He's not the only one.
The well-loved eatery closed in April 2020, another victim of both the pandemic and bad timing. The Okuno family, who'd run it since 1946, said circumstances moved up their retirement plans, and the diner that had been open for nearly three-quarters of a century shut its doors for good. (Breakfast Fried Rice, we miss you.)
But rejoice, lovers of both breakfast burritos and downtown eats: 20th Street Cafe is back. It's actually two Denver institutions that are making a comeback: The family that now runs the restaurant is the same one that used to operate Tarahumara in the strip mall on Colfax between Kalamath and Mariposa. That restaurant had to close as well — not because of COVID, but because the strip mall was being torn down to make room for new construction.
Lizet Nunez Carrasco, whose parents owned Tarahumara and who now owns 20th Street Cafe, is helping run the day-to-day operations. "We're so glad to be part of downtown," Carrasco says, "especially so near Coors Field." She says the restaurant made a point to open before the Rockies' opening day in early April, just to be available for the fans.
But it's been a long haul to reopen the doors — longer than the new owners anticipated. A sign on the door had been up for over a year announcing the plan to take over the classic space, but the windows looking out on the street remained papered over. "It ended up taking about a year and a half," says Carrasco. Why? "The city," she answers. "Permitting" — a familiar story for many business owners.
Still, the grand opening of 20th Street Cafe Mexican — now its official name — came as welcome news to the neighborhood, and everything sort of fell into place. Around the same time that Tarahumara was being told it had to vacate, the owner of the 20th Street Cafe building ordered a bunch of tamales from Tarahumara for an event he was hosting. "He loved them," Carrasco recalls. "He said, 'You guys are going to be my next tenants.'"
Word is already getting out that 20th Street Cafe is once again filling bellies downtown. Carrasco says that the son of the Okunos, who used to run the diner, came in and raved about both the renovations they'd done to the dining area and the food. Even Governor Jared Polis stopped by to celebrate with chips, salsa and a photo op.
Carrasco, second from left, with Governor Polis and the rest of the new cafe crew.
Lizet Nunez Carrasco
In addition to the Mexican offerings, it's keeping some nods to the spot's diner origins, including breakfast favorites like omelets and French toast.
Carrasco says the new menu is something of a balancing act — doing the things they're used to doing well while respecting what's come before. But it's an effort that's clearly worth it, and appreciated by customers who've missed the old place being open.
It's partly that respect for the past that made the family keep the name. That, and the fact that it was requested by the owner. Plus, a name change would have required more permitting time. But it's also about the heart — a gesture of respect to what the Okuno family started in 1946.
And really, downtown Denver just wasn't the same without the light from the 20th Street Cafe's neon sign aglow.
20th Street Cafe Mexican is located at 1123 20th Street and is open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 303-330-0205.
