Restaurants

Chef Efren Velasquez is coming full circle in his return to Jefferson Park. After sixteen years as a server, manager and chef at La Loma, where he helmed the kitchen at the Denver favorite, Velasquez helped move La Loma from West 26th Avenue to its current downtown location in 2016…

When you offer a traditional sandwich like bánh mì and give it a modern twist, is it still considered bánh mì? In Denver you can find family-run shops that bake their own bread and create sandwiches much like you would find in Vietnam. But a number of chefs are also…

The Danish call it smørrebrød; the French call it tartine. Here in the Wild West, we just prefer “open-faced sandwich.”  Whatever you call a mound of complementary ingredients on a thick slab of bread, we call it delicious at Call, the right-hand side of Beckon|Call (2845 Larimer Street). The new fast-casual…

Denver has not always been considered a particularly diverse dining city, but there have been notable exceptions. Vietnamese and Ethiopian restaurants gained popularity in the 1980s and ’90s, long before the specialties of those countries became trendy nationwide. And at 4609 East Colfax Avenue, Mataam Fez introduced Denver to Moroccan…

Concourse Restaurant Moderne, an ambitious project from ChoLon Concepts, is one of the most exciting restaurants to open in metro Denver in 2017. Here’s why.

You can’t possibly be bored with all the breakfast, lunch and dinner options in Denver. But variety is the spice of life, so here’s a hint of spice to beguile you with upcoming cuisine ranging from Southern fare to ice cream to Chinese hot pot. These thirteen restaurants are expected…

Even though the Aurora branch of Dae Gee Korean BBQ opened just five months ago, the restaurant fits right in to its new home at 1910 South Havana Street, where the Korean food scene is exploding. The difference between Dae Gee and other Korean barbecue restaurants lining Havana street, however,…

Denver restaurants are facing a major talent crunch in the kitchen, and a disparity in front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house wages in one reason why. Readers think they have some solutions.

The week following the winter holidays can seem as slow as molasses, but behind the scenes restaurateurs are busy polishing the glassware and chefs are putting final touches on dishes at eateries that will open in the days ahead.

Gypsy House Cafe occupied the southwest corner of East 13th Avenue and Marion Street for more than a decade before closing two years ago. The building sat vacant for a time before signs of construction began and the vibrant mural on the east side of the building was stuccoed over…

Chowder Room, one of our favorite Denver seafood spots, will be cooking up its last batches of chowder this month. Owners Matt and Carrie Stein are moving out of state for a new opportunity, so they’ll close their restaurant at 560 South Broadway on January 20.

The Emich sisters, Jill, Jessica and Jennifer, closed Shine Restaurant and Gathering Place at 2027 13th Street in Boulder last summer after six years in business, but they weren’t calling it quits. Instead, the triplets (who call themselves the Blissful Sisters), moved their restaurant to a new Boulder location. They’re unveiling…

Eggs Benedict, French toast, clever omelets: the stuff that modern Denver brunches are made of. But the weekend mid-morning meal doesn’t have to be basic, even if hangover cure is your stated brunch-time goal. Señor Bear (3301 Tejon Street) has proven itself a bold and creative addition to the LoHi…

When Jim Wiste sold the Campus Lounge after forty years, he was ready to be a customer. Now it’s time to raise a glass to his memory.

“Cheap” is a relative term these days when it comes to dining out; you can still get a burger or something that vaguely resembles tacos at a fast-food joint for a few bucks, but if you’re looking for quality from an independent, locally owned establishment, a decent lunch will probably…

Ending last year with a bang and starting January with a full belly is a portentous way to usher in 2018. Regardless of whatever else is going on in your life or in the world, good food has a way of pushing aside stress and smoothing out rough edges —…

Chalk up one last restaurant opening for Denver restaurants in 2017. Smokin Yard’s BBQ fired up the cookers over the weekend at 900 West First Avenue in the Yard on Santa Fe. The name of Denver’s newest barbecue joint and the retail center where it’s located are purely coincidental. Smokin…

Ask Denver chefs about challenges in this city’s burgeoning restaurant industry, and one theme will come up over and over: We have a major talent crunch in the kitchen.

Our complete list of bar and restaurant openings and closings in metro Denver in 2017, including more than 250 new spots. But more than 100 places closed, too, a faster pace than in years past.

After 45 years, The Broker will close at the end of service on December 31. But it leaves behind plenty of memories.

Here’s our complete list of metro Denver bar and restaurant openings and closings for the week of December 25 through December 31, 2017.