Slater’s 50/50 Brings Comfort (Foods) to Denver

In times of stress, it’s natural to turn to things that bring you comfort – including food. If you ask the In Good Taste Denver team what their favorite guilty pleasure comfort foods are, you’ll hear a collective and resounding: “burgers, wings, shakes, and pizza.” That’s why, when we were invited to check out Slater’s 50/50, which opened their first Colorado location in late July, we were more than happy to see what they had to offer. Turns out, they have comfort food for everyone, whether it’s bacon or quinoa that bring you joy.

Slater’s is originally from Southern California, SoCal, and now in Colorado’s River North, RiNo. They are best known for their craft burgers that feature a 50/50 ground bacon/ground beef patty, thus the name. But they also have salads, flatbreads, healthy bowls, shakes, and other options.

Some of the options that caught our eye were the Sweet and Spicy Cauliflower starter ($10) tossed with an Asian BBQ sauce, ginger cilantro slaw, scallions and toasted sesame seeds; Nashville Screamin’ Hot Chicken Sandwich ($15) loaded with jalapeno slaw, pickled red onions and fries; the Strawberry + Burrata Salad ($14) with candied pecans on baby kale and arugula with wildflower honey vinaigrette; a Power Bowl ($15) with quinoa veggie patty, edamame, blueberries, greens, carrots, pumpkin seeds, tomatoes, and avocado; and the Barbecue Pork Belly Flatbread ($15) with smoky sauce, smoked Gouda, mozzarella, red onions, and cilantro. Quite a variety. And then, there’s the entire page of the menu devoted to the burgers and shakes!

There are 16 burgers and 5 shakes (including a build-your-own option). Although the burgers come with their suggestion for which patty is best, you can swap out the Certified Angus Beef, 50/50 beef/bacon, or all-natural turkey patty in any of them. I learned the (slightly) hard way that I should just stick to their recommendations though. Being a major bacon fanatic, I ordered the Bacon Chili Crunch ($15) with a 50/50 burger to go with the melted cheddar cheese, Slater’s bacon chili and crunch layer of potato chips on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato and red onions. It was too salty for my salt-loving taste because of the additional bacon in the patty. Had I just ordered the Angus Beef patty it comes with, it would have been just fine. Turns out, there IS such a thing as too much bacon. Who knew?

In sharp contrast to my meat-feast burger, my husband got the Eat Your Veggies burger ($14) with a black bean veggie patty with roasted red peppers, avocado and cucumbers with garlic aiolo on a honey wheat bun. It was tender and good. Other burger options include the Best Damn Bacon Cheeseburger; P.B. & Jellousy (beef, bacon and peanut butter and jelly); Rosemary Turkey; Vegan Shroomin’ Onion; Sriracha 50/50; and Kings Luau Burger. All of them come with fries and Slater’s Bacon Ketchup (delish).

I can totally see going to Slater’s and ordering a bunch of items from their Starter and Wing menus and going to town on those with some friends. There are a lot of options. I mentioned the Sweet & Spicy Cauliflower, above, but they also have Ahi Tuna Poke Nachos; Kona Chicken Lettuce Wraps; and the highly-recommended Slater’s Vampire Dip with roasted garlic, artichoke hearts, and creamy melted cheese served in a sourdough bread bowl with pita and veggies for dipping. We headed straight for the “Wingman” part of the menu for their hand-breaded, twice-fried chicken wings, (classic or boneless) ($13) tossed with a choice of sauces: Buffalo, Thai Sriracha, Honey BBQ, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Nashville Hot or the Maple Bourbon Bacon which we chose. O. M. and G. amazing. The texture was great, the wings were meaty, and the sauce was delicious! Get. Them.

The staff had also brought out a cup of Bacon Popcorn, an item that’s on their Happy Hour menu for $5. This is popcorn to the max, cooked in bacon fat, then tossed with bacon seasoning and some tidbits of bacon. So good!

To wrap up our meal, we ordered a shake to share. Despite being stuffed to the gills, we considered it our duty to try one and chose the Adult Mint Chocolate Guinness Shake. My husband loved it. I liked it – to be honest, the booze was just too much for me on top of everything else we’d eaten. While our shake was modest-looking, some of the others are flashy, architectural, party-in-a-glass creations with Twinkies, toasted marshmallow kabobs, and more. A shot of something alcoholic can be added for an additional $5 but otherwise, the shakes cost $12 and are massive.

Speaking of booze, Slater’s has a large, stone bar from which they serve cocktails, wine and more than 50 beers on tap, half of which are local.

Slater’s 50/50 has a patio on Blake Street. It’s pretty hot early evening but is great earlier in the day or after sunset (where you’d have great views of an orangey/pink glow). They also have plenty of seating inside.

Check out Slater’s. It’s the kind of place where you can go with your paleo (lettuce-wrap your burger), salad-loving, vegetarian, and vegan crew and everyone will find something to enjoy.

Slater’s 50/50 is open for dine-in or take-away. They are located at RiNo’s The Hub,  at 3600 Blake Street in downtown Denver. Call them at 720-387-7177. Or visit their website. 

What else is In Good Taste? Fortify with Slater’s 50/50 and then head out on a Colorado Day Trip with the help of this book. Enjoy our new podcasts to get to know Coloradans in their own voices.

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