Restaurant Roll Call: Every Opening and Closing in October 2022

From fried chicken to ramen to barbecue, we reported on 24 additions to Denver's dining scene in October — a bit of a drop from September, but still an impressive number of openings for an industry that continues to struggle with food costs, supply-chain issues and staffing shortages.

October kicked off with the grand-opening celebration of Saucy's Southern, a barbecue joint that first gained popularity as a food truck. Owners Khristian Matthews and Ki'erre Dawkins also produce a line of THC-infused sauces.

Many of last month's openings were expansions. Chicken Rebel got its start as a small food stand in San Diego, but Denver quicky embraced owner Lydie Lovett's sous vide fried chicken sandwiches after she moved here in 2017; the fast-growing business just added a third location in Littleton. Our 2022 pick for the Best Indian Restaurant added another outpost, too: Tikka & Grill now has a second spot on East Sixth Avenue.

While some local companies are going multi-location, national chains such as Crisp & Green, Corner Bakery Cafe and Cafe Rio continue to grow in the area as well.

Other openings last month marked new ventures for local restaurateurs, including Edwin Zoe, the founder of Zoe Ma Ma, who debuted Dragonfly Noodle on the 16th Street Mall. The owners of 5280 Burger Bar also introduced a fresh concept: Guapo Taco, which is now slinging crispy chicharrones, cheeseburger tacos, margs and more at Colorado Mills.
Coffee lovers have four new options, including Esmè Café in Englewood, which doubles as a Thai restaurant, and the charming Hello Darling, which is a cafe by day and a bar by night.

October also brought some notable closures, including the Boulder locations of Rosenberg's and Sherry's Soda Shoppe, which restaurateur Josh Pollack attributed to "the continued effects of COVID and current economic times for small businesses."

While Pollack chose to shut down those businesses, two others were forced to close. Viceroy Lounge was ordered to close by October 31 after its liquor license was revoked following an incident in which an underage police cadet was allowed to enter and order an alcoholic drink with no ID. This followed a prior violation when the club was open during the stay-at-home order in 2020.

Sancho's Broken Arrow, the Grateful Dead-themed bar on Colfax, was also cited for being open during the bar shutdown; its former owner, Jay Bianchi, publicly retired last year in the wake of sexual assault allegations that he's denied. But it was Bianchi who announced on October 26 that the bar would close after that night, following an investigation that resulted in Sancho's being cited with four counts of cocaine dealing, two counts related to an unlicensed security guard and two counts of allowing underage alcohol consumption, as well as three charges related to the conduct of an establishment, including allowing on-site marijuana consumption.

As part of a settlement with the Department of Excise and Licenses, Sancho's surrendered its tavern liquor license and cabaret license. So Many Roads, which Bianchi also owned until his reported retirement, is facing similar circumstances: It was ordered to close for the month of November, and it remains to be seen whether it will reopen.

And in the meantime....
Restaurants and bars that opened in October:*

Binge Hot Chicken, 4550 Wadsworth Boulevard, Wheat Ridge
Cafe Rio Mexican Grill, 9531 East Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village
Chicken Rebel, 8245 Bowles Avenue, Littleton
Copper Door Coffee Roasters, 7301 South Santa Fe Drive, Littleton
Corner Bakery Cafe, 5680 North Tower Road
Crisp & Green, 14255 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
Dagiya, 5612 South Parker Road, Aurora
Dragonfly Noodle, 1350 16th Street Mall
Esmè Café, 10111 Inverness Main Street, Englewood
Filsaime Flavors, 2171 South Grape Street
Guapo Taco, 14500 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
Hello Darling, 1610 Little Raven Street
Koko Ni, 1441 26th Street
The Rogue Wine Bar & Patio, 7939 East Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village
Saucy's Southern BBQ & Cuisine, 2100 South University Boulevard
STiX Crafthouse, 5777 Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada
Sunroom Brewing, 3242 South Acoma Street, Englewood
Sushi Neko, 6620 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada
Taaz Tavern, 2796 South Broadway, Englewood
Tiff's Treats, 1147 Broadway
Tikka & Grill, 1120 East Sixth Avenue
Town Hall Collaborative, 525 Santa Fe Drive
Voodoo Doughnut, Denver International Airport, Concourse B Mezzanine
Ziggi’s Coffee, 5210 Leetsdale Drive
Restaurants and bars that closed in October:*

Amethyst Coffee, 1111 Broadway
Bowman's Vinyl Lounge, 1312 South Broadway
Frank's Chophouse, 921 Walnut Street, Boulder
Jackass Hill Brewery, 2409 West Main Street, Littleton
Mario's Double Daughter's Salotto, 1632 Market Street
Rosenberg's Bagels & Delicatessen, 1262 College Avenue, Boulder
Sancho's Broken Arrow, 741 East Colfax Avenue
Sassafras, 1027 Washington Avenue, Golden
Sherry's Soda Shoppe, 2716 Welton Street and 1087 13th Street, Boulder
Superfood Bar, 1541 Platte Street
Viceroy Lounge, 778 Mariposa Street

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

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