UPDATED Aug. 2 at 1 p.m. to include an interview with Tables owners Amy and Dustin Barrett.
Denver is losing yet another longtime staple of the local dining scene.
Tables restaurant, which has been a Park Hill institution since 2005, announced its closure on social media this week. Its last day will be Saturday, Aug. 6. Chef-owners Amy and Dustin Barrett stated in a parting note Facebook that “we have decided it’s time to move on to the next life adventure, whatever that might be.”
In an interview with The Denver Post, the Barretts said whatever they do next, it won’t be opening a restaurant.
“If we were going to do that we’d just stay here,” Amy said.
Instead, the couple is planning to take time off to spend with their 13-year-old daughter and other family. In short, the Barretts said business challenges from the pandemic coupled with personal hardships — Amy’s dad passed away in 2021 — made them reevaluate their priorities.
“Running a restaurant, you have to be all in. And now we want to be all in on family,” Dustin said.
That doesn’t make the closure any easier. Amy called it “very emotional” and “very bittersweet.”
Since its inception, Tables earned its spot among the Mile High City’s most esteemed restaurants with seasonal menus that never ceased to inspire. “It’s one of those places where you can close your eyes, drop a finger on the list, and come up with a winner,” reads a 2015 review in The Denver Post.
Don’t just take our word for it: Innumerable chefs, from near and far, “speak highly about Tables in a way that’s too often reserved for brand new or closed businesses,” Denver Post foodie Josie Sexton reported in 2019.
In their farewell note, the Barretts thanked the Tables staff for its commitment, thick skin, and “really good sense of humor” and customers for their continued support and loyalty.
Tables joins a growing list of Denver institutions throwing in the towel since the pandemic. Most recently, the 25-year-old Park Hill Tavern mysteriously closed, and last month, Annie’s Café and Bar closed permanently, too.
