Paperboy Denver: A Brunch Worth Treating Yourself To

One of my favorite parts of traveling solo is deciding exactly where I’ll eat. Whether it’s breakfast or dinner, I enjoy searching for a spot and discovering what it has in store. With it there are no compromises, no debating menus, just walking through the door and seeing what may come.

While in Denver, a restaurant that went from a Google search to a visit was Paperboy.

The bright and easy-going space immediately felt like a place where people come for breakfast and casually let the day pass by. There’s no rushing through it, but sitting around with a plate or two in front of you and simply taking it all in. After finding a seat, I prepared to do just that and ordered a little bit of everything that had caught my eye.

To start, I ordered the Lavender Lemonade ($5.50), which was refreshing and lightly floral and a great companion to such a sweet breakfast.

Following was the Blueberry Lemon Pop-Tart ($7.50). While I was clearly looking at the menu, I didn’t register the price until much later. Spoiler alert: the pastry was a bit more expensive that I realized. When I saw it and tasted it, it quickly hit me this wasn’t the packaged version many of us grew up with. The flaky pastry, sweet blueberries, and bright lemon filling made it feel more like dessert disguised as a breakfast option. Price aside, it was delicious and tart making it such a pleasant start to the meal.

Then came the Paperboy Pancake ($12.50) with Chocolate Chips ($3), alongside bacon ($9) and scrambled eggs. The pancake was thick without feeling weighted, fluffy, and comforting. The chocolate chips made each bite just a little more indulgent without overwhelming the pancake itself, while the eggs and bacon balanced everything out making it a classic breakfast pairing.

By the end of the meal, I left happy. I also left realizing that Paperboy falls into a category of restaurants I genuinely appreciate: places I’d happily return to when in the city and when the occasion feels right. Is it somewhere I’d stop every weekend if I lived nearby? Probably not. The prices make it feel more like an occasional treat than an everyday breakfast spot.

But that’s perfectly okay.

Not every restaurant has to become part of your weekly routine. Sometimes it’s enough for a place to simply give you a memorable meal, a relaxing morning, and one more reason to smile while traveling.