Belmar is the closest thing Lakewood has to a downtown – and it was built to be exactly that. Rather than a historic main street, Belmar is a deliberately designed town centre: a walkable grid of shops, restaurants, a cinema and apartments arranged around a central plaza, on the site of what used to be a shopping mall.

The result is unusual for a Denver suburb. You can park once and spend an entire evening on foot – eat, see a film, have a drink, and in winter go ice skating in the middle of it. This guide covers what is actually there, with addresses. Everything was verified before publishing. For what has just opened or closed, ask the Lakewood neighbors.

The plaza, and why the seasons matter here

Belmar is organised around a central plaza ringed with cafes, and the plaza changes completely twice a year – which is the single most useful thing to know about the district.

★ In summer it hosts concerts. ★ In winter it becomes an ice rink – the Rink at Belmar – and that transformation is a genuine local institution rather than a decorative touch. It is one of the few things in Lakewood that draws people in from across the Denver metro, and it is the reason Belmar has a distinct winter identity at all.

If you are planning a visit around the district rather than just eating there, check what the plaza is running that week.

Great Divide Brewery & Roadhouse – 7260 W Alaska Drive, Unit D

In the Plaza at Belmar, and the district’s anchor for drinking. Great Divide is one of Colorado’s established breweries, and the Roadhouse format pairs its beer with a full food menu rather than being a taproom with a snack counter. It is the natural place to start or end an evening at Belmar, and it is a short walk from everything else on this page.

Lady Nomada Mexican Kitchen – 7167 W Alaska Dr

The best food in Belmar and arguably in Lakewood. Lady Nomada opened in 2023 built around Baja California cooking – coastal-style tacos, seafood and a serious margarita programme, which makes it a genuinely different proposition from the smothered green-chile tradition that dominates the Front Range. Our Mexican restaurants guide explains that distinction properly.

The rest of the Belmar table

The district carries a deliberately broad range, which is what makes it work for a family or a mixed party. Ted’s Montana Grill is the reliable American sit-down option. The Rock Wood Fired Pizza covers pizza. TStreet Roadhouse is the casual roadhouse. And Mason’s Dumpling Shop is the one locals name unprompted – dumplings done properly, and a useful counterweight to a district that could otherwise feel chain-heavy.

We have named these without publishing unit numbers we could not individually confirm; all sit within the Belmar grid and are walkable from the plaza.

The cinema

★ The Belmar theater is the single most-searched thing in the district, and it is the reason a lot of people come at all. A film plus dinner within a two-minute walk, with parking you only pay attention to once, is a genuinely convenient evening – and in a car-oriented suburb that convenience is the whole proposition of Belmar.

Belmar Park

Worth knowing that the shopping district and the park are two different things with the same name. Belmar Park is a large open space with a lake and trails, adjacent to the district – a genuine piece of Lakewood green space rather than landscaping. It makes the obvious pairing: a walk in the park, then lunch in the district. Our parks guide covers Lakewood’s bigger outdoor options, including Bear Creek Lake Park and Green Mountain.

Living at Belmar

Belmar includes residential apartments within the district itself, and Belmar Park and East Belmar are among the more expensive rental areas in Lakewood. What you are paying for is unusual for this city: walkability. Lakewood is otherwise a driving suburb, and being able to live above a plaza where you can eat, shop and see a film on foot is genuinely scarce here.

Citywide, Lakewood’s cost of living sits around 35% above the national average, with a median rent near $1,705 and the average around $1,904 for roughly 874 square feet. Belmar sits above those figures. Our cost of living guide and neighbourhoods guide have the comparison.

What Belmar is not

Worth being straight about. Belmar is a built town centre rather than a historic one, and it reads that way – the architecture is consistent and recent, and there is a degree of chain presence alongside the independents. Visitors expecting an old Colorado main street will not find one here; for that, Golden is a short drive west.

It is also not where you go for the mountains. Lakewood’s real outdoor draw is Green Mountain and Bear Creek Lake Park, and Belmar is the after-hike evening rather than the day itself.

A good evening at Belmar

Late afternoon: a walk around Belmar Park, then into the district.

Early evening: dinner at Lady Nomada, 7167 W Alaska Dr, or Mason’s if you want dumplings.

Then: a film at the cinema, or a beer at Great Divide Brewery & Roadhouse, 7260 W Alaska Drive.

In winter: skate on the plaza rink first and eat afterwards – it is the version of Belmar that feels least like a shopping centre and most like a town.

More Lakewood guides

Keep going with Mexican restaurants, restaurants in Lakewood, brunch, coffee shops, bars, things to do, parks, events, things to do with kids, date ideas, free things to do, the best neighborhoods, how safe Lakewood is, schools and moving to Lakewood.

Frequently asked questions about Belmar, Lakewood

What is Belmar in Lakewood, Colorado?

A purpose-built town centre – a walkable grid of shops, restaurants, a cinema and apartments arranged around a central plaza, built on the site of a former shopping mall. It functions as Lakewood’s downtown, and it is one of the very few places in this car-oriented suburb where you can park once and spend a whole evening on foot.

Is there an ice rink at Belmar?

Yes. The central plaza hosts concerts in summer and becomes an ice rink in winter – the Rink at Belmar – and the transformation is a genuine local institution rather than a decorative touch. It is one of the few things in Lakewood that draws people from across the Denver metro, and it gives the district a distinct winter identity.

Where should I eat at Belmar?

Lady Nomada Mexican Kitchen at 7167 W Alaska Dr is the best food in the district – it opened in 2023 doing Baja California cooking, meaning coastal tacos, seafood and a serious margarita list. Great Divide Brewery & Roadhouse at 7260 W Alaska Drive, Unit D pairs one of Colorado’s established breweries with a full food menu. Mason’s Dumpling Shop is the one locals name unprompted, and Ted’s Montana Grill, The Rock Wood Fired Pizza and TStreet Roadhouse fill out the range.

Is Belmar walkable?

Yes, and that is its entire point. Lakewood is otherwise a driving suburb, and Belmar is a deliberately designed walkable grid where the restaurants, cinema, shops and plaza are all within a couple of minutes of each other. Park once and you will not need the car again until you leave.

Is Belmar Park the same as Belmar the shopping district?

No, though the shared name confuses people. Belmar Park is a large open space with a lake and trails adjacent to the district – genuine Lakewood green space rather than landscaping. The natural pairing is a walk in the park followed by lunch in the district.

Is Belmar a good place to live?

It is one of the more expensive parts of Lakewood to rent, along with Belmar Park and East Belmar, and what you are paying for is walkability – which is genuinely scarce in this city. Lakewood’s cost of living runs about 35% above the national average, with median rent near $1,705 and the average around $1,904 for roughly 874 square feet; Belmar sits above those figures.

What is the downside of Belmar?

It is a built town centre rather than a historic one, and it reads that way – consistent recent architecture and a degree of chain presence alongside the independents. Anyone expecting an old Colorado main street should drive west to Golden instead. It is also not the outdoor draw: Lakewood’s real attraction there is Green Mountain and Bear Creek Lake Park, and Belmar is the evening afterwards rather than the day itself.

Is there a cinema at Belmar?

Yes, and it is the most-searched single thing in the district. Its appeal is the convenience – a film and dinner within a two-minute walk of each other, with parking you deal with once. In a suburb built around driving, that combination is the core of what Belmar offers.