Picture the break of dawn in Anytown, USA, in a bygone era: the sun rising over a clapboard house, a rooster crowing, the clink-clink of milk jugs in a carton on the porch, the thunk of a rolled-up newspaper hitting the screen door.
In naming his daytime eatery “Paperboy,” founder Ryan Harms aimed to give it just that sort of nostalgic aura, envisioning “a place where you can slow down and have an easy start to the day, a place where you can be known,” in his words. It would be oh-so-wholesome—and maybe, like all things retro, just a little bit cheeky.
Launching as a food truck in Austin, Texas, in 2015, Paperboy now has two brick-and-mortar locations there. And as of March 24, it has a third right here in the Mile High City. The expansion makes sense given Harms’ partners, Robert Brown and executive chef Pat Jackson, both live in Denver.
“We see Denver as this sibling to Austin in a way. It’s a bit more casual, and it’s got a fun personality,” said Harms, who added that finding a space in the West Highland neighborhood was the clincher. “We loved that it was kind of near the urban core, a mile from downtown, but still in this really cool neighborhood pocket.”
Though Jackson’s kitchen crew will run seasonal specials from time to time, the breakfast, brunch, and lunch menu is essentially the same as it is down south.
“We feel really proud of what we’ve done in Austin, and so we thought, why not just be ourselves, tell people who we are, and invite them in?” explained Harms. “We think that it translates to just about anywhere.”
Among its most popular dishes is the Texas hash with roasted pork, sweet potatoes, onions, kale, and a poached egg in pecan mole, which he describes as “a nod to central Texas that’s just really nourishing.” Another is the fried chicken on a biscuit with country gravy, hot honey, and a sunny egg, which “checks all the boxes,” he added, describing it as “sweet and savory and spicy.” And then there’s the migas, an Austin tradition that, according to Harms, is “almost like a deconstructed taco or burrito plate.” It comes laden with scrambled eggs, cheddar, pico de gallo, avocado, cotija cheese, and grilled tortillas.
There are lighter options, too, including Harms’ personal favorite dish of citrus-cured lox with grilled scallion cream cheese, pickled beets, cucumber ribbons, wild rice furikake, shiso, and flax toast points as well as steel-cut oatmeal with pistachio crumble, blood orange, and golden raisins. But overall the repertoire is straightforwardly hearty, while the beverage list is its easy-breezy counterpart.
In addition to coffee drinks featuring Austin roaster Superthing, expect what Harms calls “bright and fresh and refreshing” cocktails with hand-squeezed juices, a case in point being the Aguachile Margarita with mezcal, tequila, orange, lime, roasted jalapeño, cilantro, and smoked salt.
“Bright and fresh and refreshing” is an equally apt description of the decor. Designed by Harms’ own wife, Laura Harms of Kempt Studio. Decked out in Paperboy’s signature butter yellow with blue accents, the 3,000-square-foot space offers 75 seats inside and 25 on the sunny patio.
“It’s got floor-to-ceiling windows pretty much wrapping the entire space, so there’s a lot of natural light that comes in,” Harms explained. “And because it’s in a neighborhood, to just have a bit of a residential feel, we [have] art on the walls, and lamps, and flower arrangements at the door, and things like that that just help it feel homey.”
That vibe is in keeping with Harms’ high hopes for Paperboy.
“The constant conversation I’m having both internally and with our team is that we just want to be really good neighbors to our immediate community and the city of Denver,” he mused. “The last thing we ever want to do is come in guns blazing. . . . We know that we’re new in town, and so we just want to be a good neighbor to those around us, and hopefully people will come check us out.”
Visit Paperboy Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Friday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. 3940 W. 32nd Ave., Denver, eatpaperboy.com
