One of several cool and festive dining options around Larimer Square, the boisterous Samba Room (1460 Larimer St., 720-956-1701) offers up plenty of tasty Latin fare along with live Brazilian tunes in the lounge. The restaurant, which also has gay-friendly locations in Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, is known for creative pan-Latin cuisine, such as Colombian-style sweet-corn arepas with shredded beef, and seared sea scallops served with boniato-mashed potatoes, ropa vieja, and a yuzu-citrus emulsion.

