Handy Diner

Let me start by saying you should try this place, it’s worth checking out. I’ve been a couple of times and the chimichangas are great, also I believe they are the only vegan ones in town. That’s where the three stars come from, additionally the service was pretty decent, which I feel like is above average for Denver. The interior/​exterior is dingy, which could add to it’s hole in the wall charm, but instead is just off putting. It doesn’t bother me, but I wouldn’t take a date or have a meeting there.
Signage and hours have been an issue for me, as a vegan, I’m always excited to try a new spot, but I had tried to come here a few times (during normal business hours) and was disappointed to find they were closed, no sign or anything (except for the open sign lol). After my failed attempts, I left a vm just asking for a good time to stop in and that I was so excited to try their food, since I was 0 for 3 on visits during biz hours… No response. I gave them a few months to get their bearings and tried again, still no signage, but I was able to eat. I highly recommend the chimi and would not recommend the fan favorite chickpea patty unless you like salt, a lot. Other shockers were the high fructose corn syrup catsup and the junk for sale at the checkout eg. Cracker jacks. These things make me question the integrity of your other ingredients, yikes. If you are too lazy to make your own, trader joes has a cheap organic one.
Handy Diner, if you’re out there… Which you probably aren’t. I want to help you, I feel like this place could be packed. Please extend or change your hours, when I want diner food it’s usually not between 7 am and 3 pm. More like midnight to 4 am. I’d love to come try the rest of your menu!

Hands down the best vegan restaurant in Denver. If you’re into supporting small business owners and eating delicious vegan food, this is the place for you. I can’t even tell you what to order here because it’s all so good… I haven’t tried anything I didn’t like. Something else I love about this place is the owner. She’s a vegan punk rocker who spent some time working at restaurants and just decided to open her own. She is always kind to her employees and customers, has made it kid friendly (unlike other vegan establishments in Denver, I’m looking at you City O’) and is generally just a good person. I’ve watched her feed hungry people and let people do some work for a meal allowing them to keep their integrity in tact and has kept the entire menu affordable. Seriously though, can’t say enough about the food. I’m hungry just writing this review… I think we’ll have breakfast there this morning… You should too!

The last thing Denver needs is another trendy, expensive, faux-​urban restaurant serving $ 15 plates of squid ink and brie tacos and $ 13 cocktails. Handy Diner is the polar opposite: small, simple, and unpretentious. Don’t walk in expecting amazing décor. It’s a hole in the wall, and that’s exactly what makes it great. Don’t get me wrong, I love Watercourse, but at Handy you can get a delicious meal for literally half the cost.
The food is mostly classic southern/​American fare, and when I have the itch for something delectable, quick, and homey, Handy Diner scratches it. The country gravy is fantastic, and you can get a breakfast burrito smothered in it (or the green chile) for only $ 4.
On top of all that, when we called today to place an order for takeout, we were told it would be ready in only eight minutes, and it actually was. The staff is comprised of super-​nice people who are totally happy to help you.
If you haven’t been down there yet, check it out ASAP!

This place is awesome! Don’t let the interior fool you. We got a bean and potato chimichanga and the rancheros plate and finished EVERYTHING on our plates. I can’t wait to go back!

This place rules! I love the vibe, great service and the food is delicious and super affordable. I want to try everything on the menu!

Not bad. Nice for a simple meal. Not fancy, but you get a decent vegan meal served to you at a cheap price. It will be interesting to see how they evolve and really focus on what they want to be and what they do better than others.
I had a breakfast. The potatoes and scramble were good. I was a little less enthused by the green chili… it is unique. I think if they focused on diner classics they might be on to something. Pancakes, waffles, simple grilled sandwiches, tasty desserts (which they have). They might be on to something.
Excited to see what they come up with.

I wish so badly that this exact diner with the cute couple running it existed in Seattle. A+. Magic

I absolutely LOVE Handy Diner and highly recommend the delicious food as well as the fantastic service! One of my favorite restaurants!

I LOVE THIS PLACE. I have heard from many that they are struck immediately by the semi-​rough interior (and exterior). However, I think it is important to note the passion and heart that goes into each dish. The food is fantastic, and in true Denver style that is what this place is about. I appreciate a passionate vegan going after their dreams and that is what I feel everytime I walk into handy diner. The food is priced extremely reasonably, the portions are good, and the service is consistent. I would totally recommend this place.

Do not spend any money with this business. The owner believes that she has the right to vandalize other peoples property and brag about it on social media. I hope the police will charge her!

Tiny little hole in the wall sort of place with super delicious foods. Being a lifelong vegetarian I’ve tried many different vegan style restaurants, but this was the first time I’ve ever heard of carrot bacon. So good! And the coffee! Super! Definitely would return.

I’m not the «Vegan Bandwagon» type. I do eat a strictly vegan diet, but just because something is vegan, and there are very few options… does not mean it’s good.
This place is tough to rate, but I gave it a 2 because…
On one hand. The food is great. The stuff came out piping hot, and had decent flavor. It was also super reasonably priced.
On the other hand. If it were not for my girlfriend being with me, I would never have gotten to the food part to begin with. The place was dirty and rundown looking (Tables wobble, food on the floors, dim dirty kitchen are (which you can see through the dirty pastry case)), and made me not want to eat there at all, but my GF gets embarrassed when we leave a place before eating, so I was like «Eh, whatever, I’ll just deal»
I realize that these owners are probably trying to «Start small» but the place can be old/​dated AND clean. Although the food was actually okay. The cleanliness was too much, I won’t eat here ever again. Sorry.

Visting Denver for the first time and we could not find anywhere to eat on a Monday in 5 points! Obviously had to ask Unilocal to help us before hanger takes over.
Then we found this place. Super sketchy looking but we will go anywhere for food. Unbeknownst to us, it would be our first Vegan experience!
This place is SO Good. You will not miss meat and I actually kept being like, Why is this so good?!
We ordered the breakfast burrito and country fried steak aka chickpeas. I thought the carrot «bacon» was fun and was in love with their eggs aka scrambled tofu with curry powder.
I was nerding out in there. Highly recommend it even though it looks freaking scary. Tip for the restaurant — fix your broken glass, janky signs and have a sign outside with specials or something.
Staff was so nice and they helped two meat lovers with our random questions. I always appreciate unlimited coffee and thank you for free dessert which was also delicious!

Just randomly found this place and were incredibly pleased. Omnivore boyfriend was equally pleased as well!
I had the Shepherd’s pie which was super on point. Boyfriend had the special of the day which was a portobello burger and on first look, it looked pretty plain, no frills but I think that’s why it was so damn tasty!
We will definitely be coming back!

First off, Handy Diner has amazing food and some of the best green chili I have had with the tofu scramble. I really also liked the beans and home fries. My delicious coffee was never empty and the staff is very friendly. 5 Star food. 5 Star service.
Sorry but the atmosphere lacks for me. I like a comfortable place and this is just too edgy and minimalist. The t.v. is on with cartoons with wilted flower on the tables. It just seemed like the little details added up to an comfortable eating place.
So if you don’t care about atmosphere or would like a great to-​go place. This is for you.

Handy Diner is a serious hole-​in-​the-​wall little gem. I nearly walked past the place, because the signage was literally sticker letters on the door. So a nice sign out front would do nicely!
Atmosphere: 3.5 stars. The friendliness of the staff are the biggest contribution to the restaurant’s atmosphere at this point, because the interior of the restaurant is pretty austere. I do hope they’ll decorate; I’m excited to see what the restaurant will look like down the road.
Service: 3 stars. Service was kind of all over the place, but it is to be expected for a small restaurant that just opened! There are only a few tables in the establishment, and it wasn’t clear if takeout was an option. But anyways, we seated ourselves and I guess that was a cue for the waitress to give us menus.
Food: 5 stars. All that really matters in the end, is the food, and it nearly converted me to a life of veganism. It was so good. I got the Shepard’s pie and my bf got the Chickpea steak. I’ve never even had normal meaty Shepard’s pie, but I can’t imagine it tasting as good as the Handy Diner’s vegan version of it. I wish I had asked the waitress what was in it, but maybe these vegan dishes are better left a mystery!

Food is quite good and price is right but staff seem kind but on cloud nine. Limited menu with little imagination. Place is small, four tables, and little dark for my tastes. They play rare animé cartoons as background music, kind of annoying to some ears perhaps. All in all, some fairly goofy business ideas like no check, just tell you how much you owe. Best for nonjudgmental earthy types as food is good – just yearns for some some systems and personality.

I really wanted to try and like this place. I understand it is just starting, but we waited for 30 mins and no waited on us, despite seeing us, and then proceeded to wait on people that arrived later than us. They need to be way better organized if they are going to make it. I watched the waitress get water for tables, bring items out on thing at a time, and clear tables all while waiting for someone to come take our order, I even stood at the cash register for a bit and was assured we would be waited on and then wasn’t.
I was really excited to have a vegan place so close to my house. Too bad.

While admittedly Handy Diner may have a few kinks to work out as a new restaurant, they excel in the most important ways, friendliness and taste.
The people who I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with have been exceedingly friendly and attentive. Endless coffee with gratitude made the atmosphere excellent. There are no frills, but comfort abounds.
I had a breakfast burrito. Slathered in perfectly spicy green chile sauce, the inside is filled with seasoned tofu scramble and hash brown style potatoes, which adds an awesome crunch. It is delicious. Try one.

They opened just yesterday, January 8^th 2016, in Five Points, right across the street from the Light Rail 30^th and Downing station. The food was incredible! This is an all plant-​based food restaurant. Limited seating, with coffee cups that don’t match. But who the heck cares about that? Breakfast is served all day.
So at 1pm I had the rancheros plate. It’s tofu scramble, home fries, two warm corn tortillas, and beans topped with some of the best green chili I’ve ever had. Everything was seasoned perfectly! They were out of beans So they substituted a pancake. Even the coffee was rich and delicious!
A fairly extensive menu, including sandwiches (Bahn Mi was one), entrees (the chickpea fried steak was a hit according to the people sitting next to me), desserts and drinks.
The owner of Handy Diner used to be the sous chef at Watercourse, a now-​vegan restaurant on 17^th near downtown Denver. She sure knows her stuff and I have little doubt that this little gem in Five Points will be a huge hit!
You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy the food they’re serving up. It’s worth the drive, and I came from 20 miles away!