I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog as I transitioned into a new job (thanks Jill for carrying the load!) so I thought it fitting to focus my newest post one of my favorite new Denver restaurants that just so happens to on the ground floor of the building where I now work.
Located on the ground floor of the Galvanize building on Platte Street, Brider is the brainchild of Chef Steven Redzikowski, making it a sibling restaurant to Acorn and Oak at Fourteenth. Opened approximately 4 months ago as the mainfloor & street patio tenant of the Galvanize building, Brider smartly inserted itself into a rapidly expanding area with lots of office space growth as well as easy access via pedestrian bridges to the LoHi and LoDo neighborhoods.
Focusing on what it calls Modern American style, Brider offers a great menu and nice ambiance that transitions well from breakfast to the office-worker lunch rush to the cocktails/dinner crowd. If you can have a drink when you visit, I highly recommend you get the “Ornamental Tonic” (shown in picture); it’s a spiced, but well-balanced cocktail that I have seen many people try, and subsequently many people love.
There is a bar at the back, and an ordering station with prepared goods along the inside wall. Typically you will place your order, including cocktails if you want, at the register. If it is not a to-go order, they’ll bring your order to your table, and they will bus your table once you leave. Even at the most severe lunch rush time, I’ve never waited more than 10 minutes for my order to come out.
Having more of a pescatarian bent, my personal favorites at Brider are: the Cajun Blue Shrimp sandwich ($14) (shown in picture), the Falafel sandwich ($12), the Madras Curry Bowl ($10) (shown in pictures as to-go & in-house), the Roasted Sweet Potato & Avacado Salad ($11) and the Baby Kale & Apple Salad ($11). Around my office some of the other fav Brider dishes are: the Roasted Lamb sandwich ($14), the Oak Meatball sandwich ($12), and post 4pm, the Roasted Lamb Leg or Herb Rubbed Rotisserie Chicken.
The prices do feel a bit high for me. My first few visits where I also purchased one of their delicious lemonades resulted in $20 lunch bill shock, however I’ve noticed Brider is pricing on-par with the newest restaurants coming into this Platte high-growth area. As I visit Brider very frequently, my typical go-to has become the $10 curry bowl and a glass of water, or one of their great salads.
Some additional tips if you go:
- I’d advise not going here for a first-date or job interview or attempt to work though lunch if you are going to eat a sandwich. Their sandwiches are so delicious, but every single one is messy to eat. My beloved falafel sandwich looks so beautiful and tastes so good, but the minute I bite into it it’s a mess. I typically require 4+ paper napkins to get through that sandwich.
- Technically, according to the restaurant, it’s pronounced “bree-day” not “brI-der”, but I have never heard anyone pronounce it correctly. You might get some strange looks from non-staff, but if you are feeling fancy, say it “bree-day”
Brider, 1644 Platte Street, Denver CO 80202