First Look: Grange Hall Brings Burgers, Beer and More to Greenwood Village

What: Grange Hall

Where: 6575 Greenwood Plaza Boulevard, Greenwood Village

When: During its debut weekend, September 23 through September 26, Grange Hall will be open from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.  After that, regular hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

For more info: Visit grangehall-colorado.com.
What we saw: Long gone is the dark and dated decor of C.B. & Potts, which sat in this location near the Denver Tech Center for nearly 25 years. With longtime restaurateur Troy Guard at the helm, the building has been almost totally transformed — with the exception of the bar, which juts out into the vast space and provides ample seating for anyone who wants to belly up for beer and cocktails.

The tall ceilings and light decor give the first food hall in Denver's southern suburbs an open and airy vibe, even when it's filled with hungry patrons lining up for bites from the seven food stalls ready for the grand opening. Tables are scattered throughout the space, and orders can be placed either from your phone via QR codes for pick-up from each concept, or directly at the counters. Drinks, too, can be ordered virtually or from the bartenders, who are happy to pour you a pint or talk you through the cocktail lineup, which includes the light and extremely sip-able Grange Spritz made with Ketel One Peach & Orange Blossom, lemon, elderflower, mint and soda. And then there's the lineup of beers brewed in-house from Guard's first foray into brewing, Little Dry Creek Brewery.

A large room at the back of the hall is available for private events, and a live band played in another, near the brewing equipment (which is visible behind glass), at the preview, its music echoing throughout the building and outside onto the patio that overlooks the mountains to the west.
All in all, the space is a lively addition to Greenwood Village, which for years was largely home to chain after chain. And while Pindustry, the massive entertainment/bar/dining concept that opened nearby in June, is much more of a destination for games and entertainment, Grange Hall's draw is the food itself.

At a pre-opening event, the line was longest for Crack Shack, a fried chicken brand that got its start in San Diego in 2015. The Grange Hall stall is its first foray into Colorado and it first food hall location. As an homage to the state, Crack Shack added an item available exclusively available at this outpost: Grange Fries ($13), which come topped with spicy nuggets, ranch, Cheez Whiz, bacon, thin strips of green onion and a sparse smattering of Pueblo chiles. The combination was tasty enough, though Crack Shack should consider upping the chile quotient, since that flavor didn't really come through. The sandwiches ($9-$12) seem a better way to go at this spot.

Get your fries at Guard's Rado Burgers instead, where the spuds are extra crispy thanks to a light batter; a small order is $3.95. Guard also brought Bubu, his build-your-own bowl brand, to Grange Hall, along with another new addition, Crazy Love Pizza. The pizza's thick but light and airy crust is loaded with generous toppings, including blankets of melted cheese. The square pies, available by the slice or whole, are almost reminiscent of the good parts of that rectangular school-lunch pizza — if those were made with better ingredients in an actual pizza oven.

Uptown & Humboldt from chef Gio Diaz and his partner, Hayden Hayes, is offering lamb and falafel gyros along with sides like yuca fries and two mini hoagies: ham and cheese, and the kid-friendly grilled PB & J.  Eiskaffee, from High Point Creamery owners Erika Thomas and Chad Shultz, will provide coffee and ice cream, while Honey Fish, from the owner of Highland restaurant Mizu Izakaya, will specialize in hand rolls.  What surprised us: Rado Burgers not only had excellent fries, but impressive burgers, with juicy patties on soft and squishy, sweet Hawaiian roll-style buns. While Guard has delivered on his promise of this concept offering unexpected toppings — including options like grilled shrimp, Ruffles chips, foie gras and kimchi — the simple Rado Burger ($8.25 for a single), with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, grilled onion and a slightly spicy house sauce, served with a hefty, crunchy dill pickle spear, hits all the right classic burger notes.

This spot is also where you can find one of the best bites in the food hall: Mrs. Guard's triple chocolate chip cookies (three for $5), which are slathered with melted butter and sprinkled with sea salt as they come out of the oven.

Another surprise: the last-minute announcement that J. Dawgs, a Utah-based concept with four locations around Salt Lake City and a cult following, will be opening at Grange Hall by the end of the year. The hot dog spot has a small but choice menu: an all-beef or Polish dog with toppings like banana peppers, pickles, sauerkraut and a special sweet and tangy sauce. The dogs are sliced with a signature crisscross pattern, grilled and served on a freshly baked bun.

While burgers, hot dogs, fried chicken and pizza don't exactly break any new culinary ground, Guard has loaded his first food hall with high-quality takes on pretty much every popular food item out there — a move that seems likely to make Grange Hall a go-to spot for Tech Center workers heading to lunch breaks or happy hours, for families who live in the area and are tired of Red Robin...and for anyone who appreciates a good burger.