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- Where:
- 6985 W. 38th Ave., Wheat Ridge
- The Draw:
- Offerings are always evolving; the space has a warm, welcoming vibe.
- The Drawback:
- Top items tend to sell out; parking is somewhat limited.
- Noise Level:
- Low
- What To Order:
- Maritozzi, jambon beurre, white pizza, semolina baguette, Basque cheesecake, well-loved houseplants
Chef Matt Dulin doesn’t like wasted space or missed opportunities. Which begins to explain GetRight’s, the Wheat Ridge bakery/sandwich shop/pizza joint/gelato parlor/plant nursery he opened with his wife, Lindsey Judd, in 2023.
“I don’t enjoy downtime,” Dulin says. “I strive to fill in any gap within the day with something.” At GetRight’s, that means every inch of its 1,200 square feet (plus patio space) is designed for maximum functionality—and fun. What began in 2020 as a houseplant business and cottage bakery with burnished sourdough loaves and pastries coming out of the couple’s home kitchen now includes breakfast and lunch sandwiches assembled on croissants and said bread; pizza, starring the same naturally leavened dough; and house-made gelato, in which unsold pastries end up churned into dreamy flavors such as lemon cookie, caramel-cinnamon croissant, and strawberry shortcake.
Named for Dulin’s alter ego, Goody GetRight (a nom de plume he used for a 2016 self-published memoir), who always views things from the bright side, the cafe defies easy categorization. But what’s most important is that the shop doesn’t just dabble in all its endeavors; it shines.
Take the Italian maritozzi. If you’ve heard about GetRight’s, it’s likely because of these viral sweet buns, split open like a Pac-Man’s mouth and filled with an absurd amount of cream. “I love cream and custard things—that was my initial draw,” Dulin says. “I’m part Korean and Japanese, and those bakeries also do cream buns, so that felt relevant to me.”
The buns’ tender brioche crumb is notable on its own, but the cream is what really stands out. “We add vanilla custard to it,” Dulin says. “I really wanted to make something with slight savory notes to show off the richness of the vanilla.”
This approach—an undertone of salt and umami—points to Dulin’s years as a chef in Denver restaurants (such as LoHi’s Uncle) and can be found in everything from the passion fruit bomboloni and flaky morning buns to filled croissants and Basque cheesecake.
But the pizza, Dulin says, marks his full return to the savory side. In the shop, it arrives as a rectangular slice big enough to feed two ($11.75 for lunch; whole takeout pies are $25 to $32 during dinner). The white pie—a wily, cheesy combo of Calabrian sausage, pickled peppers, onions, béchamel, Parmesan, mozz, and oregano—is crusty on the edges, bubbled on the inside, and rich but not one-note. It gets my vote for one of the best pizzas in the metro. Dulin changes the in-house options daily; sometimes it’s the aforementioned white pie, other times it’s thinly sliced zucchini and Burrata. A classic and slightly spicy pepperoni is always on the menu. (Skip the $2 side of hot honey, which was too dense and smoky for me.)
On the breakfast sandwich lineup (generally available from 8 to 11 a.m.), a seemingly straightforward offering of super-fluffy scrambled egg on a crackly croissant gains complexity thanks to decadent Hollandaise. And the tidy jambon beurre—just salty ribbons of ham and an excess of butter—makes the best use of a crispy baguette. “It’s really a perfect sandwich,” Dulin says of the top-seller. “I don’t need [it] to be super flashy.”
Some sandwiches demand extra napkins, though. The muffuletta is one, with its combo of mortadella, salami, olive salad, Swiss, and provolone on a sesame-bejeweled bun; the hot pastrami and Swiss, with roasted onions and spicy mustard (the two conspire to make sauce) on an everything-spice roll, is another.
Aside from the eats, the community vibe is also compelling: Judd’s smile when she’s at the counter; the cheerful plants that Dulin propagates himself (although less frequently now); the yeasty, sugary smell that follows you out the door. Some days, the owners’ two young children hang out at the shop. The patio regularly hosts breakdancing classes, clothing exchanges, and book clubs.
What can be frustrating is the lack of concrete info online, such as breakfast and lunch hours or changes to the daily sandwich menu. This is in part because the concept is constantly evolving, but it’s also because the choices ebb and flow with Dulin’s whims. The truth is, GetRight’s is so tiny and becoming so in demand that your favorite sandwich might sell out before you arrive or the last maritozzi could disappear in the time it takes you to park. (Tip: Use the lot to the west and across the street.) “It’s not unusual for us to cap out on potential sales because of the amount of bread and pastries we can make and store,” Dulin says.
For the customer, that’s an argument for visiting early and often. For the owner it’s—you guessed it—an opportunity. But he’ll soon open a production facility nearby to address the supply issue and possibly expand with wholesale accounts, which, knowing Dulin, will likely lead to something else entirely new.
