Sassafras American Eatery, Capitol Hill

This place is fantastic! I am from out of town, but I will be coming back here every time I visit! The Eggs Sardou is to die for! One of the best meals I’ve ever had! Usually I’m not a member of the clean plate club, but if no one had been watching, I might have licked the plate clean. Now I’m torn: when I go back do I order that amazing dish again or try something else that is certain to be delicious??? First World Problems!

I was downtown for an early meeting, and was ready for breakfast. I’ve never been here, but it was recommended to me. What a pleasant surprise.
I went with breakfast. the fried green tomato Benedict, and it was really yummy. Different from the usual brunch type fare, and I really enjoyed it.
They had a really good specialty drink selection, but I really thought that they were a little expensive. They’re specialty Bloody Mary was $ 9…so I got a beer.
Overall, a nice experience.

Love this place for breakfast. The location on Colfax doesn’t have a patio, but serves liquor. The location in the Highlands area is our preference even though it is further from us. It’s a renovated Victorian home with a lovely patio, but no booze, so if you must have a mimosa it probably isn’t for you.
The food is fresh with a Southern twist on just about everything. I personally love the biscuits and gravy, as they have a veg mushroom gravy that is out of this world. The Benedict’s were also very good. We have been there at least three times and will go back!

@SassafrasDenver Capitol Hill is a cute place. Wasn’t too busy on a Monday brunch time. No pig brains on the menu. The iced tea was, admittedly by the server, day old but fresh brewed.
As usual of my breakfast fare experience, I ordered the biscuits and sausage gravy. The biscuits were stout and fluffy but had a tang to them, tasting heavily of baking powder. They were dry. The gravy was decent but there wasn’t much of it. Maybe a ladle full. I was very disappointed with the lack of gravy. When there is plenty of biscuit left on your plate and no gravy that is a problem.
There was no salt and pepper on the table.
Overall a neat place in Capitol Hill neighborhood of the Denver. I will try it again. You should give it a try also. You’ll be glad you did.

I came here about a year ago with a friend for brunch. While the food was extremely delicious, the real winner was their customer service.
A few minutes after we were seated, a large party with a lot of children entered. It sounded like they had made a reservation, but maybe misinformed the restaurant about how many children they had, so they didn’t prepare enough room for multiple booster seats and high chairs. One of the party’s members blew up at our server about how they needed more room. (Trust me, there’s a nice way to say «can we have a few more seats please?», and she went the not-​nice route.)
Our served then came up to us and asked if she could scoot our table over some so that they could add an additional table to the large party’s table. It wasn’t a big deal at all for us — we just felt bad for our server. At the end of our meal, the manager came out and apologized profusely for having to move us, and gave us our meal for free. It wasn’t necessary at all, but it was an extremely nice gesture. We need to go back soon!

My girlfriends and I wanted to check out Sassafras for our monthly brunch. I will start off with the fact that the service was great. Our waitress was awesome and quick with drinks and food. The food was a bit meh. I feel for a cajun Southern type place, the food would have more flavor. It was lacking the spic that you would have expected. The drinks are bit a pricey, but tasted good. Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with the food or atmosphere. The upstairs looks more like café in California than a cajun type place.

I have to admit, when my Chicken Fried Eggs and Buffalo Hash came to the table, I was a little bummed because it looked like small portion and I was starving. But it ended up being a very filling breakfast! And so tasty! It came with housemade cornbread that was really the star of the show!
My friend ordered the Eggs Sardou — specifically for the fried oysters — and those were great! I have to say, one of the best breakfast spots in Denver. Before 8am on weekdays, there’s free parking so it was easy for us to get in and out on a Friday morning. We both got coffee that morning, but we will definitely be back for cocktails next time!

I’m new to Denver (1 month) and several people have ranted and raved about this place… Well the hype is real!
I came in for a late lunch but craving some breakfast food. There were so many intriguing options on the menu I asked my server what she recommended. I went with the Fried Green Tomato Benedict, she said it was one of their most popular dishes — I see why now!
The Fried Green Tomato Benedict with the bacon is seriously a must try! The tomatoes take place of the English muffin in a traditional eggs Benedict. They were fried perfectly… Crispy batter — not soggy, and not greasy! The arugula was a nice touch, and the house made cornbread was, I think, the best I’ve ever had — and I’m from the South! My server asked me if I wanted to add the bacon chunks, definitely add the bacon chunks! They were well worth the $ 2 addition to the meal, as were the jalapeño goat cheese grits for a $ 1.50 up charge.
All well worth it! I will be oficially jumping on this Sassafras train and can’t wait to come back!

Oh yes, yes yes. This is the kind of restaurant I figured I’d have to avoid considering their menu is southern comfort food, but luckily for me, they’re super GF friendly. They even told me they have a designated GF fryer, which is so appreciated.
I ordered classic Shrimp & Grits so I didn’t have to worry so much about needing special fryers, but it’s so nice to hear, «let me know what you’re thinking of ordering and we’ll do our best to make it work.» That’s caring for your customers and it makes a huge difference.
My girlfriend and I sat at the bar during brunch and had a blast. Our meals were fantastic and felt like true comfort food, and the bloody mary and mimosa menus are totally to die for. So many fantastic flavors, so many house-​made infused vodkas, so colorful and festive served up in a big fat mason jar.
Sassafras is a phenomenal spot, love that it’s close to me, and can’t wait to go back. Plus they have a great name; I never get tired of saying «sassafras.»

This is potentially one of the best brunches I have had the pleasure of enjoying.
We started with a flight of bloodys, the Sasafrass bloody and the Marie Laveau. Both were excellent but I preferred the Sasafrass Bloody Mary. The garnishes were cool (I forgot to ask what kind of tiny egg they had on it) and the spice was just right. The Marie Laveau Bloody Mary was excellent as well it was just a bit too spicy for me.
The bbq Mac n cheese was out of this world. Fried pickles and collared greens don’t sound like they mix with Mac but they mixed in an amazing way.
I got the Eggs Sardou and it is a meal I don’t know if I’ll ever forget. The fried grit cakes on the bottom are excellent, the chicken was killer and the sauce was amazing. Little chunks of bacon spread around it didn’t hurt either.
My girlfriend got the Cajun Benedict which was also fantastic. The fish in the cake was great, sauce amazing, and potato casserole on the side was fantastic as well.
I can’t wait to come back to Denver to eat here again!

Delicious brunch and one of the best cocktails I have had in a while.
My bf and I each had the mimosa of the day which was a watermelon and cucumber flavor. Wow it was refreshing! Their other drinks also sounded really tasty.
The fried green tomato eggs benedict was cooked to perfection. Docking 1 star for the chilled cornbread that was served with my warm benedict and my brunch date’s cafeteria-​style salad. Everything else was spot on. Very cute interior and excellent service.

I had to be downtown for some training, so I decided to head down early to avoid the worst of the traffic. A co-​worker joined me for breakfast and we were seated slightly before the restaurant usually opened. Our server did an excellent job from start to finish and you would be lucky to have her serving you, should you choose to dine here.
We started with an order of the beignets (heavily dusted with powdered sugar), and they were very satisfying. I also had a hand-​crafted latte that definitely hit the spot, but could have been just a touch hotter.
For my meal, I went with the Green Chili Grits. This dish was quite tasty. It had nice bits of everything and the heat quickly built up to «boy howdy» levels. In retrospect, it was a bit more spice than I needed that early in the morning, but I enjoyed every bite.

Sassafras is a cute, Victorian-​ish restaurant that serves up some seriously good food! The buttermilk biscuits hit every possible good biscuit note — just the right crumb, tender, moist, flavorful. They are a perfect receptacle for the house-​made jellies. My favorite was lavender, but berry and jalepeno were also delicious. They are also a perfect receptacle for sausage gravy, which was delicious in it’s own right, with perfectly cooked, savory sausage in a country gravy that had the perfect consistency and amount of spiciness.
It’s all good, but what made me swoon were the eggs Sardou, which I had never even heard of before. Eggs Sardou apparently originated in Louisiana, and the dish is named for Victorien Sardou, a famous French playwright who was a guest in New Orleans when the dish was invented. It’s such a perfect mélange of flavors that I’m surprised that everyone everywhere isn’t eating it all the time.
Take a perfectly poached egg, place it atop a grits-​cake on a bed of creamed spinach and artichoke, then bury it all in Hollandaise sauce, and what do you have? Breakfast perfection, that’s what. Accompany it with 2 fried oysters and now you’re just over the top.

Fried Green Tomatoes! You won my heart.
We tried to get into the original location a couple years ago and were faced with a 2 hour wait… sorry, but no place is worth giving up that much of my day.
But, we wandered into the newer Colfax location just after 10AM on Sunday and were promptly seated. Heads up… there was a pretty big wait when we left after 11. Plan accordingly.
The menu was awesome. So creative and, as it turns out, DELICIOUS. Among the table we had fried green tomato Benedict. I loved the addition of fresh arugula to lighten up an otherwise heavy dish. Smoked veggies with grits was a winner. But, the eggs sardou, with oysters, was out of this world!
Yummy homemade jams and hot sauces to perfect your meal. We did not sample the cocktails, but they sure looked great.
Wish they had a patio and didn’t charge extra for buttermilk biscuits, but that is not enough to keep us away. A new favorite, especially being walking distance.

This is one not to miss out on! The outside of this location is not very attractive, and you have a good many of the Colfax bums to navigate past, but once inside, it is a wonderful spot with great décor and feel. I can imagine they do great business for brunch during the week for the Capital workers, with neighbors in walking distance, & with the big Catholic church on Sundays, but otherwise I would say the location doesn’t do justice to this place for the rest of the Denver eaters out there trying to find a parking spot in this pretty congested area. It’s very much worth the trouble, except if you are on a diet. :)
Service and food are completely outstanding here — high quality & major WOW factor. I thought this place was much better than Lucille’s! They offer a super creative menu of brunch drinks, with an assortment of mimosa’s and bloody mary’s. We tried 2 of the mimosa’s, both extremely different, and both extremely good!
Table vote gives thumbs way up for biscuits, eggs benny, beignets, stuffed french toast, mac & cheese, gumbo, bread pudding… lord help me if they open a location on the south side of Denver ((please please please please!!)) This place knows what it is an does it to perfection.

Here is a semi-colon’d list, in no particular order, of all of the things that I look forward to in a five-​star brunch: House made jams; drink lists that include interesting mimosa and bloody Mary variations; appetizers that offer both sweet (beignets) as well as savory (deviled eggs) options; eggs-​cellent Eggs Benny; chicken and biscuits; sides that you can’t choose between (potatoes? grits? more biscuits? cornbread?).
Everyone was so nice. The space is so comfortable. The atmosphere is so friendly. The food is so good.
There was about an hour wait when we put our party on the list, and so we walked over to the Kirkland Museum and explored their awesome collection.
Denver…more like Damn-​ver, am I right? Eh? Eh?

Came in early on a Sunday morning to avoid the crazy crowds I always see when I pass by on the weekends. It was relatively empty so I was seated right away. Craving something sweet I went with the Pecan Griddle Cakes while forcing myself not to also order the beignets which looked delicious when I saw them delivered to another table.
Loved the décor of the place. Very homey and southern without being too kitschy. The cloth napkins and the salt and pepper shakers were very cute. Service was friendly and fast. My griddle cakes were delicious and freshly made. They were huge but somehow I managed to eat it all while telling myself this is the reason I didn’t order the beignets! Definitely another great breakfast/​brunch place in the area!

Stopped in for a quick brunch meal while checking out the city. I have to say, the décor and layout was one of my favorite parts of the restaurant. Picture an old riverboat mixed with a 2 story refurbished warehouse apartment. Vaulted ceilings and an open atmosphere give this place a great vibe.
It is located near Capitol Hill and there’s available street parking. We went at an off time in mid day during the week and it was still busy. I can imagine this place is a tough meal to get on weekends.
But what a meal it was. I was recommended the chicken fried eggs with buffalo hash. I have no idea how they fried poached eggs in batter but they are exactly how they are described. A crunchy texture on the outside with a perfectly cooked poached egg inside. These top a fantastic corn beef hash with hot sauce mixed in.
Service was quick and readily gave fantastic recommendations.
Overall: definitely one of the better brunches I have had this year.

Update 1-​9-​2016
We have eaten here for lunch now, and it’s just as good!
I had the Breakfast Po’Boy, which is made of: two over easy eggs, sharp cheddar, sliced tomatoes, caramelized onion jam, crispy bacon, fried house-​pickled jalapenos, buttered grits or potato casserole. I opted out of the onion jam, as I can’t eat onions. I gave my husband the jalapenos too (nope, I can’t eat them either, I know, right!), and I had the potato casserole (which I LOVE!). My meal was so large, so very large actually, that I could have taken half of it home, but alas, I ate it all!
My husband had the Biscuits and gravy, with jambalaya as his side. It looked absolutely delicious as well! He said was excellent, just the right amount of spicy, and he likes spicy food too! I could see him savoring his meal, every delicious bite!
We both loved our lunch!
We also ate at the bar, this time around, and were quite comfortable as well. So, whether it’s breakfast or lunch, a table, or the bar, you can’t go wrong with Sassafras American Eatery!
See you there! I can’t wait to try something else!
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
WOW!
We have found a new breakfast place!
You may have a hard time finding this place, if you don’t know about where it is.
It sits directly across the street from The City Grille, south side of Colfax.
My husband and I walked over on New Year’s Day, 2016, after calling first, and getting our name one the Wait List. We found the place just fine.
You walk in, and it’s quaint. It’s like you stepped into a restaurant in the south somewhere, maybe New Orleans. Anyway, it’s really nice, comfortable, relaxing, and a great place to sit and have a meal with a friend or significant other.
We ordered the Country Breakfast, as I like my traditional bacon and eggs. Our order came, and WOW! The bacon was Incredible! It was thick, and excellent, the way bacon should be! The wheat toast was good, thick, and toasted just right! The eggs were very good, cooked to order just right (yes, I’ve had some bad eggs, no pun intended!). They have their own homemade jams, one regular with triple berries, and the other a spicy version. I had the triple berry jam, which as very good. Darn, I should have bought a jar, next time! My husband said the spicy jam was very good too.
All of the food on the menu looked wonderful! It was so hard to choose, but when I go to a new breakfast place, I always order bacon and eggs, so I can compare. I was not disappointed today. WOW! The coffee and beignets were very good too!
Interior — The restaurant has approximately 20 tables, as well as a bar, where you can also sit.
The interior is relaxing, comfortable, inviting, and a place where you truly want to go and relax.
There is a smaller upstairs to the place, which they use as a «waiting area.» WOW! What a concept! There are small coffee type tables, couches, and some games and a puzzle up there, to help you pass your time when you are waiting for your table. You can get drinks upstairs as well. With this waiting area, you don’t have to wait outside, or by the front door, as most restaurants have you do. Well done, Sassafras! I loved the artwork on the walls too. I can’t say anything negative! WOW!
Service — excellent!
Prices — very good, about $ 2 more than some other local establishments, but the food here is so good, and it’s so worth it!
Parking — on the streets around the restaurant, so that might be a draw back for some people.
We loved Sassafras, and will definitely be back!
Well done!!! Thank you!

With respect to Snooze, 5280 Ice Cream, Meadowlark, and the manga con happening in our hotel lobby, Sassafras was the absolute highlight of our Denver overnighter.
What started with jam-​slathered beignets and a Carolina BBQ/​smoked pepper bloody mary powered by mezcal and pickled pig’s feet infused vodka (The Tale of the Pig — you’ve been told), ended with contender for Brunch Dish of the Year: Buffalo Hash and Chicken Fried Eggs.
How this much decadence can be afforded to an unworthy bruncher for a ridiculously low $ 13 is beyond me. «But Damien,» you correct, «this doesn’t seem like that much food.» The plating stacks the breaded and fried ova atop cylinders of dense, lean buffalo meat, and looks deceptively approachable. Fuggeddaboutit, Joey Donuts — the richness is unrivaled, and will stump even the heartiest of appetites.
Steven was an exquisite host/​server, one who volunteered answers before we knew we had the questions and made us feel completely at home. As did the environs — quirky, mismatched, an eccentric. Imagine the Beverly Hillbillies hanging with the Golden Girls. Confused? Exactly.
The off-​the-​beaten-​path menu may give pause to breakfast traditionalists, but if you choose to dabble, strap in for a wild ride. Shit’s nuts.