10 new Denver dining places well worth browsing that opened in 2020

Editor’s be aware: Because of to attainable alterations in restaurant dining procedures owing to COVID-19 and the delta variant, remember to verify every single restaurant site as effectively as the condition of Colorado’s steering at covid19.colorado.gov.  

In 2020, the “grand” restaurant opening was everything but. Very first impressions have been nonexistent — or even worse — for these food stuff businesses that debuted to the general public during a calendar year of shutdowns, reduced seating and early final calls.

“It took us 18 months to open up, simply because as quickly as we bought our allow to start out functioning, COVID strike,” mentioned Allan Torosyan, who operates the 8-month-aged Residence of Bread & Pastries on South Parker Highway jointly with his relatives. “When we opened up, we ended up authorized greatest-ability dining, and then a couple weeks later, there was a further mandate.”

Residence of Bread finally opened in November 2020. Considering that then, Torosyan claimed he and his family have just been striving to spread the phrase about their Armenian cafe and bakery. It’s a modest procedure with an outstanding choice, which includes exceptional-to-Denver Armenian pastries, kabobs and street foodstuff such as the addictive ajarski.

That past a single has its origins in Georgian delicacies but has been adopted in Armenia, wherever “we like to get credit score mainly because it is that very good,” Torosyan mentioned with a laugh. It is a boat-formed dish with a bread foundation and baked-in feta filling, topped with two more than-simple eggs, and sometimes diced tomatoes, for breaking and dipping.

Then there are desserts like the layered puff pastry and product Napoleon: “On the weekends, we put two trays out at a time, and they both of those hold about 20 (slices), and every single 30 minutes to an hour, we carry out a clean batch,” Torosyan explained, attesting to the cake’s acceptance.

Certainly, discovering pastries with an set up subsequent at cafe newcomers like House of Bread months to a yr right after they’ve started out serving can be just as gratifying. With eating rooms open and limits (at minimum for now) much more comfortable than they have been, it’s a wonderful time to practical experience what these new food stuff places have to offer you.

So listed here are 10 eating places that maintain this sort of promise considering the fact that opening at the height of a world pandemic that they are value revisiting now, or obtaining for the very first time, so lots of months later.

Pleasure Hill

This laid-back again bar and pizza shop with a rooftop deck is just about every little thing you could check with for in a nightly neighborhood spot on South Broadway. But it’s so substantially a lot more than that, thanks to the abilities of owners Andrew Templar and Julia Duncan-Roitman. The pair moved from Brooklyn to Duncan-Roitman’s hometown in Denver, with hopes of opening an approachable bar showcasing superior layout and good quality food items offerings. They employed Anthony Falco (of Brooklyn’s Roberta’s fame) to talk to on the pies, and now their pizza is a display-stopper, building Joy Hill a spot for all of Denver.

1229 S. Broadway, joyhilldenver.com 

Cafe Olivia

Co-homeowners Ty Leon, Heather Morrison and Austin Carson truly make Olivia what it set out to be: a community Italian cafe which is similarly inviting for a bar seat or a celebration sit-down meal. Soon after opening in early 2020, the workforce had to pivot in a significant way a month or so afterwards. But they took it in stride, giving takeout meal kits and date-night offers to create some camaraderie. Now they’re back to serving up ingenious cocktails and handmade pastas within an personal Wash Park eating place, which is where by this trio truly shines: in service and hospitality.

290 S. Downing St., oliviadenver.com

Brasserie Brixton

From a French brasserie to a pizza to-go counter and back, this corner restaurant in the Cole neighborhood just carries on to remake by itself during the pandemic. Fortunate for us, the cafe is up and running as regular, and there is just so much to adore right here. 1. The placing is quirky and lovable (see: French hip-hop playing and storm troopers painted on a wall mural). 2. Chef Nick Dalton’s compact foods menus are delightful, as are the wine lists. 3. The brasserie’s most current comeback providing is explanation more than enough to revisit: a weekend brunch filled with ricotta doughnuts, ham biscuits and French omelets.

3701 N. Williams St., brasseriebrixton.com

Fox Operate Cafe

Very first-time restaurant owner Lucien Reichert and his team opened Fox Run just after dining places ended up shut down in March 2020. And like others on this checklist, for months they could only market their meals to-go. Very good factor, then, that biscuit sandwiches and pastries for breakfast, and fried chicken and burgers for lunch are some of the factors we have craved most this earlier year and a 50 percent. But the East Colfax cafe, its eager young crew and their lemon ricotta pancakes are even sweeter in man or woman.

3550 E. Colfax Ave., foxruncafe.com

Seoul Mandoo

King-sized wang mandu are the home specialty at this Korean dumpling household in Aurora, which opened final spring and has been quietly offering these massive steamed buns or “giant dumplings” filled with meat, kimchi, shrimp or beef barbecue. You also can swing by for typical-sized dumplings or dessert jjinppang (steamed buns loaded with sweet crimson bean paste). But the major buns are the stars below, and a fair meal priced at $9 for a blend of 3. (For reference, I could only try to eat 1 in a single sitting.)

2222 S. Havana St., seoulmandoo.com 

Nest at Nurture

This lovely Highland place is fewer of a cafe and far more of a complete community place, complete with shops, wellness expert services, work out classes and a cafe. It’s truly worth checking out in its entirety, but the cafe is the draw for our applications. Nest serves an all-working day menu of drinks, snacks and plates that are similarly healthful and delicious. Its eating place is light-weight- and plant-filled and fantastic for doing the job on a laptop computer or meeting up. And even with a well being bent, the position does not take by itself too seriously. Test out delighted hour Wednesdays via Fridays for $5-$7 wine, beer and chilly-pressed juice cocktails.

2949 Federal Blvd., visitnurture.com