Every Restaurant Opening and Closing This Week, December 3-9

After a few slow days around Thanksgiving, the action on the Denver dining scene picked up this week. Following in the path of many other decades-old eateries that have said goodbye in 2022, the 37-year-old Cherry Crest Seafood Restaurant & Market served its last meal on December 3. In an announcement, the owners said that they’re retiring and thanked customers for their support over the years.

Large Marge’s Philly Cheesesteaks in Wheat Ridge closed back in April after sixteen years in business, but it didn’t officially move out of the space until November 30. Owner Tyler Johnson says he’s hoping to resurrect the eatery in a new location if he’s able to bring on a business partner to help lighten the load.

Gravel Pit, a bar near the University of Denver that opened in 2020, has surrendered its liquor license following a series of violations. Owner Kofi Ansong told Westword, “Our space promoted local musicians and artists. Unfortunately, Denver’s liquor laws are outdated and antiquated for this growing city.”

San Francisco-based Chicago-style pizza chain Paxti’s no longer has any Denver locations. Its Cherry Creek location shuttered in January after its building was sold. Now the outposts in Englewood and on East 17th Avenue are gone, as well. At the Uptown location, a Demand for Compliance or Right to Possession Notice posted on the door states that the tenants had failed to pay $59,544 to the landlord. (It also notes that rent for the space was $16,080.49 per month.)

Two other eateries are set to relocate. Las Tortas, which landed on our list of the ten best sandwich shops in Denver, has closed its longtime Leetsdale location as it prepares to move into the Cityset complex in Glendale, next to the Native Foods Cafe. In Cherry Creek, Crêpes n’ Crêpes has also shut its doors; the owners say they plan to reopen soon in a new space.

This week’s openings are a mixed bunch that include the latest golf bar, Stick & Feather; the city’s first hard kombucha tasting room, Blind Tiger; and the first-ever gluten-free restaurant and brewery partnership under one roof in the U.S., after Just BE Kitchen debuted at Holidaily in the Tech Center. Nearby, another health-focused concept, gourmet toast chain Toastique, opened its second Colorado location.

Cherry Bean Coffee, which has a location on Tejon Street, has added a second; it took over the former Amethyst outpost on Broadway, where it serves a menu that includes the usual suspects along with options such as Chilean empanadas and coquito.

Aurora is home to a new Korean eatery, Moobongri Soondae, which specializes in soondae, a type of blood sausage. The latest food hall, Morris & Mae, is now open just minutes from Red Rocks; it hopes to be a go-to for pre-show food and drinks in 2023. And Jeff Osaka’s conveyor belt sushi concept, Sushi Rama, is now serving up plate after plate at its fifth location, in Broomfield.

Here’s the complete list of restaurants and bars opening and closing this week:

Restaurants and bars opening this week:*

Blind Tiger, 3040 Blake Street
Cherry Bean Coffee, 1111 Broadway
Just BE Kitchen, 5370 Greenwood Plaza Boulevard, Greenwood Village
Moobongri Soondae, 2787 South Parker Road, Aurora
Morris & Mae, 18475 West Colfax Avenue, Golden
Stick & Feather, 3851 Steele Street
Sushi Rama, 8181 Arista Place
Toastique, 8501 East Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village

Restaurants and bars closing this week:*

Cherry Crest Seafood Restaurant & Market, 5909 South University Boulevard, Greenwood Village
Crêpes n’ Crêpes, 2816 East Third Avenue
Gravel Pit, 2014 South University Boulevard
Large Marge’s Philly Cheesesteaks, 3890 Kipling Street, Wheat Ridge
Las Tortas, 5307 Leetsdale Drive, Glendale
Paxti’s Pizza, 598 East 17th Avenue and 3455 South University Boulevard, Englewood

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

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