“When you're trying to figure out what the brand is, that's the most fun time in a restaurant,” says Peter Newlin, chief vision officer of Gastamo Group and co-founder of Lady Nomada, which he and chef Jean-Philippe Failyau launched in Arvada in 2021. A second location opened on May 23 at 7161 West Alaska Drive in Lakewood’s Belmar shopping district.
Newlin says, “The more that we can do what we love, show genuine hospitality [and] serve amazing foods in an environment that makes people feel like they have an escape — that's everything we dreamed to build.”
Newlin recounts the experience that influenced the sun-washed interior and Baja-inspired menu at Lady Nomada. He and Failyau had planned a trip to explore cuisines and cooking techniques throughout the Mexican peninsula. They met in San Diego, and Newlin was under the impression that they could take an Uber straight to Tijuana, Mexico.
Newlin says, “The more that we can do what we love, show genuine hospitality [and] serve amazing foods in an environment that makes people feel like they have an escape — that's everything we dreamed to build.”
Newlin recounts the experience that influenced the sun-washed interior and Baja-inspired menu at Lady Nomada. He and Failyau had planned a trip to explore cuisines and cooking techniques throughout the Mexican peninsula. They met in San Diego, and Newlin was under the impression that they could take an Uber straight to Tijuana, Mexico.
“It was so funny. We literally got to the Mexican border and the Uber driver just dropped us off. We walked across the border, caught a cab, and then started this, I don't know, twenty- to thirty-hour drive all the way down the coast.”
He describes drinking wine in Guadalupe, stopping at nearly every little taco bar, and visiting several of Juan José Plascencia’s iconic restaurants. “[We] really got a lot of inspiration from Todos Santos,' Newlin says. Even though it's close to Cabo, it just feels totally removed, and it's quiet. You have the surf culture. You have this beautiful architecture. I fell in love with a project down there by the Bunkhouse group called the San Cristóbal Hotel.”
Newlin explains that he led interior design at Lady Nomada. “The whole interior is like it's been beat down by the sun and the sand for years and years.” The restaurant has roll-top garage doors that let fresh air into the spacious open-concept dining room, which is decorated with desert plants and back-dropped by hand-painted murals in muted teal and coral shades.
The eatery aims to “make guests feel as if they’re stepping into a boutique hotel in Cabo.”
Lady Nomada
Newlin explains that he led interior design at Lady Nomada. “The whole interior is like it's been beat down by the sun and the sand for years and years.” The restaurant has roll-top garage doors that let fresh air into the spacious open-concept dining room, which is decorated with desert plants and back-dropped by hand-painted murals in muted teal and coral shades.
The expansive patio features oversized beach umbrellas, ambient string lights, and an impressive sound system involving record players and retro speakers. “When you create that energy inside and out, that's where the beach party is,” says Newlin.
And what’s a party without food? Chef Failyau spearheads the menu, and believes that the Belmar selection is the greatest curation yet: “It features all the best dishes we have tested and refined over the last year. Those dishes include the mini chile rellenos, ceviche, birria tacos, grilled shrimp tacos and enchiladas paired with our frozen coconut margarita.”
When visiting Lady Nomada’s original location, Westword contributor Linnea Covington remarked that the food was “solid and fresh, but while that was expected given the restaurant group's other ventures, it was the spice level that shocked and pleased.”
Temper the heat with refreshing sips of Mexican-inspired mixed drinks, including seven margarita varieties and its take on a painkiller cocktail, featuring a Haitian dark rum, avuá cachaça (a Brazilian spirit made from sugarcane), pineapple, coconut and zesty notes of orange and lime.
And what’s a party without food? Chef Failyau spearheads the menu, and believes that the Belmar selection is the greatest curation yet: “It features all the best dishes we have tested and refined over the last year. Those dishes include the mini chile rellenos, ceviche, birria tacos, grilled shrimp tacos and enchiladas paired with our frozen coconut margarita.”
When visiting Lady Nomada’s original location, Westword contributor Linnea Covington remarked that the food was “solid and fresh, but while that was expected given the restaurant group's other ventures, it was the spice level that shocked and pleased.”
Temper the heat with refreshing sips of Mexican-inspired mixed drinks, including seven margarita varieties and its take on a painkiller cocktail, featuring a Haitian dark rum, avuá cachaça (a Brazilian spirit made from sugarcane), pineapple, coconut and zesty notes of orange and lime.
When asked why Gastamo Group selected Belmar for its latest Lady Nomada location, Newlin responds, “You want to build restaurants where people are like, ‘Holy smokes, this is totally different.’ That drove a lot of the purpose.” Aside from standing out in the district, Newlin notes its high traffic and the quality of the neighborhood, as well as his confidence in the area’s desirability long-term.
He also credits his partners, as well as “a whole lot of gut.” Newlin says, “If all those things are in alignment, you build a restaurant. We've got our eye on a lot of these amazing communities and markets across the city of Denver. It's about waiting until the right real estate shows up within those markets.”
Fortunately for Gastamo Group, two additional opportunities have already presented themselves. In 2024, it plans to open a Homegrown Tap & Dough in Parker, as well as a dual concept in Northglenn combining Homegrown and Perdida, Lady Nomada’s sister restaurant. Other restaurants under the Gastamo Group umbrella include Park Burger, Birdcall and Park & Co.
“Someone wise once told us, ‘It's not about how fast you grow; it's that you're able to keep growing.’ Our hope is not to build a hundred restaurants tomorrow, but in ten years, to be building restaurants — and to be building restaurants that are better than the restaurant that was most recently opened," Newlin concludes.
He also credits his partners, as well as “a whole lot of gut.” Newlin says, “If all those things are in alignment, you build a restaurant. We've got our eye on a lot of these amazing communities and markets across the city of Denver. It's about waiting until the right real estate shows up within those markets.”
Fortunately for Gastamo Group, two additional opportunities have already presented themselves. In 2024, it plans to open a Homegrown Tap & Dough in Parker, as well as a dual concept in Northglenn combining Homegrown and Perdida, Lady Nomada’s sister restaurant. Other restaurants under the Gastamo Group umbrella include Park Burger, Birdcall and Park & Co.
“Someone wise once told us, ‘It's not about how fast you grow; it's that you're able to keep growing.’ Our hope is not to build a hundred restaurants tomorrow, but in ten years, to be building restaurants — and to be building restaurants that are better than the restaurant that was most recently opened," Newlin concludes.
Lady Nomada Lakewood is located at 7161 West Alaska Drive and is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. For more information, visit nomadakitchen.com.
