Dazzle Debuts, Hard Rock Is Out, and Every Other Opening and Closing This Week

During the first four days of August, the Denver dining scene saw five additions. On August 4, jazz club Dazzle debuted in its new location at the Denver Performing Arts Complex; the space also includes an El Chapultepec Piano Lounge as an homage to that now-closed venue’s legacy.

Adelitas, the popular Mexican restaurant on South Broadway, has experimented with an ice cream store and a mezcal bar in its cozy adjunct spaces; now it’s added Desert Social Bar & Lounge.

Growing national chain Paris Baguette, which added its first Colorado location in Parker in March, now has an outpost in Aurora, too. It’s one of four locations that local franchisee Annie Song plans to open in the metro area.

Another chain, Voodoo Doughnut, is now slinging sweet pastries in Boulder, where its opening day drew long lines to the location, which doesn’t sport the brand’s signature pink color- it wasn’t in compliance with city codes.

Whiskey lovers, take note. Lyons-based Spirit Hound Distillers, which won Whisky of the Year at the international London Spirits Competition in 2022, has taken over the Mythology space, where it now has a tasting room.

There are four closures to report, too. Meta Asian Kitchen is no longer serving from the kitchen at Honor Farm, as owners Kenneth and Doris Yuen are focused on the upcoming debut of their first brick-and-mortar, MAKfam in Baker.

The Boulder location of Ash’Kara shut its doors without notice after struggling through the pandemic and staffing challenges, which included a short-lived effort to unionize by some of its staff, according to Boulder Reporting Lab. That restaurant was run separately from Denver’s Ash’Kara, which has been operated by the Culinary Creative Group since 2018.

Also closing abruptly was Knox Pizza, whose website currently says, “Please look for a new taqueria coming soon.”

And the last day of July saw the end of the Hard Rock Cafe after 25 years – what’s next for its 16th Street Mall spot?

In other openings-and-closings news:

• Catch up on all the spots that debuted in July.
• “Underworld speakeasy” the Devil’s Drink is opening soon in LoHi.

Here’s the complete list of restaurants and bars that opened and closed this week:

Restaurants and bars that opened this week:*

Dazzle, 1080 14th Street
Desert Social Bar & Lounge, 1312 South Broadway
Paris Baguette, 10601 East Garden Drive, Aurora
Spirit Hound Distillers, 3622 Tejon Street
Voodoo Doughnut, 3210 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder

Restaurants and bars that closed this week:*

Ash’Kara, 1043 Pearl Street, Boulder
Hard Rock Cafe, 500 16th Street Mall
Knox Pizza & Tap, 100 Knox Court
Meta Asian Kitchen at Honor Farm, 1526 Blake Street

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

Know of something we missed? Email cafe@westword.com.