The number of restaurants opening between Christmas and New Year's Eve in 2018, normally one of the slowest times of the year for debuts, suggested that new establishments would keep rolling in after the arrival of 2019. And metro Denver didn't disappoint, with some twenty eateries and bars opening their doors in January. What struck a chord with readers? Arcade bars attracted attention, including a new Greenwood Village outpost for The 1Up and Players Pub on Broadway. Meat was also a popular theme, whether in the form of wild game and seafood at Barbed Wire Reef or the smoky flavors of AJ's Pit Bar-B-Q.
We missed Cho77 when it closed on South Broadway at the end of last summer, but it's back with a dumpling-heavy menu on the 16th Street Mall.
Surprise closings included Emmerson in Boulder, which had aspirations to greatness in its year and a half in business; King's Land Sea Food Restaurant, one of the city's few dim sum specialists; and Block & Larder, the neighborhood chop house in the Berkeley neighborhood run by the owners of Freshcraft downtown.
Here's our complete list of restaurant and bar openings for January 2019:
Restaurants and Bars Opening in January*
The 1up Arcade Bar — Greenwood, 6864 South Clinton Court,Greenwood Village
303 Sports Grill, 8025 West Bowles Avenue, Littleton
African Grill & Bar, 955 South Kipling Parkway, Lakewood
Anecdote, 820 Sherman Street
AJ's Pit Bar-B-Q, 2180 South Delaware Street
Barbed Wire Reef, 4499 West 38th Avenue
Blind Faith Brewing, 2852 Bowles Avenue, Littleton
Cheba Hut, 3990 Central Park Boulevard
Esters at Oneida Park, 2201 Oneida Street
Hazel Art Bar, 1581 South Pearl Street
The Knotty Neighbor, 1618 East 17th Avenue
Kuni Denver, 2752 Welton Street
Link Coffee, 1100 East 17th Avenue
Masa, 8181 Arista Place, Broomfield
OK Poke (inside Zeppelin Station), 3501 Wazee Street
Players Pub, 8 South Broadway
Reunion Bread Co. (inside The Source), 3350 Brighton Boulevard
Saigon Bistro, 12303 East Mississippi Avenue, Aurora
Savory Vietnam Pho & Grill, 2200 West Alameda Avenue
Tip Top Savory Pies, 105 North Public Road, Lafayette
Woo Ri Korean Restaurant, 2648 South Parker Road, Aurora
Restaurants and Bars Moving in January*
Cho77 (from 42 South Broadway), 1550 Blake Street
Rio Grande, 1701 Pearl Street (temporary location while 1101 Walnut Street is being renovated)
Restaurants and Bars Closing in January*
Aloha Poke Co. (inside Zeppelin Station), 3501 Wazee Street
Cantina Laredo, 1040 15th Street
King's Land Seafood Restaurant, 2200 West Alameda Avenue
Lark Burger, 340 East Alameda Avenue, 1617 California Street, 2730 South Colorado Boulevard, and 4660 West 121st Avenue, Broomfield
Lost Highway Brewing, 12741 East Caley Avenue, Centennial
Ted's Montana Grill, 1701 Pearl Street, Boulder
Block & Larder, 4000 Tennyson Street
Emmerson, 1600 Pearl Street, Boulder
Namkeen (inside Zeppelin Station), 3501 Wazee Street
RiNo Yacht Club (inside The Source), 3350 Brighton Boulevard
The Three Lions, 2239 East Colfax Avenue
Uturn BBQ, 599 Crossing Drive, Lafayette
*Or earlier, and not previously reported.
Have you noticed any bar or restaurant openings or closings that aren't on our list? Let us know in the comments section or send an email to [email protected].