Pirate Alley Po’ Boys Starts Serving Lunch in RiNo

Nothing seems to incite food debate quite like sandwiches do. Mention Philly cheese steaks—or lobster rolls or Reubens or banh mi or the very idea of bagels as sandwiches—and you’ll likely conjure strong opinions from any foodie within earshot (or within your Twitter-sphere, as the case may be).

The same is true of the po’ boy, a Louisiana tradition typically involving fried shellfish or roast beef, shredded lettuce, tomato, remoulade (a mayo-based sauce), and Crystal hot sauce on French bread. So when Julep owners Kyle and Katie Foster decided to make po’ boys the centerpiece of their new pop-up lunch menu, they wanted to do it right, spending a few days down in the Big Easy eating, er, researching, scores of sandwiches.

You can now taste the delicious results at their-brand new lunch service, dubbed Pirate Alley Po’ Boys, Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. until the ‘wiches run out. While Kyle’s three flavor options—fried shrimp, roast beef debris, and smoked turkey—should satisfy anyone craving a classic po’ boy, he has also thrown in a few chef-y twists. The smoked turkey version gets a Waldorf salad-esque treatment with crunchy celery slaw and smoked grapes; the roast beef contains a layer of thin, crispy sweet potato chips for a bit of texture. All are built on local City Bakery French bread.

Not in the mood for a sandwich? Order the arugula salad with creamy Anson Mills field peas instead, or go for the “pirate pocket,” a fried hand pie of sorts stuffed with tasso ham gumbo and pig trotter, served with a side of pickled green beans to cut through the rich, savory goodness.

Every item on the menu goes for $12 or less, and we can attest that the po’ boys hold up well for later consumption.

If you go: Pirate Alley Po’ Boys is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. until supplies run out. Pirate Alley is located at Julep, 3258 Larimer St., 303-295-8977