T-Wa Inn, Denver's first Vietnamese restaurant, has closed

It's the end of an era. After thirty years, T-Wa Inn, Denver's first Vietnamese restaurant, has closed. T-Wa changed a lot over those three decades -- and so did Denver's dining scene, with Vietnamese spots opening all over the city, including longtime favorite New Saigon, just across South Federal Boulevard...

By Patricia Calhoun

June 3, 2014

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It's the end of an era. After thirty years, T-Wa Inn, Denver's first Vietnamese restaurant, has closed. T-Wa changed a lot over those three decades -- and so did Denver's dining scene, with Vietnamese spots opening all over the city, including longtime favorite New Saigon, just across South Federal Boulevard from T-Wa.

See also: Drinking snake wine at T-Wa Inn

And T-Wa's website acknowledged those changes: Thirty "years ago, you couldn't find an authentic Vietnamese restaurant in the Denver-Metro area, until T-Wa Inn opened its doors. T-Wa Inn became Denver's first Vietnamese restaurant. Today, there are many Vietnamese restaurants to choose from in the Denver area; however, none compare to the authentic, freshly prepared cuisine offered by Denver's first Vietnamese restaurant, T-Wa Inn."

But no more. A sign posted on T-Wa's home at 555 South Federal this past weekend delivered the sad news that an era had ended. The dining room is empty, and the phone has been disconnected.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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