Hey Kiddo Invites You to "Walk With Us"

The homegrown restaurant empire built by Id Est Hospitality Group began in 2010 with Boulder's Basta, an elevated pizza restaurant (and a 2025 Best of Denver winner for Best Wood-Fired Pizza, and Bread, and Lasagna — where else can you order a clam panna and pancetta pie?). Since then, it has grown into a handful of award-winning and nationally-recognized properties in the Denver area.

Those businesses include Dry Storage (a grain mill, bakery/R&D lab and cafe), The Wolf’s Tailor (the company's tasting‑menu flagship, which earned a Michelin star and a Michelin Green star), BRUTØ (a 16‑seat chef’s counter that was also Michelin-recognized) and Hey Kiddo & OK Yeah. Owners Kelly and Erika Whitaker, who've steadfastly focused on sustainable, regenerative agriculture and zero-waste concepts, last year expanded their range and took over Nonesuch, a chef's table in Oklahoma City.

Hey Kiddo opened in 2023, and offers casual dining in a cool contemporary setting that reflects the hip modernity of its Berkeley neighborhood, but with an elevated twist. Unlike most of the businesses along the bustling Tennyson Street strip between 38th and 44th avenues, Hey Kiddo is on the third floor of the boutique Asher Hotel, with a view out the window to Tennyson as you exit the elevator (or stairs) to enter the dining room.
The interior is roomy and modern, with a view of the open kitchen, and if thirsty visitors know about it, they walk past the bathroom access down a narrow hall and into OK Yeah, a "secret" — like a Prohibition-era speakeasy — and equally beautiful bar that has a large picture window that looks west over the 1960s-style sawtooth rooftop of Arrupe Jesuit High School, with the foothills in the distance. And for an even better view, diners can go up on the building's roof for drinks and some menu items from the kitchen, made more delicious by the spectacular view (pro tip: go at sunset).

Since it opened, Hey Kiddo has featured dishes you can order a la carte or chef's table style, as a package of main dish and sides bundled together, that the restaurant calls "Walk With Us." The latest iteration of the Walk With Us menu, introduced this summer, features a choice of the Korean Fried Chicken that's been a mainstay since the start, as well as duck (coated with burnt nut Hoisin), Wagyu beef (with apple-pear jalapeno sauce) and pork ribs with ume, or salted plum BBQ sauce.
Individually, the proteins cost $38 to $56; the Walk With Us experience is $85 for one centerpiece and all the sides: milk rolls served with cultured butter and bonito, potato pave with trout roe gravy and chives, and Grandma's Chicken & Dumplings, an homage to chef/owner Kelly Whitaker's grandmother. There's also Shaken Rice, with rice and various veggies and proteins (could be fish roe, raw egg or meat) brought to the table in a tin that evokes a Japanese bento box, that is then shaken at the table by the server until it blends into a colorful, fried-rice-like mix.

We tried some satisfying mocktails before and during the meal, and closed out with a Red Miso Ice Cream Sundae.

It didn't take long for Hey Kiddo to earn national accolades. The restaurant received a Michelin "recommended" award in September 2023, but in February 2024, someone stole the plaque, which had been displayed on the front bar. Though Hey Kiddo asked for its return with no questions asked and a friendly outreach to the thief, it was never returned.
Despite the drama, Hey Kiddo moved on, and it continues to serve up award-winning meals.

During our dinner, the menu was fun, the food was great, the service stellar and helpful, and the view unbeatable. We'd be happy to walk with Hey Kiddo any day.

Hey Kiddo is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday at 4337 Tennyson Street; learn more at hk-oy.com.