Milpero: Denver's only new Michelin star for 2026

Milpero, the eight-seat Denver tasting counter chef Johnny Curiel built around corn, is Colorado's only new Michelin star for 2026. The Michelin Guide announced the award on September 14 at a ceremony covering restaurants across the state. The Milpero Michelin star is the sole new one handed out anywhere in Colorado this year.

Milpero seats eight guests around an open kitchen and serves a 16-course tasting menu centered on traditional Mexican cooking, with corn worked through nearly every course, from fresh masa to toasted husks used for smoke. Curiel opened it as a tighter, more focused counterpoint to his other Denver restaurants.

The star is Curiel's third in Colorado. He already holds one at Alma Fonda Fina and another at Mezcaleria Alma, both in Denver, making him the only chef in the state running three starred kitchens under separate roofs.

Milpero seats eight guests and builds sixteen courses out of a single vegetable: corn.

"This recognition belongs to all of our team members and the passion they pour into our restaurants every day," Curiel said after the ceremony.

Bib Gourmand and individual honors

Three restaurants earned Bib Gourmand status, Michelin's marker for high-quality food at lower prices: Annette in Aurora, Pig and Tiger in Denver and Rougarou in Denver.

Four individual awards went to Kyle McNerney of Four by Brother Luck for cocktails, Theo Adley and Jenessa Reiman of Heretík for sommelier work, Joseph Freyre of The Penrose Room for service, and Cameron Baker of Radicato as young chef of the year.

A statewide count now at ten

Milpero brings Colorado's total to ten Michelin-starred restaurants, spread across Denver, Boulder and Aspen. The guide's Colorado edition, which now reviews restaurants statewide rather than only in Denver and Boulder, lists more than 60 establishments in total.

Curiel has said he plans to keep Milpero's menu tied to the corn calendar, changing dishes as the harvest moves through Colorado's growing season. The star lands a day after Food & Wine's 2026 Best New Chefs list, another sign that American fine dining keeps rewarding cooks working outside the coasts.