Florence Supper Club
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Mama mia! December is shaping up to be a very tasty month for the Washington Park neighborhood, with two new Italian restaurants slated to open there in December. Both come from familiar names in the dining scene, and both are taking over spaces that have housed restaurants before.
Florence Supper Club
In October 2024, the area took a hit when local favorite Finley’s Pub shut its doors after more than a decade at 375 South Pearl Street. Now the space, which is next to one of our favorite bars, Candlelight Tavern, will welcome guests once again as Florence Supper Club, the newest concept from chef Miles Odell and Paul Lysek. Odell is best known for his Highland bagel shop, Odell’s Bagels, and its impressive evening kaiseki service, the Counter at Odell’s.
Inspired by Lysek’s grandmother.Florence, this East Coast-style Italian red-sauce joint will pay homage to her spirit. “Florence’s kitchen was the heart of our family,” says Lysek. “We wanted to bring that same feeling to Denver — a place that’s warm, a little nostalgic, and full of great food made with love.”
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Odell is originally from New Jersey, and the menu features a refined take on classic Italian-American comfort dishes. Expect handmade pastas, traditional red-sauce favorites and seasonally inspired plates, such as clams casino, chicken parmesan, veal marsala and grilled prime meats that will be dry-aged in-house, alongside Italian natural wines, martinis and some playful nods to old-school East Coast supper clubs.
“Florence Supper Club is about connection,” says Odell. “It’s about slowing down, sharing stories and enjoying food that makes you feel good.”
The restaurant is expected to debut in early December.
For more information, visit florencesupperclub.com or follow it on Instagram @florencesupperclub.
Johnny Bechamel’s
Johnny Bechamel’s
Less than a half a mile from the future home of Florence Supper Club, Mamas and Papas Hospitality — the group behind RiNo hits Dio Mio and Redeemer Pizza, as well as Little Johnny B’s inside Urban Cowboy — is opening its fourth Italian spot. But this time, it’s a full-service eatery that will serve both pizza and pasta.
Johnny Bechamel is slated to open next month at 81 South Pennsylvania Street, next door to Uncle’s Wash Park location. The space has seen a lot of turnover in recent years (since 2020, it’s been home to Budlong, Au Feu, Clairette and AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q Steakhouse), but all of those eateries were under one owner, Jared Leonard, the AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q restaurateur who landed in jail this year on fraud charges.
Mamas and Papas chefs Spencer White and Alex Figura, along with operations director Lulu Clair, bring years of restaurant ownership experience that should ward off any bad juju Leonard left behind.
The new restaurant will feature a “traditionally non-traditional” take on Italian-American cuisine, with handmade pasta, neo-Neapolitan-style pizza and a full beverage program that includes Negronis, Americanos and Aperol spritzes.
“Johnny Bechamel’s brings together everything we’ve built over the last decade,” says Clair. “We’ve spent years dialing in our pasta at Dio Mio and our pizza at Redeemer, and now we get to offer guests the best of both worlds, along with our take on Italian-American classics we’ve always loved.”
The menu will include appetizers like savory doughnuts with prosciutto and Parmesan cream, and mozzarella in carrozza; small plates such as crab panzanella, and crispy calamari with lemon and chili butter; handmade pastas including a lasagnette with béchamel, leeks and local mushrooms; and ricotta tortelloni with tomato sauce and aged Parmesan.
The 14-inch pizzas will be made with the same signature, naturally-leavened pizza dough the team uses at Redeemer.
“We’ve always loved the Wash Park neighborhood, and it felt like the right place to introduce our first-ever full-service restaurant,” White says. “Whether you’re grabbing a quick pizza or drink at the bar on a weeknight, going on a date night, or bringing the whole family in for a celebration, we want Johnny Bechamel’s to be the kind of place that fits into your life, not just a special occasion spot.”
For more information, visit johnnybechamels.com or follow it on Instagram @johnnybechamels.
