Meals We Wish We Could Have One More Time...

As the debate continues over the pros and cons of the restaurant relief act, a proposed law that would reduce tipped minimum wage in Denver, one thing is clear: Restaurants are struggling right now.

The industry has always ebbed and flowed, but the challenges of COVID shutdowns and rapidly rising prices for pretty much everything, from minimum wage to rent, property taxes and food costs, have resulted in some notable losses since 2020.

By our count, around 65 locally-owned independent restaurants closed within Denver city limits in 2024 alone — while around 140 opened. But the numbers don't tell the whole story. While there may not be a net loss in the kind of places we focus on tracking in our weekly openings and closings reports, each one of those closures represents the livelihoods of many owners and employees.

And for diners, the loss of a favorite place to eat can't be measured by statistics.

As the industry faces more changes and an uncertain future, we're feeling nostalgic. We recently rounded up some of the restaurants we miss the most. Now, we're reminiscing about some of the meals we wish we could have one more time from places that have closed since 2020:
We still miss late-night treks to Denver Diner for...whatever sounded good at the moment, whether that was a green chile-smothered burrito, mozzarella sticks or pancakes. While some old-school diners remain, the only one that's still open 24 hours — on the weekends, at least — is Pete's Kitchen.
Euclid Hall was a Larimer Square staple for a decade before it closed for good in 2020, a decision that was sped up because of COVID, but had already been in the works. Five years later, we're still craving its housemade sausages, duck poutine and pad thai pig ears.
The Bonnie Brae neighborhood lost two longtime mainstays with the closures of both Bonnie Brae Tavern and the Saucy Noodle across the street. Each was around for decades — Bonnie Brae for nearly ninety years and the Saucy Noodle just under sixty. Fortunately, the nearly forty-year-old Bonnie Brae Ice Cream is still scooping for those who want a taste of nostalgia.
Blue Ocean (aka Little Chengdu) was a hole-in-the-wall Chinese spot in the DTC where the owner could often be seen preparing one of its best dishes, the thick, hand-pulled noodles that we still dream of regularly.
Diners in Denver love to debate where to get the best green chile, and we lost one of the top options when El Tepehuan shuttered in 2023 after 45 years in business. We still haven't found a replacement carnitas plate that hits the same spot.
Who remembers this messy but delicious burger from Meadowlark Kitchen in RiNo? It was made with a patty that combined chuck, heart and neck, topped with spicy candied bacon, an onion ring, a poached egg and creamy Irish cheddar sauce all loaded on a brioche bun. Nowadays, smashburgers have taken center stage but we'd love to bite into this beauty one more time.
Chef Biju Thomas nearly had a fast-casual hit on his hands with Biju's Little Curry Shop. We still think about the healthy, flavor-packed bowls it was dishing up before it became one of the first restaurants to announce that it would not reopen after the mandatory indoor dining shutdown in 2020.
When Buchi moved out of Sunnyside in 2020, it left behind a space that's now home to one of our current favorites, Odie B's...but we miss Buchi's Cuban sandwiches. Fortunately, we can still get one...all we have to do is drive to Buchi's Leadville location.
Among the more recent losses is Steve's Snappin' Dogs, which closed after owner Steve Ballas decided to retire last year. Now, there's a new restaurant serving in its former home: Mama Jo's Biscuits and BBQ moved in earlier this month and while we're fans of its food, Steve's left a gap. For now, you can get a fix at its outpost at DIA, but that's set to close within the year, too.  Across from Steve's, Fox Run Cafe didn't have a long run on Colfax — but it managed to make a big impression. Since it said goodbye in October, we've woken up hungry for its banana bread, perfect potatoes and Caesar salad many times. But we are excited for Bakery Four to move in — it's opening a second location in the space this year.