If you're anything like my friends and me, one of our most mindless, delicious past times is sitting down for a good, (preferably cheap), satisfying meal. Here's a list of eateries from the Denver-Golden-Lakewood-ish area that serve insanely delicious foods. I'll rank them from cheapest to most "expensive", but excuse me for being a cheap college student: even at the most expensive restaurant listed, you'll be able to eat a completely filling sushi buffet meal for about $15!
1. Taste of Denmark
The fact that I work here only biases my views a little bit. For the most part, this family-owned Danish bakery offers an array of tasty sweet pastries ranging from about $2-$3, but for $3 you can get a savory croissant stuffed with jalapenos, ham, and melty havarti cheese, or a vegetarian-friendly, toasty, spinach and cheese croissant. Or, if you prefer, you can feast on a loaf of fresh baked bread, from french to challah to sourdough to limpa to viking to wheat to multigrain (and more), for about $3-$4.
2. Santiago's
If you like your Mexican food smothered in flavorful green chile and topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and shredded cheese, this restaurant offers a wide selection of tasty burritos, enchiladas, stuffed sopapillas, and more that can all be smothered and "deluxed." The chile is offered in mild, half-and-half, and hot, but be warned: the spiciness of the green chile varies from day to day! You can get a filling meal from here for anywhere from $2-$6.
3. Pho Duy
Ahhhh, one of my family's (and my) lifelong favorites. For about $7-$8, you're blessed with a massive bowl of soupy noodles piled high with cuts of beef. There are also seafood and vegetarian options. I can normally barely finish a medium bowl, if I finish at all, so you'll get plenty of food for your money. I daresay it's equally if not more filling than a Chipotle burrito. While pho is the staple at this restaurant, you can also order a rice noodle bowl with barbequed beef, pork, egg rolls, lettuce, and pickled vegetables, crispy fried noodles drenched in a seafood sauce and topped with squid, chicken, and a variety of veggies, and more.
4. Jerusalem
The middle eastern cuisine at this restaurant is simply amazing. All the food that I've eaten here is super light, flavorful, and filling. For any vegetarians out there, I've only ever eaten the vegetarian platter from this restaurant because it is so divine. Also, hands down the best falafel I've ever eaten-- they're super crisp on the outside, moist and flavorful on the inside. I'm usually completely full after sharing a vegetarian platter which costs approximately $9, which means you can get a full delicious meal for about $5 here!
5. Little India
Fun fact: Little India has a $10 lunch buffet deal every weekday. That means that for $10, you can feast to your fullest desires on naan, saag paneer, pakora masala, tandoori chicken, alu mutter, kheer, mango custard, salad (though who eats salad at a buffet?) and much, much more.
6. Thai Gold
My biggest problem with Thai Gold is that I am so in love with their panang curry, I can't try anything else. For $13 you can get a massive bowl of curry with unlimited rice, and I always have enough left over to bring home for a second meal. I've been told that the other entrees, including roast duck and pad thai among others, are also delicious as well, though I can't bear to part from my beloved panang curry. While this is a nicer sit-in restaurant, the atmosphere, quality of food, and quantity of food is definitely worth the slight increase in price.
7. Sushi Katsu
While $15 might seem like a lot for lunch, this is a sushi buffet lunch. Not only does it include quality sushi, but it also includes appetizers and other dishes. You can order anything from rolls to individual nigiri to miso soup to bbq ribs to salmon teriyaki, and you can order as much of it as you want. Not only that, but any food you order is served to you and you can order as many times as you want, so the restaurant atmosphere is much classier and nicer than you might expect from a buffet.
There are tons of amazing food gems that don't have to come at too great of a price. I hope you get a chance to enjoy all of the delicious foods from this list!
