The Good Times Are Rolling at the Newest Lucile's Creole Cafe

Last summer, the Richards family began work on the sixth outpost of their popular breakfast-and-lunch kitchen, Lucile's Creole Cafe, which got its start in Boulder more than 35 years ago. The new Lucile's is now open at 999 East Evans Avenue, with the same great menu of New Orleans favorites, from the signature house coffee blend to the pillowy beignets to hearty shrimp and grits.

This is the first Lucile's to be built in a location that hadn't previously been a restaurant, so there were challenges converting what was once a neighborhood post office into a modern eatery. But the redevelopment of the building (which was most recently Home and Hearth Outfitters) maintained the beauty of the original brick walls, arched windows and wood floors, keeping an open floor plan to let the sunlight spill across the two dining areas and funky circular bar, which is topped with individual curved sections for each built-in stool.

The decor is old-fashioned, but that's just what Lucile's customers have come to expect: homey, comforting surroundings to match the menu. A small piano stands in as the host station and Louisiana-themed art and tchotchkes adorn the walls. Outside, a wraparound patio offers a fire pit and cushy seating in the front, with an additional back porch that will open once spring arrives.

Lucile's was founded in Boulder in 1980 and has since spread to Fort Collins, Longmont and Littleton, with the first Denver location opening in 2005. Like that sibling two miles to the north at 275 South Logan, the new Lucile's is open for breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends; for now, the kitchen is running with a smaller lunch menu until business ramps up.  

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