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The 15 Most Anticipated Denver Restaurant Openings, Spring 2018

From food halls to cocktail bars and modern delicatessens

The Ramble Hotel is opening in April with Super Mega Bien, a new restaurant by chef Dana Rodriguez
Johnson Nathan Strohe [official site]

AMERICAN BONDED

Where: 2706 Larimer Street

Major Players: Seasoned and highly decorated barman Sean Kenyon (Williams & Graham and The Occidental), partners Justin Anthony and Lisa Vedovelli, owners of Matchbox, and Kevin Burke, formerly of Colt & Gray and Ste. Ellie.

What to Expect: With American classics on both the food and drink sides, American Bonded will emphasize whiskey but also offer a full wine, beer, and cocktail menu.

Projected Opening: March

BARCELONA WINE BAR

Where: 2900 Larimer Street, between Crema Coffee House and Ratio Beerworks

Major Players: Barteca Restaurant Group, which operates Barcelona locations across the country, as well as Bartaco, now in Boulder and coming soon to LoHi.

What to Expect: Specific plates vary across the restaurants, but the menu is broken down by Spanish ham and cheeses, tapas, salads, and paellas as well as other plates for sharing. Traditional items include fideos (Spanish pasta), gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp), and ham and cheese croquettes. The wine list will feature over 400 bottles.

Projected Opening: Mid-March

CHIMERA

Where: Boulder, 2014 10th Street

Major Players: Edwin Zoe of Zoe Ma Ma

What to Expect: A full-service Pacific Rim restaurant that will offer a variety of dishes from a bowl of ramen with Zoe’s signature hand-made noodles to Korean barbecue and steamed Sichuan fish.

Projected Opening: Late March

CORRIDA

Where: Boulder, 1023 Walnut Street

Major Players: Restaurateur Bryan Dayton (Acorn, Oak at Fourteenth, Brider) and chef Amos Watts (Old Major, Acorn)

What to Expect: A menu largely inspired by northern Spain’s Basque Country with a main focus on steak restaurants found throughout the region. Seafood dishes that originate around the Mediterranean coast will also be a highlight.

Projected Opening: March

DELLA RADICE

Where: 2955 Ulster Street in Stapleton

Major Players: Chef-owner Cristino Griego, former executive chef of The Bistro in the same location, and also formerly of SupperBell.

What to Expect: In the space formerly occupied by The Bistro, that restaurant’s opening head chef will bring a new French, Spanish, and Italian small plates concept with a wine bar and bodega-style market selling pasta, sauces, cheeses, meats, and pickles.

Projected Opening: Mid-April

DAIRY BLOCK

Where: LoDo, the city block between 18th and 19th and Blake and Wazee Streets

Major Players: Sage, McWhinney, Frank Bonanno, Steven Waters (formerly of Black Eye Cap Hill/White Lies), and many, many more

What to Expect: More than 60,000 square feet of dining, drinking, retail, and coworking space in a micro district expanding from The Maven hotel. Local highlights include chef Frank Bonanno’s Milk Market, a 15-restaurant food hall and Bonanno Concepts empire en miniature; also Run for the Roses, Steven Waters’ underground cocktail bar focusing on classic mixed drinks and elevated snacks.

Projected Opening: May

LEVEN

Where: 123 West 12th Avenue in the Golden Triangle

Major Players: Partners Anthony Lygizos and Luke Hendricks, both formerly of Potager.

What to Expect: Inspired by the delis of their childhoods, Lygizos and Hendricks will create an affordable and family-friendly atmosphere with “two-hander” sandwiches piled with house-smoked pastrami, fried ham, mortadella, and more. Salads, Huckleberry Coffee, kegged wine and beer, and house-made sodas with shrubs will also be available.

Projected Opening: April

MORIN

Where: 1600 15th Street, in the former Wazee Supper Club

Major Players: Chef Max MacKissock and partners Katie O’Shea and Juan Padro, the team behind Señor Bear and Bar Dough.

What to Expect: A hip take on a French restaurant with bar snacks and tasting menus alike alongside natural wines, French-style beers, and funky Armagnac cocktails.

Projected Opening: Late spring

OWLBEAR BARBECUE

Where: RiNo, 2826 Larimer Street

Major Players: Karl Fallenius, a disciple of the famous Franklin’s Barbecue in Austin, Texas.

What to Expect: After a successful stint as a mobile business in the outdoor space at RiNo’s Finn’s Manor, Fallenius is working on a brick-and-mortar. Old favorites and new creations will show up on the menu, including the pulled pork, spare ribs, pastrami special, double smoked barbecued bacon, and Texas-style brisket (all made from sustainably raised meat) with all the fixings.

Projected Opening: Spring

Q HOUSE

Where: 3421 East Colfax Avenue

Major Players: Chef Christopher Lin, Jonathan Pinto (front of house), and Jennifer Mattioni (bar), previously of Leña, Candela Latin Kitchen, and Mezcal.

What to Expect: Taiwanese and regional Chinese food from Lin’s family recipes and time spent working in New York under chefs such as David Chang.

Projected Opening: March

RYE SOCIETY

Where: RiNo, 3090 Larimer Street

Major Players: Jerrod Rosen formerly of Colt & Gray, and chef consultant Ryan Leinonen, formerly of The Kitchen in Boulder, Root Down, Colt & Gray, and Trillium.

What to Expect: A modern Jewish deli where pastrami is flown in from New York, pastries include rugelach and babka, and bagels come from neighboring Rosenberg’s. Customers will be able to build their own granola and oatmeal bowls for breakfast, and sandwiches on house-baked bread will be prepared to order.

Projected Opening: Early spring

SHAKE SHACK

Where: 30th and Larimer Streets in RiNo, and a yet-to-be-announced location in Highlands Ranch

Major Players: Famed new York restaurateur Danny Meyer is behind this rapidly expanding burger joint.

What to Expect: ShackBurgers, Shack Attacks, Shack Stacks, SmokeShacks, Chick’n Shacks, and crinkle fries.

Projected Opening: May for RiNo, summer for Highlands Ranch

SUPER MEGA BIEN

Where: RiNo, inside the new Ramble Hotel, 1280 25th Street

Major Players: Work & Class chef Dana Rodriguez alongside partners Tony Maciag and Tabatha Knop

What to Expect: At the base of the 50-room boutique hotel, Rodriguez will offer pan-Latin dishes from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cuba, and Venezuela, all served on small plates, dim-sum style. Also anticipated, New York’s Death & Co. will run the hotel’s lobby bar.

Projected Opening: April

THE SOURCE HOTEL

Where: RiNo, Brighton Boulevard, next door to The Source market

Major Players: Developers Mickey and Kyle Zeppelin, Acorn chef Bill Espiricueta, New Orleans-based chef Alon Shaya, and New Belgium Brewing

What to Expect: A retail market and restaurants expanding from the original Source in RiNo to the new hotel next door. On-site food options will include Smōk, a barbecue spot by chef Bill Espiricueta, and Safta, an Israeli restaurant by chef Alon Shaya. New Belgium will also brew small-batch beers and barrel-age them at The Woods, a beer garden, full bar, and restaurant on the rooftop.

Projected Opening: May

THE WOLF’S TAILOR

Where: Sunnyside, 41st and Tejon

Major Players: Chef Kelly Whitaker of Basta

What to Expect: The next modern concept from Boulder chef Kelly Whitaker. Expect a charcoal grill-centered kitchen with ties to both Japanese and Italian traditions. See breads and pastas made from Colorado grains, and bran-pickled vegetables; stews like zuppa di pesce, and skewered meats cooked over charcoal.

Projected Opening: April

Wazee Supper Club

1600 15th Street, , CO 80202 (303) 623-9518 Visit Website

The Source

3350 Brighton Boulevard, , CO 80216 (720) 443-1135 Visit Website

Dairy Block

1800 Wazee Street, Denver, CO 80203 Visit Website

The Wolf's Tailor

4058 Tejon Street, , CO 80211 (720) 456-6705 Visit Website