A Thai Restaurant Is Coming to Former Jefferson Park Sassafras Location

The quaint Victorian cottage at 2637 West 26th Avenue has seen many changes since it was built in 1908. After serving for decades as a single-family home, the house was converted into a restaurant space that held La Loma from 1973 to 1981, before the Brinkerhoff family moved their Mexican restaurant to a spacious new building a block away (which is now nothing more than a construction site, though the La Loma sign has been preserved).

Most recently, Sassafras American Eatery served breakfast here from 2012 until just about two months ago, when owner Julia Grother packed up her collection of vintage salt and pepper shakers for a move to 3927 West 32nd Avenue in West Highland, where the eatery is expected to reopen soon.

Weeds have since popped up at the old Sassafras spot, but so has a sign reading "Thai Coming Soon." We haven't been able to reach the folks who posted the sign, but we're looking forward to paying a visit once the restaurant has a name and menu.

Thai cuisine might seem like an odd choice for the location, but it's no more unusual than the many other business that have come and gone here. Part of the difficulty is that a liquor license is not an option, since the property is too close to a school. The cozy dining room is also a challenge for a popular concept (as La Loma and Sassafras found out), but could prove perfect for someone just getting started.

Over the years, the address has also seen Cafe International, Bali Island, La Fabula, Z-Ribs, the Shooting Star, Nanna's Teas and Gordo Loco come and go. Calling it one of Denver's most fatal restaurant black holes would be fair, but the successes prove that the hilltop spot on a quiet street can attract customers — as long as the food and service are good.