Eat Local: Krameria Cafe | Get Real Denver

Eat Local: Krameria Cafe
by William Porter on December 23, 2009

Ever had a “Kobayashi” burger? Didn’t think so.

Lots of small restaurants in Denver cover a range of cuisines, but few make it a point of pride to trumpet such country-hopping on their menu. Not so the Krameria Cafe, a charming room on the northwest corner of East 14th Avenue and Krameria Street.

With a menu billed as a mix of Mediterranean, Mexican and American fare, the restaurant serves the Mayfair and Park Hill neighborhoods.

Like at most cafes, breakfast takes a star turn. Fans of starch-meets-sweet can savor mixed-berry pancakes, French toast and a cinnamon loaf. Egg dishes feature the advertised Med-Mex-American meld, from gyros and eggs to huevos rancheros to Southern-fried chicken and eggs. There are also items you don’t see in every diner, including chilaquiles and a zippy salsa made of roasted pasilla chiles.

Turns out the salsa is made by the counterman, a good-looking kid with a shock of black hair who chats authoritatively on everything from Memphis to mole sauce. So points for a personable staff.

Broad-minded diners can trust the kitchen to take the standard burger and gussy it into the “Kobayashi,” glazed with teriyaki and topped with shredded cabbage, carrots and scallions bound by a mustard vinaigrette. Memo: Add another region to the menu map.

Entrees include excellent enchiladas, veggie burritos and a grilled chicken with a poblano sauce. Sides continue the culinary catholicity: fries to feta cheese, dolmades to salsa.

Save for the entrees, which run about $11-$14, nothing on the menu exceeds $10.

The cafe, which has a liquor license, has a six-seat bar mixing modern touches — the obligatory flat-screen TV — with the traditional, including a pastry pedestal that on a recent morning housed an obviously popular lemon cake.

– KRAMERIA CAFE –

International. 1401 Krameria St., 303-322-3138 or krameriacafe.com. Sunday-Wednesday, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m.

– William Porter