September's restaurant debuts were nothing if not diverse, in terms of style as well as price. Puerto Rican cuisine, a rarity in Denver, returned to the city with Puerto Rico 5280, the reincarnation of El Coqui D'Aqui, which closed last spring on Colorado Boulevard. Happy Cafe brought traditional Hong Kong-style Cantonese cooking to Federal Boulevard, while El Cazo Cocina y Cantina gave the Jefferson Park neighborhood its first taste of chef Efren Velazquez's cooking since La Loma, where he cooked for more than fifteen years, moved out of the area two years ago. Odd openings included the Waffle Place, which specializes in waffle sandwiches; Yeah Baby, a biodynamic gin bar, art gallery and disco; and Bella La Crema, a butter-themed bar in Lyons.

On the high end, the Wolf's Tailor wowed Sunnyside neighbors with its Italian and Japanese influences and patio garden, while the newest Hacienda Colorado brought its popular brand of  "Mountain Mex" to the 16th Street Mall.

In closings, a couple of old-timers, the Old Spaghetti Factory and the Paramount Cafe, pulled out of downtown, while in Aurora, Thai Street Food, one of the best Thai restaurants in town, called it quits after a new landlord took over the building in which it was located.

Here's our complete list of restaurant and bar openings and closings for September 2018.

EXPAND

Chow Morso expanded into a full-service restaurant in September after launching as a food counter at Avanti F & B.

Mark Antonation

Restaurants Opening in September*
Albasha Grill, 2260 South Quebec Street
Amethyst Coffee Company Lakeside, 4999 West 44th Avenue
Bella La Crema, 405 Mains Street, Lyons
Brew Culture, 3620 West Colfax Avenue
Chow Morso Osteria, 1500 Wynkoop Street
Colorado Sake Co., 3559 Larimer Street
El Cazo Cocina y Cantina, 2901 West 25th Avenue
El Jaripeo, 1050 South Havana, Aurora
Hacienda Colorado, 1550 Court Street
Happy Cafe, 945 South Federal Boulevard
Meatball Eatery & Libations, 9220 East Arapahoe Road
Mila, 999 18th Street
Nomad Taqueria + Beer Garden, 18485 West Colfax Avenue, Golden

EXPAND

Denver got a new Puerto Rican restaurant, Puerto Rico 5280, in September.

Courtesy Puerto Rico 5280

Puerto Rico 5280, 3109 Federal Boulevard
Rebel Bread, 2400 Curtis Street
Squared Pizza + Beer, 1123 Walnut Street, Boulder
Tap & Burger Belleview Station, 4190 South Newport Street, Greenwood Village
Toasted & Cajun, 3500 Morrison Road
Torpedo Coffee, 2231 Oneida Street
The Waffle Place, 1384 South Broadway
The Wolf's Tailor, 4058 Tejon Street
Yeah Baby, 2811 Walnut Street
Zig Zag Smokin' Burger, 9220 East Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village

Restaurants Reopening in September*
Cody's Cafe and Bar (moved to new address), 10253 East Iliff Avenue, Aurora

Restaurants Temporarily Closing in September*
Cho77 (moving to 1555 Blake Street), 42 South Broadway

The Paramount Cafe closed in September after more than thirty years on the 16th Street Mall.

Danielle Lirette

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Restaurants and Bars Closing in September*
Atticus, 1115 East Evans Avenue
Old Spaghetti Factory, 1215 18th Street
Paramount Cafe, 519 16th Street
The Rosedale, 1135 East Evans Avenue
Thai Street Food, 11650 Montview Boulevard, Aurora

*Or earlier, and not previously reported.

There are plenty of openings ahead in the final three months of 2018, as in-the-works restaurants hurry to catch holiday business. And we'll no doubt see plenty of closings, including the announced shutterings of the Paramount's siblings...as well as some surprises.

What did we miss? Check August's Restaurant Roll Call, and then post a comment or send a note to cafe@westword.com. 

• Open and Shut Cases