Every Restaurant and Bar Opening and Closing This Week

A couple of Ethiopian-owned cafes have opened in east Denver recently. Walia Creamery took over the space left vacant when Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant moved from 1119 Syracuse Street to its current home at 1422 Poplar Street. Walia serves ice cream and sorbet in colorful tropical flavors, such as mango-ginger, as well as the standards and even a few vegan options. Look for the Walia logo, an Ethiopian ibex. And at 7031 East Colfax, the Ethio Cafe just took over the former home of Etete Coffee, serving coffee, breakfast and lunch in the cozy space. 

Further east on Colfax, East Fax Tap is now pouring in the former home of the Hanger Bar.

In West Highland, Spatola Ristorante & Wine Bar closed in the tucked-aways spot it had occupied since 2016. Chef/owner Franco Spatola's other business, Dolce Sicilia Italian Bakery, is still going strong at 3210 Wadsworth Boulevard in Wheat Ridge.

Here's our complete list of restaurant and bar openings and closings from April 1 through 7, 2019, plus links to recent and upcoming activity.

Restaurants and Bars Opening This Week*
5280 Provisions, 999 18th Street
Bumble Tea, 2260 East Colfax Avenue
East Fax Tap, 8001 East Colfax Avenue
Ethio Cafe, 7031 East Colfax Avenue
Great Divide Brewhouse and Kitchen, Denver International Airport, Concourse C
Noble Riot, 1336 27th Street
Peak View Brewing Company, 9672 East Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village
Smith + Canon Ice Cream, 2260 East Colfax Avenue
The Stateroom, inside the Buffalo Rose, 1119 Washington Avenue, Golden
Urban Burma, 10180 East Colfax Avenue, Aurora
Walia Creamery, 1119 Syracuse Street

Restaurants and Bars Reopening This Week:
Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, 1101 Walnut Street, Boulder (on April 6, after renovation)

Restaurants and Bars Closing This Week*
Lucky China, 2000 South Havana Street, Aurora
The Palate Food + Wine, 5375 Landmark Place, Greenwood Village
Spatola Ristorante & Wine Bar, 3434 West 32nd Avenue

*Or earlier, and not previously reported.

"Joe Maxx to Open Second Location Inside New West Highland Food Hall"

"Nocturne Owners Launch Noble Riot Next Door in RiNo"

"Ten Suburban Denver Breweries Opening in 2019"

"Anise Opening in DJ's Cafe Space in Golden Triangle"

"New Vegan Comfort-Food Truck Hopes to Attract Meat Eaters"

Earlier this year, we listed twenty upcoming eateries to look forward to in 2019. So far, only three of those — Noble Riot, Della Radice and Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ — have opened, leaving seventeen more to look forward to. And that's just the tip of the iceberg; every week, budding restaurateurs and veteran chefs are announcing new projects. Keep up to date by bookmarking www.westword.com/restaurants.

Once a restaurant opens, we still have work to do. Every year, we sample the goods throughout the city to see where the best food can be found. This year, we gave out 116 Food & Drink awards in our Best of Denver edition. If you're wondering how we make our picks, read the rationale behind our Best New Restaurant, Best New Bar, Best Green Chile and Best Ramen.

Have you spotted any opening or closings that we may have missed? Let us know in the comments or send an email to [email protected].