I visited Stowaway Kitchen in the RiNo art district of downtown Denver for a friend’s birthday celebration last Saturday. The indoor-outdoor locale was pet friendly and covid cautious, which we greatly appreciated. We had to wait for out entire party to be present before we were seated, but the staff patiently waited for us as a few stragglers came in late, holding our reservation for over 20 minutes. Stowaway Kitchen has a limited but eclectic menu of creative, plant-based dishes. The breakfast selections were available all day and the sandwiches and salads hovered around the $20 range. While we greatly enjoyed our selections from the unconventional, farm-to-table menu (fresh fruit at muesli, a classic breakfast sandwich with a saucy twist, a Japanese salmon salad, and an eggplant and halloumi sandwich) and the carefully curated cocktails, the most distinctive aspect of our experience at Stowaway was the atmosphere and proximity provided by it’s ideal location. Our party of four was delighted to find that the restaurant was located only a few blocks south of the heart of RiNo, and that the area’s characteristic murals and public art installations permeated the quiet street where Stowaway was tucked away only a stone’s throw from RiNo’s main promenade. Nestled in between an art gallery and an apparently popular brewery, my friends and I enjoyed the vibrant art painted on the surrounding walls and the eclectic meanderers of the district as we were seated on the patio of Stowaway’s indoor-outdoor layout. The outdoor seating provided to us gave us a strong sense of engagement with the environment around us, and our delicious food was only elevated in overall experience by the liveliness that we were included in due to the strong sense of place that Stowaway Kitchen capitalizes upon. As I enjoyed a halloumi and eggplant sandwich, I was able to watch as a mural was being finished across the street from me. The only thing better than the artisanal Bloody Mary was having this libation paired with real-time art creation that took shape over the duration of our meal just across the street. If you are looking for a meal immersed within the genuine RiNo experience, I highly recommend Stowaway Kitchen.