Every Restaurant Opening and Closing This Week, August 13-19

Beers are no longer being served at El Rancho, the only closure to report this week. The iconic Evergreen spot had closed in late April when a majority of the staff quit amid disagreements between owner Paul Vincent and former manager Glen Fountain. Vincent reopened in what he called “taproom mode” in July, but messy accusations about money mismanagement and unpaid wages ultimately led to the building being put up for sale in early August.

At the time, Steve Madura, SVP of Hilco, the real estate group that was retained to run the sale of the 75-year-old building, told Westword that Vincent was still opening up to sell out the beer on hand. But El Rancho is now tapped out and its future uncertain as the sale process continues. Interested parties must submit bids to Hilco by September 6; an on-site inspection for all interested parties is scheduled for August 25.

Meanwhile, the metro area has five new places to check out. Fajita Pete’s, a chain that started as a single restaurant in Houston in 2008, has moved into Colorado with the debut of an outpost in Centennial. Franchisees Hugh and Rebekah Guill plan to open five locations of the Tex Mex concept in the state over the next four years.

Aviation-themed brewery FlyteCo has officially taken over the former Stapleton air control tower that previously housed a location of Punch Bowl Social. The brewery kept many of the game elements of the former tenant in the 20,000-square-foot space, including six bowling lanes, eighteen holes of mini-golf, a full arcade and lawn games.

James Beard Award-winning chef Alex Seidel debuted an outpost of his Union Station eatery Mercantile Dining & Provision at Denver International Airport and talked to Westword about the process. This is one of many recognizable names slated to open at the airport by the end of next year; the list includes Rosenberg’s Bagels, Uncle, the Bindery, Maria Empanada, Tocabe, Williams & Graham, D Bar, Bagel Deli, Tacos Tequila Whiskey, Mizu Izakaya and Sushi, El Chingon, Bar Dough, Señor Bear, ChoLon and Marczyk Fine Foods.

Wheat Ridge has a new spot for coffee breaks: Queen City Collective Coffee just debuted its third location there. It also has outposts in Baker and RiNo.

And in Aurora, Hungry Wolf BBQ’s brick-and-mortar is now fully open, serving up not only hickory-smoked meats, but also fried options including chicken and shrimp and a lineup of soul food on Saturdays including oxtails and smothered pork chops.

In other openings-and-closings news:

• The 100 percent plant-based Next Level Burger opens August 20 near DU. Check out our first look.
• Littleton’s Old Santa Fe Mexican Grill was kicked out of its longtime location for a parking lot, but now it’s back in a new spot.
• Opening later this year in Five Points: Little Bodega, which will be a market with a sandwich counter.
• Read about the rebirth of Rocky Mountain Tap in Louisville, which was bought by someone who’d stopped in to have a beer shortly before it shut down.
• Boulder’s Sanitas Brewing will open a second taproom in Englewood in 2023.
• The price tag on La Casa de Manual, one of the only remaining RiNo holdouts: a fast $25 million.

Here’s the complete list of restaurants and bars opening and closing this week:

Restaurants and bars opening this week:*

Fajita Pete’s, 7300 East Arapahoe Road, Centennial
FlyteCo Tower, 3120 Uinta Street
Hungry Wolf BBQ, 13110 East Mississippi Avenue, Aurora
Mercantile Dining & Provision, Concourse A, Denver International Airport
Queen City Collective Coffee, 10051 West 26th Avenue, Wheat Ridge

Restaurants and bars closing this week:*

El Rancho Brewing Company, 29260 U.S. 40, Evergreen

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

Know of something we missed? Email cafe@westword.com.