Cherry Bean
Audio By Carbonatix
Neighborhood coffee shop Cherry Bean, at 4059 Tejon Street in Sunnyside, has been owned and operated by Simon Lagos since 2015. Though it has opened additional locations before, those outposts closed in 2019. Now, after joining forces with longtime customer Charlie Bibilos, Lagos and his team are giving expansion another go, this time in the Golden Triangle, with Cherry Bean Broadway, which opened inside the former Amethyst space at 1111 Broadway on December 9.
“I remember when I walked in [to Cherry Bean] and thinking, ‘What’s going on here? There’s coquito, Venezuelan pastries, Cuban cortoditos – something interesting is happening here,'” says Bibilos of his introduction to the Central American-inspired cafe. “I live two blocks away, and became that regular customer treating it like it’s my living room.” He was there so frequently that his children grew up calling it “Simon’s cafe,” and often ask to go see Lagos.
The two hope to re-create that familiar, welcoming feeling in the new space, which they took over from Amethyst owners Elle Jensen and Breezy Sanchez last month following that cafe’s closure on October 31. “We’re trying to go for that same spirit – a little bit like Cheers,” says Bibilos.
Charlie Bibilos with his young son, who loves Cherry Bean and seeing Simon Lagos, or “Ola,” as he calls him.
Cherry Bean
Taking over Amethyst is a full-circle moment for Lagos, who met Jensen several years ago when she visited his cafe. “I was scared when she showed up – she’s so nice. She loves to drink espresso, and she’s one of the best baristas in the U.S.” Lagos recalls. “She comes to my POS and asks me for an espresso – I have to make espresso for this amazing barista. Aahh!'”
That moment turned into an ongoing friendship, with Jensen biking to the shop on occasion, offering encouragement and supporting the business. He was saddened to learn that Amethyst would be closing, and since he and Bibilos were on the lookout for a new cafe, he decided to reach out. The timing lined up, and it was “one of the most amicable transactions ever,” Bibilos notes.
Lagos moved to Denver from Honduras in 2013 and opened Cherry Bean to celebrate his roots with food and drinks from Central and South America. The menu at the new location is slightly different than the offerings at the original, but both focus on Latin American cuisine. Cherry Bean Broadway is much smaller, so the food menu is more limited. It won’t offer breakfast sandwiches, but will have everything else found at the Sunnyside location, including traditional Chilean empanadas, which are the size of a burrito and filled with beef, onion, egg, raisins and olives. It also has puddings, pastries and burritos, so even the smaller menu is far from limited.
Sometimes referred to as Puerto Rican eggnog, coquito is available on the menu at both cafes and available by the bottle.
Cherry Bean
One thing the Golden Triangle outlet has that Sunnyside doesn’t is a liquor license, which it is utilizing by offering boozy versions of popular drinks such as coquito, a seasonal Puerto Rican beverage made with vanilla, coconut milk, coconut cream and spices, traditionally spiked with rum. Boozy coffee drinks are available, too, alongside options like a caffeinated negroni and beer.
“We have alcohol, but we’re not a bar,” notes Bibilos. The Cheers vibe still applies, though, because they hope, with time, that the neighborhood will realize something new is open, and the staff will get to know everybody’s names.
Cherry Bean Broadway is located at 1111 Broadway and is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, visit cherrybeancoffee.co or call 720-573-6162.
