16th street is Denver’s prime spot for people visiting.  Along side many random shops and places to eat is a small outdoor mall called The Pavillions.  In this mall is a burger bar called 5280 and they offer some of the best Colorado Angus burgers out there.

Known for handcrafting some unique burgers I went straight to the burgers on the menu.  I ordered the 5280 burger which was lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, house-made american cheese and their special sauce.  Similar to a Big Mac but 10,000 times better.  I got it with a side of fries but the server suggested I get an app while I wait.  I looked over the appetizers and saw Chicharrones and instantly knew that was was I wanted.  Chicharrones are flash fried pork rinds and are something I ate as a kid while visiting my grandma.

The Chicharrones came out with a mango chipotle sauce as well as a Cajun garlic dry rub.  I asked for a side of ranch to add yet another flavor combo.  They were tossed in a salt and pepper but each of the sauces added such a wonderful array of flavor to go with the fried rinds.  I think the Cajun garlic was my favorite since it was a dry rub i dusted most with it then dipped them in the ranch.

Next came the burger and fries.  The fries were great and not to crunchy not to soft.

The burger was a smaller but thicker burger which I enjoy more because it means you have more meat to work with for a perfect cook in a smaller patty.  It was cooked perfectly and the house-made american cheese was great and melted .  The sauce was also had a real good flavor and didn’t taste like most special sauces which are usually just a combination of mayo and ketchup.

So when you are looking for somewhere great to eat that isn’t a tourist trap or franchise like other restaurants be sure to stop down to 5280 Burger Bar and leave full and happy.  Next time I will leave room for a scoop of their house-made ice cream.