Five Upcoming Openings to Have on Your Radar

Denver's dining scene is ever-changing. Despite the many challenges faced by the industry today, new openings continue to come at a rapid pace — but some are more exciting than others. Here are five upcoming additions that we can't wait to check out:

MAKfam
39 West First Avenue
Opening date: November 1
In October 2019, Kenneth Wan and his wife, Doris Yuen, opened Meta Asian Kitchen at Avanti. After successfully navigating through the pandemic in their food-hall home, they're almost ready to debut their first brick-and-mortar in the Baker neighborhood, where they'll serve Cantonese food with a MAK spin, including dumplings, cheung fun (rice noodle rolls) and a throwback to their first culinary venture together, Hong Kong-style French toast with salted egg yolk custard.
Nana's Dim Sum & Dumplings
3316 Tejon Street
Opening date: Late October
This Highland space was home to chef Justin Brunson's Old Major for seven years before he passed it along to chef Amos Watts, who opened the Fifth String here. In August, Watts moved out, eventually finding a new home for his eatery inside Attimo Wine. But the building on Tejon Street didn't sit empty for long. A banner hanging out front promises the arrival of Nana's, which is set to become the next in a slew of dumpling spots that have debuted in the metro area in recent months. Already-open spots include Bryan's Dumpling House in the DTC, LingLon Dumpling House on South Colorado Bioulevard and Chopstickers on the 16th Street Mall.

Rich Spirit Bagels
10081 West 26th Avenue, Wheat Ridge
Opening date: TBD
There aren't a ton of options for bagels in the metro area. In May, D.C.-born chain Call Your Mother brought its modern spin on a Jewish deli to Denver, with its second location set to open this week in Capitol Hill. Later this year (with any luck), Wheat Ridge will become home to another fresh option for bagel lovers when the owner of Bakery Four debuts Rich Spirit. While Shawn Bergin originally hoped this project would open by the end of summer, he ran into some delays. But construction began last month, bringing opening day a little bit closer.

Provolino
3563 South Monaco Parkway
Opening date: November
Piccolo, which had been serving Italian and Mexican fare from this spot in south Denver for fifty years, closed up shop in April. But now a new Italian eatery is set to move in next month. Provolino has a trio of experienced owners: Eric Allen, who has over three decades of experience in the hotel and restaurant industry; Fred Altberger, who is also one of the owners of Rico's Pizza on South Broadway; and executive chef Jeff Schwing, whose résumé includes Grow + Gather, Death & Co., Brasserie Brixton and Chez Maggy, where he was chef de cuisine. According to a Provolino announcement: "Our menu is like a culinary lovechild, where Neapolitan pizzas and pasta dishes cozy up to Italian wings and the Provolino Burger with fries — because why not?"
Atomic Cowboy/Denver Biscuit Company/Fat Sully's
1100 Washington Avenue, Golden
Opening date: October 24
We love dining out in Golden, a town with plenty of Old West charm. Soon it will welcome a trio of additions, all new locations of popular metro area eateries. First up: Atomic Cowboy, which serves breakfast as Denver Biscuit Company during the day and Fat Sully's pizza by night. It's set to open this week, and not far behind are the third location of Blue Pan Pizza and the second outpost of Wheat Ridge's King of Wings.