Caldonia's closes after more than three decades in Aurora

For 34 years, people have flocked to Caldonia's Tavern and Roadside BBQ for beers and 'cue, parking on the large patio in warm weather, huddling in front of the TVs inside to watch sports the rest of the year. But if you were looking forward to celebrating the return of...

By Laura Shunk

March 13, 2012

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

For 34 years, people have flocked to Caldonia's Tavern and Roadside BBQ for beers and 'cue, parking on the large patio in warm weather, huddling in front of the TVs inside to watch sports the rest of the year.

But if you were looking forward to celebrating the return of patio weather at Caldonia's, you'll have to look elsewhere: The restaurant and bar, located just off of Parker and Iliff, closed its doors after this past weekend.

"I'm not sure at this point what the plan is," says Bernie, who was helping the owners close up yesterday. "They're talking about renovation, but I'm not sure." That sounds hopeful, but the website features a far less optimistic message:

We are proud to have shared our passion and services with our community for 34 years so this comes with a heavy heart that we are closing Caldonia's indefinitely.

We thank all of you for making this such a special place and we value our friendships and "family like" atmosphere you help create.

For our die hard loyal customers, thank you for everything, you are all truly amazing. We hope you visit us at our sister restaurants in the near future.

Like Govnr's Park in Capitol Hill and Marlowe's, which, together with Caldonia's, created quite a swinging-singles triumvirate in the early '80s.

Follow @CafeWestword on Twitter and at facebook.com/denvercafesociety

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Laura Shunk was Westword's restaurant critic from 2010 to 2012; she's also been food editor at the Village Voice and a dining columnist in Beijing. Her toughest assignment had her drinking ten martinis and eating ten Caesar salads over the course of 48 hours. She still drinks martinis, but remains lukewarm on Caesar salads.

Contact: Laura Shunk

Follow:

Twitter: @laurashunk

Instagram: @laurashunk