Acclaimed Chef Finds Home for His Long-Awaited Restaurant

Well, they warned us. Back in 2023, when we first wrote about the search that chef Justin Freeman and partner Danny Matthews were undertaking for their pizza-and-rustic-food concept Monarch, they intended to take the time needed to find the perfect spot. 

“We’re going to be picky about it,” Matthews said at the time. “We don’t want to just open something just to open.”

Nearly three years and multiple pop-up teasers later, the pair have finally found a place to call home. On Saturday, May 9, Monarch will emerge from its cocoon to spread its wings at the Urban Cowboy Public House.  

If that location sounds familiar, it’s because it currently houses Little Johnny B’s, the wood-fired pizza concept owned by the same group behind Dio Mio, Redeemer Pizza, and the recently opened Johnny Bechamel’s. 

According to Freeman, taking over an already fully-functional pizza space was only one of the many factors that made Urban Cowboy a perfect fit for Monarch’s sourdough pizza-focused menu. In addition to the open kitchen (which he also wanted), the hotel’s setting in an historic mansion, complete with eight fireplaces, also fits his desire for Monarch to evoke the feeling of being invited to someone’s home. 

“I’ve been there a couple times while it was Roberta’s and Little Johnny B’s, and I just always thought the space was really cool,” Freeman says, who in 2022 was named Westword’s Best Chef New To Denver. “It’s really all about the feel for me. I’ve been working on this idea and this feeling for years now. There’s been places that have hit the mark on certain stuff, but not on other things. There’s a lot of small nuance that feels more than just one plus one equals two.”

And perhaps most importantly, he vibed with Urban Cowboy co-founder Lyon Porter and general manager Nicole Valdez. Restaurants are a risk, and the cost of the space — not to mention relationship with the landlords — is a critical factor in long-term success. 

“I just felt like they were kind of on the same page with what I’m looking to do, in the sense of what I want Monarch to be, and how to grow it and evolve it into what it’ll eventually become,” Freeman says. “I just thought they had the same kind of ethos as us, looking to help build the community around cooking.”

Monarch’s Long Metamorphosis

While he’s been looking at restaurant spaces for the last three years, the idea for the restaurant that will be Monarch has been in his head for over seven. And like any idea held for that long, the concept has evolved and been refined by experience. Two activities in particular have fueled this metamorphosis — a host of trial pop-up dinners and Freeman’s time as executive chef at Somebody People. 

Freeman came to Denver in 2021 from New York, where he worked in restaurants such as Nobu, Upland, Ai Fiori, and Seamore’s. His first stop was at RiNo’s the Greenwich, where he began scratching the pizza itch. In 2023, he moved over to Somebody People, embracing a strictly vegan menu in line with the restaurant’s ethos, even though he is not a vegan himself. That experience, he says, has sharpened his skills as a chef, using restriction as a creative vehicle.

“I’m definitely happy with being able to cook with meat and some dairy products,” he says. “But honestly, I’ve really loved my time at Somebody People. Cooking vegan food is really hard in the sense that you really have to think about what you want to make. So I honestly think these last two and a half years, I’ve been able to refine a lot more of my cooking through just cooking vegetables.”

Freeman namechecks fire-roasted chicken and salmon as some of the new proteins he plans to incorporate into his menu, many of which may be served over a vegan base. Think cashew cream instead of dairy, or fire-roasted vegetables that can be easily served with an animal-based component (like fish roe) that can easily be left out for the vegan customer.

Helping refine his menu further has been the many pop-ups Monarch has hosted over the years, spanning such locations as Brasserie Brixton, Odie B’s, ESP HiFi, Middleman, and even outside Carbon Knife Company’s storefront. 

“Pop-ups are awesome,” Freeman says. “I think it has helped me learn what you really can make and how you can make it in any space possible, even with a limited amount of equipment. These pop-ups have helped me grow as a cook.”

Put the two together, and you get the heart of Monarch’s approach: an “ever-changing menu of seasonal vegetables, sourdough pizzas, and rustic mains” as the announcement says, all made using Urban Cowboy’s wood fire oven.

How and When to Visit Monarch

As if opening a new restaurant wasn’t enough, Freeman will remain in his position at Somebody People, managing from afar. But he’s getting help from new sous chef Nicole Zell, who comes to Denver from San Francisco’s Verjus.

As for Monarch, Freeman and Matthews plan to hold a series of, yes, additional pop-up dinners in the new space. The first already took, place earlier this month. Then, after a soft opening planned for Mother’s Day weekend, the doors will open full-time.

“I’ve worked a lot for other people for a long time, and you know now it’s just time to grind it out for myself, I guess,” he concludes.

Monarch will be located within Urban Farmer Public House, located in the historic George Schleier Mansion at 1665 North Grant Street. It will be open from 4 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 4 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, starting May 9. For more information, visit monarch-denver.com or follow @monarchdenver on Instagram.