The Way Back Moves Forward

For those missing the Way Back’s thoughtfully crafted cocktails and eclectic fare since it went dark on 38th Avenue last August, there’s good news and bad news. The good: Owners Chad Michael George, Kade Gianinetti, and Jared Schwartz have revealed that 3963 Tennyson Street will be the home of the new Way Back, as first reported by Eater Denver. (Also good: You can check out the trio’s latest project, Wayward, in Riverfront Park, or grab a local burger at their fast-casual Avanti Food & Beverage outlet, American Grind.) The bad? The Way Back 2.0 isn’t slated to open until early next year.

While George says that the team will “carry over as much of the space and feel as possible,” to the new location, there are some big changes in store. Most notably, the departure of former chefs Sam Charles and Marcus Eng. The owners are currently seeking a chef to lead the kitchen. “We’ll be set in our ways of how we source, who from, and what the menu looks like—regionally focused and seasonal,” George says, “but we want whoever the chef is to have some input. I wouldn’t be surprised if we had more of a bar-food focus on the menu as the new space is heavy on bar seating.”

The new space, in fact, once belonged to Irish pub Paddy the Yank. The Way Back team is keeping the pub’s bar, but will otherwise give the environs a refresh. And while they do plan to bring over some fixtures and small items from the original, they won’t try to replicate it. “It’s going to feel different, there’s not a ton of metal and unfinished wood. This is going to be a little more cozy,” George says.