Small bites are among the hottest food trends. Here are great places to sample tapas around the state.

By Kristen Richard

We’ve all been there. You sit down at a restaurant, order what you think is the perfect dish, and then look upon your fellow diner’s order with pure envy for the rest of the meal. That's where tapas come in, a small plate Spanish staple that is meant to be shared. Even all the way out here in Colorado where chefs from Boulder to Grand Junction are putting their creative spin on these dishes. Here are some of our favorite tapas spots throughout the Centennial State.

Bésame
818 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs

“It was a real risk opening up a concept like Bésame,” says Hannah Hopkins, chef at Bésame. “But I felt very passionate that this is what Steamboat needed, something out of the box and different. Everyone else was like, ‘we’ll give her a year.’”

Then, not long after opening, “I was lucky enough to have a James Beard representative come into the restaurant and really enjoy the food he was eating,” Hopkins says. “And he invited us to cook at the James Beard House in Manhattan, which took Bésame to the next level.” After six years, this Latin-Asian fusion restaurant, which is heavily influenced by the travels and careers of Hopkins and executive chef Joe Campbell, is still going strong.

One of the most popular tapas dishes on the menu is the pork dumplings made with charred pineapple.

“We’ve taken Asian dumplings but we’ve added Latin flavors to it to come up with a really fun, cool dish,” Hopkins says.

There’s also the ancho chili duck wings, made with bitter orange pureé, jalapeño and radish. As for drinks, Bésame has an extensive cocktail selection, with a fan favorite being the tipsy carrot, Hopkins says. It’s made with fresh-pressed carrot juice, suerte tequila, lime, hellfire bitters, fresno chili syrup and cilantro.

“Basically, it’s a sweet carrot margarita,” she says.

But don’t forget dessert.

“I think the one Chef Campbell is most proud of is the choco taco,” Hopkins says. “It’s a homemade waffle cone shell with chocolate mousse, caramel chantilly cream and more.”

Gemini
1115 Pearl St., Boulder

Opened in 2021, Gemini is the brain child of Michael Mehiel, his brother-in-law Brian Peirce, and their wives Catherine Mehiel and Elizabeth Neckes, who also happen to be twin sisters.

“Hence the name Gemini,” says Michael Mehiel.

After signing the lease for the new space, “Pierce spent time in Barcelona and San Sebastian [Spain], eating, checking out the menus, and just seeing how the places looked, smelled and sounded,” says Michael Mehiel. “And those experiences are the fundamental elements of our menu. There’s also French classical and new American touches as well.”

Seasonality and sourcing locally when possible are also at the forefront of Gemini’s menu. Some of their top tapas dishes include patatas bravas, which are crispy potatoes topped with salsa brava and garlic aioli; meatballs; champiñones made with seared mushrooms, garlic, charred scallions, and egg yolk; and octopus a la plancha, which is served with fingerling potatoes and grilled red onion.

As far as beverages go, Gemini serves mostly organic and biodynamically produced wines from Spain, Portugal, California, Oregon and Washington. They also have plenty of cocktails including the Twins Made Me Do It, made with coriander-infused vodka, chartreuse and other ingredients.

Ultreia
1701 Wynkoop St., #125, Denver

“Ultreia is both a name of a Spanish wine made by winemaker Raúl Pérez and a Latin word that means that your journey is worth it,” says Jennifer Jasinski, chef and owner of Ultreia.

This Union Station eatery offers a wide array of tapas, from bacon-wrapped dates to tinned fish.

“I let the chefs have fun with the menu,” Jasinski says. “We have classical dishes and fun ones. We also keep the menu seasonal.”

Customer favorites include the octopus a la plancha and the setas mushrooms, made with king trumpets and black garlic aioli. The eatery also makes its own pan de cristal (bread), which has also become a fan favorite.

Happy hour runs from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, with wine, cocktail and beer options for under $8, and a charcuterie board for under $11, along with a wide variety of other tapas.

Bin 707 Foodbar
225 N. 5th St., #105, Grand Junction

“We opened in our current location in February 2011, which was in the middle of the recession that really affected the Grand Valley,” says Josh Niernberg, chef and owner of Bin 707 Foodbar. “We saw an opportunity to do something in the restaurant space that I hadn’t seen before, which was to be a completely locally and regionally sourced restaurant. And by doing that we’d be showcasing all that Colorado, an agricultural hotbed, had to offer. As well as supporting local business and providing people with hospitality jobs.”

They’ve since expanded the concept to be more regional. Their tapas selection includes ruby red trout rillette, beet tartare, charcuterie and other offerings. But their menu is always rotating.

“We strive to play with foods and create dishes that are approachable, craveable, and not going to be found on every corner,” Niernberg says. “You shouldn’t need to participate in a 10-course tasting menu to try dishes like these.”

Their cocktail program is also homegrown.

“We’re right at the beginning of what I think is going to be the future of our cocktail program here,” Niernberg says. “As it is, we use all the local fruits. For instance we use a ton of plum, particularly elephant heart plum, in a wide variety of drinks. We are also starting to use cactus liquors with cacti that are grown in Colorado.”

This story is in our March-April print issue. Click here to read the full magazine.

Kristen Richard is a drink and food freelance writer based in Denver. Her fascination with beverage history and the science of drinks act as a guiding force in her work. When she’s not traveling down rabbit holes of random esoteric booze knowledge, you can usually find her camping, hiking, hanging with her dog, reading or rocking out to metal bands.