Every week, we post a list of all the restaurant openings and closings in the area; every year, we compile that information into an overview of the eatery action over the past twelve months. But given the pace of the closings this year, we're pausing to assess halfway through.
Here are the ten biggest closings of 2025...so far (in alphabetical order)
AJ's Pit Bar-B-Q
2180 South Delaware Street
While AJ's Pit Bar-B-Q earned Michelin recognition soon after it opened, it also gained some major notoriety when the staff walked out at the end of February; the place closed that day. Workers had complained about the actions of chef/owner Jared Leonard, and sure enough, Leonard was just arrested, charged with federal wire-fraud crimes for misuse of PPP funds.
Blue Moon Brewing Company RiNo
3750 Chestnut Place
In 2016, Molson Coors opened the Blue Moon brewpub at 3750 Chestnut Place. It closed in early 2025, putting an exclamation point on 2024 — the first year the Brewers Association reported more breweries closing than opening. And it left a big hole in RiNo.
Denver Stockyard Saloon is gone for good.
Patricia Calhoun
4710 National Western Drive
For 25 years, the Stockyard Saloon served the thirsty crowds moseying out of the National Western Stock Show. But its lease in the historic Livestock Exchange building was not renewed, so the classic watering hole moved out in April. It's since found a new home in Lakewood, but the original atmosphere can never be created.
El Noa Noa
722 Santa Fe Drive
Over more than four decades at 722 Santa Fe Drive, El Noa Noa took plenty of breaks during the winter months. But it didn't come back from the most recent hiatus. Instead, the Medina family that had run the Mexican joint from the start transferred it to another family concept: El Chingon. It should have been a perfect git, but soon after its grand opening, El Chingon suffered a kitchen fire...and the old El Noa Noa space has yet to reopen.
Fruition
1313 East Sixth Avenue
Good things came in a very small package at chef Alex Seidel's Fruition. But in January, the James Beard Award-winning chef made the tough call to close this little jewel box of a restaurant.
Mercury Cafe
2199 California Street
For five decades, Marilyn Megenity operated a moveable feast of an eatery, going through several locations and names before she found a permanent home for the Mercury Cafe at 2199 California Street in 1990. Looking to retire, she sold the place during the pandemic; after a few rocky years, new tenants moved in. While they've dubbed it The Pearl, it carries on Megenity's legacy of inclusivity...and eccentricity.
Middleman and Misfit Snack Bar
3401 East Colfax Avenue
It was fun...and delicious...while it lasted. But after seven years, Middleman, which hosted Misfit Snack Bar, surrendered to the ongoing construction along East Colfax Avenue.
Noisette
3254 Navajo Street
In 2022, Denver was in the midst of a French dining revolution, with the addition of spots such as Chez Maggy, Le Bilboquet Denver, Brasserie Brixton and Noisette. But after less than three years, Noisette bid adieu in LoHi, closing right on the heels of Jacques, a more upscale French eatery in the same neighborhood.
Sushi-Rama
2615 Larimer Street
Jeff Osaka has long been one of Denver's top restaurateurs. But this spring, he closed his last remaining restaurant in Denver, the first Sushi-Rama. By then, he'd already closed the more upscale Osaka Ramen, as well as four other Sushi-Rama locations.
Zoe Ma Ma
1625 Wynkoop Street
Nothing spoke to the challenges of operating a restaurant in downtown Denver more than the closure of Zoe Ma Ma in February. While the concept continues in Boulder, owner Edwin Zoe wasn't about to sign another ten-year lease for the space by Union Station. "With the environment we were initially in — which was very dependent on the office workers — that environment has changed, and it just didn't make sense to continue our operations there," Zoe explained. "We're looking into how we can continue to have a presence in LoDo."
What restaurant do you miss that closed this year? Post a comment or share your thoughts at [email protected].
