Every Denver Restaurant Opening This Week, Including Taco Star's Takeover of a Tacos Rapidos Location | Westword
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Every Restaurant Opening This Week, Including Taco Star's Takeover of a Tacos Rapidos Location

The dining scene action this week includes a 24/7 Mexican drive-thru swap, the debut of Pizzeria Alberico in Boulder and more.
Image: Tacos Rapidos on Alameda is now a Taco Star.
Tacos Rapidos on Alameda is now a Taco Star. Molly Martin
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Denver may not have many 24/7 dining options, but Mexican drive-thrus offer a food fix for anyone who is up late and hungry. One of the most popular options in this category has long been Tacos Rapidos. Now one of its three locations has been taken over by a similar brand, Taco Star; thankfully, the spot on West Alameda Avenue is still open every hour of every day for those 3 a.m. burrito cravings.

In Boulder, the original Pizzeria Locale is out and Pizzeria Alberico is in. At the end of 2022, the Frasca Hospitality group shut down its more casual eatery next door to Frasca Food and Wine for a refresh and rebrand. Check our first look for more details about the fresh iteration, including menu highlights (spoiler: The butterscotch budino is still on the menu).

Rounding out the week's new additions is the Brazilian steakhouse chain Rodizio Grill, which debuted a location in the Denver Tech Center.

Two spots have closed, at least temporarily. Dos Luces Brewery on South Broadway remains shuttered after a car crashed into its storefront on February 21. Although owner Judd Belstock was initially optimistic that it would be able to reopen by this weekend, as of February 24, no updates had been announced.
Mama Sannino's has been open in Wheat Ridge for a decade.
Mark Manger
In Wheat Ridge, Mama Sannino's remains closed following the death of its owner, Jimmy Sannino, in January. A now-ended GoFundMe posted by his granddaughter, Julia Macready, reads, "We were forced to close down his beloved restaurant to mourn and figure out how to keep his dream alive, and along with that, funeral costs, medical costs, restaurant costs with being closed and trying to continue keeping what he cared about most open, we are struggling hard and hitting a major setback trying to keep it together, with not just money, but with the pain of losing such a wonderful man." Sannino was a staple in the community for decades; he and his family also founded longtime Italian staple 3 Sons at 44th and Lowell in 1965.

Two other eateries have closed for good: Maya's Cantina and Grill in Evergreen, and breakfast spot Hollan-Dazed in Broomfield, which has opted to concentrate on its catering business.

In other openings-and-closings news:
Here is the complete list of restaurants and bars opening and closing this week:
click to enlarge
Fried maitake mushrooms from the new Pizzeria Alberico.
Molly Martin
Restaurants and bars opening this week:*

Pizzeria Alberico, 1730 Pearl Street, Boulder
Rodizio Grill, 7340 South Clinton Street, Englewood
Taco Star, 2345 West Alameda Avenue

Restaurants and bars closing temporarily this week:*

Dos Luces, 1236 South Broadway
Mama Sannino's, 5800 West 38th Avenue, Wheat Ridge

Restaurants and bars closing this week:*

Hollan-Dazed, 1275 East 1st Avenue, Broomfield
Maya's Cantina and Grill, 28215 CO-74, Evergreen
Tacos Rapidos, 2345 West Alameda Avenue

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

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