Sweet! Denver's Only Chocolate-Centric Restaurant and Bar Reopens in New Location

"It's been a passion of mine since I was a little kid to own a restaurant," Phil Simonson told Westword in January 2022. At the time, though, he was preparing to close his first eatery, Chocolate Lab, after a series of issues beyond his control forced him to close his spot at 2504 East Colfax Avenue.

He hoped to find a new space for his chocolate-centric concept quickly, but the process took a bit longer than he expected. Now, nearly a year after it closed, Chocolate Lab has made its comeback in a former cheese shop at 5573 East Third Avenue in the Hilltop neighborhood.

"Stressful and relief at the same time," Simonson says of his feelings about the reopening on February 11. "I get to go back to doing the crazy things that I like to do, and I have an amazing staff that's ready and super-excited to welcome everybody back in. But it's also the ownership of a restaurant; it's a lot of stress. But it feels like it's all come full circle, and I'm ready to jump off the cliff and run again. It's gonna be a fun run."
Like the Chocolate Lab's original location, the Hilltop space had also been a cheese shop. Since getting the keys on November 1, Simonson has made some updates to the space, bringing new lights and tables into the bright 32-seat dining room, adding tile work and building a bar. The kitchen is three times the size of the one in the old spot, and "we actually have a real stove this time instead of just induction burners," Simonson notes. "We can do a lot more. We can have a lot more fun and just be a little more creative."

The location has other benefits as well, including plenty of parking and a new neighborhood. "We're not on Colfax anymore so we don't have to worry about all the crazy that Colfax brings with it," Simonson adds. "Hopefully, no more break-ins or anything like that. This neighborhood is much more close-knit. People are excited about it and talking about it and ready to come in."

Simonson has been ready for a while, but faced more delays even after finding the space. "We dealt with the city process of licensing and licensing and licensing," he says, referring to an issue that has impacted many restaurant owners in Denver. "This city is the worst for helping small businesses."
For example, he notes that he got the approval for a liquor license only 24 hours after a December 29 hearing, but it took the city around 45 days to actually issue the license, when "it's supposed to be done in ten," he says. "And that's with my licensing person calling all the managers and pushing people." He finally received the license at 5 p.m. on February 9, the day before Chocolate Lab's friends and family preview.

And that was after another major delay. Just days before the original planned reopening, Simonson thought he might have to abandon the project altogether after the health department "made us change out the water heater because it's 76,000 BTUs and not 80,000 BTUs, even though I didn't change any plumbing or anything like that," he explains.

Fortunately, friends stepped in to help with the unexpected expense. "I've had a lot of support from the community that has been customers and supporters of mine, and my friends in the city. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am. I owe them all a lot of gratitude," Simonson adds. Even so, the delays resulted in him spending three times the projected budget.

While the process was frustrating, Simonson and his team, most of whom worked at the previous location, are excited to share Chocolate Lab 2.0 with both old and new guests. A case near the entrance is fully stocked with truffles and other sweet treats in a variety of flavors.
The bar is serving a full menu of craft cocktails as well as rotating draft beers from Launch Pad Brewery. Many former staples on the food menu are back, including French onion soup and lasagna made with a dark chocolate marinara that Simonson hopes to bottle and sell in the restaurant soon.

He spent some of his time off developing new food items, too. The first to debut is nachos piled with chocolate carnitas, pickled orange supremes, house pickled onions, cotija cheese, black beans and a dark chocolate red bean adobo salsa. He plans to add a dark chocolate beef stroganoff served with egg noodles made using his great-grandmother's recipe as well.

Once the restaurant is fully staffed, Chocolate Lab will open for lunch with a menu that includes a cheesesteak made with a chocolate-spiked spice blend that's already available for purchase from the eatery's small retail section. Brunch plans are in the works, too.

"Chocolate is a lot of fun to play with," Simonson says. "What people don't know is that chocolate is kind of like a chameleon. So whatever you put with it, it takes it on. It mingles and plays well with so many different things."

While Simonson is focused on Chocolate Lab right now, he teases that another concept may be coming. While testing cocktail recipes with friends, he came up with sixteen ideas in one night. "I have business plans and logos for two of them," he says, "so there could be some other craziness in the works."

Chocolate Lab is located at 5573 East Third Avenue and is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For more information and to make reservations, visit chocolatelabdenver.com.