Cooks Fresh Market Reviews

It's the corner market you're looking for right in the heart of 16th Street. Totally worth it.

All the food is a week old, staff is rude, owners are slave drivers, everything is way overpriced, and they have a small selection of organic food.

When I worked in Denver 2-3 years ago, I would order the ham and cheese melt from Cook's Fresh every other week as a treat (the sandwich had coleslaw on it as well). Cook's Fresh is no longer a treat, but a disappointment. The $9.50 sandwich was two small baguettes and the topping was wilted lettuce. My friend had warned me that it had changed and she was correct.

I came to Denver for a conference and was staying on 17th and grant st. I had walked down to the 16th st mall and did some shopping (without my jacket). I quickly realized as the winds picked up that it was much too brutal to walk back especially up the hill. I ordered a Lyft but my phone died before I could confirm. So i was stranded alone. I went into Cook s fresh because it was the closest place. I was treated by the sweetest workers who gave me a charger a place to sit and wait and brought me water. Considering how great the service was without me even being a customer I had to order. I got the duck sandwich which was AMAZING and one of a kind along with the homemade soups and everything else there. I would recommend 100000%.

I have been going to CFM for over 8 years now and still everything is delicious. Downtown lacks healthy and unique options, but CFM offers most everything you need. Delicious sandwiches, salads, and soups, cheeses, and charcuterie. I recommend giving it a try. Something for everyone.

I used to love Cook's for lunch, but something changed in the 6 months since I had been there last.

I ordered the Banh Mi sandwich, and it was bad. The bread was spongy, and it only had cheese, deli sliced pork, carrots, and cilantro. The rest of the veggies were missing, and I'm not sure the carrots were even pickled.

I'm embarrassed that I brought a coworker here for lunch.

Not much selection. Most stuff lacks nutrition info.

Great salad bar, fresh ingredients, friendly service. Healthy and appropriately priced.

The service here is quick and there are a bunch of really delicious options. I've been here for lunch several times in one week before and I've never been disappointed. You're given chips or a piece of fruit with your order, which I appreciate because I can pick something healthier to go with my meal if I'm the mood that day.

Worst breakfast sandwich ever. Rubbery eggs and cheese, cold bacon, and just bad all over. And so expensive for crap.

Limited gluten free but a great spot in town they forgot my order but made it right. Needs more grocery with all the hotels near

Salad bar. Outdoor seating. Good selection of grab and go with friendly staff. Pricey but for 16 th street mall it's completely reasonable.

I think they must be under new ownership. I have worked downtown for 9 years and have been a frequent customer. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be going back. The prices have skyrocketed. I was charged $4.50 for toast with PB this week. It used to be a little over 2 bucks. I know it's expensive in Denver, but $4.50 for toast is where I draw the line. Bye, Cook's.

I have only gotten breakfast sandwiches from this place but they are amazing! The croissant egg and bacon sandwich the best sandwich I've had in a long time for breakfast. Awesome little dessert items and specialty items that you can't get anywhere else. Can't wait to go back.

Big selection but not enough variety to be a full grocery shop..Great quality products, nice& helpful staff

Great spot. Was in Denver for work and this spot was perfect for breakfast and lunch. Delicious sandwiches and salads made to order, plus a wonderful selection of other goodies.

Poor service, overpriced and the quality medicore. More like a gift shop not a "fresh market".

Ironically an item I bought had an expiration date that's over a month old (March 26, 2018). That's not fresh.... For such a small inventory, it's a bad sign they could overlook an item for OVER A MONTH! Who knows how many other bad items are in there.

It was my first visit. The salad bar was okay. The fresh food was bland. The staff was nice, but it wasn't necessarily a happy vibe in there. There are too many other places around that I'll have no desire to come back here again.

I want to post this review for a while now, but here we are going. Please make a favor of yourself and try Smoked Salmon Bagel!!! After a long flight into Denver, I stopped by Cook waiting for a quick and easy breakfast. Indeed what I got was easy, but nothing was even close to basic. Cook my specialty well.

Denver + deli = skimpy sandwich

Similar experience last year at another 'market/deli' on N. Broadway (so forgetable)
$11-12 for a sandwich should have more than 2-3 sliced of designated meat.

Salads were impressive though.

Amazing fresh and healthy food choices especially good for breakfast and lunch; they also have decadent house made desserts. They have an exceptional salad selection which is great if you have clients or management that are looking for a healthier options for lunch meetings - they also have a very helpful catering manager. My favorite menu items include the vegetarian crust-less quiche for breakfast and the Vegetarian Toaster sandwich for lunch. They even have a high quality cafe with yummy smoothies and illy coffee. Both my office and I are huge fans! :)

The shelves were mostly out of stock, and the sandwiches were a ghost of what they used to be back in the day. They offered free fruit with a sandwich purchase, and directed us to a mostly empty basket with a fully brown banana and four very bruised oranges. I hope things change for the better.

As with anything else, you pay for delicious, quality food. Worth every penny.
And they are friendly!

Gone way downhill with new ownership. They took away a lot of their staple items, and then changed the recipes of their classics (and they don't taste nearly as good). Very disappointed...I used to love this place!

I've been meaning to post this review for some time now, but here we go. PLEASE do yourselves a favor and try the Smoked Salmon Bagel!!! I stopped by Cook's expecting a quick and basic breakfast after a long flight into Denver. What I got was indeed quick, but nothing even close to basic... My Bagel was absolutely one of the top 3 BEST things I've ever eaten. I don't know how they do it, but Cook's should be very proud. I plan on visiting again as soon as possible to shake the hand of the gentleman who crafted my masterpiece. 10/10 this place is awesome

I frequent Cook's for lunch as I work downtown. Today I was getting ready to sit down and eat my lunch and there was a dead mouse on the counter near the window where people eat. There was an employee eating his lunch next to the dead mouse without notice. I told the cashier and she was rather indifferent. Someone removed it but did not clean the eating area. I threw my salad in the trash and left. I will not be eating here again.

Food was good, small portions for the price and the staff was not entirely friendly.

This place is just awful. They consistently sell spoiled or rotten produce (I've seen onions in their bins with 6inch sprouts growing out the top). EXTREMELY over priced. Want a dinner roll? That will be 2.95 (actual price!). Prepared food is flavorless. Only good thing about this place is the bakery, but again they let stuff sit on the shelf forever. Please avoid so it goes out of business and something better is put in this prime piece of real estate.

I feel like I won the breakfast food lottery this morning. I was on my way to Einstein's this morning and saw Cook's out of the corner of my eye. Figured I would give it a shot since I try and shop local when I can. Strangely, this place didn't show up on Google as a breakfast choice. It should be a top choice for a business traveler. The food is tasty and lighter fare than a lot of options on the road. I had a smoked salmon bagel. The bagel was warm crunchy and the salmon was mild and not fishy. Awesome. Capers were a nice touch. I will be back for the breakfast burrito tomorrow.

As the Community Manager for 1600 Glenarm, I would like to echo Ed s sentiments, and assure you we are working diligently with our pest control provider and that of our retail tenants to come up with a solution to mitigate this from happening again.
Nelson Laux
1600 Glenarm Community Manager

Great, convenient location right in the center of downtown Denver, on 16th Street Mall. It is a bit smaller than their location in Cherry Creek but still contains a multitude of delicious and unique gourmet food/culinary products. Very friendly staff and also boasts a high quality prepared foods counter, as well.

Quality, real food. Good coffee... but no iced options.

I didn t have meaning in my life until I had Cook s caramel cookies. Now all I want to do is consume these delicious treats as often as possible. Say hi when you stop in. I ll be the guy there everyday crushing these delicacies.

Excellent quick offerings here. Roasted beef French onion sandwich one of the best sandwiches I have ever had before.

High quality and tasty food, but slow service and sloppy inconsistent preparation. Could be greatly improved with little effort.

Update: Down to 1 star. I go in for lunch and the place is empty. Still, I stood for three minutes alone at the order counter. I placed my order for the banh mi sandwich since it is featured on their menu. It even has a HUGE picture above the order station. After some more waiting I was informed they lacked the ingredients to make the sandwich. Seriously? The one featured all over your store?

Then I order the smoked turkey crossiant sandwich which is supposed to have arugula, but spinach was substituted for some reason?

I dont understand this place.

I've been going to Cook's semi-regularly for years and enjoy grabbing coffee there and setting up my laptop to work at one of their tables. They have excellent espresso and high quality pastries, smoothies, and food as well. They also have hemp enriched products and Charlotte's Web, which I appreciate.
I agree with other reviews about the prices here being too high for what you get. I have not tried much of the food because the idea of paying $11 for a sandwich without any sides doesn't sit well with my budget. Even though they present themselves as a grocery store, they do not accept EBT as payment which gives me the impression that they don't want too many low income customers shopping there.
But the breakfast burrito is $4 and very filling and delicious. Their americano and lattes are similar in price to nearby coffee shops and cheaper than starbucks. Their coffee and espresso taste rich and smooth. They are one of the only places that makes ice blended coffee drinks on 16th street mall (besides the dozen Starbucks).

I LOVE this place. Everything I get there is always tasty. A bit overpriced, but good quality ingredients.

I work next door. The panini and double baked banana bread are my morning favs. Friendly staff!

They made me a sandwich but extremely overpriced, $12.42 for a take-out turkey sandwich!

The pork cutlet shadwhich they had on special, was one of best sandwiches I've ever had in my life. Hands down.

Quality, if pricey, deli for grab and go or a bit of people watching if you score a seat by the window

Really interesting concept in the middle of downtown Denver.

This was my first time going to Cook's Fresh Market and I got the Asian Pineapple Chicken Salad and it was very disappointing. I could have gotten a much better salad at Mod Market just down the street. The first issue I have is the price for this item for what you get. At $11, you get wilted spring greens, with dry chicken that tastes unsavory to say the least, and a bunch of iceberg lettuce. It barely put a dent on my stomach, and I am not a large person by any means. The dressing also was too salty for my liking and did not match the taste profile of the salad, so that left me pretty un appetized. I threw away a good portion of the salad, and decided to go get food elsewhere. Such a bummer to waste money and not even be able to enjoy the food either. Never coming back here again. I'm going to tick with Mod Market or Protein Bar from now on.

Sparse stock. Hard to get the staffs attention. They ignore customers. I ordered a Smoked Turkey Wrap, and it was tiny. No lettuce either. They forgot my chips and I had to go back. Lemon bar was good. Will not be returning.

It's expensive but I love the selection of items they have here. From gourmet coffee, to artisan food items, to the deli...and they had macarons which are my weakness!

Good selection of grab and go food but overpriced for what you get. I was excited to find this place and was looking forward to a good fresh salad. For the price it should have been amazing, but it was just your average abandoned salad bar. I should have gone with a sandwich.

I think for the convenience of the location and quality of the food, especially behind the deli counter, it is well worth the price.

I have eaten the steak panini sandwich at least 5 times and today, the sandwich was cold and uncooked. It was very busy and I am guessing they decided not to cook the meat or add the mushrooms to save time (I asked for no onions, which I always do). I am very disappointed and so was my co-worker when he got his cold-meat steak panini. Please don't short cut quality for speed or you may lose the customers who keep you so busy.

Fantastic pork BLT! Great atmosphere. Highly recommend.

Fun, delicious selections from a great local company! Can't beat that.

I've been coming here for lunch for years. I love this place's deli/restaurant and the staff is always so nice!

Consistently awful, un-fresh, WAY overpriced, and terrible service. Why anyone still goes there is a complete mystery to me.

Fresh and healthy - enjoyed breakfast and lunch with a local flair several times in June and August.

My husband and I went there last month and we tried the soup and the sandwich, It tastes great and great service. A young staff there smiling, patient and willing to suggest us the best sandwich when we are not sure what is the best for order. I have a wonderful time there to we enjoy soup and sandwich. I must say this is the best sandwich that I ever had.
Thu&Binh,

I don't even really want to leave a full star. We attempted to order a luncheon buffet last week to celebrate some birthdays and a wedding at our firm. Cook's Fresh ALMOST single-handedly ruined it. We had ordered via email, and the person I was ordering from clearly didn't even read my email or confirm my order with me. Apparently I was ordering from a 2015 menu, but they never bothered to explain that to me and offer me correct, viable options. Imagine my surprise when we received one small platter of cured meats and cheese cubes rather than the deli platters we had requested to serve lunch for 11 people. To make matters worse, when we contacted the restaurant to untangle the miscommunication, Cook's Fresh put it back on US, saying that my co-worker had "changed the order." (Untrue.) They also told us that they could not bring us what we actually ordered, because "the cooks were gone for the day." I guess putting some sandwich meat and sliced cheese on a tray was just too much effort. I worked in restaurants for many years and I understand that mistakes happen--what I can't understand is why someone in a service profession would not exert any effort to rectify an error.

Fortunately, the Corner Bakery down the street was MORE than happy to put together some last-minute deli platters for us, with about 30 minutes' notice, AND the prices were much, much better than Cook's Fresh--it's nice to know that professionalism and going the extra mile still exist in this world--just evidently not at Cook's Fresh Market. I don't think any other restaurant has ever made it SO clear to me that my money and my business are not wanted.

As to the issue with ordering off the 2015 menu--don't worry, we threw it in the trash, since we won't be ordering from here EVER again.

Food is very good but I ordered two salads to go at 11:40am and it took nearly 20 minutes to make. I can only imagine how slow it d be if I ordered in the noon hour.

Salad bar is typically out of one thing or the other and mixed greens have consistently been poor quality. I enjoy the interesting variety of items in the store but the common items are too pricey.

Got a sandwich there from their grab-and-go fridge. Figured I could keep it for another hour and a half or so in the fridge at my office. I got their grilled veggie wrap sandwich. When it finally came time to eat it, I opened up the box and it immediately smelled not very fresh. I'm thinking maybe it's just the balsamic. But when I tried to peel the paper off the tortilla, it was stuck to it! The paper had become wet and literally peeled off onto the tortilla. I tried to take a bite but the smell coupled with a very moist tortilla was pretty unappetizing, so I ended up throwing it away. What a waste of $5!

A green chili breakfast burrito just changed my life. Highly recommend their tasty lunch menu as well.

Cook's Fresh Market offers top notch quality and fresh items. The staff and owners provide extraordinary care to their customers, and make you feel right at home. Their breakfast sandwiches and paninis are awesome, as well as their steak salad. Great atmosphere and nice city view too. Highly recommend!

Ordered the lunch special which looked delicious: chicken breast, bacon, bunch of veggies. Back at the office I finally opened the bag to discover the chicken breast to be raw. I've never experienced that from a restaurant and could hardly believe my eyes. At least the chips were edible.

Edit: I talked to the store and they were apologetic and refunded the order.

Great little market. A bit pricey, but good food is served here.

Great place to grab a quick high quality snack. Pick up a read made sandwich or made to order. Also tasty prepared entrees.