While we’re currently in a freezing cold snap, all we can do is dream of glorious comfort food and warm, soothing restaurants to hunker down in. Good news, there’s plenty out there. With new menu items including fried chicken sandwiches, tikka masala pizza, and a grilled cheese to swoon over, find a reason to bundle up and dine out.
Read on for more of this week’s top news stories and send us any tips via Instagram or by emailing info@diningout.com.
The 411
As many tried and true places have, or plan on, shuttering this year, the dining landscape in Denver teeters between exciting and tragic. Westword reported that 270 new restaurants and bars opened in 2024, though over 100 places closed.
A big reason for closures can be seen through the numbers. According to data shared by the Colorado Restaurant Association (CRA), about three-cents per dollar spent at a restaurant is leftover after food costs, labor, and overhead expenses including rent, electricity, water, trash services, cleaning supplies, and more. All it takes to lose that small amount is a sent-back plate, dropped food tray, a bad night, unexpected repairs, and so on.

After a few years not taking reservations, Traveling Mercies in Stanley Marketplace decided to open up its three tables to those needing a set time to come in. Owner and chef Caroline Glover, who had her first child not too long ago, wrote on a social media post that she recognizes those that need to make solid time plans, for example, when you have a babysitter. The bar seating is still first-come-first-served, and she added, if the reservation plan doesn’t work out for the small bar, she will stop and go back to the old way. This comes on the heels of chef Dana Rodriguez launching reservations at her decade-old Work & Class, just last week.
Aurora’s Banh & Butter Bakery & Cafe got a cold but not cool surprise this past weekend as its water heater broke. A notice on the bakery’s socials said it was taking time to get a repair person and parts in due to the holiday weekend. The hope is to be open again on Tuesday. Side note, as mentioned before about restaurant margins, this weekend loss will hit hard, so go get a banh mi, strawberry croissant, and ube cupcakes to help support the independent shop.

Openings and Closings In the News
This week we lost two dumpling spots. Chef Lon Symensma closed his downtown location of YumCha. This comes six months after he shuttered LeRoux, his upscale French spot also on the 16th Street Mall restaurant. Symensma still has his signature ChoLon on the mall, and for fans of YumCha, the Central Park location remains open. Based on issues surrounding the downtown area and prolonged construction on the mall, it feels like this won’t be the end of closures.
After 25 years on South Federal, Lao Wang Noodle House will close on February 15. Go now for one last round of xiao long bao dumplings and celebrate the amazing run of this old school soup dumpling spot.
Also in unfortunate news, Comal Heritage Food Incubator has decided to close, ending eight years of a unique program that supported immigrants looking to start their own restaurant.
“Comal has been more than a restaurant,” read a post on the award-winning restaurant’s Instagram. “It’s been a home, a place where stories were shared through food, where immigrants and refugees found empowerment, and where Denver’s community came together to celebrate the rich diversity that makes us whole.” The last day will be February 14.

Eat your sorrow over these losses with off-the-wall sandwiches at the just-opened Odie B’s in RiNo. It’s officially launched, though the menu may be limited as they ease into the neighborhood. As for that menu, expect the same great sandwiches and breakfast burrito found at the Sunnyside location, as well as brand new soda fountain complete with pebble ice.
Onefold is bringing its brunch vibes to Greenwood Village. Based on a job posting, the opening date is coming soon. It’s the third spot in the company’s portfolio.
On the Menu
Head to Via 313 for the new Tikka Masala Pizza ($17). On top of the Detroit-style pie you’ll find a blend of tikka masala sauce, cheese, marinated chicken, red onions, and green peppers. Plus, as part of Via 313’s Better Giving Through Pizza initiative, $1 from every pizza sold will benefit Chefs Feeding Kids, a nonprofit fighting childhood food insecurity by providing nutritious meals.
Champagne Tiger has launched a Friday lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., complete with happy hour priced drinks such as $5 Spagetts and $10 Martinis. To eat, we’re salivating over the Mortadella Melt with pistachio mortadella, gruyere cheese, and house-made pickles. There’s also the Champagne Tiger burger, fresh salads, house-made lemon chicken and rice soup, and brunch favorites.

BAR DBC, Atomic Cowboy’s late night spot in Stanley Marketplace (opens each afternoon at 3 p.m.), released six new items perfect for these cold days. For example, The K-Mack, a Korean-inspired chicken sandwich finished with sesame mayo and pickled daikon on a garlic butter toasted brioche bun. There’s also the BBQ Burger, featuring a double smash burger topped with cheddar cheese, Tenderbelly bacon, fried onions, BBQ sauce, and Duke’s mayo.
Other options include the Nashville-hot chicken sandwich The Winona, BLT, The Folsom (a fried chicken sandwich with house-made Buffalo sauce), and the Mushroom Swiss Burger. Prices run from $11 to $15 each.
In beer news, WeldWerks Brewing Co. in Greeley announces the first Medianoche releases of 2025, which you can pick up if you’re heading to the WeldWerks Invitational on February 8. The featured beers include Diez Años De Medianoche, a 36-month-aged in barrels that used to house fine whiskey such as 23-year Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon, 12-year W.L. Weller 12-year Bourbon Whiskey, 6-year Breckenridge Port Cask Finish Bourbon Whiskey, and more.

There’s also the North Park Beer Co. collaboration dubbed Macaroon Medianoche. It’s a barrel-aged imperial stout the brewers rested on a mix of four different types of coconut with Madagascar vanilla beans. Then, WeldWerks added rich caramel and Dark Matter Coffee’s Unicorn Blood espresso beans.
Also on the drinks side, Adrift Tiki Bar just added lower-ABV and zero-proof drinks, and it’s not just for Dry January. There are two menus. The In Shallow Water menu features lower in alcohol cocktails that range from 8 to 16-percent ABV (whereas cocktails on the boozier spectrum can range from 25 to 37-percent ABV). Adrift’s On Dry Land menu features all non-alcoholic mocktails using N/A spirits, fresh juices, and other mixers.

Events
On Wednesday, January 22 head to EDGE inside the Four Seasons Denver for a special James Beard dinner. The seven-course meal showcases the talents of chefs Timothy Hontzas, Anthony Valinoti, John Currence, Vish Bhatt and Linda Hampsten, alongside EDGE executive chef Josh Fryer and pastry chef Molly Coen. Standard and VIP tickets available here, starting at $220 per person. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to No Kid Hungry, a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world.
Experience Denver’s largest shotski at ViewHouse Ballpark on Sunday, January 26. It’s all part of an epic 1990s-style après ski party, done in partnership with Breckenridge Distillery. Think build-your-own boozy snow cones, throwback cocktails, and tasty bites. Find more info and RSVP here.