Chasing Denver’s “300 days of sunshine” is easy when you have an patio reservation.

There are a plethora of rooftop vantage points and restaurant patios across the Mile High City, but you don’t have to have the same idea as everyone else and find yourself on a two-hour waitlist while trying to grab a quick cocktail during golden hour.

Whether you want to bring your dog to happy hour, eat a Japanese meal with Mother Nature, or enjoy a martini in the sun this summer, here are seven new patios to explore around town:

Kawa Ni

Connecticut chef Bill Taibe opened Japanse pub Kawa Ni in a former fire station in LoHi in November. The 24-seat, raised patio offers plenty of shade and an oasis on the bustling 32nd Avenue corner, and dogs are allowed to watch while you feast on shaved broccoli miso goma, crispy karaage chicken or DIY handrolls under the string bistro lights.

1900 W. 32nd Ave., Denver; kawanidenver.com

Corsica Wine Bar

Corsica, from the owners of Barcelona Wine Bar, opened in RiNo at the end of April. Inspired by the namesake Mediterranean island, the small-bites restaurant offers a European escape on its streetside, 30-seat patio. Share a punch bowl of Lambrusco and nibble on charcuterie under bright orange umbrellas until 1 a.m.

2801 Walnut St., Suite 100, Denver; corsicawinebar.com

Gusto and ChoLon Sloan’s Lake

Sit lakeside by a fire pit at ChoLon or Gusto’s new patios. Denver restaurateurs Lon Symensma and Christopher Davis-Massey opened a third ChoLon restaurant, along with their brand new Italian concept, Gusto, in March on the ground floor of luxury condo building Lakehouse. ChoLon offers 24 seats for French onion soup dumpling fanatics, plus 10 Adirondack chairs, while Gusto serves wood-fired pizza and focaccia on the Raleigh Street side with 28 outdoor seats.

1691 N. Raleigh St., Denver; cholonconcepts.com

Alma Fonda Fina

Alma Fonda Fina couldn’t make much use of its corner patio in the heart of LoHi when the upscale Mexican restaurant first opened in December. Now that the sun’s out full-time, it doesn’t take much to persuade guests to take their hamachi crudo and avocado margarita outside.

2556 15th St., Denver; almalohidenver.com

Desert Social

The family behind Adelitas opened Desert Social cocktail lounge down the street from their South Broadway Mexican restaurant in September. The bohemian-style patio is reminiscent of beach clubs in Tulum, serving punchy mezcal and tequila-based libations until 1 a.m. all summer long.

1312 S. Broadway, Denver; desertsocialdenver.com

Wonderyard Garden + Table

Sit in a flower-covered, oversized birdcage, gulp down a pricey cocktail in a teacup booth or warm up around a large firepit on Wonderyard’s whimsical turf patio. The new downtown bar from local restaurateur Francois Safieddine, which opened in March, feels like you’re walking through pages of the “Secret Garden” or “Alice in Wonderland.”

2200 Larimer St., Denver; wonderyard.com 

Honorable mentions:

Parkway Food Hall: Longmont’s first food hall opened on May 20 with a 150-seat patio, where guests can bring food from any of the eight concepts, from Japanese street food to shawarma.

700 Ken Pratt Blvd., Longmont; parkwayfoodhall.com

Sap Sua: Sap Sua made waves with its take on Vietnamese cuisine when it debuted in June last year, and it’s still hard to snag a reservation. This summer, the City Park restaurant added a 12-seat, east-facing patio with plenty of shade for guests to enjoy a sake juice box while they wait for their table.

2550 E. Colfax Ave., Denver; sapsua.com

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Hundreds of people gathered at a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Denver on Tuesday after an email from the university asked encampment participants to leave by 9 p.m.

By 9:30 p.m., CBS News Colorado footage shows hundreds of people gathered at the Cargenie Green near the center of campus, many holding Palestinian flags or signs expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Around 7 p.m., the university sent an email to students and faculty with that 9 p.m. deadline to clear out of the encampment.

“We’ve lost confidence that the encampment can continue without further compromising operations and safety for all campus members. At an extended and productive meeting with encampment participants today, we informed them that the camp must close and asked them to clear the area voluntarily by 9:00 p.m. on May 21,” the email says, in part. “We have offered our support to the encampment participants as they safely remove belongings. If participants choose not to voluntarily leave, the University will determine appropriate action to disband the camp. We have also offered our support to identify other safe avenues of free expression.”

Around 9:50 p.m., a small number of counter-protesters appeared, at least one of whom was waving an Israeli flag.

The university sent an updated statement from Chancellor Jeremy Haefner and Provost Mary Clark around 10 p.m. to students and faculty:

“As you are likely aware, there is a large demonstration at the encampment site. During our meeting with the encampment student representatives today, we articulated multiple times that there were no plans to have police or campus safety dismantle the encampment tonight. We shared our desire to resolve this through a voluntary and cooperative approach. It was our expectation that the encampment would be dismantled by 9 p.m. and our interactions with the encampment participants indicated that was realistic to expect. We are disappointed that this is not what has happened and that participants chose this path forward, which is serving only to further threaten campus safety and operations. In the days ahead, University officials will determine the next steps in moving toward the disbandment of the camp. It is our continued expectation that all encampment participants be affiliated with DU as a current student, faculty, or staff member.”

Organizers with the group DU for Palestine did not immediately respond to a request for comments about the demonstration Tuesday night, but on May 9, when they launched the encampment, they issued demands to the university. 

In that statement, the organization asked the university to disclose its investments, divest from companies “invested in and responsible for the illegal occupation, apartheid, and genocide of Palestinians,” boycott Israel economically and academically, publicly acknowledge “the ongoing genocide of Palestinians,” call for a ceasefire and “protect free speech on campus.”

A similar encampment at Auraria Campus, which had been up for about three weeks, was vacated on Saturday.

More than 500 flights are delayed at Denver International Airport on Tuesday as thunderstorms hinder arriving flights, according to flight data and the Federal Aviation Administration.

There were 504 delayed and 11 canceled flights as of 3:15 p.m., according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.

Arriving flights are delayed by an average of 51 minutes because of thunderstorms, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Severe thunderstorms dropped baseball- and softball-sized hail on the Eastern Plains on Monday, and intermittent storms are forecast through this week, National Weather Service forecasters said Tuesday.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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