July was a hot month — for restaurant openings as well as the weather. Avanti Food & Beverage turned up the heat in Lower Highland with seven kitchens and two bars under one roof, while Rebel Restaurant — with a worldly menu and a street-smart vibe — took over a former dive bar on a block of River North that has yet to feel the grip of gentrification. In the more urbane than urban Uptown neighborhood, Dos Santos Taqueria took over the once-jewelbox-pretty space that was D Bar and stripped it back to its tough and gritty bones while adding a taste of coastal Mexico.
While the sizzling restaurant scene raised the mercury level, new additions to the beer scene kept things cool. From Aurora to Sheridan, new craft-brewery tap rooms continued to open — with Boggy Draw, Call to Arms and Launchpad all adding their beers to the mix. In the RiNo neighborhood, beer bar First Draft rolled open its garage doors to its high-tech keg party featuring forty serve-yourself taps controlled by digital card readers.
There were a few expected closings this month, too: The Breckenridge Brewery closed up its Kalamath Street barbecue because of last month's opening of its new brewery and Farm House Restaurant in Littleton, and the Beauvallon curse struck again as Yura's Modern Asian Kitchen went dark. But other closings came as a surprise. Neighborhood eatery and beer garden Table Top threw in the towel in Park Hill, and the flashy Session Kitchen — which may have been a bit too glitzy for peaceful Platt Park — called it quits. In Boulder, Basil Flats closed after only four months on Baseline Road, although the Longmont location is still dishing up flatbread.
Here's a complete list of July's bar and restaurant openings and closings. Tell us in the comments section of any others.
RESTAURANTS/BARS OPENING IN JULY*
Alpine Modern Cafe, 904 College Avenue, Boulder
Avanti Food & Beverage, 3200 Pecos Street, including:
- Bixo Mexiterranean Bites
- Brava Pizzeria
- Farmer Girl
- Mijo
- Poco Torteria
- Quiero Arepas
- Souk Shawarma
Boggy Draw Brewery, 3535 South Platte River Drive, Sheridan
Call to Arms Brewing, 4526 Tennyson Street
C Squared Ciders, 2875 Blake Street
Dos Santos Taqueria De Mexico, 1475 East 17th Avenue
El Patron Sports Bar, 1703 Federal Boulevard
Great Divide Barrel Bar, 3403 Brighton Boulevard
First Draft, 1309 26th Street
Four Barrel Bar & BBQ, 7702 Ralston Road, Arvada
Ignite Ale House & Kitchen, 7995 Sheridan Boulevard, Arvada
Izu Sushi, 1528 East Colfax Avenue
Kathmandu Restaurant II, 1964 28th Street, Boulder
Launchpad Brewing, 884 South Buckley Road, Aurora
New World Cheese, 2504 East Colfax Avenue
Nip & Sip, 4395 Yates Street
Osaka Ramen, 2187 East Third Avenue
The Palate Food + Wine, 5375 Landmark Place, Greenwood Village
Pho Denver, 955 Lincoln Street
Platform T, 682 South Colorado Boulevard, Glendale
Rebel Restaurant, 3763 Wynkoop Street
Stone Pony, 1301 Santa Fe Drive
Thuan Viet Restaurant, 945 South Federal Boulevard
RESTAURANTS/BARS CHANGING NAMES IN JULY
Peacemaker's Juke Joint and Cajun Kitchen, 1515 Madison Street
RESTAURANTS/BARS TEMPORARILY CLOSING IN JULY
Rocky Flats Lounge, 11229 Highway 93, Boulder
RESTAURANTS/BARS CLOSING IN JULY*
Bang, 3472 West 32nd Avenue
Basil Flats, 2900 Baseline Road, Boulder
Breckenridge Brewery BBQ, 471 Kalamath Street
Copper Hound Coffee, 2137 South Sheridan Boulevard
El Luchador, 1703 Federal Boulevard
Session Kitchen, 1518 South Pearl Street
Spicy Ginger, 290 South Downing Street
Table Top, 2230 Oneida Street
Royal India, 1550 South Colorado Boulevard
Yura's Modern Asian Kitchen, 955 Lincoln Street
*Or earlier, and not reported previously.