Hip Chinese restaurant featuring modern shared plates, plus craft beer, cider & clever cocktails.
Hop Alley
2016 5280 Magazine #1 Restaurant in Denver/Boulder. 3500 LARIMER ST, DENVER, CO 80205. 720-379-8340. HOURS: Monday – Saturday, 5-10p. Closed Sundays. GIFT CARDS.
Jonathan Falk
Hop Alley is an incredible Asian fusion spot with bold, creative, and truly unique flavors. We’re still dreaming about the beef and celery dumplings with chili crisp, apple, and cashew — perfectly balanced with just the right amount of heat and crunch. The wood-grilled half chicken with goji berry and celtuce was equally outstanding — smoky, tender, and layered with flavor in a way that felt both surprising and intentional.
Beyond the food, the service is fantastic. You can genuinely tell the team wants you to walk away happy, full, and completely taken care of. They guide you through the experience in a way that feels warm and thoughtful. A memorable meal all around — can’t wait to go back.
… moretnypco
An extraordinary meal where four of us basically ordered 90% of what was on the menu. It came out with a speed that was a bit overwhelming and we didn’t know what to taste first. But the concept of all dishes being shared and apportioned to the number of guests at the table is already a huge plus: no agonizing over how to split orders – it’s already been done. Highly recommend the Dragon Whiskers, Gai Lan, Pork Ribs, Duck Roll, Lamb noodles with neck, with sadly the expensive grilled bass being a pass: it was dry and lacked the anticipated flavor. The service was impeccable. Overall, a great night out!
… moreW Anthony
10/10 experience. Love the atmosphere and music choices. Staff was all very friendly. The food was incredible and the portions were huge.
Bone Marrow Fried Rice – 9.5/10
Fried Wontons – 9.5/10
Hong You Chao Shou – 8.5/10 (spicy)
Prime NY Strip Steak – 9/10
La Zi Ji – 8.5/10 (very very spicy)
… moreBen Edwards
Had a great anniversary dinner here. Service was excellent, the welcome glass of bubbly was a great touch, and the staff was knowledgeable and friendly. The food was really excellent, though I was anticipating it would be much spicier than from the reviews. It was really great overall. Dinner was a little shorter than we might have wanted. It was great that the food came out so fast, but also we had drinks, dinner, and dessert in 45 minutes. There was also a large party next to us, maybe 12ish and they were really loud, sort of decreasing the atmosphere a bit.
… morerandi feldman
Loved it all! So welcoming! Fantastic service by people who care about your experience. The food has wonderful delicious and unique flavors. So fresh and beautifully presented. My daughter has been many times and brought me on my visit to Denver. Absolutely put it on your list!
… moreRachel Kemble
What a fantastic experience! We were a party of six with a child in a wagon that was gtube dependent. We were seated at a great table not off in a dark corner which is what usually happens when they see a child that could be loud (he wasn’t). We got a wide variety of items to try and share. Each dish that came was even better than the last. My taste buds were over whelmed. High recommend!
… moreShiao June Yuan
Growing up, my family ran a Chinese American restaurant in Denver called Red Coral. For the longest time, I did not think I would ever find a place that could rival my childhood favorite dish there- pepper chicken. This morning as I heated up my left over La Zi Ji, I smelled the dish I haven’t had in ages. While this dish is the spicier and sassier sister to the pepper chicken, the breading, texture, and deliciousness brought me much joy. Looking forward to coming back another time, grateful my friend took me here for my birthday!
… moreJ Hoppman
I came into Hop Alley to try their new menu and had an amazing experience. The bartenders, Emily and Devon, were so friendly and guided me towards their favorite dishes. The lamb was easily the star of the show. Savory and somehow delicate and hearty at the same time. One of the severs, Elliot, brought me my dishes and made sure I was not only enjoying myself but had everything I needed to enjoy the evening. The manager, James, was very accommodating and friendly. I’m looking forward to my next dinner at Hop.
… moreVictoria Popp
Man, we have been big Hop Alley fans for many years. Came back tonight for my husbands birthday and while the cocktails, service and ambiance were still exceptional – the food was really lacking.
Best way to explain it is a $400+ mediocre meal for 4. I’d give it a 2.5/5 mostly for the awesome bartenders and service team!
The Gai Lan was inedible. Im not sure anyone in the kitchen knew how to prepare it so it was essentially Chinese broccoli stalks. I spit it out and no one at our table could stomach it.
Expensive, very small portions and missing many of the key dishes that put this spot on the map. I get you have a new chef – but to see the duck rolls and chilled tofu on the happy hour menu? So you can make it… you just won’t for your loyal fans?
The new dishes were fine. Lamb was good but pathetically small. Overall it was a very sub-par version of the Hop Alley we’ve grown to know and love.
I hope the new head chef gives some time to pay homage to the dishes that have made this place one of Denver’s best restaurants.
We used to eat here at least 6x a year – probably wont be back until we find out if things have improved.
Took no photos because it’s a meal we’d prefer to forget.
… moreBorn To Be Retired
Really enjoyed our dinner and experience at Hop alley. Service is excellent and all the dishes we tried were excellent. We arrived around 5:30pm on a weekday and were able to get in without a reservation. Think we just got lucky
… more