Every Restaurant Opening and Closing in November 2021

We're nearing the end of the year, and new restaurants and bars continue to open in Denver and beyond. In November, we logged 21 openings, ranging from Gladys — a veggie-focused option at Edgewater Public Market — to a mochi doughnut destination in Aurora and a winery in Englewood.

Big names in the dining scene had a particularly big month. Restaurateur Juan Padró's Culinary Creative group added a fourth Tap & Burger in Westminster, and also brought on former Bar Dough executive chef and Top Chef alum Carrie Baird as the growing burger brand's new culinary director. Culinary Creative also opened A5, a steakhouse with retro vibes, under the direction of chef and partner Max MacKissock. The restaurant is located in the longtime home of the Wazee Supper Club, where Culinary Creative's French eatery Morin debuted in late 2018; after the first indoor dining shutdown of 2020, the team decided to shutter that concept and rebrand. A5 is the result, with a balance between a modern ethos around sustainability and design elements that hark back to the ‘50s, ’60s and early ’70s.

Lon Symensma's ChoLon Restaurant Concepts introduced YumCha, a noodle and dumpling-focused concept next door to the original ChoLon; it replaced Cho77, which closed in early 2020. Up next for Symensma: reopening LeRoux at 1510 16th Street and adding two concepts, including a second YumCha, at the Lakehouse at Sloan's Lake in 2022.

Behind Union Station, in the space attached to the Hotel Indigo where Hearth & Dram used to be, restaurateur Robert Thompson opened the vibrant Three Saints Revival. Thompson has been a part of Denver's dining scene for more than two decades, with concepts ranging from Brasserie Rouge to Argyll to Punch Bowl Social. In 2020, he resigned from that "eatertainment" brand, moved to New Orleans, and started a new development company, Angiven. Three Saints is that outfit's first project, and marks a revival of Thompson's vision. Focused on tapas and a Mediterranean-inspired bar program, it's a dreamy escape.

Frank Bonanno, whose Bonanno Concepts became the first restaurant group in the city to require proof of vaccination for guests and employees, reopened French 75 in downtown Denver. The comeback brought a new menu that moved beyond the restaurant's rigid identity as a French brasserie, adding items like dumplings, the lobster ramen from Bonanno's now-closed ramen shop, Bones, and 75-cent prosecco during happy hour. 

The openings far outweighed the three reported closures: Walkin Chickin, which was only open for four months; Flying Pig Burger Co. in Arvada (its location in Littleton remains open); and El Chingon, which left its home onTennyson Street but is planning to reopen in a larger space.

Here's the complete list of metro Denver restaurants and bars that opened and closed in November:
Restaurants and bars opening this month:*

A5, 1600 15th Street
Bezel, 1550 Court Place
Birdcall, 2905 Pearl Street, Boulder
Blanco Cocina + Cantina, 4177 East Ninth Avenue
Boba Boba, 6474 Ward Road, Arvada
Cochino Taco, 7702 Ralston Road, Arvada
Culinary Dropout, 4141 East Ninth Avenue
Dave's Hot Chicken, 1615 Platte Street
Deep Roots Winery & Bistro, 2875 Blake Street
Gladys, 5505 West 20th Avenue, Edgewater
Golden Falafel, 6460 East Yale Avenue
Istanbul Cafe, 2350 East Evans Avenue
Ladrón Cellars, 11435 East Briarwood Avenue, Englewood
Lea Jane's Hot Chicken, 1441 26th Street
Mochinut, 2222 South Havana Street, Aurora
Naughty List, 1403 Larimer Street
Silvia at Lost City, 3459 Ringsby Court
Three Saints Revival, 1801 Wewatta Street
Tap & Burger, 8810 Westminster Boulevard, Westminster
Yacht Club, 3701 Williams Street
YumCha, 1520 16th Street

Restaurants and bars reopening this month:*

French 75, 717 17th Street

Restaurants and bars closing this month:*

El Chingon, 4326 Tennyson Street
Flying Pig Burger Co.,  5777 Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada
Walkin Chickin, 4004 West 38th Avenue

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

Know of something we missed? Email [email protected].