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As Platte Street continues to transform and develop, the hand-folded pockets of flavor from Maria Empanada will join a flurry of new bars and restaurants that have set up shop there. This 1700 Platte Street location will be the fourth in the burgeoning brand’s fleet, expected to be open and operating by September on the ground floor of a new office building with street-front retail and underground parking.
Maria Empanada will take up 1,975 square feet there, serving freshly baked Argentinian sweet and savory goods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The LoHi location will also feature an espresso bar, as well as wine, beer, mimosas, and sangria in carafes known as pinguinos. Cadence Design Studio, a firm that has shaped each of the previous three eateries, is finishing the space. The surrounding building will serve as the hub for British Petroleum’s new U.S. headquarters. Other tenants include Workiva Inc., a technology company expanding into Denver.
Maria Empanada got its start in 2011 when Argentinian chef and owner Lorena Cantarovici opened a small bakery in Lakewood, before moving into a corner cafe at 1298 South Broadway. Cantarovici has since expanded to the Denver Tech Center and Stanley Marketplace, and she plans to open eight new stores following a $3.5 million investment last November.
Soccer fans can stop into Maria Empanada’s Broadway location from Thursday, June 14 through Sunday, July 15 to watch the World Cup games.