Jus Cookin's Closes in Lakewood After Nearly Thirty Years of Frying Chicken

West-siders will need to find a new stop for fried chicken: After 28 years, Jus Cookin's Restaurant has served its last bird. The venerable home-style eatery was a favorite for years in Aurora before owners Steve and Char Modlich moved it to Lakewood in 2004. The farmhouse kitchen near the corner...

By Mark Antonation

February 17, 2016

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West-siders will need to find a new stop for fried chicken: After 28 years, Jus Cookin's Restaurant has served its last bird. The venerable home-style eatery was a favorite for years in Aurora before owners Steve and Char Modlich moved it to Lakewood in 2004.

The farmhouse kitchen near the corner of Eighth Avenue and Simms Street was known for its fried chicken, which made a list of some of the best in the country in Food & Wine magazine in 2011, but customers flocked there for all things fowl: chicken soup, chicken-salad sandwiches, chicken-fried steak, chicken Parmesan — and a pretty decent burger, too.

Of course, if you like your dinner with a dash of country charm, there's always White Fence Farm not too far away, which spread its wings last fall with the first quick-service version in Green Valley Ranch, with more on the way.

Mark Antonation is the former Westword Food & Drink Editor. In 2018, he was named Outstanding Media Professional by the Colorado Restaurant Association; he's now with the Colorado Restaurant Foundation.

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