Nocturne’s Owners Won’t Open a New Wine Bar in the Old Rebel Restaurant

More than two months after Rebel’s closing, the RiNo restaurant space is still in limbo, and its planned replacement is no longer moving onto Wynkoop Street. Nocturne Jazz & Supper Club’s owner Nicole Mattson says she, her husband Scott, and their business partner Troy Bowen are still looking for the right Denver location for Noble Riot, a bar specializing in natural wines and small producers.

We backed out because we said, okay, we can’t hold on forever to this,” Mattson explained. “I think everyone was just really heartbroken with the situation.”

According to Mattson, the handover wasn’t as easy as both departing and incoming business owners anticipated. At the same time the tenants were working out a sublease agreement, the restaurant’s property went under contract, and an issue of “environmental remediation” appeared in the process. As a result, Noble Riot’s move-in wasn’t approved, and the Mattsons decided to avoid a legal battle over it.

“We still love the idea [...] so we’ll just keep trying to find a good home for it,” Mattson said of the wine bar.

The couple announced in early August that they would take over Rebel’s remaining two-year lease at 3763 Wynkoop Street and open Noble Riot there by the fall. Earlier in the summer, facing higher taxes and ongoing neighborhood construction, Rebel’s owners had decided they needed to move on from their 3-year-old business. Now they are awaiting their fate along with the pending sale of the property. Eater reached out but did not hear back from the building’s seller or buyer.

• Rebel Restaurant Will Close on Wynkoop Street [EDEN]
• Farewell Rebel, a Denver Restaurant That Dared to Be Different [EDEN]
• A Wine Bar Takes Over the Rebel Space in September [EDEN]