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

Patricia Calhoun June 3, 2014 10:06AM

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.

I support

Local

Community

Journalism

Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.

Support Us

Follow @CafeWestword

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls.

Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1.

Patricia Calhoun co-founded Westword in 1977; she’s been the editor ever since. She’s a regular on the weekly CPT12 roundtable Colorado Inside Out, played a real journalist in John Sayles’s Silver City, once interviewed President Bill Clinton while wearing flip-flops, and has been honored with numerous national awards for her columns and feature-writing.

Contact: Patricia Calhoun

Follow:

Twitter: @calhounwestword