Vegan
American
International
Juice bar
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out
Fusion
Breakfast
Offers a wide variety of plant-based comfort foods from vegan benedict and tofu dishes to Mexican fare and international plates to weekend brunch and french toast. Has open space. Established since 1998 as a vegetarian restaurant and switched to all vegan in 2012. Open Mon-Fri 11:00am-9:00pm, Sat-Sun 10:00am-9:00pm.
575 Reviews
First Review by A.Z.P.
Rileymeisch
Points +28
Watercourse Foods - Edit
Amsterdam Hash vegan style + pancake and it's all over.
Read moreGuest
JanelHolt
Points +22
Delicious! - Edit
I have eaten here several times and every time the service is wonderful and the food is great.
Read morePros: Relaxed Atmosphere., Yummy Food!, Great Service.
Cons: Can be busy.
Guest
mcgyver68
Points +81
Long wait, Great Food. - Edit
I walked in, just before noon and there were two lines flanking each side of the entryway. I stood around puzzled for a moment and began asking people if they were waiting for a seat. Several told me to go add my name to the list. OK. I approached the hostess stand. Hostess came up, ignored me and addressed the folks standing beside me. OK. A few minutes later, another server walked up to the stand, took a look at the book, took a look around, and right through me, then walked away. Hmmmm? (I know I showered, wore socks? check!) Another few minutes and another person walks up, asks me if I need help, not really, just lunch... she motioned to the counter and said, just have a seat. Ahhh,,,, (I look back at all the folks waiting behind me). Whatever.
Read moreAt the counter there is a young lady who is working at blinding efficiency. She is making drinks, running appetizers to tables, just really hustling her [censored] off... and yet I can't help but notice the cluster of other wait-staff hovering around the POS station at the NE corner of the building. At any given time there are 3 or 4 just hanging around there while the girl at the bar/counter is doing four jobs at once. It took a while to get the food order in, yet I cannot possibly blame my server.
Eventually I got the Monti Pasta, which has portobellos and an herb sauce with cheese. That dish was 5-star wonderful. The sauce was amazing and the vegetables as well. All was perfectly prepared, never a thought of reaching for the salt or pepper which is my signal of well prepared food.
On this day, there were some profound service issues, the ONLY reason not to give 5 stars. If this is normally how they operate, I can see it really holding them back. Hopefully it was just an off-day, because the food was super-fantastic. I will try them again next time I come through DEN.
Pros: Sauces, Great Coffee, Menu
Cons: Service was a mess, Odd line-up at entry
Guest
JessHaz
Points +28
So many choices... - Edit
It is so cool to be able to go into a place and pick anything on the menu. I've been a vegetarian since I was about 4 so this hasn't happened many times in my life. The food's very good, very filling. Worth the price since with most anything you get on their menu you will have leftovers.
Read moreThe Country Fried Seitan was very good, the Rosie Tea was wonderful, and the tomato soup that my mother had was amazing.
I will definitely be back, if only to be able to say I can have anything on the menu I want again. ;)
Pros: Good , filling ood, Lots of choices
Cons: A little expensive
Guest
Petesternz
Points +1447
Amazing for breakfast and dinner - Edit
What can I say that hasn't been said already? This place is vegan heaven that didn't put a step wrong during my visit. I made it to Denver to visit family recently and rushed to Watercourse for dinner. The Buffalo Seitan wings were unbelievable, one of the best vegan appetizers I've ever had. Do not miss!!! My meal was great too. The homemade veggie burger was very special, as were the great side of beer-battered onion rings. Indeed, just reading the menu is enough to make me want to cry with joy. Dessert was sublime, with a German Chocolate cake with raspberry topping. As good as it sounds. Enjoyed it so much, I rushed back for breakfast before leaving Denver the next day. Had an amazing gravy with biscuits scrambled tofu that hit the spot perfectly. Only tiny tiny quibble was some below par coffee, but honestly, you cannot go wrong here. Biggest downside is figuring out which of the amazing dishes to have.... They really need a "six cow" category for this place.
Read morePros: Everything
Cons: Nothing
Guest
gr8vegan
Points +2357
Great sandwiches and beer! - Edit
I've been reading about Watercourse Foods on blogs of adventurous vegans all over who have raved about the food and beer. We were on a road trip and it was heavily raining when we made it to Denver. I fired up my Happycow App and recognized Watercourse and we made a B-line for the restaurant. They have a really great set up with a wonderful selection of beers. There is a nice area of outdoor seating and they were very welcoming. Unfortunately, we arrived at the tail end of a beer tasting so most of the beer was gone. We were able to work with our waiter to select healthy vegan items from the menu. He was very knowledgeable and conferred with the kitchen on ingredients and preparation to our restrictive oil-free vegan requirements. We settled on the Grinder and Pinto Veggie burger and steamed veggies and salad for sides. Though our order was a little mixed up, it was all to our satisfaction. Watercourse definitely lives up to the veg landmark status it's earned in the Denver area.
Read morePros: beer, atmosphere, grinder
Guest
j.lee
Points +119
One of the Best Places in the Denver/Boulder Area - Edit
While not technically a full vegan establishment, nearly everything on the menu can be made vegan. I had the Buffalo Tofu on our fist visit there, with seasonal vegetables and fries as a side, and the sandwich was just prepared just about perfect, although the sauce was a bit tangier than I remembered. Second visit I opted for a Po'Boy, made with a polenta crusted portobello, which again, was quite good, although the bun started to break apart towards the end of the meal. The wait staff was extremely prompt and helpful. I've got nothing bad to say about this place overall. Their sandwiches (and breakfast meals- my wife greatly enjoyed her scramble as well) put many other full vegan restaurants to shame. I'd go back.
Read morePros: Good Food, Many Vegan Options, Open for Breakfast
Cons: Little Pricey, Not Fully Vegan
Guest
EasterCat
Points +36
Great food, but avoid the country gravy - Edit
I visited Watercourse on Labor Day weekend and had two meals there, one at the restaurant and the other was take out.
Read moreSince I was by myself, I was given the option to sit at the bar or a table. I chose the bar. The service isn't attentive. It's pretty lackadaisical. Once I understood that, the service didn't bug me so much. Too bad it's not set up so certain things are self serve, like drinks and such.
I ordered the buffalo wings, onion rings and the chocolate shake. I'd read the portions were huge, but I still didn't expect it.
With the rings, I think they took half an onion, breaded it and fried it. Unfortunately, they were also pretty greasy. With the ketchup, it wasn't such a big deal. But when I ran out of the small portion of ketchup, I had to use the included ranch (which was vegan, cool). At first, I was excited because I had memories when I was like Homer Simpson and ate ranch on almost every savory food I consumed. Eventually, I realized that ranch and greasy foods may not have been an awesome combination like I remembered 10-15 years ago. So I ended up taking the onion out of the coating and eating them with the ranch. That worked better, but it probably looked really stupid.
When they serve you the shake, you receive a glass with a straw and spoon. Then you're given the metal shaker full of shake. It turns out this shaker holds 2-3 glasses worth of shake. If you're with a friend, see if you can get another glass and share. It's yummy and not too far off my memories of having a shake. Probably an omni might beg to differ, but if you're lactose intolerant like me, this is much better.
The portion of buffalo wings was also huge. At this point, I was getting close to being full by the rings and chocolate shake that I had been consuming. I had a couple of pieces with ranch before I raised the flag and asked the waitress for a container. The sauce they use for this rectangular wonders tastes so much like I remember buffalo sauce tasting like. It was properly spicy and had that ratio of necessary greasiness. I would've been suspicious if it weren't for the non conforming shapes of the seitan itself.
For the to go order, I got the chicken fried seitan with mashed potatoes. I asked if I could sub the mixed vegetables with something else, like steamed chard. They didn't have chard, but they had kale. The gravy on top of the seitan and mashed potatoes? Blech. It was sugary. Take the sensible precaution and get the gravy on the side.
Pros: Tasty food, Big portions
Cons: Sugary gravy, Meh service
Guest
metalmaidenjgv
Points +34
Ok. So... - Edit
I love Watercourse. Besides City O' City, this is the only place in Denver that I can visit and get anything on the menu. The food is good, the portions are huge. I recommend anything with seitan. They do it right. I like going early in the morning to avoid their huge crowds.. Unfortunately, though, the service is pretty bad, even when it isn't busy.
Read morePros: great food, big portions
Cons: sub-par service
Guest
Jaclyn0519
Points +62
Love. - Edit
This place is the best. Everything can be made vegan and everything is delicious. Vegan chocolate shakes, vegan nachos, vegan love all around. And great for omnivores as well. My husband is obsessed with the grinder sandwich. Sriram and delicious. Go here now.
Read morePros: Affordable, Quality, Options
Cons: Service can be dicey
Guest
FleaAFC
Points +33
Veggie Heaven - Edit
I only had one day in Denver so I Goggle'd Veggie restaurants and this one came up first and most often. Lucky really as I had a great meal there, Stir Fry Thai curry with brown rice, and the staff were friendly and attentive. This place has an all veggie menu, which I generally prefer. Good, comfortable place to go with great food. Definitely recommended.
Read morePros: Excellent choices, Good quality, great atmoshere
Guest
adishakti
Points +44
amazing, amazing and delicious! - Edit
Once you go there, you will definitely come back for more!
Read morePros: Wide range of choices, vegan and vegetarian, nice artwork and ambience in general
Cons: judgemental waiters...
Guest
vegan_geek
Points +80
Great selection of vegan food and all of it great! - Edit
One of my personal favorites. I used to go to Denver twice a year for medical purposes. I rented a car each time just so I could go to Watercourse a couple time in the 2 days I was there.
Read moreThey server a great mix of foods including some of the old comfort foods like chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes. You cannot miss the chicken wings. They even come with ranch sauce. They even have a great selection of vegan desserts.
The only down side is that they get really crowded and you have to wait in a tiny entry way.
Pros: Great Food, Great Desserts, Happening Place
Cons: Crowded
Guest
Gabe
Points +117
one of my favorite restaurants - Edit
I live in Boulder, about 30-45 minutes away, and on a handful of occasions I've driven down to Denver just to eat at this place. It definitely beats the hell out of anything up here. I think their seitan must be homemade, because it's better than any I've tried anywhere else. You can get it smothered in buffalo wing sauce with vegan ranch for an appetizer, or my personal favorite main course of the seitan fajitas. Absolutely out of this world.
Read moreI've been told by the staff that everything on the menu is vegan unless it specifically mentions eggs or cheese. This means that (I believe, don't quote me on this) every single side dish, soup, salad, and dessert is vegan. Most, if not alll of the non-vegan entrees can also be made vegan, usually just by requesting it without cheese. Breakfast food is usually not particularly exciting for a vegan, but they do vegan french toast, pancakes, and even a really delicious tofu scramble. In a nutshell, everything I've ever eaten here is delicious. There was one time I had a server who was kind of slow and seemed a bit off his game (I think he was new) but besides that the service has always been amazing. If you're vegetarian or vegan, and could only try one restaurant on your trip to Colorado, this is the one.
Pros: mostly vegan, best seitan ever, super friendly staff
Cons: not close enough to my house
Gabe
Oh and as of recently they now have Daiya, so you can substitute that for cheese instead of just getting things with no cheese. The grinder (shaved seitan) with Daiya was amazing!
Read morekindlizard
While that may be true, that most things "can" be made vegan, they have on more than one occasion given us dairy cheese on vegan orders. As you know it is the only real veg place in Denver, so slim picking, but they are flawed and their consistency even when the orders are straight lacks. Service is hit or miss, but usually miss.
Read moreGuest
ashschmid
Points +43
Wish I lived near this place - Edit
Found this place on a roadtrip across the country. It was absolutely the best place we ate. The food was outstanding. The desserts were amazing. The milkshakes were beyond delicious and the service was great and the atmosphere lovely as well. I could go on and on about how good this place was but it doesn't seem necessary.
Read moreGo there, order anything, it will be amazing.
Pros: awesome food, beautiful atmosphere, good service
Guest
·X·
Points +26779
A Denver Must! - Edit
Watercourse was one of my favorite places with vegan options in Denver. It was also well received by the three omnivores that ate there with me. The vegan milkshake was excellent and the grinder (veganized - but they don't have vegan cheese) was amazing. My bf got the vegan chicken wings and said that he liked them better than most real chicken wings he's had. Overall we loved this place, don't miss it!
Read moreGuest
hoffmans2
Points +169
Everything - Edit
We stayed in Denver for a few days and we practically lived at this place. It has breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There was no need to go anywhere else! It was an easy walk from our hotel and the convention center. It is a large restaurant with a huge menu. This is the best dining experience we have ever had. We even got a T-shirt!
Read morePros: Location, Food, Variety
Guest
bill_watson
Points +44
a ton of food - Edit
Visited here while on a trip for a conference in Denver and it was awesome. Atmosphere is laid back and bohemian. Cool animal folklorish murals on the walls. If you don't have numerous large tattoos, you'll feel left out.
Read moreWe had hot wings for appetizers, southern fried steak and a jamaican tofu. The wings were great and they've gave you an amazing amount. Actually all of the dishes were really large and more than we could eat. Numerous vegan options. This is a favorite of ours, and although I don't know when we'll be in Denver again, if we're anywhere near, we'll be paying multiple trips to this place.
Pros: large portions
Guest
TRaeCH
Points +384
Vegetarian Comfort Food, as Promised - Edit
During a short stay in Denver, a friend of mine and I decided to see if Watercourse Foods, which we'd heard a lot of good things about, would live up to its reputation. Let me say that over the course of a month-long roadtrip it stood out as one of the, if not culinary highlights, restaurant-based highlights.
Read moreAs an appetizer my friend ordered a bunch of Seitan Buffalo Wings. As a former die-hard fan of buffalo wings he absolutely loved them - though only managed to finish about half of the rather large portion.
Their drink menu, it should be mentioned, offers a pretty nice selection of wines and beers, at least for two Canadians from Quebec.
As an entrée I had the Monti Pasta with added seitan. Generally, it could have been a little bit more flavourful ut I enjoyed it none the less. My friend had what they call the "Grinder" sandwich. Again, he could only finish half. We noticed that most customers were bringing home the remainders of Watercourse's sizable portions.
For desert I had a slice of vegan carrot cake. Out of this world, let me tell you. The cost is a bit much but it's just a number on a bill; the taste in your mouth more than makes up for it.
I must also add that our server was a really helpful and charming guy; had a really cool mustache as well. The cafe-type atmosphere suited it well and there was an overall welcoming felling that the staff and other patrons gave off. A very enjoyable time.
Pros: Atmosphere, Menu
Guest
minirunner2
Points +47
LOVED IT! - Edit
As a vegan I have found some vegetarian restaurants to be difficult but Watercourse is excellent. They have a wide selection of vegan options and are very helpful.
Read moreIt was very crowded and busy but the service was great, the food was absolutely fabulous and my kids even enjoyed it too. A lot of veg restaurants are in some scary locations but this place is in a great location, has a great atmosphere and the service is great.
We really enjoyed it and plan to visit again if we are ever in Denver. I would recommend eating a little earlier than you might normally eat because this place gets really busy and you may have to wait for a table but it is definitely worth the wait!!!
Guest
maliciouskami
Points +188
Great Breakfast - Edit
I went with a friend for breakfast and there were so many vegan options, I was totally overwhelmed. I will agree with the other reviews, this place is definitely hipster--but I like it that way. I didn't have any problems with the waitstaff in the least. Our waiter actually stopped and made small talk with us. Also, I will contend: the vegan gravy is amazing.
Read morePros: Variety, Lots of Vegan options
Guest
carey
Points +45
Good food, big portions - Edit
We had breakfast here twice while on vacation in May 2008. We were happy we found the place (the restaurant was actually a little hard to see among the construction on the building), because the food was great and the portions were huge. It was busy and there was a line, but not any longer than what we're used to (in Portland). The service was fine during our first trip, but the second time we had a very nice server that made our final morning in Denver a real pleasure.
Read morePros: many choices, big portions, yummy
Cons: usually crowded, a bit pricey
Guest
yourfacehxc
Points +202
Legit - Edit
A buddy of mine and I ate here when I was in Denver on business earlier this year. I must say, it was a pleasure! We started off with the buffalo wings which were delicious. Both of our meals were tasty and vegan. I can't wait to return. The wait staff was nice enough and the atmosphere was pleasant as well. I back it.
Read morePros: Great food!, Location.
Cons: Borderline expensive.
Guest
CherylLynne
Points +101
YUMMMMMMMMMM - Edit
My husband and I really enjoyed our dinner at Watercourse. The staff was friendly and really helpful. Our food was great and it was a nice walk from the pedestrian mall area in Denver. Get there early because they seem to stay busy.
Read morePros: food excellent, nice people, nice area
Guest
kindlizard
Points +1144
updated review; not in my faves - Edit
Used to be in my top ten, but the past few visits no longer that high recommendation. Recently, I have found that the quality has dipped a bit, the waitstaff gave a vegan real cheese, and after eating here, it has not treated my belly so kindly. I used to feel healthy and light, like I made a wise decision. However, it has been less kind and less wise, heavy and burdensome feeling.
Read moreIt is still the best place in Denver, but I think it has come down to the level of competition regionally. They are not giving the elite dining experience they once served. Dont get me wrong, before they moved I did think they were inconsistent, but there were peaks with those valleys. The valleys seem to have gotten lower since the aftershocks are painful (catch my drift).
I still suggest this place to those passing through. The quality may bounce back once in a while. The shakes are divine.
Pros: shakes , most times food
Cons: some staff, INCONSISTENT, belly troubles
Guest
SLC
Points +113
BEST Restaurant between LA and Pittsburgh! - Edit
Took a roadtrip from LA to Pennsylvania, and this is the best vegetarian restaurant I have ever been to, not only on this trip. Try the gravy...it'll make you truly happy!
Read morePros: Gravy, Pastries, nice staff
Guest
sweetszlove
Points +67
Good but very expensive - Edit
The food is really good, and they have alot of vegan options. Especially the salad dressings. BUT everything is really expensive. Its over $9 for a sandwich and side!
Read morePros: vegan options, flavorful, desserts
Cons: expensive
Guest
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