Classic Denver Mexican Restaurant Is Officially Gone for Good

For decades, Benny’s was our go-to not just for Mexican food, but hangover breakfasts and simple hangouts with friends. We’ve missed Benny’s since it closed during the pandemic, and for five years have been tempted by the empty space on East Seventh Avenue that still shows the Benny’s sign, and occasionally hints of reopening (including a March 2022 Facebook post that said it would soon be Benny’s Tavern).

Benny Armas was legendary in Denver. We were sitting on the patio of what had evolved into Benny’s Mexican Restaurant & Cantina in 2008, when he stopped by and told us how Benny’s got its start. He started out washing dishes at the Blue Bonnet, then moved to Whiskey Bill’s on South Broadway, where he worked as a cook. After that, he got a job in the kitchen of the Oak Alley Inn on South Pearl Street, where people soon became addicted to his #7 plate, as well as all his other Mexican specialties.

When the Oak Alley was sold, Armas moved on to the Lancer Lounge (today Vesper Lounge), and when the Zenobia’s space next door at 225 East Seventh Avenue came open, he worked out a deal with the landlord to finally open a restaurant of his own, in 1987, when Benny’s also won its first Best of Denver award.

That worked out so well that when the much larger Chef Henry space on the corner became available thirty years ago, Benny moved his restaurant to the current location and added the Restaurant & Cantina to the Benny’s name. Some things remained the same, though: Through the decades, Armas and his crew served up one of the best green chiles in Denver, as well as margaritas so strong that there was actually a limit on the number you could buy.

That stopped in March 2020, when all restaurants in Colorado were ordered to close due to the pandemic. Although Benny’s made a brief comeback by offering to-go cocktails, the full reopening it teased never happened. Meanwhile, fans waited…and waited…and waited.

Now, finally, there’s news from Blue West Capital, which is advertising a “prime urban infill site in Capitol Hill next to Golden Triangle” that is the “former Benny’s.” Here’s the description:

“Blue West Capital is pleased to present a rare for sale or lease offering at 301 E 7th Avenue in Denver’s Capitol Hill and Golden Triangle districts. This former Benny’s Restaurant & Cantina location features a 5,281 square-foot building on a 6,248 square-foot lot with flexible C-MX-8 zoning. Positioned directly across from Trader Joe’s and surrounded by new luxury residential development, the property benefits from exceptional visibility, strong neighborhood demand, and seamless access to Denver’s core commercial corridors including Speer Boulevard, Broadway, and 6th Avenue.”

While much is made of the “5,281 SF building on a 6,248 SF lot offering flexible options” that’s available “for sale or lease” in a prime spot across from Trader Joe’s, there’s no mention of the property’s possible future as a restaurant. Much less as a Mexican restaurant that was the go-to for generations of Denver diners.

Adios, Benny’s. It was so much fun while it lasted.