BBQ and Japanese sandos add fresh flavors to Edgewater Public Market

If you’ve ever tried planning dinner out with friends or your partner, you know finding a place that all will enjoy can be a battle. That’s one of the beautiful ways food halls like Best of Denver winner Edgewater Public Market serve their communities — with a variety of eateries under one roof that aim to satisfy most, if not all, tastes, so planning dinner out can be easier. 

Keeping food hall menus fresh involves maintaining a balance of consistent eateries with the occasional new face among the vendors. Since March, Edgewater Public Market has had a few changes, following new ownership last year, that have freshened up its dining options. 

Two of these changes blend the fresh with the familiar, as two long-term tenants are now offering new menus in familiar-looking spaces.  

Barbed Wire Reef was one of Edgewater’s original tenants when the food hall first opened in 2019. Along with the spot in Edgewater, owners Rico and Flor Aragon have food trucks for events and catering, and operate two Wild Taco locations across town: one in Highland and the other at the Edgewater market. 

In March, the Aragons decided to retire their menu of seafood and wild game burgers, sandwiches, and dogs at Edgewater Public Market and began serving BBQ and smash burgers under a slightly new name, BWR Pit & Patty.

“That menu has become one of our most booked menus with the food trucks,” says Rico. 

Another new-but-familiar addition at Edgewater is the bright spot that formerly hosted Mugi. It looks the same, but the owners have put away its classic ramen-and-poke menu to dish up trendy Asian street food instead. The newly named Sandomi is serving onigiri (hand-held, pyramid-shaped rice balls with nori and other ingredients), sandos (layered, usually creamy, crustless milk-bread sandwiches) and banh mi sandwiches, as well as fruity cold lattes and drinks. 

Owner Christina Ludwick was inspired to change the menu by her travels. She and her family travel to Japan every other year and often visit Hawaii, where she went to college. She said onigiri is the top pick when they travel to Japan, and she’s seen sandos take off in popularity.

“I wanted to bring something more unique, bring something fresh to the Market and community,” says Ludwick, who reopened her space as Sandomi in June. 

“Sandos have been trendy, but they aren’t available at places every day,” says Bryant Palmer, the spokesperson for Edgewater Public Market, noting that most sandos available in Denver are through pop-ups.

Food halls offer a unique opportunity to not only launch smaller eateries, but also to test new menu items. The setup and renovations are less of a lift in a food hall than in a full brick-and-mortar restaurant, and the community is built in. It took only two weeks to transition the Mugi space to Sandomi.

“Food halls are designed for this kind of natural evolution,” says Palmer. “They [the Aragons and Ludwick] know the market already, so they are able to bring something new and exciting with the confidence it will be successful.”

Edgewater Public Market hosts over 20 eateries which offer impressive variety, including empanadas, Ethiopian food, arepas, noodles, dumplings, gyros, pizza and more. Two recent additions include Roll it up Sushi, which opened in April, and Poboys Creole Cafe, which opened in February.

Edgewater Market Place’s variety is intentionally curated, notes Dan Vivacqua, the Market’s general manager. “When there’s an opening, we try to find a restaurant that will fit the market,” he says. And the effort shows. 

The Public Market also hosts events, like its popular summer movie series, and houses a variety of non-foodie stores, including a few boutiques, a used bookstore, a yoga studio, and a plant store. These retail spots and the events help anchor the hall, says Palmer. “I think the most successful food halls these days offer more than food,” he adds. 

Edgewater Public Market is located at 5505 W 20th Ave., Edgewater, and is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, visit edgewaterpublicmarket.com.