Twenty More Restaurants and Bars Opening Soon in Denver

In February, we shared news of twenty restaurants scheduled to open in 2019. Since then, four — Della Radice, Gyu Kaku Japanese BBQ, Noble Riot and Quiero Arepas — have opened, so you still have sixteen to look forward to. But restaurateurs and chefs are not loafing around; there are plenty more planning debuts this year. Here are twenty more restaurants and bars expected to open in 2019 — some as soon as next week.

EXPAND

Anise is moving in where DJ's moved out.

Kenzie Bruce

Anise is taking over the former home of DJ's 9th Avenue Cafe and will be a "modern Vietnamese restaurant," according to the restaurant's website. The eatery is targeting a May opening.

A rundown corner store is being converted into a modern French restaurant in the Cole neighborhood of northeast Denver. Brasserie Brixton is aiming to open in July.

Those with a long memory might recall Sevilla, a Spanish restaurant and club in the basement of the Icehouse building downtown. Bart DeLorenzo was the man behind that one, and now he's getting back into the Denver bar scene with Cherish, which will focus on rare spirits and cocktails. Cherish will open in Cherry Creek in May.

Chef Clint Wangsnes and partner Christian Anderson are opening their third Chop Shop this spring. The newest in the "fine-casual" group will take over a former used-car dealership on South Broadway in Englewood.

Burlington, Vermont, ramen specialist Gaku, operated by Kelly Jones Hospitality, chose Boulder for its second home. The noodle shop will open on Tuesday, April 30, in a former Qdoba on the Hill.

This food truck is becoming a full-fledged restaurant.

Courtesy of King of Wings

Eddie Renshaw and Evan Pierce found a permanent roost for their mobile wing kitchen, King of Wings. They'll be slinging their brand of flame-grilled flappers in Wheat Ridge this summer, with an anticipated June opening.

Nostalgia is a powerful force — so Chicago natives with a love of classic metal will likely be drawn to Kuma's Corner, an outpost of the Windy City originally founded in 2005. The restaurant promises great burgers and "American bistro fare" with a mission statement of "Support your community. Eat beef. Bang your head." The owners are targeting an opening at the tail end of 2019.

Crispy pan-fried dumplings are the top seller at Mason's Dumplings.

Courtesy of Mason's Dumplings

Planning and permitting has been slow, but construction is finally under way at a former Aurora dive bar that will soon become the only outpost of the Luscious Dumpling family of restaurants outside California. Co-owner Ker Zhu says that the end of 2019 is a reasonable estimate for an opening.

Thomas Garnick is expanding on his wood-fired pizza concept, Brava! Pizzeria (inside Avanti Food & Beverage), with a new eatery called Noble Char, which will turn out all manner of wood-oven eats in Park Hill. The restaurant will take over part of a former movie theater that was originally slated to become a distillery-restaurant before that project was canned over outrage from the community. Look for a July debut.

What was once Central Kitchen & Bar, then Candela, will soon become Northside Eatery & Market, which promises California cuisine, creative cocktails and fresh produce from a mini-market inside the restaurant. The eatery should be open in LoHi by late spring or early summer.

Bradford Kim's Cherry Hills Sushi Co. is getting ready to open a new location in Park Hill, in part of the sprawling building that was once Tante Louise. Kim is also looking to open a third sushi bar in Berkeley after the Park Hill location is up and running, which could happen in May (depending on when the restaurant receives its final certification from the city).

Tattoo artist and entrepreneur John Slaughter, owner of Tribe Tattoo on Santa Fe Drive, took over a former tire shop a couple of doors down from his studio and has converted it into Pistol Whip, which will open on Wednesday, May 1, with chef Nicolas Lebas at the helm.

West Highland and Berkeley neighbors will soon get their own food hall, as Plaza 38 at Lowell is expected to open on West 38th Avenue this summer, with Joe Maxx Coffee Co., Milky Way Ice Cream, Taco Connection and Camila's Mexican Grill as tenants.

Tennyson Street is getting Texas barbecue.

Mark Antonation

Forth Worth native Nick Prince took over the vacated Block & Larder space earlier this year and is converting it into Post Oak Barbecue, a Texas-style smokehouse that will be big on brisket, along with other slow-cooked specialties. Prince hopes to open his barbecue this summer.

Rita Price has a few rules if you plan on visiting her upcoming bar, Rita's Law, when it opens sometime in the next couple of weeks — but most of them involve enjoying drinks and making new friends. The Five Points watering hole will also have a small kitchen in a converted school bus on the patio.

It's been a long ride for Steven Waters, but he's finally ready to open his horse-racing-themed bar beneath the Dairy Block downtown. Run for the Roses will open on Thursday, May 2, with an alley entrance across from Denver Milk Market. Expect classic cocktails and tasty creations, all printed on decks of cards.

Sassafras closed its popular Jefferson Park breakfast eatery at the end of March, but will soon reopen in a bigger space, taking over the conjoined Victorian mansions that previously held Solitaire and Highland's Garden Cafe. Fans will be delighted that the new Sassafras will have a liquor license.

EXPAND

The newest Sushi-Rama is nearly ready to open.

Mark Antonation

Restaurateur Jeff Osaka is nearly ready to debut his fourth conveyor-belt sushi bar at the base of a new apartment building across Colfax Avenue from the Fitzsimons medical complex. Final inspections are dragging on, but a May opening for the new Sushi-Rama is looking likely to happen.

EXPAND

The newest Sushi-Rama is nearly ready to open.

Mark Antonation

The Japanese drinking dens with booze-friendly food, known as izakayas, are one of the hottest restaurant trends in Denver. A cozy new bar called Tatsu Izakaya will open on South University Boulevard on Wednesday,  May 1, according to the establishment's Facebook page.

EXPAND

Woodie Fisher is expected to open in May.

Mark Antonation

The name Woodie Fisher seems a little goofy for a restaurant, but it's a tribute to a Denver firefighter from the late 1800s who gave his life while on duty. The gorgeous restaurant is being built in a renovated fire station that was one of Denver's first. Staff training has begun, and the restaurant reports that it will be ready to open in mid- to late May.

• Openings and Closings