Acclaimed L.A. Chef Launches Residency in RiNo

In February, chef Douglas Rankin made the decision to close his award-winning eatery, Bar Chelou, in Pasadena, California. Open since 2023, the restaurant racked up several accolades during its run, including being named one of the best new restaurants in the country by Eater in 2023 and landing on the Los Angeles Times 101 best restaurants list in 2023 and 2024. “After careful consideration, we have decided not to extend our lease, which is set to expire at the end of the month. The timing presented us with an opportunity to reconsider our path forward following the Eaton fire just a few miles from us in Altadena,” he wrote in an Instagram post announcing the closing.

That path forward included a move to his wife’s home state of Colorado. “Even before closing Bar Chelou, we’d talked about opening a restaurant here,” Rankin says. “I can’t tell you how much I like being in Denver. … We got here in August and now we’re in October — I grew up on the East Coast and I haven’t seen winter or fall in seventeen years. … It’s just gorgeous here.”

Rankin’s ultimate goal is to reopen a new version of Bar Chelou in the Mile High, which he hopes to debut in 2026. But first, he’s getting back in the kitchen with a residency at Hop Alley’s six-seat chef’s counter, which is set to begin on October 23. The six-course meal priced at $125 per person will include plenty of optional supplements for a “build-your-own-adventure-style tasting menu,” Rankin says. Expect his signature mix of French and Spanish techniques with global flavors, including Asian influences.

Hop Alley recently had some changes in the back-of-house, with former executive chef Geoff Cox moving on to the soon-to-open Chimera, a Pan-Latin restaurant coming to the Source Hotel. That role was filled by chef Sean May, but an ad for the open position led to a two-hour-long phone call between Rankin and Hop Alley owner Tommy Lee. “We see eye to eye on so much, like the way he takes care of his staff. He’s a great, great owner/operator, and I think he and I just align in our values,” Rankin says.

The connection was also serendipitous, as Rankin had dined at Hop Alley before making the move to Denver and was impressed with its blend of bold flavors and high-energy atmosphere, fueled by a hip-hop playlist. “It felt like an L.A. restaurant,” he notes, which made him feel more confident that local diners could embrace an addition like Bar Chelou.

When Lee offered Rankin the opportunity to take over the chef’s counter, “I was like, that sounds like a dream,” Rankin recalls. “It’s a really fun, creative project, and it’s really great working with the team at Hop Alley,” including sous chef Josh Sanford; sommelier Jacob Roadhouse, who earned the restaurant a James Beard semifinalist nod for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program this year; and bar manager Dustin Lawlor, who won the 2025 Michelin Guide Colorado Exceptional Cocktails Award. “They have completely adopted me as, like, an old grandpa dog,” Rankin says with a laugh.

The chef is excited to return to a tasting-menu format, but one that’s “not too buttoned up,” he notes. “You’re gonna be full, you’re gonna have a good time. You’re gonna leave and be like, I’m glad I did that. I can’t wait to come back.” The menu will shift often as Rankin likes to cook hyper-locally, taking advantage of the fresh produce that’s available from purveyors like Mark DeRespinis at Esoterra Culinary Garden. “That’s a crazy thing that chefs have here that they don’t realize how amazing it is — to have this guy just drop stuff off at your door.”

That access fits right into Rankin’s preference for veggie-forward cooking. “I’m really excited to kind of be a part of this food scene and dig my heels in,” he concludes.

The Chef’s Counter at Hop Alley is located at 3500 Larimer Street and will be open at 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, beginning October 23. Reservations can be made via Tock; walk-ins are also welcome. For more information, visit hopalleydenver.com or follow @chefscounterathopalley and @barchelou on Instagram.