Acova Will Bring $3 Bloody Marys and a Big Patio to Former Patsy’s

When Patsy’s Inn closed in LoHi two summers ago, the group behind the 22-year-old Hornet on Broadway bought its building directly from owners Kim DeLancey and Ron Cito. “They didn’t want to sell it to some corporation or just anyone,” Misty Forde with The Hornet says now of Patsy’s last owners. “We definitely want to honor them and tip a cap to them and the neighborhood.”

Forde is part of the team behind Acova, the new restaurant opening April 19 in the space that previously housed Patsy’s for 95 years, at 3651 Navajo Street. Acova should be similar to its sister restaurant, The Hornet, in that it will offer a neighborhood gathering spot and a range of American foods. It will also have a big outdoor patio and a $3 bloody mary bar on the weekends.

“What has kept The Hornet going for so long I think is the variety of food that we have,” Forde said, adding, “we’re going to take it up like a half notch because of the (new) neighborhood.” In the new LoHi restaurant, patrons will see bloody marys made with The Family Jones’ vodka. They’ll be able to order The Hornet’s lobster bacon mac and cheese and fried chicken, as well as some new menu items such as seafood dishes and more wine bottles and glasses.

The space is currently being refinished with up-cycled interiors, a new layout, and booths by local design firm Fin Art. Highlights of the new spot should be its near 100-person outdoor seating, an indoor-outdoor bar, and a play area with a sensory garden and music wall for the kids, so “moms can have their wine slushies on the patio.”

• Old School Italian Icon Patsy’s Inn Shuttered in LoHi [EDEN]
• All Previous Eater Coverage of The Hornet [EDEN]