The 10 most-anticipated restaurant openings for Denver in 2023

From the reopening of a soul meals staple to a Texas burger chain to a contemporary tackle conventional Vietnamese delicacies, these 10 eating places ought to be in your eating bucket record in 2023.

Some tendencies we’re noticing amongst these deliberate openings: current eateries are discovering new areas to remain in enterprise; fashionable quick meals chains are persevering with to make the leap to Colorado; and up-and-coming cooks are able to tackle the chance of a brand new restaurant once more.

Listed here are the ten most-anticipated restaurant openings round Denver in 2023.

Casa Bonita

Colorado received its Christmas want in December with the announcement of a Casa Bonita opening date. “South Park” creators and Casa Bonita house owners Trey Parker and Matt Stone mentioned they plan to reopen the doorways of the well-known Lakewood eatertainment venue in Could with well-known native chef Dana Rodriguez behind the burners.

The unique plan was to reopen by late 2022, and the restaurant — which has been closed for the reason that starting of the pandemic — made our record of anticipated openings a yr in the past, however Stone and Parker bumped into some unexpected challenges with the constructing’s renovation. In keeping with metropolis allowing paperwork and development plans, the renovations will price about $12 million.

6715 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood; casabonitadenver.com

Sap Sua

Cooks Anna and Anthony Nguyen moved again to Colorado from California two years in the past with the thought to start out their very own restaurant, and after a collection of pop-up previews that garnered lots of consideration from Denver foodies, the couple has lastly secured a location.

In April 2023, the Nguyens plan to open Sap Sua, a Vietnamese restaurant, in Congress Park. Anthony is a first-generation Vietnamese American, and the menu will embrace a few of his household recipes with a twist, reminiscent of a charred cabbage dish primarily based on his mom’s recipe.

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

Hey Kiddo

Followers of Kelly Whitaker, the Denver chef behind extremely acclaimed eating places like The Wolf’s Tailor, Basta and Bruto, will get one other style of his abilities with the opening of Hey Kiddo on the third flooring of the Asher boutique lodge in Berkeley early in 2023. Hey Kiddo’s menu will not be but totally fleshed out, however Whitaker mentioned the fashion will likely be New American, and he’s collaborating with a San Francisco chef on some Korean-inspired dishes. There may also be a 16-seat cocktail lounge known as Okay Yeah.

4337 Tennyson St., Denver; hk-oy.com

Molotov Kitschen and Cocktails

When you miss Insurgent Restaurant as a lot as I do then rejoice at Bo Porytko’s plans to open an Jap European restaurant known as Molotov Kitschen and Cocktails in January. Molotov is an ode to Porytko’s Ukrainian grandparents, and its menu will likely be primarily based on conventional delicacies from Ukraine, Scandinavia, Germany, Poland and Georgia. Dishes will embrace elk Sauerbraten, braised duck and bitter cherry borscht, patychky (Ukrainian meat on a stick) and rabbit in a clay pot.

3333 E. Colfax Ave., Denver; molotovdenver.com

Welton Road Cafe

It’s been practically two years since Welton Road Cafe closed its doorways in 5 Factors, as a result of a landlord disagreement. And we’re counting down the times till the soul meals mainstay reappears in a bigger, newer location down the block from its unique area, the place proprietor Fathima Dickerson mentioned they plan to interrupt floor this month. A gap is penciled in for summer season.

After elevating cash via a short lived takeout area and a GoFundMe marketing campaign, the Dickerson household feels assured within the transfer and is able to present Denverites with its oxtail stew, catfish and fried hen as soon as extra. Till then, the enterprise continues to be providing catering.

2883 Welton St., Denver; fb.com/weltonstcafe

Bistro Vendome

After practically 20 years in a garden-like setting in Larimer Sq., Bistro Vendome closed its doorways on Jan. 1 and can transfer to Park Hill early in 2023. The French restaurant will get to reinvent itself when it takes over the previous house of Tables, one other long-lived restaurant that closed in August.

James Beard award-winning chef and co-owner Jen Jasinski and head chef Jeremy Wolgamott have mentioned they need to deliver the identical “Bistro Vendome really feel” to Park Hill with a patio, plus its traditional nightly dinner and weekend brunch service.

2267 Kearney St., Denver; bistrovendome.com

Kings of Wings Faucet & Tequila

When you’ve been struggling with out Kings of Wings because it closed in December 2021 as a result of a fireplace, you’ll be glad to listen to that not solely is its unique restaurant reopening subsequent yr, however the house owners are including a second, bigger location in Golden.

King of Wings Faucet & Tequila is taking on the two,800-square-foot former house of Colorado Plus Cidery & Pub in Golden. The brand new area will embrace all of King of Wings’ signature sauces and grilled (not fried) wings, a tequila bar, margaritas and a faucet wall that includes 29 native beers.

7741 W. forty fourth Ave., Wheat Ridge; 1100 Arapahoe St., Golden; king-of-wings.com

El Rancho

El Rancho’s closure this summer season left a brewery-sized gap in Evergreen. However the native landmark will return underneath new possession and the culinary steering of Bonanno Ideas, which owns eating places like Mizuna, Luca, Ostera Marco and Denver Milk Market. El Rancho is anticipated to start serving house-made beer and meals, impressed by Russell’s Smokehouse, which the restaurant group closed on the finish of 2022, and infused with Latin taste, in January.

29260 US-40, Evergreen; elrancho-colorado.com

Wealthy Spirit Bagels

This summer season, followers of Bakery 4’s bagels can skip the road for its pastries and head to a brand new bagel store, Wealthy Spirit Bagels, inside Wheat Ridge’s Gold’s Market improvement. Clients can anticipate to see the identical basic choices Bakery 4 has on its menu now, like every thing bagels, sesame bagels and salt bagels, in addition to different flavors like inexperienced chile, cheddar or cinnamon crunch. There may also be some bagel and lox and egg sandwich choices.

10081 W. twenty sixth Ave., Wheat Ridge; instagram.com/getrichspirit

Whataburger and In-N-Out Burger

Texas-based Whataburger made its Colorado debut in 2022 with the opening of two areas in Colorado Springs. And the burger chain, identified for its honey butter hen biscuits and spicy ketchup, introduced in November that it plans to open 4 extra franchise areas in northern and southern Colorado Springs by the top of 2023. Hopefully, Denver is subsequent.

5905 Structure Ave.; 2495 Montebello Sq. Drive; 1105 Backyard of the Gods Rd.; 702 E. Fillmore, Colorado Springs; whataburger.com

California-based In-N-Out Burger, however, is opening its first Denver location subsequent yr in Central Park after having already delighted burger lovers in Aurora, Lone Tree, Lakewood, Thornton, Citadel Rock and Colorado Springs. Clients ought to anticipate to get their animal-style fries someday within the subsequent few weeks or months as the corporate is nearing the ultimate phases of development, based on a spokesperson, though there is no such thing as a set opening date but.

4597 N. Central Park Blvd., Central Park; in-n-out.com

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