Every opening and closing this week: RIP to Magna Kainan and the original 1UP

Being a food writer in Denver is sometimes like being a vet: You get to work with the thing you love, only to watch it die far too often.

That’s what this week felt like, as we got news that longtime standout Table 6 is shutting its doors next month. Technically, the restaurant is still open for a few more weeks, so be sure to get one last meal there while you can. In fact, take this opportunity to dig into your memory of good times past and make a list of your favorite restaurants over the years — and then make reservations. Saying “I used to love that place” is small consolation once it’s closed. 

Among the notable closures this week was the original 1UP Arcade in LoDo, which played its last game on June 22. While other installments of the retro-style arcade/bar remain across the Denver metro area, this is where it all started back in 2011. But at least 1UP will soon open a new location in Belmar.

Nearby, relative newcomer Church & Union took its curtain call in LoDo this week. The Denver iteration of Top Chef alum Jaime Lynch’s Southern-style eatery had worked closely with the Denver Center for Performing Arts to craft themed pre-theater dinner experiences during its short run, but they weren’t enough to keep it open. 

Copper Kettle Brewing is serving its last tap today. The move was heralded for months, but a surprise cost to restore the space to its original condition has prompted a GoFundMe campaign to cover the bill. 

And one of Denver’s few Filipino standouts, Magna Kainan, just huttered after an eighteen-month run. Chef Jodee Reyes and the team were putting out some highly praised dishes, but ran into the realities of bad timing. RiNo very much remains an in-development area, with all the traffic and construction limitations that come with it. The takeaway — parking matters!

But it’s not all doom and gloom. The veg-centric Mother Other has completed the conversion of its private kitchen into a proper sit-down restaurant offering the same creative fare that brought the team’s Easy Vegan food truck a win in the 2023 Great Food Truck Race. 

We have high hopes for the schiacciata sandwiches that the new Ciao Babe stall in Avanti Food & Beverages is serving. And just a few blocks away, butcher shop Western Daughter just uncorked a wine bar in the space next door that was formerly occupied by Mr. Lucky’.

Down south, the former Bono’s BBQ space has reopened as an all-you-can-eat Japanese Izakaya concept called Kinoya. And Bawarchi Indian Cuisine has rebounded from an August fire, remodeled and refreshed to continue serving its popular biryani dishes alongside a multi-page menu of regional Indian staples. 

Here’s the complete list of restaurants and bars that opened or closed this week*:

Openings

Bawarchi Indian Cuisine, 11001 E. Arapahoe Pl., Centennial (reopened)
Cafe Crepe at Junction Food & Drink, 2000 S. Colorado Blvd.
Ciao Babe at Avanti Food & Beverage, 3200 Pecos St. 
Decent Bagel, 5863 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder
Griddled Crêpes & Paninis, 5050 Factory Shops Blvd., Castle Rock
Kinoya Izakaya, 9393 East Dry Creek Rd., Centennial
Mother Other, 675 S. Broadway
Shawarma Max at Junction Food & Drink, 2000 S. Colorado Blvd.
Wingshack, 10280 Washington St., Thornton
Western Daughter Wine Bar, 3326 Tejon St.

Closures

1UP Arcade, 1925 Blake St.
Church & Union, 1433 17th St.
Copper Kettle, 1338 S Valentia St.
Magna Kanain, 1350 40th St.

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

Know of something we missed? Email editorial@westword.com.