First Look: Johnny Bechamel’s Brings Fun Italian Fare to Wash Park

Last week, Mamas & Papas Hospitality Group, which includes RiNo favorites Dio Mio and Redeemer Pizza as well as Little Johnny B’s inside Urban Cowboy, debuted its first full-service concept, Johnny Bechamel’s. From the ’90’s Pizza Hut light fixture that hangs above a large booth at the back to the savory prosciutto-topped doughnuts filled with Parmesan cream, Johnny’s ready to show you an undeniably good time.

We love Denver’s old-school red sauce joints, and there are many fine-dining Italian options in town, too, including a couple that are worth reason to drive beyond Dener city limitsi But over in Wash Park, Johnny Bechamel’s and Florence Supper Club from Miles Odell, which is set to open this weekend, are putting a new spin on the neighborhood Italian restaurant.

While we wait for a taste of what Florence has to offer, we’re already impressed just by what Johnny Bechamel’s says it’s serving up.

What we saw

Named for a fictional figure who may or may not have come from Olive Garden money and possibly once fought Chef Boyardee over canned pasta, Johnny Bechamel’s took over the space next door to Uncle’s Speer neighbothood outpost. The address has seen a lot of turnover since 2020, but all of those former concepts were run by Jared Leonard, the AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q restaurateur who landed in jail this year on fraud charges.

Now, there is nothing but good energy at 81 South Pennsylvania Street. The space, designed by Kevin Nguyen’s Regular Architecture, is open and bright, with a calming sage green-based color palette and some playful details, like that Pizza Hut light fixture, retro photos on the walls and a mish-mash of antique plates that operations director Lulu Clair collected for months via eBay.

There’s an open view of the kitchen from most of the dining room, and a bar near the front that’s perfect for meeting up with friends for a cocktail and a quick bite.

The food and drinks

Twelve wines by the glass ($14-$19), a handful of beers ($6-$8) and one N/A spirtz ($15) are on offer, along with a selection of cocktails ($13-$16) that span from a booze-forward Old Fashioned to lighter options like the Joyride with jasmine-infused vodka, bergamont liqueur, orange flower water, lemon and soda. But full disclosure: We sampled just Nonna’s Tini, which chef and co-owner Spencer White says was his only contribution to the cocktail lineup.

He had a vision of a martini with smoky notes, and the result is a gin martini with a subtly smoky blue cheese-stuffed olive that’s not too much of a departure from the classic while still having a personality all its own.

The food menu, created by White and chef/co-owner Alex Figura, smartly combines the team’s Dio Mio pasta skills with its Redeemer Pizza experience — but some of the best dishes are found in the apps section.

Start with the doughnuts ($10), which appear as a blanket of sliced prosciutto. Underneath, you’ll find the pillowy fried goodies filled with an umami punch from Parmesan cream and a touch of sweetness from aged balsamic.

You might think it would be wise to pair your fried starter with a salad — and you’d be right, though the standout salad here is hardly a salad at all. While there is a Little Gem option that leans lighter, we’re fans of the hoagie salad ($13), which takes the viral idea of a chopped grinder and leaves the bread out (there are plenty of other carbs). The mix of shrettuce, napa cabbage, pepperoni, provolone and pepperoncini with sherry vinaigrette and a Miss Vickie’s potato-chip garnish eats like a vastly improved version of the typical pizza-joint salad.

Spinach and artichoke dip has long been a staple at many chain restaurants, but at Johnny Bechamel’s, it’s gotten a makeover that makes it seem cool again. Here, it’s stuffed inside piquillo peppers ($12) that are served in a bath of “crazy water” (the translation of the Italian term acqua pazza, an aromatic broth typically served with fish).

You don’t have to (and you shouldn’t) wait for the next snow day to try the coziest appetizer on the menu: the chicken matzo ball meatballs ($14). Incredibly tender and served in a light, lemony broth with a punch of dill oil and a little bite from the pickled celery on top, these are the kind of thing we could eat by the quartful.

If you’re a fan of the pizza at Redeemer, you’ll be pleased with the pies at Johnny Bechamel’s ($18-$26), which are made with the same signature, naturally-leavened dough. At 14 inches, they are a bit smaller than Redeemer’s and seem to be thinner, but the crust has that same balance of char and chew. We tried the Spicy Alla Vodka with a sauce that’s slightly sweet, thanks to a base of onion soubise. It’s topped with mozzarella, basil and Calabrian sausage that’s made by local business Lottie’s Meats and packs a nice hit of heat.

Pro tip from Clair, who has been eating a mostly Johnny Bechamel’s diet leading up to opening: The hoagie salad is extra delicious when piled on a slice of tomato pie.

There are four pastas on offer ($23-$28), including farfalle with green tomato pesto; ricotta ravioli in tomato sauce; and lasagnetta with bechamel, leeks, oyster mushrooms and pickled beech mushrooms. We tried, and loved, the pappardelle with chicken cacciatore ragu, garlic almond crumble and smoked ricotta salata. Between the crunchy bits, the pops of Castlevetrano olives and hints of smokiness, it’s much more complex than it appears.

The menu also includes two large entrees, and both deliver on flavor. The $55 New York Strip Loin Diane is topped with a mustard-based sauce with green peppercorns and served with creamed potatoes. For the price and size, it feels like a hell of a deal. The plate-sized spiral sausage ($38), which the team is making in-house after getting a refresher course from Lottie’s co-owner Chelsey Maschhoff, comes atop a bed of rich polenta and is confidently paired with a simple frisee and grapefruit salad that offers just the right balance.

Be sure to save room for dessert. Citrus lovers will enjoy the clementine cake ($14) with fennel and orange semifreddo, but it’s the Nutella ice box cake ($14) that we’ll be craving another bite of for weeks. Layers of chocolate cake and Nutella whip pair with hazelnut crunch and salted caramel for a sweet ending that’s an instant classic.

What surprised us

The consistent level of execution.

While White and Figura are a proven team in the kitchen, but opening a new restaurant means starting fresh with a whole new crew (even if some are familiar faces) in a new space that will take time to get used to. But less than a week after opening, there was not a misstep among the dishes we tried. The team will keep tweaking and improving, of course, and the menu will continue to evolve. But if this is where Johnny Bechamel’s is starting, it’s a win for the staff, owners and guests alike.

Johnny Bechamel’s is located at 81 South Pennsylvania Street and open from 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. For more information, visit johnnybechamels.com.