Lakewood is Colorado's fifth most populous city, with 155,984 residents in the 2020 census, and its food scene stretches across a town center, a long commercial road, and a few suburban corridors. Our directory lists 447 places in the city, and they say a good deal about how people eat here. Sixty-one percent of the listings are independent, so most of the choices on this page are not chains. Mexican is the largest category at 58 listings, followed by Cafes & Coffee at 40, Bakery & Desserts and Fast Food at 38 each, and Pizza at 29.
Much of that variety sits along West Colfax, part of a road almost 50 miles long that runs from Golden through Lakewood, Denver and Aurora. On the Lakewood stretch you'll find Casa Bonita at 6715 W. Colfax, which reopened in May 2023 after Trey Parker and Matt Stone bought it, with all-you-can-eat Mexican plates and sopapillas with honey. Davies' Chuck Wagon Diner has stood at 9495 W. Colfax since 1947, under a 36-foot neon cowboy sign. A 2018 5280 guide also points to Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef, and lamb gyros with house-made tzatziki, on the same road. In the listings, 43 mention tacos, 40 mention pizza, and 18 mention green chile, which in Colorado means a savory roasted-pepper sauce, often with pork, and not a bean-and-beef chili.
The numbers also show how people use these places day to day. Delivery is offered by 122 listings, and 38 are fast food, so takeout is easy to come by. Twenty-six are categorized as Restaurant and 25 as Bar & Grill. If you like to eat outside, 29 listings have patios. Another 26 run happy hours, and 48 serve breakfast. Only 111 listings show their hours, so call ahead or check a website, which 389 of them have. Menu links appear on 205 listings, so you can often read the offerings before you go. Five food trucks are listed, and no food halls.
Belmar, Lakewood's town center on the former Villa Italia Mall site, hosts the Big Belmar Bash each July, and nearby Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park holds Cider Days each October. Craft beer comes up in 15 listings, and Lakewood's breweries began a joint collective event in 2018, though it is not confirmed as current. For a quick plan, pick your neighborhood first, check hours before you leave, and look for a patio if the weather is good.
