the fried fish. Fries were limp and didn't seem fresh. Also thought the fried fish should have had a crispier crust. The fried chicken was good flavor and texture on fried crust but the white meat was very dry. Mashed potatoes and gravy were lukewarm and not served hot. Also I tried to season the mashed potatoes but the pepper grinder at the table was completely empty. Biscuit was dry, overcooked, and lacked butter. Probably will opt for other options next date night. read more

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Ordered shrimp & avocado salad to go. No dressing. Not even one slice of avocado and less egg. I really try giving this restaurant chances but this is typical. read more

This chain restaurant that has 15+ locations nationwide, it appears that it's a crowd favorite as many utter that it consistently offers super friendly service, lively/vibrant atmosphere and creative menu items for both foods and drinks. By now, average foodies have experienced what Culinary Dropout is all about and yet I humbly and honestly admit the fact that I was a virgin until I for the first time experienced it today on July 16, 2026. In a way, it was like celebrating a super belated birthday of someone I know. This Denver location is rightfully located in this one of the newly developed residential areas that used to be a desert (lol!!) With a blink of an eye, all sorts of businesses popped up within the last 5-10 years or so. First and foremost, what a spacious restaurant this is! Very modern with some casual sense but upscale at the same time. All 5 of us were taken all the way back to the u-shaped booths that is at the "Converse sneaker" decorated wall near the restrooms. Our waiter was John. His impeccable friendliness with expert-level server skills was quite notable. His timeliness in giving us a moment or two so we could decide what to drink/eat, checking back on us to see how everything was tasting etc. was almost AI-driven accuracy. For food and drinks, I am just going to speak just for myself. I got... -Vida Verdita which is a non-alcoholic cocktail that has a good amount of kick in it with pineapple with green appearance and -Roasted Salmon; the portion is a bit small and yet overall it tasted good with perfect medium-ness. Vida Verdita is one of the best NA drinks I've ever had in a while. This minimal consequence beverage is $9 as of mid-July 2026. If you want to steer clear of being drunk but want some energized push to get your night going then I highly recommend this NA drink. Roasted Salmon, on the other hand, was lacking exceptional quality for the price of $31. It wasn't bad as it was prepared in the perfect medium texture but I found it a bit boring so if spending $30+ on a mediocre plate is your pet peeve, then this "run of the mill" dish should be avoided. I feel that they should add more ingredients such as broccolini (yes, something green (not just some cilantro leaves) needs to be added to the plate.) In conclusion...did I walk away being super impressed after dining at Culinary Dropout Denver tonight? No, not really. And yet I wasn't disappointed either. Overall, my experience tonight sits somewhere between 3.5 and 4 star level. It was an occasion for our monthly "girls' get-together" and it's my understanding that we will meet at this place next month again. I will thus explore more on the menu by trying something different. read more

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Great Happy Hour Menu! We were immediately seated in the booth we asked for and our Server, Nate, was professional, personable, gave great recommendations and efficient! We started off ordering a Margarita and Endless Summer Margarita. We then ordered the Korean Ribs, Crunchy Chicken Tacos, Spicy Tuna Crisp Rice, Crispy Brussels Sprouts. Everything was well-presented, well-prepared and delicious! We also ordered Deviled Eggs on the regular menu, but some were too salty and the others ok. Told Nate and he apologized because the cooks are tweaking the recipe-we received another order and they were delicious and took it off our bill. read more

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First time here , it had an inviting atmosphere with a large dining room and patio. We started with Sangria and Wagyu Pigs in a Blanket. The Sangria was refreshing and light and the Wagyu was flavorful and came with a nice mustard dipping sauce. The entrees , Fried Chicken and the Shaved Prime Dip , took a while to come out, but the manager stopped by and apologized for the long wait and offered to buy dessert. The chicken was crispy , flavorful and good sized portion. The drawback was the Prime Rib Dip. It was soaked in au jus making the sandwich soggy. Our server , Alissa was fantastic . She was attentive and very pleasant she saw that I didn't eat all of my sandwich and took it off the bill. She made the whole experience very nice. read more

Culinary Dropout - Shaved Prime Rib Dip* - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Delicious! Staff was nice, I visited with a few friends during lunch. Wasn't too crowded. But if you sit on the patio, your sticky drinks will get attacked by bugs :). Thankfully the server brought extra coasters to cover them. The food was so so good, flavorful, hot, and crispy. read more

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Shawn's service made our experience the best!! After coming from the 3 hour long movie - Project Hail Mary - I was hungry and hubby and I walked down the street for a bite to eat and I must say we were pleased! The place was dark so I couldn't capture pictures like I wanted to but boy my fried chicken breast were delicious! And my biscuit with butter and honey was great!! And my hubby's pub burger was really tasty and flavorful! You know I had to get a bite and I'll get a burger the next time we come! The bun, the bacon and patty was surprisingly fresh and just cooked right! It was after 8 so it wasn't too crowded and kinda romantic as we sat in a booth towards the back but I enjoyed the coziness! Sooo. To all you Denver folks if you looking for a good burger, great fried chicken breast then this is the spot! I'm a woman of color and I wouldn't tell you wrong about the fried chicken !!! read more

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Tried to enjoy the nice "spring" weather by checking out this location because of the patio vibes. Unfortunately we couldn't enjoy because there was a private event. Good to know you can rent it though! There are many tables and booths to enjoy the atmosphere. They don't have kids booster chairs but they do have high chairs. It was busy for Saturday lunch rush but we were seated right away. I saw many tables with the Nachos so I opted to try it but wasn't very impressed. It was noticeably colder (not as hot) as some of the other dishes at the table. Strawberry lemonade was okay - tarty. I prefer a sweeter lemonade so if you like tart then this is for you! The fish and chips were very tasty! A nice little layer of breading and not a thick coat. Just a little bit oily. The star for us was the Black Truffle pizza (no photo). It's cut into 4 pieces and came with generous toppings! Would definitely recommend the pizza to others! Street parking on surrounding streets. read more

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We had a 12 person birthday dinner at culinary dropout! We were immediately sat at our seat with a reservation and we received amazing service from Alison. She was very responsive and made the bill process very easy!! Our food was great and the menu was unique where everyone could order what they wanted. We enjoyed the wings which were really good. I'd suggest going back soon! read more

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I can remember only one other restaurant experience where the service far exceeded expectations and was the best service I ever had. The first time was at a random Benihana in Orlando, and now the second is here at Culinary Depot in Denver. Our server, Summer, was absolutely phenomenal. She had a vibe that resonated with everyone; she was able to connect with my parents, who are a bit older, while also flawlessly conversing with the people at the table closer to her own age. The kitchen was a bit slow with the food during this visit, but Summer checked in to let us know it would be out shortly and asked if we needed anything while we waited. She was quick to respond to our needs and help with any questions we had. Summer is simply one of the best servers I've ever encountered. It's funny that we were initially seated elsewhere and asked to be moved inside; otherwise, we wouldn't have had her as our server. Thank you, Summer! Also, the food was good, as always. read more

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The menu has a lot of interesting things to order. It's the kind of place where you'd like to go back and try some of the other things. They seem to strive for interesting creations and healthy foods. I had the Asian salad with steak added to it. The steak was good and cooked to my liking and the salad was very good with healthy ingredients and a lot of crunch which I like. However, I was disappointed that the mangoes in the salad were dried mangoes which didn't seem to go with the texture of everything else, as the mangoes were dried out and chewy. They were kind of weird that way. I thought that they would be fresh mangoes which I am so used to - fresh succulent and juicy mangoes, not dried out ones. I guess being from California I'm so used to all fresh fruit, juicy and delicious fruit, nothing dried or dehydrated. Hubby had the fried chicken which he said was very good. Our son had another steak dish which he also said was good. The fried brussels sprouts appetizer was so delicious! The service was very friendly and would have been excellent, but they forgot to give us steak knives (we all had meat) and I had to flag someone down to get them as I couldn't find our server. You'd think that with something like steak you would automatically think to give the customer steak knives! We also had to ask for water, more napkins, and had to ask for our bill when we were done. Despite these oversights, they were very accommodating and meant well. read more

Culinary Dropout - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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After being recommended by a friend, we decided to try this place out. The atmosphere was fantastic--high energy with eclectic decor that gave the place a fun, unique vibe. I especially loved the wall decorated with Converse shoes and the great lighting throughout. The restaurant was spacious, and the open-glass kitchen let you see all the action happening behind the scenes. They offer specialty cocktails, and I tried the Birdie. It was a fun and refreshing vodka based drink perfect for summer. For dinner, I ordered the fried chicken. The menu says, "Be patient, it's worth it," and I couldn't agree more. It was delicious, perfectly moist and paired well with the coleslaw and mashed potatoes on the side. I highly recommend going if you're in the Denver area. read more

What an outstanding night we had here! We went for our anniversary. This is one our favorite restaurants and probably the 5th time we've been here. Will (or Willard) was our server and he was GREAT! He was funny, helpful, and a great addition to the night. We had espresso martinis, the Waygu beef pigs in a blanket and the popcorn shrimp to start. I loved the shrimp because it was heavy fried breading. It was nice and light with zucchini fries on the side. The Waygu beef was a little disappointing. I don't know where the Waygu part was supposed to come in. It kinda just tasted like a hot dog. I had the Mongolian short ribs and my husband had the meatloaf as entrees. Mine was sooo good! The bok choy pieces were so big and I didn't have a knife . My husband loved the meatloaf. We had the Mississippi mudpie and some ice cream for dessert. Omg that mud pie is to die for!!! We had so much food leftover we had boxes from each course to take home. It was such a good meal!! read more

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Went here for a USA world cup game and it was great vibes! The place was massive but it didn't feel too loud. Food and service were both good! They also had fun specialty drinks specifically for the world cup. read more

Culinary Dropout - Burger, pretzel bites, specialty world cup cocktail and the ribs - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Went here after hearing people talk about it online and honestly the patio alone sold me. We went around lunchtime and it wasn't too busy, so it had this calm relaxed energy that worked really well with the weird overcast weather Denver almost never gets. I still remember the French dip being super satisfying in a way that made me immediately understand why people like this place. Add a Guinness and attentive staff and it just turned into a really solid afternoon. Feels very "modern Denver" without trying too hard. read more

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We came here because the food looked really good online and we were craving fried chicken! I will say the fried chicken dish ratio was off. The amount of chicken to everything else just didn't make sense, especially the biscuit lol. But the food was good! My son tore up the burger. The Mac and cheese was a bit plain but overall wasn't bad for a kid. The server we had was a nice young man. He was attentive and patient when my toddler spilled his entire cup of water on the ground. The vibes were really nice too! Seemed a bit more upscale and expensive than we were expecting, so just keep that in mind. read more

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I like this restaurant as a go-to spot before heading to the museum. Early arrival for dinner works well as we were seated right away and Cody served us promptly. On rotation was the chicken pot pie soup and having had it before, I chose to order again. It is a can't miss because it is delicious and not salty (like soup can sometimes be). A cup is a perfect size to enjoy before the entrée. My mom loves the burgers here so she went with her usje while I ordered the Turkey Pastrami (which is on the softest, tastiest pretzel bun). Their vinaigrette choices for the side salad are fantastic and I went with the Lemon (Vinaigrette) which paired well with the Hot Toddy. The restrooms are kept in order and are handicap accessible (they are single use only). Save yourself time driving around for street parking, where it is best at the visitor garage just behind CVS and the movie house. Parking Garage is free too! Lots of telly's around to watch the game (TNF was on) and Culinary Dropout has a nice room in the back to accommodate large parties. read more

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Great place for a variety in f menu options for the family. Awesome Happy hour ! Huge restaurant & comfortable seating options . read more

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Super nice dinner. Just got back to Colorado. Looked this place up and decided to give it a try. The food was delicious. The appetizers were great. Our waitress, Lacey,was more than attentive without being intrusive. We will definitely be back. The happy hour looks bomb. Looking forward to try that one evening. read more

Culinary Dropout - Inside - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

This please is amazing from the great atmosphere, to the friendly staff to the amazing food. We went in during restaurant week it was $35 a person we got an appetizer, entree, and desert I had I think it was an Asian salad, fish and chips and their Mississippi mud cake thingy lol it was all fire! Definitely will be back! read more

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This place gets a 10/10 Vibes: causual date night, great for groups or sitting at the bar! service was great - pretty quick to get our food The food was amazing, lots of options. The homemade pretzel bun was 10/10. I would for sure get the dip again- the toasted bread was so yummy. Would probably skip the pigs in a blanket next time. They also had live music which was fun! read more

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Food was outstanding, this Asian salad added shrimp crispy was so good, a tangy spicy dressing, some Fresno peppers, sweet cranberries maybe? Delish. The fish and chips, crispy and a good size portion, the cheese pizza, (very very saucy) and a juicy pub burger. My issue was the wait after we were seated, (probably about in the neighborhood of 15 minutes) not sure what the delay was however when she (the server) did arrive- we opted to order drinks and food because we all worried that we would wait another 15-20 minutes to get a food prefer in and the kitchen was slammed at 6:30 pm. If we had a chance to order drinks we may have ordered appetizers or a charcuterie plate, but they missed the mark with this experience. This is a busy place, and Saturday night was hopping. My husband and I have eaten here before, however we brought our neighbors to have a great meal after a matinee performance at ball arena, we were disappointed with the service sadly. Quality of the food was fine. There were so many diners here and the noise level is a bit high as there are lots of hard surfaces. We have been here when it has not been quite as noisy. read more

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The atmosphere perfectly captures an "urban chic meets urban cool" vibe, and we were very impressed by the excellent service we received. The chicken katsu sandwich was delicious, and the spicy shrimp with crispy was so yummy that we actually ordered seconds. We also enjoyed exploring the many unique cocktails on your menu. Everything was fantastic, especially Carol our beautiful server, highly recommended. read more

Culinary Dropout - Spicy shrimp crispy rice - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Shitty management. Treats staff terrible. Would not recommend eating here. Go anywhere else please.

I came in and management were treating staff like shit. Wouldn't recommend. Bad vibes.

We really liked it here! First time visit but I am so glad we live close by. I see a happy hour or another meal here in the near future. The prices are a little frightening but I think anywhere you go now for drinks and food is pricey. We started with the pretzel nuggets and cheese and the cheese came out in this adorable little fondue pot that I was so obsessed with that I looked it up and saw it was 150 dollars. Yikes haha! I won't be ordering one after all. Anyway back to the food and drink. I also had the matador drink and I was not sorry! Next came the Caesar salad that I opted in on salmon to top it off and wow! Great idea. The only thing that I thought was strange was how the croutons were incorporated throughout the salad in the form of...crumbs...? It didn't ruin it for me but the whole salad was crunchy. The burger was enjoyed as well as the fries. Cooked crispy but they came out not hot, more like warm. French fries deserve to be piping hot! Service was very prompt and friendly. It was pretty busy for a weekday late lunch, around 1:00, which tells me reservations on the weekends are probably necessary. It was not too loud, and I liked the unique decor and lighting. Great all around! read more

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Hands down, the best fried chicken I have ever had in Colorado!! It was flavorful, juicy and not greasy. Large, clean venue with friendly staff. There is street parking plus a parking garage nearby. A very positive experience! Will most certainly return. read more

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Great spot in town to try. We had a large party and they put us in a private room that even had curtains that closed which was great. Our server was a young lady who was SO on top of things even with our large party- she was a rockstar. (Angel may have been her name?) The food was great, drinks were great. Everyone had a great time. They cleaned off spaces for us by the live music after so we could hang there. Great experience. read more

Fried chicken dinner was great, not only was the chicken perfect with just the right amount of breading and moisture but maybe best coleslaw I've ever had. Bartenders were great and the inside was welcoming and a cool vibe. read more

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It was an okay place. Parking will be on the surrounding streets. I was able to get a spot on the street in front of the restaurant. Walked in and asked about sitting in front of the Converse wall and they were able to accommodate us, a party of 4. We ordered drinks and ordered off the charcuterie board menu. That was pretty tasty. It can add up though, so maybe just get the prepared one on the menu instead of adding a whole bunch of things. The inside was not too busy but the outside patio was packed. Our drinks came a little bit slowly. Our brunch item foods came SUPER slow and the server , kitchen AND manager came to apologize because the items we ordered didn't come complete and they ran out. Kind of mad that they couldn't be upfront about a slow or backed up kitchen , made us wait all that time to say sorry and then "oopsies , your not going to get everything and we're not going to make it right either" they replaced one person's potatoes with a basic McDonalds looking hash brown patty and then offered some hot sauce from his personal stash. WTH? So weird and not cool for $150. I loved the decor but not the visit . We even mentioned we've never dined here before when we sat. Most likely won't be back and if we do visit again it'll be for an evening visit and not brunch. read more

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Enjoyed brunch at Culinary Dropout. First off, it's a very large space with great decor and ambiance. We ordered the pretzels with fondue cheese which was ok, nothing out of the ordinary. We loved the breakfast pizza which was very decadent on a crispy pizza crust. Also ordered a breakfast bowl with beans and avocado which we enjoyed as well. We would go back for the breakfast pizza or for their dinner menu! read more

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Upon walking into this restaurant, the vibe seemed pretty fancy. We were seated towards the back of the restaurant where all the TVs were which was perfect cuz we were watching the football game. The vibe back here was a little more casual and family friendly and I noticed a section with cornhole and potentially other games. Our server was kind and we got our drinks pretty quick. I ordered the campfire vibes cocktail and it honestly it was really good. Then we ordered the chicken sausage rigatoni and the brussel sprouts to share. We found it was enough food for the both of us. The pasta was really flavorful and I liked the herbs that were used in it. The brussel sprouts were very tasty as well, although it was a bit on the salty side since they were doused in sauce. Overall a great experience and would come back for a date night. read more

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You can do no wrong from anything on this menu. It's all so yummy & seasoned perfectly! I will try to stop by here anytime I'm in this part of Denver!! So yummy read more

Came here for a drink before my game at Immersive Gamebox. The vibe is pretty awesome and is somewhere I'd love to day-drink. There's plenty of seating including outside on the patio, on the bar, or at a table/booth. Everywhere is comfortable! When you walk in, the hosts will help seat you. This time around, my cousin and I sat the bar. We both ordered a drink each and got the Slicer (the appetizer tray) to split. My cousin got an Old-Fashioned and he enjoyed it. I enjoyed my Paloma Spritz also! The hosts and the bartenders were super friendly and awesome. I'm really looking forward to coming back! read more

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The truffle mushroom pizza is amazing! It was too good to even stop and take a picture for! Service was quick on a Saturday at lunch time. The patio was taken by a private party but there was lots of other seating and a live musician singing which was nice. Staff was all very friendly as well. Parking is limited but was able to find a spot after a lap. Definitely want to try more items on the menu in a future visit orrr just get another truffle pizza! read more

Great place! We went with a larger group. We had to be separated to two tables, but it worked. The service was great. I had the turkey pastrami on the pretzel bun. It was delish! The pretzel bun was over the top. It was perfectly messy! The Giddy Up Espresso Martini was really good. Interesting cinnamon vanilla flavor. It was a bit loud and I would have loved a little more space. We were in a booth that was a little cramped, but not horrible. I want to try it again with a smaller group. read more

Wife N and I are visiting from Portland for a quick 5-day getaway. Today we're hitting an event in Denver, and swung through Culinary Dropout for a quick lunch on the way. One word: wow. Pretzels and Fondue were amazing, pretzels hot and fresh and made all day long. That was a huge portion for an App, the two of us couldn't finish it. On to the Prime Rib dip, which we shared with a side of Caesar salad. Our server served it split as we were sharing, nice touch! This is the best beef dip I've ever eaten. You know when you bite into an average dip, it tastes, basically, like beef, cheese and bread? This one tasted like biting into a Prime Rib. Served shaved and mid rare, it was delicious as was the house made jus and creamy horseradish sauce. Best we've ever had, and well worth the somewhat high $25 price. Service excellent, food excellent, definitely a place we're keeping on our "must be back" list. read more

Culinary Dropout - Prime Rib Dip. One of the best I've ever had. Horseradish and jus were both housemade and fantastic. - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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This place is decent. It's a cool atmosphere but can be very loud on occasion. It's a bit pricey for what it is, so we don't go often.

Excellent food and service! I was never so happy to discover a Culinary Dropout in Denver! I have been to three of their locations in Arizona,.love the food, service,.and vibes! Our server was Shawn. He was so friendly and helpful. He came back frequently to check in on us. He also offered to pack up.my ice tea to go! What service! This place is huge, just like their other restaurants! Their concept is great with the cozy outside enclosed patio that has comfy outside sofas and fire puts. Inside lots of booths with comfy chairs. I love the wall of sneakers inside, very nice touch. Overall, nice relaxing atmosphere! Now for the food! I ordered my usual, Turkey Pastrami on a housemade Pretzel Bun! Just OMG so good! It comes with fries or house salad, their house salad is great! Two of us ordered the Turkey Pastami and the third ordered the Chicken Katsu Sandwich, also a great option! Culinary Dropout is such a fine establishment and great to see them expand (the OG location is in Tempe, AZ). read more

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