Mister Tuna, RiNo’s Wood Fire Grill Restaurant, Is Closing

The eclectic American and Pan-Asian restaurant Mister Tuna, which was known for its wood fire grill, is closing after three years on Brighton Boulevard.

Chef and restaurateur Troy Guard, who owns Mister Tuna, announced Tuesday that he will replace the restaurant with a new event space called Commissary. According to a release, Commissary will mainly host private events, though it will also host pop-ups, guest chef nights, and other public events.

“Commissary will offer the amenities of a hotel ballroom, but in a sexier space with chef-driven food and TAG hospitality,” Guard said. “There’s a lot of fun still to be had here and we look forward to continuing to evolve with Brighton Boulevard.”

Guard, who owns Los Chigones, TAG, Guard & Grace and other several other Denver restaurants, said that while Mr. Tuna had started strong, the restaurant had experienced issues related to nearby construction and “consistency” that had led to his decision to close it.

Last year, a two-year project to rebuild Brighton Boulevard with sidewalks and other features that would make it more attractive to pedestrians and developers wrapped up, but not before causing some pain for businesses located along the road.

Mister Tuna was located in the Industry building at 3033 Brighton Boulevard, which also houses a large co-working space. The restaurant’s closure will follow that of the Industry building’s other restaurant tenant Izakaya Ronin, which shut down in August.

But while Mr. Tuna is closing, Guard and his TAG restaurant group will still have a culinary presence at the space. That's because guests hosting private events there will have the choice of sourcing food offerings from some of Guard’s other restaurants, including TAG and Guard and Grace. However, there will also be new original dishes available from Guard.

Commissary will have an open concept kitchen, an 18-seat full bar, and a 20-seat lounge as well as a 75-seat patio. It will be able to fit 80 people for a seated indoor dinner and 150 people for a cocktail reception. The new space will also retain the four full garage doors from Mister Tuna and offer an expanded capacity when they can be opened. Commissary will also host cooking classes and could serve as a testing space for new restaurants.

The last day of operation for Mister Tuna, which is only open for dinner, will be Saturday, November 2. Last month, Guard announced that he will also be constructing a new food hall and brewery in the Denver Tech Center that is set to open next summer.

• Chef Troy Guard Is Planning to Open a Food Hall and Brewery in the Tech Center [EDEN]
• Nearly two years in the making, Brighton Boulevard makeover expected to supercharge RiNo growth [Denver Post]
• All previous Eater coverage of Mister Tuna [EDEN]
• Industry building [Official]
• Izakaya Ronin Closes at the Industry Building in RiNo [EDEN]