There’s a buzz in the Denver air, and it’s not just the holiday spirit. The local restaurant scene has been riding high the past year, and new restaurants want to get a taste of the action.
Of course, we’ve had some tough closures, but Denver chefs are still taking risks and offering exciting new happy hours, neighborhood date-night spots or family favorites.
In 2023, food truck operators parked their wheels for brick-and-mortar spaces, while big names like Caroline Glover, Kelly Whitaker and the owners of Michelin-starred Beckon expanded their portfolios with new intimate, cocktail-focused concepts. Local restaurateurs also produced everything from elevated omakase menus to chef-driven, fast-casual spots.
Here are the 12 hottest restaurant openings of the year (that weren’t Casa Bonita).
Sap Sua
Considering Bon Appetit named Sap Sua one of its eight most-anticipated restaurant openings across the country last summer, and The Denver Post named it one of the most-anticipated restaurants of 2023, it’s no surprise that this Vietnamese hot spot earned a spot on the list.
Owners Anna and Anthony (Ni) Nguyen made their solo restaurant debut in June, after years of working for award-winning restaurants like Animal and Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles. The menu is an homage to Ni’s experience as a first-generation Vietnamese American, featuring family recipes with a twist, such as bắp cải luộc, a charred cabbage dish, inspired by his mom’s humble boiled cabbage and rice recipe. And keep an eye out for the resurgence of Anna’s bakery, The Bakehouse at Sap Sua on the weekends in 2024.
2550 E. Colfax Ave., Denver; sapsua.com
MAKfam
After testing their concept in the Avanti Food & Beverage market hall, Kenneth Wan and Doris Yuen were confident enough to take the leap, opening their first full-service restaurant, MAKfam, in November.
MAKfam highlights traditional Cantonese dishes. Specialties include Chinatown-style dumplings, deep-fried mala wings with a crunchy kick, scallion pancakes, bao buns and sizzling spicy Sichuan noodles. The bar decorated in neon signs, reminiscent of Hong Kong, serves playful drinks, like Hong Kong Iced Tea, a play on a Long Island Iced Tea, served in a Vita Lemon Tea box. Oh, and the spot is at the forefront of a new wave of chefs who are embracing, rather than discouraging, MSG.
39 W. 1st Ave., Denver; makfam.co
Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails
Chef Bo Porytko has been impressing local and out-of-state diners with his rotating menu based on traditional cuisine from Ukraine, Scandinavia, Germany, Poland and Georgia since he opened Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails in January.
So much so, that the eatery landed on The New York Times’ 2023 best restaurant list. Porytko cooks hearty meals an arms’ length away from guests seated in the intimate dining room, which is decorated like his Baba’s living room with cuckoo clocks hanging from the walls.
3333 E. Colfax Ave., Denver; molotovdenver.com
Kiké’s Red Tacos
Kiké’s Red Tacos, which won The Denver Post’s 2022 taco bracket as a food truck, opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in May. Customers no longer have to wait in camping chairs or rush to the popular food truck’s parking lot before it sells out every day during lunch, and can now comfortably chow down on rich Mexican stewed beef tacos in a 2,000-square-foot space in the Highlands.
Kiké’s, which Cesar Silva Gonzalez and his parents started in 2020, gained a viral following thanks to its TikTok and Instagram-friendly birria tacos with consomé, burritos, quesadillas, tortas and even ramen bowls.
1200 W. 38th Ave., Denver; kikesredtacos.com
Fox and The Hen
When a burrito specialist and a chef who’s TV-famous for her “Fancy Toast” joined forces this year, Denver was blessed with a new favorite brunch spot. “Top Chef” alumna Carrie Baird, along with Michael Fox, owner of wholesale burrito business Dis Burrito, and Denver restaurateur Juan Padro opened Fox and The Hen in June.
Fox and The Hen serves fun twists on classic American breakfast dishes, like hash browns served “Animal-Style” (a take on In-N-Out fries), plus Baird’s signature dishes, including “Fancy Toast,” made famous on Season 15 of “Top Chef” in Denver, and huevos rancheros that secured her the crown in her appearance on “Beat Bobby Flay.”
2257 W. 32nd Ave., Denver; foxandthehen.com
Major Tom
Ground control to Major Tom. In February, Michelin-starred Beckon replaced Call, its next-door European cafe with Major Tom, a champagne-focused cocktail bar and small bites restaurant in the River North Art District.
Major Tom is a spot for Beckon guests to grab a drink and some appetizers before or after their meal, or for any passersby who want to dip their toe into the Beckon experience before dropping $175 a head on dinner. Pair champagne with small bites, like the “Shooting Star” sandwich, with prawns, skate, caviar and remoulade on sourdough, or settle in for a popcorn-filled eclair for dessert.
2845 Larimer St., Denver; majortomdenver.com
Hey Kiddo
Chef Kelly Whitaker, who won two Michelin stars for Bruto and The Wolf’s Tailor in September, added his golden touch to the third floor of The Asher boutique hotel with the opening of Hey Kiddo in January.
The trendy menu, which Whitaker collaborated on with San Francisco chef Deuki Hong, is globally influenced, featuring small bites, like popcorn Korean fried chicken, shaken rice, and caviar, plus standout entrees such as pork ribs or dry-aged duck. There’s also a hidden bar dubbed Ok Yeah, where customers can order any drink their heart desires and munch on hand rolls while they wait for a table.
4337 Tennyson St., Unit 300, Denver; hk-oy.com
The Regular, The Guest and El Mercado
Three-in-one is always a good deal. After starting a private dinner series in their home during COVID, Sydney Younggreen and Brian De Souza expanded their horizons and found a space for three concepts in one space. In July, the couple debuted The Regular in downtown Denver. The Regular makes guests feel at home, offering something for everyone from filet mignon to grilled lobster tail, or family-style short rib.
The Guest is a call back to their private dinner series and is hidden behind a door within The Regular’s dining room. It offers a multi-course, chef’s tasting menu on Friday and Saturday nights, which rotates depending on the seasons and mood of chef De Souza. And El Mercado, their daytime operation, offers coffee, breakfast, lunch and specialty retail items.
1432 Market St., Denver; theregulardenver.com
Kumoya Japanese Kitchen
Chef Corey Baker, who wields 20 years of experience working with Japanese cuisine, is at home when he’s behind Kumoya Japanese Kitchen’s sushi bar. The local chef teamed up with Culinary Creative partners Juan Padro and Max McKissock to open the adventurous sushi and omakase spot in the Highlands this October.
Whatever is served each day is based on the restaurant’s daily deliveries from renowned fish markets in Toyosu and Fukuoka, Japan, which Baker has cultivated relationships with over the past two decades. The seasonal menu also has its own daily rotating dry-age fish program and hot Japanese dishes.
2400 W. 32nd Ave., Denver; kumoyadenver.com
Yuan Wonton, Thuy by PKR and Sweets & Sourdough
Like we said, good things come in threes. In September, Yuan Wonton, Denver’s hottest food truck; Pho King Rapidos, a Vietnamese food truck with global influences; and Sweets & Sourdough, a delivery-only artisan bakery, debuted their shared restaurant space in Park Hill.
Yuan Wonton serves its chili-garlic wontons and homemade dumplings on Wednesday and Thursday during the day, plus an all-Asian breakfast on Fridays. On Thursday evening, Thuy by PKR collaborates with Yuan Wonton for dinner, and on Friday and Saturday evenings, the Vietnamese food truck serves pho banh mi and family-style meals. Sweets & Sourdough serves coffee and bakes fresh bread loaves and pastries Thursday through Sunday.
2878 Fairfax St., Denver; reserve.spoton.com
Traveling Mercies
James Beard Award-winning chef Caroline Glover and husband Nelson Harvey are sipping pretty with their latest oyster and cocktail bar, Traveling Mercies, which opened on Dec. 22 in Stanley Marketplace’s former Sky Bar space.
The owners of the acclaimed Annette, also located in Stanley Marketplace, wanted to share their love for coastal cuisine. Traveling Mercies’ raw bar shucks out oysters and shrimp cocktails alongside comfort food classics like wedge salads and seasonal rice pudding. Guests can pair their seafood with coastally-influenced white or bubbly wine, martinis, rum-focused cocktails, and bitter aperitivos.
2501 Dallas St., Suite 311, Aurora; travelingmerciesbar.com
Kawa Ni
Connecticut chef Bill Taibe joined a wave of transplants from other states who came to Colorado from around the country, fell in love with the mountains, and never left. In November, he and business partner Massimo Tullio opened a second location of their Connecticut Japanese pub concept, Kawa Ni, in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood.
Kawa Ni recreates the quiet feeling of a traditional Japanese pub with cedar walls, antique artifacts and calming lighting. The menu has Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese influences, including a long list of dumplings, ramen, sandoitchis, noodles and rice bowls. There’s a whole section dedicated to deconstructed temaki (hand rolls) that puts diners to work, and only a few raw sushi items, like hamachi, black truffle and tuna or scallop.
1900 W. 32nd Ave., Denver; kawanidenver.com
