December Kicks Off With Eight Openings, Including Another Snooze

Most of the restaurants opening in metro Denver during the first week of December are new locations of existing chains, including two Colorado favorites. Brunch chain Snooze, which was founded in Denver in 2006, now has outposts in ten states. The latest addition brings its pancake flights and other favorites to Arvada; the company raised $11,000 at its pre-opening breakfasts for nonprofits the Family Tree and Denver Urban Gardens.

Denver Beer Company continues to grow; its fifth taproom is now open in Littleton. The location will celebrate with a grand-opening party on Saturday, December 9. The Colorado-born Yampa Sandwich Company also opened a Littleton location — its seventh in the state. It plans to add an eighth outpost in Westminster later this month.

Another sandwich chain, Ike's Love & Sandwiches, is now serving on Larimer Street. The first fifty people in line at its December 15 grand-opening celebration will have the chance to win free sandwiches for a year and will also get some freebies. All guests that day can fill up on sandwiches priced at just $7.97 each.

Two expanding concepts welcomed guests into their second locations this week: Nana's Dim Sum & Dumplings in Boulder (it's planning another in Aurora) and Get Plattered, which specializes in charcuterie boards. The original is in Fort Collins, and the new addition is in Centennial.
Entirely new to the scene is Lavender Coffee Boutique in Platt Park, which has CBD-infused options. In the Highland neighborhood, it took just six weeks to transform the former Truffle Table into Alma Fonda Fina, the first solo venture from chef Johnny Curiel.

There are a trio of closures to report, too. Devil's Head, a distillery in Englewood that made a variety of spirits, including hard-to-find aquavit, said goodbye. After two years, Apple Blossom shuttered in the Hyatt Centric Downtown; sibling owners Paul and Aileen Reilly will now concentrate on Coperta, their Italian eatery.

And on South Broadway, Stoney's Cantina closed its doors after a two-year run. Owner Stoney Jessup is still running the Uptown outpost of Stoney's as well as the OG Stoney's Bar and Grill, just named as one of the 100 bars we can't live without in 2024.

Here's the complete list of restaurants and bars that opened or closed this week:
Restaurants and bars that opened this week:*

Alma Fonda Fina, 2556 15th Street
Denver Beer Company, 2409 Main Street, Littleton
Get Plattered, 7255 South Havana Street, Centennial
Ike's Love & Sandwiches, 1512 Larimer Street
Lavender Coffee Boutique, 1219 South Pearl Street
Nana's Dim Sum & Dumplings, 1125 13th Street, Boulder
Snooze, 7240 West 56th Avenue, Arvada
Yampa Sandwich Company, 8174 South Kipling Parkway, Littleton

Restaurants and bars that closed this week:*

Apple Blossom, 822 18th Street
Devil's Head Distillery, 3296 South Acoma Street, Englewood
Stoney's Cantina, 30 South Broadway

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

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