Every Opening and Closing This Week: Nine Restaurants Debut

After a slow start to December, the pace of openings has picked up as we head toward 2026. This week, we reported nine additions and just two closures.

Magic Noodle House is the latest restaurant to open in Uptown. It took over a former Qdoba, transforming it into a space that includes a large window that offers diners a full-on view of the chefs as they make the hand-pulled noodles that star in dishes such as dan dan noodles and Magic Beef Brisket Noodle Soup.

We stopped by a day after its December 11 grand opening and tried the tender Mongolian beef, which is served with thick, chewy, knife-sliced noodles bathed in a sweet sauce. The menu also includes a variety of dumplings and buns, rice bowls loaded with options like mapo tofu, and appetizers like crispy chicken wings and baby pork ribs with crispy garlic chili mix.

With the recent openings of Ma’s Kitchen, Hong Kong Station 3 and Japon nearby, this part of town is having a real Asian food boom — a big win for those who live in the neighborhood.

Another old favorite for Asian food near City Park, Pepper Asian Bistro, debuted its third outpost this week in Northglenn. And downtown has a new Thai eatery with the opening of Den Thai, which is offering 20 percent off during its soft opening.

A pair of hot chicken chains have expanded, too. Locally-owned Blazing Chicken Shack now has a location in the former Wendy’s near DU, while the California-based Dave’s Hot Chicken added an outpost on Tower Road, near Denver International Airport.

In Five Points, Great Divide Brewery & Roadhouse has moved into the former home of Stem Ciders, just a mile from its original location, which closed in June. (Both brands are now owned by Wilding.) On December 20, it’s hosting an all-day celebration to mark the opening; expect festive giveaways, a live DJ, contests and photo ops with the brand’s iconic Yeti. Anyone who arrives in an ugly Christmas sweater will receive their first drink free.

The much-anticipated Johnny Bechamel’s, the first full-service eatery from the owners of Dio Mio and Redeemer Pizza, is now serving pizza and pasta in Washington Park. Soon, the neighborhood will get a second new Italian spot when Miles Odell opens Florence Supper Club.

This week also brought two new spots to Aurora. Wings Pier, which was founded in Greeley and serves wings and seafood, debuted on East Mississippi Avenue.

And brothers Luis and Heriberto Gutierrez, owners of Cucina Bella, opened a new Aurora spot: Maiz Y Fuego is located inside La Plaza, the Hispanic food hall and marketplace that debuted on East Colfax Avenue last year. This new concept honors Luis’s Mexican heritage and the recipes passed down from his mother. “While I’ve spent my career cooking Italian food, these Mexican flavors are what’s in my heart,” Luis says. “This restaurant brings together both parts of who I am – the Italian techniques I’ve learned and the Mexican traditions that raised me.”

This week’s closures include Riot House Denver, the nightclub housed in the former Real World house, which shuttered due to “ongoing market challenges” after two years in LoDo. Also gone is Petunia Bakeshop, which shut its doors on December 7. “Unfortunately due to our lease expiring we are being forced to move out,” it shared in an Instagram post. “We are hoping to relocate nearby and continue to serve you. We will keep you updated as soon as information comes up. We are extremely grateful for all the love & support you have given us and hope to continue in a new location.

In other openings and closings news:

• A new German-inspired brewery is moving into the Aurora space after Dry Dock shuts its doors in January.
• Hats by Parker Thomas and Number Thirty Eight have teamed up to open a whiskey bar and hat shop on Tennyson.
• The former downtown Cheba Hut will become a dog-themed dive bar and grill in 2026.

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

Openings

Blazing Bird, 2485 South University Boulevard
Dave’s Hot Chicken, 5690 Tower Road
Den Thai, 2200 Market Street
Great Divide Brewery & Roadhouse, 3040 Blake Street
Johnny Bechamel’s, 81 South Pennsylvania
Maiz Y Fuego, 15200 East Colfax Avenue, Aurora
Magic Noodle House, 1400 East 17th Avenue
Pepper Asian Bistro III, 100 East 120th Avenue, Northglenn
Wings Pier, 13950 East Mississippi Avenue, Aurora

Closures

Petunia Bakeshop, 3000 West 23rd Avenue
Riot House Denver, 1920 Market Street

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

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