Restaurant Roll Call: Every Opening and Closing in October

In September, over 25 new restaurants and bars debuted in the metro area. Last month, that number grew to over forty.

During the last week of October alone, six spots opened, including an eye-catching addition in Lakewood. Red Bus Coffee, which is housed in an actual red double-decker bus sourced from Asia, is now serving on Wadsworth Boulevard. It’s set up for drive-thru service, but patrons can also walk inside the bus to place orders, and the second level is a bright and airy seating area complete with plugs for laptops and chargers. It’s set up next to the future home of Metro Pizza, which is opening soon and is owned by the same family that’s behind the coffee shop.

Ma’s Kitchen, a new spot for dim sum and noodles, has been in soft opening mode on East Colfax Avenue this week. On Saturday, November 1, it’s celebrating its grand opening from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with giveaways, tastings and more — no reservations needed. Check out our first look for a peek at what’s on offer.

Ma’s wasn’t the only spot to join the Colfax community in October. Other additions include the Lowbeam, an affordable cocktail bar; soul food and barbecue spot Catfish King; Society 303 Wine Bar and more — all good signs amid the chaos of the ongoing BRT construction project.

Boulder-born local chain Wapo’s Tacos made its Denver debut with a Cap Hill location. It’s also slated to open outposts in the former Wendell’s on Tennyson and the former El Tepehuan in Englewood.

One of the most anticipated openings of fall arrived with the October 30 debut of Cimera, a pan-Latin spot at the Source Hotel. Its executive chef, Geoff Cox, led the kitchen at Michelin Bib Gourmand eatery Hop Alley for a decade.

There were only two closures to report in the last week of October: Littleton’s 52eighty Distilling, which ceased operations after filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and Duets Tap & Grill, which was open just a year before calling it quits in Curtis Park, leaving an address that just may be one of the city’s “cursed” restaurant spaces — once home to Bell Printing, it was renovated for the short-lived and much-missed Liberati, and then housed MobCraft’s brief run in Denver until that spot shuttered in April 2023.

As we welcome a new month, remember that there’s only about a week left to visit Pete’s University Park Cafe, which is set to close on November 9.

Here’s the complete list of restaurants and bars that opened and closed in October:

Openings

The Backyard Sports Lounge, 2841 West 120th Avenue, Westminster
Bad Peach Cafe at Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas Street, Aurora
Ballyhoo Table & Stage, 3300 Tejon Street
Big Belly Brothers BBQ, 11601 East Montview Boulevard, Aurora
Black Rock Coffee Bar, three locations (Aurora, Westminster and Northglenn)
BOXBOX, 5038 East Colfax Avenue
The Brinkerhoff, 6373 Promenade Parkway, Castle Rock
Cap Hill Confidential, 1526 East Colfax Avenue
Catfish King, 5454 East Colfax Avenue
Cimera at the Source Hotel, 3330 Brighton Boulevard
Crepe Therapy Cafe, 2273 31st Street, Boulder
Early Bird Eatery, 10111 Inverness Main Street, Englewood
Flaming Hibachi Express, 5800 West 38th Avenue, Wheat Ridge
The Hot Pot Den, 5934 South Kipling Parkway, Littleton
Il Pizzaiolo, 1501 East Colfax Avenue
King Buffet, 13680 East Alameda Avenue, Aurora
Lady Nomada, 7301 East 29th Avenue
Little Finch at CSU Spur, 4777 National Western Drive
The Lowbeam, 3401 East Colfax Avenue
Lyons Locale, 442 High Street, Lyons
Ma’s Kitchen Dim Sum & Noodles, 1514 York Street
Maiwand Kabob, 10551 East Garden Drive, Aurora
Malinche Audio Bar, 1541 Platte Street
Oasis Café & Grill, 2940 Bruce Randolph Avenue
Quad Side Tavern, 900 Auraria Parkway
Red Bus Coffee, 890 Wadsworth Boulevard, Lakewood
Saigon Street Food, 1046 South Federal Boulevard
Santo Remedio, 2917 West 25th Avenue
Sarr Maimouna West African Food, 5091 East Colfax Avenue
Scooters Sports Bar & Grill (reopened under new ownership), 13698 East Alameda Avenue, Aurora
Slice House, 1385 Sculptor Drive, Loveland
Snarf’s, 7111 East Lowry Boulevard
Society 303 Wine Bar, 9600 East Colfax Avenue, Aurora
The Sportsbook Bar & Grill, 18951 Main Street, Parker
Sumac Street, 7950 East Mississippi Avenue
Texican Bistro, 300 Nickel Street, Broomfield
Tia’s Taqueria, 1495 South Holly Street
Trybal African Speakeasy, 1670 Champa Street
Wapo’s Cantina, 215 East Seventh Avenue
Wild Taco at Edgewater Public Market, 5505 West 20th Avenue, Edgewater
XSO Night Club, 500 16th Street

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

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