Every Denver Restaurant Opening and Closing This Week

GQue Championship Barbecue was one of the first in a new wave of Denver smokehouses, opening three years ago in Westminster and earning our Best Barbecue Restaurant award this year. And now founder Jason Ganahl has brought his recipes to the south suburbs, launching a second GQue at Park Meadows. Barbecue builds fervent fans, so no doubt some Lone Tree residents were making the drive north for their fix of ribs, wings and brisket, but there are still plenty of potential converts down south. To help entice newcomers, Ganahl also opened the Ice Cream Farm next door to GQue, creating a well-rounded dining experience for families.

The first week of December turned out to be a big week in general for openings, with Chook and Hoja choosing this week for their debuts on South Pearl Street, Los Chingones adding its fourth metro Denver outpost, this time at Colorado Mills, and Raglin Market (from the owner of Mateo) and Steakhouse No. 316 (an outpost of an Aspen brand) launching in Boulder.

Bowing out this week was Hedge Row in Cherry Creek, a new concept from the Kitchen group, which couldn't make a go of it amid the heavy construction in the rapidly growing neighborhood.

Here's our complete list of all the bar and restaurant openings and closings for the week of December 3-9, 2018, plus coverage of current and upcoming openings and closings.

Restaurants Opening This Week*
Bent Barley Brewing Company, 6200 South Main Street, Aurora
Chook, 1300 South Pearl Street
Former Saint Craft Kitchen and Taps (inside the Hyatt Regency), 650 15th Street
GQue Championship Barbecue, 8433 Park Meadows Drive, Lone Tree
Hayati Mediterranean Grill, 2958 Downing Street
Hoja, 1284 South Pearl Street
The Ice Cream Farm, 8433 Park Meadows Drive, Lone Tree
Los Chingones Colorado Mills, 14500 West Colfax Avenue
The Lost Cajun, 3013 West 104th Avenue, Westminster
Mariscos Mr. Lucky, 555 South Federal Boulevard
One Barrel Bistro, 3401 South Broadway, Englewood
Raglin Market, 5378 Gunbarrel Center Court, Boulder
Steakhouse No. 316, 1922 13th Street, Boulder

Restaurants Temporarily Closing This Week*
Big Sky Burger (closing for winter), 1958 South Garrison Street, Lakewood

Restaurants Closing This Week*
Hedge Row, 100 Steele Street
Moe’s Original Bar B Que, 2727 South Parker Road, Aurora

*Or earlier, and not previously reported.

"Base Camp Provisions Owner Opens Hoja on Old South Pearl"

"Troy Guard Adds Fourth Metro Denver Los Chingones at Colorado Mills"

"First Look: Chook Fires Up for Friday Opening"

"Sun Valley Kitchen Offers Comfort and Community Connections"

"One Barrel Bistro Adds Upscale Fare to Downtown Englewood"

There are so many great new restaurants to choose from this year, we narrowed the list down to two dozen eateries you should add to your own list of places to visit, if you haven't already. Last week, we unveiled our picks for the best cheap eats in town to help you find a solid lunch or dinner for under $20.

And this week, we followed up with the twelve best restaurants in Denver, ranging from an Italian brewery-restaurant to a seventeen-seat chef's counter to a Latin American cantina where carts ply their way through the dining room loaded with small plates.

Have you spotted any openings or closings that aren't on our list? Let us know in the comments or send an email to [email protected].