A New Coffeeshop and Bar Will Open Inside the Old White Whale Room Space

The White Whale Room gets new life

The White Whale Room, the shuttered nautical-themed coffeehouse and cocktail bar located near the Alameda Light Rail Station, will reopen under a new name after being purchased by different owners.

Westword reported Monday that Denver couple Kyle and Fallene Wells have purchased the White Whale Room space at 415 Cherokee Street and plan to turn it into a new spot called Close Quarters that will offer both coffee and alcoholic drinks.

Close Quarters will be the couple’s second coffee shop as they opened Torpedo Coffee at 2231 Oneida Street in Park Hill’s Oneida Park development last year.

Westword reports that Close Quarters, like Torpedo, will serve coffee from Denver’s Chorvus Coffee Roasters. Food options such as breakfast burritos will also be served at both locations. However, Close Quarters will also have six taps pouring Colorado beers and nitro cold brew along with a selection of wines at a medium price point.

Close Quarters, which Westword reported will feature bright blue floors and several plants, will open daily at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. on weekdays and 2 or 3 p.m. on weekends. The owners are targeting a mid-November opening. [Westword]

Sushi Co. adds Berkeley location

A third location of the local Sushi Co. restaurants is now open in Berkeley, according to the Denver Post. The restaurant, which is located at 4404 Yates Street in Denver near Lakeside Amusement Park, is the newest sibling to the original Cherry Hills Sushi Co. and newer Park Hill Sushi Co., the latter of which opened this summer.

According to the Post, all three restaurants, which are owned by chef Bradford Kim, serve sushi rolls, chirashi bowls and sashimi and feature a large central bar and sushi counter. The alcoholic beverage offerings include saki and mochi (which also can be sampled in flights) and Japanese beers and whiskeys. [The Denver Post]

Capitol Hill gains a brewery

Denver gained yet another new brewery earlier this month when Counter Culture Brewery and Grille opened on a stretch of Seventh Avenue at Sherman Street that is already crowded with other restaurants. Westword reported the new brewery at 205 East Seventh Avenue will serve a menu featuring burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, and wings. Food will be ordered from the bar rather than a table to maintain a taproom-style environment.

The small-but-well-lit brewery started out only serving an English pale but plans to roll out more beers, including an IPA and Porter, at an upcoming party. [Westword]

• Torpedo Coffee Owners Take Over White Whale Room [Westword]
• This new Denver eatery sells French fries and soft serve, exclusively [The Denver Post]
• Counter Culture Brewery and Grille opens on Seventh Avenue’s Restaurant Row [Westword]