In the past couple of months, Denver’s Northside has lost a few good names, both old and new.
Funky Flame
On April 21, Funky Flame held its last day of service. The bakery and pizza shop took over the former N.O.S.H. cafe space near Regis University at 4994 Lowell Blvd. in October. Owner Allison Declercq started Funky Flame as a subscription bakery from her home before adding woodfired pizza to the menu and moving it to a temporary space at the corner of 44th Avenue and Zuni Street, as well as the Highlands Square Farmers Market. It was through Funky Flame that she met her husband and now co-owner Colton Steiner, who worked at Dry Storage at the time and sold her flour.
“…We have hit a fork in our road and are choosing to walk down a different path for a myriad of reasons, both personal and professional,” the couple wrote on Instagram.
It’s unclear whether or not the couple will move forward with FunkMart, a smaller 600-square-foot store at 2557 W. 46th Ave. in Sunnyside. They didn’t respond to multiple requests for comments prior to publication.
4994 Lowell Blvd., Denver
West End Tap House
West End Tap House opened on Tennyson Street in 2013, more than 10 years ago. The neighborhood watering hole with an elevated bar menu of burgers, Belgian fries and fried snacks closed last month without notice from owners Kurt Von Reiter and Steve Waldo. The 3,900-square-foot building at 3945 Tennyson St. has already been purchased by Nepalese restaurateur Khagendra Gurung for $2.26 million, according to public records. Gurung also owns Himchuli, a Highlands Indian restaurant, and Mazevo, a healthy Mediterranean restaurant a couple of doors down from West End.
3945 Tennyson St., Denver
El Chingon
El Chingon closed suddenly this week, as first reported by Westword, due to unpaid taxes, according to a notice from the Colorado Department of Revenue that now hangs on the LoHi restaurant’s door. The business owes a total of $43,934 in unpaid taxes that have accrued since Feb. 2023.
Lorenzo Nunez Jr. reopened El Chingon in its new, larger LoHi space in the fall of 2022 after outgrowing its former bungalow on Tennyson St., where it was stationed for eight years. Nunez originally opened El Chingon with his mother and nephew David Lopez in Arvada in 2010 before moving to the Northside. It was known for its elevated Latin cuisine, inspired by Mexico City.
1691 Central St., Denver
