Every Opening and Closing This Week: Nine New Places to Try

Even as the BRT construction on Colfax continues to disrupt local businesses, including two of our favorite bars, there are some bright spots on the storied street. Last week, Mama Jo's Biscuits and BBQ opened in the former Steve's Snappin' Dogs; this week, two more restaurants debuted on East Colfax.

Maria Empanada opened its fourth location in a small building across from East High School that was most recently occupied by Little Beast Street Food, which closed in 2021. And Uptown Banh Mi & Grill took over the former home of Lucky Noodles, which shuttered on January 24. (Lucky Noodles owner Kamolrat “Ploy” Limpapath is still hoping to bring her eatery back in a new location.)

Other additions in Denver include the sixth outpost of Queen City Coffee Collective near McGregor Square and an outpost of bagel favorite Call Your Mother inside Denver Central Market, a RiNo food hall. RiNo is also now home to the Shambles Tavern, which took over what had been a location of Delaware brewery Dewey Beer since January 2024 and Mockery Brewing before that.

Beyond Denver city limits, the metro area continues to see a lot of action: Parker gained the fifth location of Homegrown Tap & Dough, and pastry chef Jessica La Forge's ice cream brand God Save the Cream now has a scoop shop in Englewood.

In Arvada, all-you-can-eat sushi spot Umai-Ya Sushi is now open. Ramen & Temaki made its debut in Aurora; it's part of the One Concept Restaurant Group, which includes Go Fish Sushi on Broadway as well as the new Chubby Fish Sushi in Broomfield, the new Miya Moon spots in Broomfield and Lone Tree. and more.
Two spots are back after getting a refresh: Le Bilboquet in Cherry Creek had rolling closures through January to update its space, while Mercantile inside Union Station is back after even bigger changes, including a completely new menu that features a prix fixe lunch option.

Daughter Thai in LoHi is still on pause after a plumbing issue forced it to close on Tuesday.

In addition to Dewey Beer, permanent closures this week include a longtime staple in Englewood, Las Brisas, which opened in 1987 and won a Best of Denver award for Best Southwestern Restaurant back in 1988, as well as several more during its run.

Also gone is GraceFull Community Cafe, a pay-what-you-can restaurant in Littleton. According to the Littleton Independent, GraceFull Foundation, the nonprofit that funded it, will continue.

In other openings and closings news:

• Sunday, February 23, is Osaka Ramen's last day in business.
• Italian restaurant Benzina announced that it will close at the end of March.
• Tennyson Street diner Wendell's has a GoFundMe to help it stay open.
• Get an inside look at Sacred Society, a new cafe and meditation center in West Highland.
• Stoney's is set to take over the former Sloan's Lake Tap & Burger. 

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

Openings

Call Your Mother at Denver Central Market, 2669 Larimer Street
God Save The Cream, 3296 South Washington Street, Englewood
Homegrown Tap & Dough, 19320 Cottonwood Drive, Parker
Maria Empanada, 2730 East Colfax Avenue
Mikaku Ramen & Temaki, 14302 East Cedar Avenue, Aurora
Queen City Collective Coffee, 1899 Wynkoop Street
The Shambles Tavern, 3501 Delgany Street
Umai-Ya Sushi, 7450 West 52nd Avenue, Arvada
Uptown Banh Mi, 1201 East Colfax Avenue

Reopening

Le Bilboquet, 299 St. Paul Street
Mercantile, 1701 Wynkoop Street

Temporary closure

Daughter Thai, 1700 Platte Street

Closures

Dewey Beer, 3501 Delgany Street
Las Brisas, 6787 South Clinton Street, Englewood
GraceFull Community Cafe, 5610 South Curtice Street, Littleton

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

Know of something we missed? Email [email protected].