In this month’s cheat sheet, a glittering Spanish wine bar, an Italian spot exploring one of Italy’s most storied food regions, and a Cuban pastry concept that upgraded to a permanent home.
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I keep a list of all the new and upcoming restaurant openings in and around the Denver area and every few weeks I filter through them to find the ones you actually need to know about. January is usually a quiet month for openings, but this year came in hot. Here are the most noteworthy spots that started welcoming guests in the last month:
New restaurant concepts
1. Mar Bella Boqueria – Cherry Creek: A glamorous Spanish escape
With Mar Bella Boqueria, Johnny and Kasie Curiel’s Fonda Fina Hospitality (FFH) ventures outside its wheelhouse of contemporary Mexican cuisine. The new restaurant focuses on coastal Spanish cuisine with a bistro-and-wine-bar vibe and is located in the Clayton Hotel & Members Club across the hall from their other spot, Alteño, which opened in 2025.
According to Johnny, the leap from their previous concepts to this one isn’t as huge as it might seem. As he said in a press release, “Spanish colonization left an indelible mark on the way Mexicans cook, shaping our food in profound and lasting ways. This next chapter feels like exploring a side of my story that’s been a part of my cooking all along.”
One of the biggest questions about Mar Bella Boqueria – and FFH’s two other 2026 openings, the tasting menu-driven Fonda Maize in RiNo and their first out-of-state venture in Charleston, SC – is whether the group can maintain the same quality and experience across seven different restaurants by the end of the year. So far the team has managed to stay strong on training and selecting the right leaders for each kitchen. During Mar Bella Boqueria’s first few weeks, FFH culinary director Rico Carbajal was on hand during my visit to oversee service, but ultimately, chef de cuisine Evan Gottschling will be responsible for keeping things on track on a day-to-day basis.
- Vibe: The restaurant is largely divided between two separate bars that dominate the space. On the right, an olive-green marble-top chef’s counter cordons off the kitchen and contains a large garde manger station, with a jamonero for hand-carving the day’s ham and two vintage-style manual meat slicers on display. That bar seats a dozen diners who opt into the $125-per-person, eight-course tasting menu. The rest of the space runs the à la carte menu, from the restaurant’s second bar that accommodates walk-ins to the handful of high-tops in the front and tables in the back. Its sophisticated interiors, designed by Agatha Jane Interiors, are the sexiest and most glittery of the FFH restaurants, with plum walls, dim lighting, and brass and copper accents. Black-and-white checkerboard floors and a sharply dressed waitstaff nod to Old World style, while the music — ranging from The White Stripes to the movie musical Grease — keeps the atmosphere upbeat and a little more free-wheeling than their other spots.
- What’s on the menu: The eight-course tasting menu, which changes daily but largely draws dishes also available on the regular menu, showcases both land and sea. It opens with a classic trio of Spanish staples – pan con tomate, marinated olives, and hand-carved jamón ibérico – and unfolds at a leisurely pace, with guests luxuriating over a two-and-a-half-hour meal. Memorable dishes during my visit included a deviled Maine blue crab croqueta with a slice of otoro balanced on top, a salad that used melon, cava vinaigrette, and sheep’s milk cheese to tamp down the endive’s bitter bite, and a rich Colorado lamb shank bathing in a salsa verde and Basque vizcaína sauce. But the dish that really took me back to the Iberian peninsula was the gambas al ajillo: white prawns in olive oil, garlic, parsley, lemon, and chiquilín pepper, served with toasted bread. It was very similar to how Spanish cooks tend to approach their food — simple preparations that let the quality and freshness of the ingredients take the spotlight.
2. Dear Emilia – RiNo: An ode to one of Italy’s most admired culinary regions
Denver’s run of Italian openings continues with Dear Emilia, which debuted January 29 on the ground floor of The Current in RiNo – making it the fourth notable Italy-adjacent restaurant opening in town in the last two months. From the team behind Wash Park’s Restaurant Olivia, the new concept narrows its focus on the cuisine of the Emilia-Romagna region, home to iconic ingredients like Parmigiano Reggiano, prosciutto di Parma, balsamic vinegar, and tortellini. The team’s long-standing relationships with producers in the region shaped the restaurant from the start, including a glass-fronted display at the entrance that will house barrels of Italian balsamic from a San Giacomo supplier they’ve worked closely with over the years.
- Vibe: Designed by Regular Architecture, the centerpieces of the space are a row of arched-ceiling booths along a wall of windows and a large display kitchen featuring a six-seat chef’s counter. Dusty peach and terracotta tones, along with rounded edges that appear throughout, help soften the space and lend a lived-in warmth to what could otherwise feel cold, given the polished concrete floors and brand-new construction. Heather Morrison heads the front of house, creating a polished, familiar atmosphere that’s become a signature of the service teams she leads.
- What’s on the menu: Chef Ty Leon leans into what he loves most about Emilia-Romagna cooking while sourcing from Colorado producers to create locally inflected versions of favorite Italian dishes. As Leon said in a press release, “We have cooked with producers in their kitchens, walked through their farms and fallen in love with the way they honor tradition through care and generosity,” and in incorporating local ingredients, the goal was to “blend those classic dishes with ingredients and ideas that feel true to Denver.”
The menu features clean, precise pastas like a cappellacci filled with butternut squash (my favorite) and a rolled green lasagna layered with bolognese and béchamel. Perhaps the best example of Leon’s Emilia-Romagna x Colorado ethos is the gnocco fritto starter – a fried dough made with Rouge de Bordeaux flour, served with locally sourced smoked country ham cured in the style of prosciutto layered with a pear mostarda. Behind the bar, Austin Carson oversees a nuanced drink program, including a tasty house Negroni made with Family Jones gin, lambrusco-based vermouth, black peppercorn, and Bibamba dark chocolate.
3. Moodswing – Elyria Swansea: Pickleball and restaurant-style pizza partner up
The latest project from the Perpetual First team (also behind RiNo’s Improper City), this new indoor/outdoor pickleball complex opened January 9 in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood. The sprawling facility pairs co-working space, restaurant, and bar in the front with courts in the back, offering some of the city’s most affordable play – starting at $20 per hour on weekdays, with paddle and ball rentals included. The space feature six indoor courts, four covered and heated outdoor courts, and two uncovered outdoor courts, with some courts typically reserved for open play. Designed in part to function as a neighborhood resource, the space openly welcomes daytime visitors to drop in and enjoy free Wi-Fi and plenty of open seating with no requirement to purchase anything.
- Vibe: Housed in a former factory, the two-year adaptive reuse project preserves much of the building’s industrial character, including its distinctive sawtooth roof, originally designed to maximize natural light. Today, that light filters through colorful stained-glass panels that wrap around the bar and appear as abstract inserts in yakisugi-style black wood accents. The space invites wandering, with lots of little nooks to discover, from the food-hall style seating near the big-screen TVs to quieter mezzanine perches overlooking the courts.
- What’s on the menu: Queen City Coffee anchors the daytime café program, while a full bar serves beer, cocktails, and nonalcoholic drinks throughout the day. The food menu, developed by Brasserie Brixton chef Nicholas Dalton, focuses on brick-oven pizzas, with more than a dozen 12-inch pies ranging from classic margheritas to a Japanese-inspired roasted cabbage and sesame variation. Snacks like wings, fries, and great little half-moon-shaped fried mozzarella shareable with a zesty tomato dipping sauce make up the rest of the menu, with a few lighter options such as a white bean and rosemary dip also available.
Bars, cafes, and coffee shops
4. Café Tres – Curtis Park: Farmers market favorite opens its first brick and mortar
At Café Tres, owner Michael Solis is turning out Cuban flaky pastries called pastelitos that crackle satisfyingly with the first bite. The shop officially opened January 8, and opening weekend was a rush, with the day’s pastries often selling out before 10:30 am. In their second week, the team had to ramp up production to around 1,000 pastries a week to keep up with demand.
- Vibe: The compact shop is a striking vision in vibrant azul, a color Solis – who has a background in art direction and design – has made a signature of the Café Tres brand. From the tile to the plexiglass workstation shield to the merch-lined bookcase, nearly everything is finished in the same electric hue, creating a bold, cohesive look. There’s no seating inside, so it’s largely a grab ‘n’ go place for now.
- What’s on the menu: The menu centers on sweet and savory pastelitos, with the guayaba y queso (guava and cheese) as the top seller, followed by the carne filling, while the cheese-only option is especially popular with Latin American customers. Solis says these staples will always be available, alongside rotating weekly specials, including past offerings like a ropa vieja–filled version. At the counter is a coffee station serving Cuban-style coffee, topped with its signature foam of whipped brown sugar and espresso, along with cappuccinos and lattes.
5. Adventure Time Bar – Baker: Immersive cocktail bar launches with a flashy, futuristic concept
Touted as Denver’s first immersive, rotating themed cocktail bar, Adventure Time Bar is the creation of veteran bartender Sam Wood and partner Laura Wood. Open evenings Thursday through Saturday, the bar launched with the theme “Neon City,” transporting guests into a cyberpunk future inspired by Blade Runner and The Matrix. The ticketed experience includes a welcome cocktail (NA options available), a souvenir, and full immersion in the space. The original 90-minute time limit has since been removed, so now guests are free to linger as long as they’d like.
- Vibe: Adventure Time Bar is a simple black-box space, currently decorated with glowing LED signs shaped like melting eyes and laser-wielding cats, opalescent inflatables dangling from the ceiling, and a wall of crinkly silver mylar behind a glowing sign that reads, “YOU LOOK LONELY.” Over-the-top drink vessels — from flaming orange squiggles, glowing spheres that release clouds of dry ice, and black-and-blue skull mugs — slide across the glitter-dusted bar.
- What’s on the menu: The emphasis is on playful drinks designed to be filmed and photographed, including drinks like the purple-pink Cuatro Crazy (vodka-based drink laced with grape Jolly Rancher flavoring and 80mg of caffeine), citrusy spritzes, a novel take on the espresso martini (a clear version with aromatic waters infused with the taste of espresso). Edible drink/dessert mashups also are high on form factor, like a key lime pie Ramos Gin Fizz that is flash-frozen and looks like a cloud served on a plate. Non-alcoholic options are also available for guests to enjoy.
6. American Lore – Berkeley: Hat and whiskey bar rolled into one
Retail shops pairing shopping with drink programs have become an increasingly popular way to diversify business and be something other than a place that sells “stuff.” Here in Denver, American Lore, a new hat store and whiskey bar on Tennyson Street, is the latest to join the hybrid model. The shop opened January 9, just in time for the National Western Stock Show. It features high-end Western headwear from Hats by Parker Thomas, a Colorado-born, third-generation hat shaper, alongside a bar program run by Denver restaurateurs Spencer Fronk and Andrew Palmquist, co-founders of RiNo’s Number Thirty Eight.
- Vibe: The space feels like a modern Western saloon, with hats lining the walls while the bar dominates the center of the store. Exposed ceilings, cowboy boots repurposed as dried-flower arrangements vases, and a gleaming silver Harley at the front set the tone, while customization stations remind drinkers and shoppers they can personalize their hats with feathers, ribbons, and other forms of flair.
- What’s on the menu: When the shop is open, the bar is open – meaning every day but Monday, drinks can start flowing as early as 10 am (!!!). The menu features a wide range of whiskeys by the ounce, including a custom Locke + Co. American Lore single-barrel bourbon and premium pours like Michter’s 10-year single barrel for $80/oz, alongside house cocktails such as a spiked roasted jalapeño lemonade with blackberry, wines by the glass, all-day $4 beers (including Coors Banquet, Shiner Bock, and Juice Drop IPA), and several zero-proof options. While hat sales wrap up by 8pm, the bar stays open until midnight.
One final craving
Clay Pot Eggplant from Ma’s Kitchen | Illustration: Laura/New Denizen
I finally made it to the much-talked-about Ma’s Kitchen. While the restaurant was pretty busy when our group arrived and it took a bit to get our order taken, once it was in, the service was impressively fast, with dish after dish coming out in no time. Everything was solid, but the clay pot eggplant was the clear favorite of the dozen or so dishes we sampled. It comes out in a huge bowl, hot as a tea kettle and fully sizzling and sputtering. The pot is filled with tender chunks of eggplant, each piece packed with a rich, caramelized flavor that had our whole table cheering (literally). I’m very excited to hear the concept will be expanding both its space and offerings, as soon as later this month.
ICYMI: Last month, I shared two spots with very different takes on Italian-American cuisine, and a Japanese-style sando shop with lines out the door. ✨Read it here✨
Editor’s note: April 9, 2026 – The upcoming restaurant from Johnny Curiel officially changed its name to Fonda Maize. The name has been updated in this article.