Market Street Makeover: Handsome Boys Taking Over El Tejano, Loaded, Smash Face Spaces

"It's pretty fucking crazy," says Josh Schmitz of the newest Handsome Boys Hospitality project. The group, which has quickly expanded its portfolio over the last three years — opening a variety of hospitality businesses including the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed Casey Jones on Broadway and RiNo Country Club — is now tackling its biggest undertaking to date.

El Tejano and Loaded and Smash Face Brewing all debuted on the 1900 block of Market Street in late 2021.Three companies with California ties were behind the trio of new additions: Fillmore Capital Partners, Knitting Factory Entertainment and Buckhead, a restaurant group. At the time, organizers hoped the businesses would help revitalize LoDo.

But this week, all three businesses shuttered, and Fillmore Capital, which still owns the properties, has partnered with Handsome Boys to revamp the spaces — a total of 32,000 square feet.

"These concepts in L.A. do really well," Schmitz says. "But they tried to replicate them here and didn't really understand Denver culture." Handsome Boys was first approached by Fillmore Capital Partners and Monfort Companies, a Colorado real estate investment and development firm that added the iconic El Chapultepec building to its collection of Market Street properties late last year.
Initially, the talks centered on putting temporary concepts in the buildings through baseball season, but the concept eventually evolved into a more long-term deal with a three-year lease. "Having a local hospitality group on this block that knows the culture is gonna be a huge benefit to the city," Schmitz notes.

Since getting the keys this week, the Handsome Boys team has been on site nonstop — "We have our sleeping bags down here," Schmitz says — taking down the signage from the former brands and preparing to open the spaces on Saturday, March 11, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. in order to give curious revelers coming downtown for the St. Patrick's Day Parade a sneak peek of what's to come.

Then all three will be closed as Handsome Boys transforms the buildings into five fresh concepts, set to debut on Rockies Opening Day on April 6.

El Tejano (1949 Market Street) will become Con Safos, which Schmitz describes as a "Mexican party bar." The food program will focus on street tacos and Mexican sushi, with a menu created by the Captain, a local food truck. Tucked inside Con Safos will be a speakeasy dubbed Agua Bendita ("holy water" in Spanish) Mezcaleria, which Schmitz promises will have some of the "best mezcal cocktails in the state." The drink program is being designed by the team from the Handsome Boys horror-themed bar, Slashers.
The speakeasy will also double as a green room for Jaguar Room, a dance club that's taking over the Loaded space (1941 Market Street). Handsome Boys is working with talent buyer Global Dance to bring "well-known DJs and other acts" to the 500-person capacity room, Schmitz says, with the goal of "upping the level of nightlife in downtown Denver."

The rooftop, which is one of the largest in Denver, will be branded El Patio, and will have its own bar and menu. "Whiskey Row and ViewHouse are pretty male-oriented," Schmitz notes. "Our demographic is 21- to 25-year-old brunchers looking for a more aesthetic, comfortable feel," complete with Bellini towers and other Instagrammable touches.

Rounding out the new additions is Tony Tenderonis, which is going into the Smash Face building (1937 Market). "It'll be chicken tenders, crinkle fries, beer and sports," Schmitz says, adding that the dog-friendly patio will be sticking around.

"I'm super-excited to be on the block with Lotus, ViewHouse and Whiskey Row," he says. "This entertainment district is gonna be really fun."

Also set to join the area later this year is Riot House, an Arizona-based concept from the Whiskey Row team that's opening in the former Real World House at 1920 Market Street — an addition that Schmitz  welcomes. "I'm super excited to show Riot House that Colorado has its own style and we know how to do nightlife," he concludes.