The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today!
Keeping up with Denver’s ever-changing, always-growing dining scene can be challenging. For this reason, we bring you “the Highlight Reel,” a monthly recap of everything you need to know about dining out in (and around) the Mile High City. We’ll talk about the month’s hottest openings and news, as well as closings and what we’re looking forward to in the month to come.
For more 5280 food and drink coverage, subscribe to our award-winning, weekly email newsletter, Table Talk.
Fast-casual Broken Rice is now serving crispy beef rice bowls and other Asian dishes. —Photo courtesy of Broken Rice
Recent Openings
Uptown favorite Il Posto relocated to RiNo on January 10. Chef Andrea Frizzi offers a similar, if slightly updated, menu and stunning views of the city from the second floor dining room.
El Jefe, a farm-to-table Mexican restaurant, opened in Sunnyside on January 11.
On January 11, American Grind opened in Avanti Food & Beverage. The burger joint (from the team behind the Way Back) replaced MiJo on the first floor.
Lazo Empanadas replaced Buenos Aires Pizzeria in Ballpark on January 13.
Long-running Italian favorite Lechuga’s added a third location in Lakewood on January 16.
Chic steakhouse STK opened in LoDo on January 17.
Fried chicken heaven at the new location of Post Chicken & Beer. —Photo courtesy of the Post
The Post Chicken & Beer opened in the Rosedale neighborhood on January 18. The second location of Big Red F’s concept features fantastic fried chicken and all of the fixin’s.
Craft beer giant Oskar Blues gave Denver a two-fer opening Hotbox Roasters CBD Cafe and Chuburger RiNo on January 19.
On January 25, Pendulum opened in Vail Village. The sleek new restaurant serves upscale fare with Latin touches.
Chop Shop Casual Urban Eatery opened a Lowry location on January 26.
Stella’s on 16th opened on January 27. The sprawling market-eatery in LoDo’s Triangle Building does breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Hearth & Dram, a stylish new saloon, opened in LoDo on January 28. The spot features more than 350 types of whiskey and wood-fired fare.
Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace is showing plenty of signs of life: Yellowbelly Chicken, Logan House Coffee Company, and Sweet Cow Ice Cream opened in January, while Comida, Cheluna Brewing, Stanley Beer Hall, and Miette et Chocolat have all been up and running since December.
The hole left with the closing of both Black Pearl and Gaia Bistro has been filled by the new Yardbird restaurant in Platt Park. Go for comfort food like pot pies and fried chicken.
Devil’s Food Cookery split up with its bakery—only to have it move to a roomier spot four doors down the street. Devil’s Food Bakery is a French-inspired cafe that serves coffees, pastries, and custom cakes, while Devil’s Food Cookery will continue to serve its full menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Closings
Colorado’s oldest Italian restaurant, the Blue Parrot, shut its doors for good after 98 years in business on January 22.
After 41 years, Boulder’s Old Chicago location on the Pearl Street Mall shuttered.
McCormick and Schmick’s shut down its LoDo location to make room for Sage Restaurant Group’s Urban Farmer Steakhouse, which is projected to open in June. Across the street, Common Grounds Coffeehouse also closed.
Colorado Springs chef Brother Luck has a new project in the works. —Photo by Will Rutledge
News
It’s official: Shake Shack is headed to Denver. The burger chain will open a location in RiNo in late 2017.
Chef Brother Luck (known for his appearances on both Chopped and Beating Bobby Flay) will open IV by Brother Luck in Colorado Springs this April. His new spot will focus on the foods of the Four Corners region.
The Kitchen co-founder, Kimbal Musk, announced that he will open 50 locations of his Next Door Eatery concept across America’s heartland by 2020.
Boulder entrepreneur Sarah Brito has announced the launch of Good Food 100, a new rating system that measures chef’s and restaurant’s impact on local food systems and economies.
Uptown’s Coperta has begun serving coffee, pastries, and lunch from a walk-up counter dubbed Coperta Da Asporto.
On January 28, Cherry Creek’s Departure began a dim sum brunch service.
The new Cherry Creek location of Olive & Finch.
What We’re Looking Forward to in February
On February 1, chef Mary Nguyen will open her second location of Olive & Finch. The Cherry Creek locale is bigger and brighter than the Uptown original.
Broken Rice, a new fast-casual Asian street food-inspired eatery, will open on February 2 on Colorado Boulevard.
More Stanley Marketplace openings are in the works for February: cozy, farm-to-table Annette Scratch to Table will welcome guests on February 4, while the Denver Biscuit Company will join the ranks on February 14.
Denver restaurant week returns from February 24 through March 5. Check out the hundreds of participating restaurants and browse menus here.
