Restaurant Roll Call: Every Opening and Closing in October 2020

If there’s an October surprise this year, it’s the number of restaurants that have opened in the past several weeks. And we’re not just talking ghost kitchens or temporary pop-ups; there have been brand-new builds – Crock Spot, Junction Food & Drink, Number 38 and Postino 9Co, for example – as well as infill of previous vacancies. Those include Avanti Boulder, Ideal Market, Mazevo Mediterranean and the Ginger Pig, among others.

Yes, some of the brave new bunch are the result of the pandemic and the economic turmoil caused by safety-based restrictions. The upscale Acorn became the more comforting and casual Mexican-themed Bellota; Mr. Lucky’s Fine Sandwiches turned its unused dining room into a pizza place called Existential Slices, in part to feed drinkers at Don’s Club Tavern next door; and Farmers Market LSQ, from the founder of TheBigWonderful, opened in what had been the Market in Larimer Square until last spring.

The fact is that Denver loves to dine out, and the people in the restaurant industry are still committed to providing exceptional hospitality, even in one of the most difficult times ever. So chefs and restaurateurs are going to keep trying and offering hope that the food scene in the Mile High City will be as vibrant as ever when the pandemic finally ends.

Here’s our complete list of openings and closings in October:

Restaurants and Bars Opening in October*
Atost, 15801 West Sixth Avenue Frontage Road, Golden
Avanti Boulder (previously the Cheesecake Factory), 1401 Pearl Street, Boulder
Crock Spot, 4045 Pecos Street
Bellota (previously Acorn), 3350 Brighton Boulevard
The Bluegrass – Candelas, 18068 West 92nd Lane, Arvada
Botellón, 1618 East 17th Avenue
East Side King (at Zeppelin Station), 3501 Wazee Street
Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, 5111 DTC Parkway, Greenwood Village
Existential Slices, 711 East Sixth Avenue
Farmers Market LSQ (previously The Market), 1445 Larimer Street
Frank’s Food & Bodega, 5700 West 25th Avenue, Edgewater
Fringe Pizza, 2900 Valmont Road, Boulder
Garage Sale (previously Tom’s Urban), 1460 Larimer Street
The Ginger Pig (previously Scratch Burrito), 4262 Lowell Boulevard
Good Bread Bake Shop, 1515 Madison Street
HiLo an American Eatery, 10125 West San Juan Way, Littleton
Ideal Market and La Colombe Coffee Roasters (previously Whole Foods), 900 East 11th Avenue
Junction Food & Drink, 2000 South Colorado Boulevard
Lekker Coffee (previously Hotbox Roasters), 3460 Larimer Street
Lime American Cantina (previously Gozo), 30 South Broadway
Mac and Cheezary, 7961 South Broadway, Littleton
Mazevo Mediterranean (previously the Midwestern Saloon), 3961 Tennyson Street
Number Thirty Eight, 3560 Chestnut Street
The Patio at Sloan’s, 4032 West 17th Avenue
Piante Pizza, 1350 South Broadway
Postino 9Co, 830 Colorado Boulevard
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, 18291 Green Valley Ranch Boulevard, Denver
The S Turn, 13701 West Jewell Boulevard, Lakewood
Temaki Den (inside the Source), 3330 Brighton Boulevard
Whole Sol, 1611 Raleigh Street

Restaurants and Bars Reopening This Week*
The 1Up and Sweet Combforts, 1925 Blake Street
Wendell’s (new ownership), 3838 Tennyson Street

Restaurants and Bars Temporarily Closing in October*
Broadway Market, 950 Broadway
Earnest Hall, 2915 West 44th Avenue
Route 40, 2550 East Colfax Avenue
The Way Back, 3963 Tennyson Street

Restaurants and Bars Closing in October*
Cabana X at Bar Helix, 3490 Larimer Street
Hi Tide Poke, 2449 Larimer Street
Local 46, 4586 Tennyson Street
Zaidy’s Deli, 121 Adams Street
Yellowbelly, 7450 West 52nd Avenue, Arvada

*Or earlier, and not previously reported.

Do you know of any openings or closings that aren’t on our list? Let us know in the comments, or send an email to cafe@westword.com.