Every opening and closing this week: Two new sushi spots surface

It was a slow week on the openings-and-closings front, but not an uneventful one, with the biggest news coming from McGregor Square as Carmine’s says “arrivederci” to downtown. But it’s also nice to see a shuttered Colfax establishment refilled with new tenants so quickly.

Here’s all that happened this week in Denver restaurant openings and closings:

Cafe Solene replaces The W on Colfax

Well, that was fast. Mere weeks after the Memorial Day weekend closure of Colfax burger bar The W, the iconic Weiss Drugs building is already up and running again as Cafe Solene at 5001 E. Colfax Ave. In fact, it happened so fast we completely missed the mid-June opening and are playing catch-up now. 

To date, Cafe Solene has operated primarily as a Mexican breakfast establishment. But according to owner Manuel Gonzalez, the restaurant will expand to dinner service on Fridays through Sundays starting next weekend.  Gonzalez previously worked at Santos Cafe & Mexican Grill, which his father-in-law owns, and is a 50% partner in the Oasis Cafe and Grill in City Park.

Sushi spots surfacing

The folks behind ASA Sushi in Greenwood Village expanded to a second location in Lower Highland. The family owned-and-operated business has been serving the Denver Tech Center for eight years. Meanwhile, Kyuu Sushi & Bar had their soft opening this week at 1535 Central St., right off 17th Avenue.

Phoenix rising

While we await the opening of The Dove Underground in Lowry, the first-floor restaurant Rising Phoenix is already serving the community in soft-opening mode at 7401 E. First Ave., with longtime Denver mainstay Daniel “Chef D” Young offering an American menu Tuesday through Sunday in a soft-opening stance.

Carmine’s cools its expansion plans

When Brad Ritter assumed full ownership of Carmine’s on Penn in 2015, his plan was to expand the brand to new locations and leverage the name recognition of the popular Italian staple in Denver’s Speer neighborhood. But with this week’s closing of the first major effort in that expansion, Carmines on McGregor Square, that plan is on the back burner, if not gone forever.

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

Openings

ASA Sushi, 1535 Central St. 
Cafe Solene, 5001 E. Colfax Ave.
Kyuu Sushi & Bar, 1290 E. 17th Ave.
Rising Phoenix, 7401 E. 1st Ave.

Closures

Carmine’s McGregor, 1951 Wazee St.

Temporarily Closed

Circular Lounge by Knotted Root, 5126 E. Colfax Ave.
City Buffet, 5066 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Littleton 
Sherpa Base Camp, 1320 E. 17th Ave.

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

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