To The Wind Bistro

Adorable, rather small spot that doesn’t take reservations. Our party of 3 showed up at about 7pm on a Saturday and put our name in to a 1hr wait. We walked to a nearby spot for a drink and got a call to come back for our table. Staff was incredibly sweet, laid back, and attentive.
The food was killer. Bone marrow and steak were my two highlights.
Will definitely be back.

To The Wind was outstanding. After knowing of its existence since it’s opening, my boyfriend and I were waiting for the perfect time to visit (both because they don’t take reservations, so you’re waiting for walk-​in-​good-​luck, and for a special occasion). We decided to visit for our 2 year anniversary.
To The Wind has a surprisingly wide selection of beer, wine, and whiskey. But we really came for the food. And luckily, we came hungry. We started with the cornmeal waffle, which is topped with savory and tender pork shoulder and homemade coleslaw. The best coleslaw I’ve ever had. Because I couldn’t decide between the gnocchi and the steak for my entrée, and because we came with our appetites, we decided to also split the gnocchi as an appetizer of sorts. The caraway gnocchi was reminiscent of rye bread, had been sautéed (so they were nice a crispy, but fluffy on the inside), and had melted cheddar cheese all over them. Placed on top of radicchio, and topped with raisins and cauliflower salad — this was the star of the whole evening.
For entrees, I ordered the steak with root vegetables and pickled ramp over an incredible parsnip ranch. Delicious and perfectly cooked between medium rare and medium. My boyfriend had the buttermilk chicken with crispy parmesan bread pudding, shaved asparagus, and thinly sliced chorizo.
My favorite part — outside of the gnocchi — was our service. Despite being one of the best restaurants in Denver, the atmosphere feels comfortable and our service was completely unpretentious and fun. When we have family come into town later this year, this is definitely where we will try to take them.

I just had the pleasure of dining at your lovely restaurant with my husband a few hours ago. I wanted to write a review while the food was still fresh in my mind. We were seated to boiled peanuts that were not unpleasant but not my taste. The we had the bone marrow which was to be spread on large, thick cut pieces of lightly buttered and toasted french sourdough. The bread was delicious as it was but then to add the mixture of quail egg and beef carpaccio and top it with fresh radishes was transcending. The best bite I’ve had in Denver, really. Our entrees were equally outstanding. I had the duck which had so many layers and flavors going on. My husband had the scallops. The were plump and perfectly seared. Dessert was pineapple upside down cake and cream brulle. Wait staff and kitchen staff all friendly. Would love to go back again soon.

Great little bistro with an advantageous menu. Unilocal lists as a bar but it is difficult to classify as such with only 4 hightop chairs. Our wait staff was friendly and knowledgeable and helped make our ordering easy with perfect recommemdations for the both of us. My husband enjoyed the duck, repeating many times how perfectly the flavors melded. My rockfish was ok. While it was cooked just right, flaky and juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, it fell a bit flat in taste. Rubarb tarte fell into the same bucket unfortunately as the crust was quite bland. Will go back however as the chef seemingly has a creative approach and the place is so welcoming and friendly.

Extraordinary food and wonderful service. Anyone looking for a great meal, try it out, but just don’t expect to be able to get in. No reservations allowed…

First visit, and I really loved this place. Cozy and consistently really delicious, interesting dishes. I liked every dish I tried (burrata salad, pork adobo, buttermilk chicken, rockfish, goat cheescake tart, strawberry rhubarb tart, etc)
I love restaurants that only do only a few things but do them really, really well.

OMG what a find! Crazy good food, amazing beer, wine & whiskey list. Nothing I’ve ever heard of but everything is a home run. Great wait staff and the chefs are really talented and just good guys. Do yourself a favor and check this place out. You will not be disappointed!

Shit yeah! To The Wind was fantastic. We had seen a couple of great reviews in the Post and Westword. We have been hesitant with Westword reviews ever since our experience at Lower 48. This experience was different.
We showed up fairly early, which was fortuitous. We sat at «the bar» immediately, but watched as people that showed up minutes were put on an hour long list. Timing is everything.
You may ask why the wait was so long, the restaurant is very small, and that is a definite positive. The atmosphere was comfortable. It was the exact opposite of the Cheesecake Factory in every possible way. I could talk more about the ambiance, but that isn’t nearly as important as the food.
To start we were served boiled peanuts. I had never eaten boiled peanuts, despite the fact that I left Denver for nearly a decade and lived in the south. I was tempted many times to grab some boiled peanuts at the local gas station, but I never did. I can’t attest to those gas station peanuts, but the boiled peanuts here were delicious. Cocktails were whiskey-​centric, and included the greatest hits. We ordered the Spanish octopus as an appetizer, and were both surprised and ravenous. Everything about the dish was unexpected, and appreciated.
I ordered the Berkshire pork chops, and they blew my expectations away. They were supremely fatty, as I hoped, but the crust was a perfect counterpoint to the buttery fat. The strained yogurt, mung beans, pancetta, and baby carrots complimented and enhanced the dish. My wife had the rockfish. I can’t tell you how good it was, all I can say is that it must have been amazing because she refused to give me a single bite. She is from New Orleans, and she cleared her plate, which is high praise. We ordered the stout chocolate cake for dessert, and it did not fail to astound. The cake was soft and moist, and the coconut flakes provided an amazing textural counterbalance.
This place is amazing, and I hope nobody ever treads this review because we want it all to ourselves.

We’re big fans of this restaurant and have been multiple times, but tonite’s visit we feel a little jipped on our whiskey; one of us had a $ 15 «four roses single barrel», and i had the «whipper snapper oregon» for $ 10.
(We ate between 6:30p and 8p 3/​3, and we had the «Mixed Mushroom Tagliatelle» and the «Bistro Steak» — We were asked if «medium rare» was ok, but the steak came out truly rare and decided to just take it home and cook it longer; he didn’t eat much of the dish. The mushroom dish was incredible, however.)
Upon arrival of our whiskey, we both immediately thought that it was a smaller amount than they should be, then when we got home, we measured both 1 and 2oz liquids, and we both felt like we were shorted whatever would’ve been a full drink — an ounce doesn’t sound like much, but at $ 15 and $ 10, that’s exorbitant, and it was straight whiskey… We both felt like we had a 1-​ounce shot — is that correct?
We love this establishment and want to provide constructive feedback.

My tip for scoring a seat at the boutique-​size To The Wind Bistro: arrive early-​ish on a weekday night. We were promptly seated and enjoyed some quiet moments looking over the menu. They have a well curated menu of small dishes and entrée plates along with a much larger selection of wine, cocktail, and assorted booze.
Everything we tried was fantastic — the oxtail and fig jam marrow, the cornmeal waffle with pulled pork, and mushroom tagliatelle. My only complaint would be the sometimes underwhelming portions.
It began with the dry white. The wife was fine with it at the $ 8 price, but compared to other places — started my complaint meter. Then the bone marrow and cornmeal waffle wowed us. I really enjoyed how the waffle, pulled pork and cole slaw came together. On the bone marrow plate, everything impressed, but most impressive was the delicious sourdough bread that is made in-​house. We finally finished with the tagliatelle — rich in flavor, large taste presence, scant noodles. It would have been more impressive as a small plate and not as entrée. It didn’t feel main course.
Would we go again? Of course

Exceptional food. Exceptional people. Service as welcoming as your family home.
My wife and I went to To the Wind Bistro on a whim… it had stellar reviews and we had some free time on a Thursday. So we called ahead around 4:45 and made sure to get seats by the kitchen (of which there are only four) at 5:00. When we walked in, the chef-​owner was meeting with Black Shirt brewing in coming up with a specialty beer cocktail I think? His daughter was doing math homework at the bar and his wife was buzzing around setting the place up for service. I absolutely love supporting families who are taking the risk on a place and really making it a family-​run restaurant while still maintaining high professional standards.
As we sat, the owner nodded over at us and got Black Shirt to let us try their beers — what kindness! I felt an immediate connection to the owner and thought «that’s how I would act if I had my own place.» We chatted briefly about our first time coming in and where I worked and then we ordered our food.
And my god, this is incredible stuff. We started with the bone marrow, which I CANNOT oversell. Best bone marrow I have had in my life, without question. The bone is hewn lengthwise and served with oxtail jam and butter-​basted housemade sourdough with parsley onion salad; this dish is the definition of decadence. We also got the cornmeal waffle with roasted pork shoulder and slaw — divine. This dish would be the absolute best in many of the top restaurants in Denver, but at To the Wind it was simply great. We then followed it up with entrees, In which I ordered the Bistro Steak and my wife ordered the Sea Bass.
My steak was cooked perfectly, served with a luscious parsnip purée, demi and beets with freshly grated horseradish. Hearty beyond belief and well worth the price. My wife ordered the sea bass, her favorite fish, which was served over potatoes, caperberries and calamari in a tomato broth. I myself am not a huge fan of calamari, as I believe it always gets rubbery, but this dish was phenomenal. The tomato broth had some of the best flavor I’ve ever tasted in a tomato product, especially in January.
The only thing that was not absolutely phenomenal was the dessert; offerings are slim and lacking creativity compared to the rest of the menu. That being said, Denver on the whole does not do desserts justice, and the rest of the meal was so overwhelming I dare not dock points.
Do yourself a favor and try this place out. We went on a sleepy Thursday as soon as the doors opened, but around 6:45 the restaurant was full, so call ahead or get there early if you can.

Hidden off of Colfax just east of the Bluebird, this quaint restaurant serves up amazing meals complemented by exceptional service. We stopped in right after work on a Friday (5:30 pm), and had we waited 10 minutes more, we would have missed out on a table. As small as this place is (maybe six tables and four seats at the bar), and because they don’t take reservation, you need to arrive early in the evening with your entire party if you want to get a table. We managed to snag the last four top before the 6:00 pm rush.
As many others have pointed out, the menu is very limited. However, that’s a good thing since you don’t have to wade through an extensive list of options. I ordered the Berkshire Pork, my wife the Bistro Steak. The pork was well seasoned and paired with braised cabbage, brussell sprout leaves, and a petite sweet potato pie. The steak was served with a parsnip purée (amazing), beets, braised beef cheeks, and horseradish. Both dishes were great (I managed to graze off my wife’s plate), but I enjoyed the pork dish more.
I am excited to try this place again later this year. I imagine that with a small restaurant like this, the chef’s mix up the menu throughout the year.

Well. .. it finally happened. I found a restaurant that I DO NOT want to Unilocal about because I don’t want anyone else to go there but ME. Seriously took me one month to write this. No really, To the Wind Bistro is fantastic! All of the accolades go to Chef Royce and his staff! Keeping his concept small on Colfax is genius. The restaurant seats only 16 and then there are 4 spots at the bar. Chef makes all of your delicious meals with the help of his sous chef. All of the dishes are creative, well portioned and damn good. The head server, Reayanna (spelling? Sorry girl) is a delight! She is knowledgeable about the menu and the wine list. She keeps the many diners corralled with a smile. Although many people were turned away (no reservations) because the restaurant was full, not one diner walked away in a huff due to Reayanna’s shining personality and the fact that Chef Royce called his buddy — Awesome Adam — at the Plimoth to take care of his overflow.
This restaurant is NOT about being cool, attracting entitled hipsters, or being on the cutting age of nouveau cuisine. Chef Royce came from Mizzuna where he excelled at his trade! This restaurant is about serving imaginative, delicious food and making you super pleased that you came in for a visit.
No snooty cocktails, you can have wine, beer, and the most excellent Sazerac, Manhattan, or Maple Old Fashioned out of the home made barrel!
I imagine that the menu changes periodically, however I cannot type enough accolades about the Kampachi Poke, Foie Gras Torchon (to die!!), the Rockfish, and the AMAZING seared duck breast.
Get over to To the Wind Bistro immediately — just don’t take my seat!

Great service and great food! I ordered the alamosa bass for dinner and it did not disappoint! Enjoyed the great vibes of this restaurant, I’ll be back for more

Food was delicious, just meat heavy on the entrees
Service was attentive and friendly
The only thing that keeps me from full stars is that the entrees didn’t feel complete to me, especially in the veggie section. The sturgeon sits on basically a chicken pot pie, so it is a weird melding of two meats and not enough veggies, although extremely delicious. The pork two ways comes with beans, some potato salad, and a few leaves of lettuce. Again, delicious, but you just feel very heavy at the end.
The appetizers were delicious and well balanced. But again, our table was looking for a lighter break from the meat heavy entrees, and there was no salad, so we went with the panzanella and crudo.
FYI
On colfax next to the bluebird theater so parking can be tricky, the blocks adjacent have restrictions for resident parking only at night
No reservations, small place, so plan accordingly

Friend was in town + torrential rain = We thought we could just stroll on into To the Wind Bistro and get seated right away… We were wrong! We did however notice for the next time that we can call ahead (not make reservations) and let them know we were on our way and to put us on their little chalk board list! Be prepared to wait but it’s worth it, it just means they will take an equal amount of time preparing your food too!
Rain or shine, they are always busy and for good reason. I had been dyinggggg to try this place and I heard such raving reviews. I was planning on doing my birthday dinner there (Thank goodness I didn’t. Fitting 5 of us without reservations would have been quite difficult. :)); however, the rain got in the way, so half of my party was stuck at home while my visiting friend had made it to me before the rain. We went ahead with our plans and are grateful we did! We really enjoyed our meal here!
To start, it’s a little place but with a really cozy, friendly feeling. The staff only made this ring more true. You could see the chef taking his time and plating his food. Right away you could tell a lot of care is placed in producing the dishes here, so I was excited and decided to wait out the hour and a half wait at the pizza place nearby. They took our number down and called once the table was ready.
When we finally got to sit down, they started us off with some boiled peanuts in a salty dark sauce. The flavors were familiar to my Asian palate. We order the Bone Marrow to share and it was mindblowingly delicious. The radish and onions paired very nicely with bone marrow and I couldn’t get enough of it! I could just eat that appetizer all day, but then I’d probably be humongous afterwards. The buttery fattiness that melted in my mouth… drooooool.
Our table order the Rock Fish, Duck Confit and a Steak dish I do not remember a name for. The Rock Fish was delicious! A great blend of flavors. It had a very tart citrus flavor and that’s totally my thing! It was plated with artichoke, potatoes, and cauliflower salad and we loved it! We honestly loved all the dishes. The steak was cooked perfectly at a nice medium rare and the duck confit was tender and flavorful. We continued eating even when we couldn’t anymore and there were no complaints.
Passed on the dessert but will definitely be back again!

Honestly, one of the best restaurants in Denver.
The restaurant doesn’t play around with frills. Meaning: no reservations (but they do allow you to call ahead to get on a list) and a seating area of about 15. They also don’t have daily specials. The menu is what you can choose from. Oh and they actually close during the week and on some holidays! Hooray for treating staff right!
Was lucky to be able to get a table for 6 at 7 on a Friday. We basically took up half the restaurant; thank you guys for such a great experience!
While waiting for your meal they serve you boiled peanuts. Never had them! Can’t believe how tasty they are. They have a simple but great wine and cocktail list.
For starters we had the bone marrow (I can’t even begin to explain how buttery and fatty it was. Taste buds exploded); octopus (most tender octopus I have ever had) as well as the veal sweetbreads.
If you really want a treat make sure you ask them for some shaved truffles over everything. Huge beautiful slices!
For my main dish I ordered the sturgeon. Have you ever had a meal that was so good you didn’t want to finish it? So good you ate it slower than anyone else at the table? Yes it was that good. Every bite kept releasing different flavors depending on which bits you had on your fork. So decadent.
One of my favorite restaurants in Denver!

Amazing, amazing food and service. Although the restaurant is small (we had to wait forty minutes for dinner for two on a Tuesday night), it was well worth it. We got the chicken and risotto, both of which were delicious. We also had peanuts in the beginning, boiled in some amazing sauce I couldn’t quite decipher. Our waitress was also incredibly nice and helpful. It is definitely a unique and unexpected find on Colfax. The food is American/​European, with some unexpected twists. I would definitely go back again.

I almost don’t want to give a good review so I can come here without a wait, but how not cool is that?
My friend recommended To The Wind to try out so we came here on a Tuesday night. Even at 6PM, there was a wait, so we headed across the street for a drink and waited it out, which I’m so happy we did.
We started off with the cornmeal waffle, which I would have eaten two of if it were a main dish. The waffle was perfectly cooked and the slaw and pork were a great combination of sweet and salty. YUM!
I chose the duck confit, which was amazing as well. I’m a huge sucker for duck and this literally fell off the bone as I was eating it.
No complaints here!

I love, love walking into a restaurant and getting the feeling that you are going to be taken care of for the evening. The setting is cozy and intimate with pillows to lean up against the benches.
For the starters, we went with the bone marrow and escargot empanadas. I cook with bones but have never intentionally eaten bone marrow. The thought of it, quite frankly, grossed me out a tad. And now I realize the folly of my ways. Simply delicious and the essence of cow. This version was served with Texas toast, short rib jam and whole grain mustard. Exquisite.
The empanada dough was lovely but I like more garlic with my escargots. For my main, I ordered the barley risotto with fiddle head ferns, carrots and pecans. Imagine my surprise and delight when our mains came to the table and I also had fav beans in my risotto. Two short season, hard to find in Colorado vegetables in the same dish? Get outta here! I was beyond excited. The flavors all came perfectly together and if I could cook carrots like that I’d eat them every day.
My friends ordered the hangar steak with cucumber toubbouleh and the roast chicken dish. Both were wowed away.
Not that we needed dessert but we felt compelled to sample the whole range. The pineapple upside down cake and chocolate stout cake were the selections. Both proved that this restaurant has it down pat. My only slightly negative feedback is I wish they had killer cocktails on the menu. It is a beer, wine, spirits set up.
I have been telling anyone who will listen that they simply must come here!