Little India Goes 24/7 at Its Sixth Avenue Location

Since the pandemic, late-night dining options in Denver have been slow to make a comeback. Though there are a few solid options for anyone hungry after midnight, 24/7 restaurants have dwindled significantly.

Some old-school diners like Pete's Kitchen and Great Scotts have brought back a 24-hour schedule on weekends — but on weekdays, hours are still limited. So for those hungry at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday, a chain like Denny's or the metro area's Mexican drive-thrus have been the only options.

But now, one of the city's longtime Indian staples has gone 24/7.

Little India will celebrate its 26th anniversary on June 23, and for the first time, owner Simeran Baidwan has expanded the hours at the Sixth Avenue location, offering its full regular menu for takeout, delivery and dine-in 24/7. "We've always thought about it," he says of the change.

And, he adds, "we've been losing market share to competition," like Tikka & Grill, which opened its second location just a half a mile away last year, and Gaia Masala & Burger, which debuted around the corner on Grant Street in 2021. Both of those restaurants are open until 3 a.m. daily.

"I think the city is pretty much alive 24/7. People are getting off work from hospitals and working in different areas. Since we are more centrally located, we've actually already seen an uptick in delivery orders starting at 3 a.m.," Baidwan notes. "We've seen people walk in at 8 a.m. ordering Indian-style breakfast like parathas and samosas. We've seen people even at 5 a.m. ordering dinner. We don't realize that sometimes the early morning is dinner time for people who work the graveyard shifts."

Since launching the new hours last week, response has been strong. "We've actually been taken by surprise ourselves," Baidwan admits. "We're already seeing the influx of business coming in where we're actually now bringing extra help in, too. It's been exciting."

Little India has four locations in the metro area, but only the outpost at 330 East Sixth Avenue is open 24/7. For more information, visit littleindiaofdenver.com.