Every Restaurant Opening and Closing This Week, February 26-March 4

Chook expanded and Disco Pig started dancing.

March 5, 2022

Image: Josh Schmitz and Matt Haberman, next to Disco Pig's mascot “Alan,” who greets you when you walk in.

Josh Schmitz and Matt Haberman, next to Disco Pig's mascot “Alan,” who greets you when you walk in. Courtesy Josh Schmitz

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"Believe it or not, it's part of our growth plans," Kevin Morrison says of the closing of Taco Bar, once an East Seventh Avenue outpost of Morrison's Tacos Tequila Whiskey concept, which celebrated ten years in business in 2021.

Last year, he rebranded the Tacos Tequilas Whiskey in Governor's Park as Taco Bar in order to test out a fast-casual concept, but "that location didn't fit our business model, and we found a buyer," he explains. The space will become a Barbed Wire Reef, and Morrison is now concentrating on expanding the Tacos Tequila Whiskey brand — there are currently locations in City Park and Highland — as well as his other restaurant, Fish N Beer in RiNo.

While that was the only closure to report this week, there were four openings. Chef/restaurateur Alex Seidel (of Fruition, Mercantile and the upcoming Lakewood pizza joint Roca's) expanded his Chook Charcoal Chicken brand, opening its fourth location, in the Cherry Hills Marketplace at University and Orchard. Indian restaurant Yak & Yati expanded as well, with the debut of a fifth location in Wheat Ridge.

In Aurora, Fire Wings, which was founded in 2015 in Sacramento, opened its first outpost in Colorado. Along with wings, it serves chicken tenders, sandwiches and loaded fries.

And downtown nightlife got a boost thanks to Handsome Boys Hospitality. The quickly expanding group that's behind horror-themed Slashers, Brit bar Telephone in Lakewood, and Hidden Gems Ice Cream and Larimer Wonderland dessert shop in Larimer Square, celebrated the grand opening of Disco Pig on March 4. "It's a super-eclectic, ’70s disco vibe," Schmitz says. "It doesn't really make a lot of sense; if I wrote it on paper, there's no way an investor would like it. ... But we really think it's going to set us apart. And right now in Denver, there's not a legit place to just go and dance!"

Here's the full list of restaurants and bars that opened and closed this week:

click to enlarge

Josh Schmitz and Matt Haberman, next to Disco Pig's mascot “Alan,” who greets you when you walk in.

Courtesy Josh Schmitz

Restaurants and bars opening this week:*

Chook Charcoal Chicken, 2500 East Orchard Road, Greenwood Village
Disco Pig, 1403 Larimer Street
Fire Wings, 13950 East Mississippi Avenue, Aurora
Yak & Yeti, 4101 Kipling Street, Wheat Ridge

Restaurants and bars closing this week:*

Taco Bar, 215 East Seventh Avenue

*Or earlier and not otherwise reported.

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

Molly Martin has been the Food & Drink editor at Westword since 2021. Prior to joining the staff, Molly reported on the Denver dining scene for more than a decade and contributed to Thrillist. At Westword, Molly monitors restaurant openings and closings, offers dining recommendations and reports on Denver-area food news and trends. She also publishes such annual lists as Top 100 Bars and Top 100 Restaurants, and contributes to the yearly Best of Denver edition. In 2023, she was recognized with the Colorado Restaurant Association's Outstanding Media Professional award.

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