There’s a barbecue boom in the metro area — of the fourteen openings we reported this week, three new restaurants are smoking meats. They come in addition to other recent openings such as Iron Age BBQ, Riot BBQ and SoHi Cafe.
For months, we’ve watched as the former Popeye’s at 5454 East Colfax Avenue has been transformed into Catfish King, complete with a drive-thru. The new business is actually a rebrand of Hungry Wolf BBQ, which was located in Aurora. The menu features a mix of soul food, including Southern-fried catfish, along with Oklahoma-style barbecue. The smokers were wafting the aroma of smoked meats into the air the morning before this spot’s soft opening on Saturday, October 11, when it will serve from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reservations are encouraged and can be made online.
Big Belly Brothers BBQ, which operates food trucks and is one of the new local vendors at Ball Arena, opened its first brick-and-mortar in a spot that’s been home to two other barbecue joints, Plates by the Pound and Seasoned Swine BBQ.
In Broomfield, Texican Bistro serves “Southwest fusion” dishes, including pulled pork tot-chos, flatbreads loaded with toppings such as brisket and Alabama white barbecue sauce, loaded baked potatoes, and more.
Among this week’s other openings is a new boba and sandwich shop, Bad Peach Cafe, at Stanley Marketplace; it’s from Angela Chung, owner of another Stanley business, Chi Lin. Over at another food hall, Edgewater Public Market, Wild Taco has debuted its new location after closing its Capitol Hill spot in August. (It also has a Berkeley location.)
It’s been a slow rollout for Ballyhoo Table & Stage, which is now serving coffee and hosting its first drag brunches on October 11 and 18.
Oasis Café & Grill opened in September and has been getting a lot of attention on social media for its brightly colored lattes and menu of Mexican eats, including tacos and burritos. Other new spots we’re excited to check out include Saigon Street Food, which replaced a Lollicup on South Federal, and Sarr Maimouna West African Food in the former Africana Cafe on Colfax.
We reported three sad and sudden closures this week. YumCha Beer Garden called it quits in Central Park; Raíces Brewing Co. was seized due to unpaid taxes, which it addresses in an open letter to the City of Denver on its website; and City Street Investors’ Secret Garden Bar & Café in Cheesman Park shut its doors amid allegations of union-busting by employees.
There was also a devastating loss in the small community of Nederland, where an early morning blaze on October 9 destroyed the Caribou Village Shopping Center, a central hub for the town. Over a dozen businesses were lost, including Augustina’s Winery, Tres Gringos Restaurant and Very Nice Brewing. “We are disoriented, and nothing makes sense. We were about to celebrate our 13 years in Nederland, and now it’s all gone — wiped away in a single night,” Very Nice owners Jeff and Susan Green shared in a Facebook post. The brewery also has a taproom in Gilpin; there is currently a GoFundMe to support Very Nice as it figures out how to move forward.
And Dimestore Delibar’s last day in LoHi is October 11; stop in and say so long.
In other openings and closings news:
Brider on Platte Street is set to close on October 23.
A popular Austin brunch spot is bringing a location to the West Highland neighborhood.
The Loveland location of World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani’s Slice House is now open, and more are coming to Denver and beyond.
Here’s the complete list of restaurants and bars that opened and closed this week*:
Openings
Bad Peach Cafe at Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas Street, Aurora
Ballyhoo Table & Stage, 3300 Tejon Street
Big Belly Brothers BBQ, 11601 East Montview Boulevard, Aurora
Black Rock Coffee Bar, 2135 East 120th Avenue, Northglenn
Catfish King, 5454 East Colfax Avenue
Early Bird Eatery, 10111 Inverness Main Street, Englewood
Oasis Café & Grill, 2940 Bruce Randolph Avenue
Saigon Street Food, 1046 South Federal Boulevard
Sarr Maimouna West African Food, 5091 East Colfax Avenue
Slice House, 1385 Sculptor Drive, Loveland
Snarf’s, 7111 East Lowry Boulevard
Texican Bistro, 300 Nickel Street, Broomfield
Wild Taco at Edgewater Public Market, 5505 West 20th Avenue, Edgewater
XSO Night Club, 500 16th Street, Suite 322
Closures
Dimestore Delibar, 1575 Boulder Street
Raíces Brewing Company, 2060 West Colfax Avenue
Secret Garden Bar & Café, 1290 Williams Street
YumCha Beer Garden, 10195 East 29th Drive
Destroyed in the Nederland Shopping Center Fire
Located at 20 Lakeview Drive, Nederland:
Augustina’s Winery
Tres Gringos Restaurant
Very Nice Brewing
*Or earlier and not previously reported.