Sofia's debuted on the 16th Street Mall, bringing Roman-style pies that are cut to size and also available by the slice as well as half and full pans. Alen Ramos, co-owner of Poulette Bakeshop in Parker, worked with the team to create the recipe for the dough, which starts with an ancient flour called Yecora Rojo and is fermented for 36 hours.
Mora Pizza, which began as a pop-up series, now has a permanent home on East Colfax, where it serves ultra-creative vegan pies with flavor combos like "chicken" and waffles, Buffalo mac and even birthday cake.
For more traditional slices, hit up the newest locations of Stoner Pizza Joint, which added outposts on East Colfax and in Littleton. The national chain, which now has three Colorado spots, really leans into its weed theme, delivering pies in boxes that say #legalizemarinara on the side and offering menu items like Nugz (chicken nuggets) and quality greens (salads).
Aurora got its first Modern Market Eatery outpost this week. The city is also now home to Second Dawn Brewing, a new brewery headed up by a New Belgium alum.
Other notable openings include 22 Provisions, which started as a food truck specializing in East Coast-style sandwiches and now has a stall inside Avanti Denver; and the Porchetta House, which is serving porchetta sandwiches in the evenings out of the Spices Cafe space on Humboldt Street.
On Market Street, a trio of businesses shuttered. Smash Face Brewing, El Tejano and Loaded are all out, but Handsome Boys Hospitality, the group behind spots like Casey Jones and RiNo Country Club, is taking the spaces over, with plans to move five new concepts in by Opening Day for the Colorado Rockies.
And in Wash Park, restaurateur Jared Leonard, who also owns Grabowski's, two Campfire locations and AJ's Pit Bar-B-Q, shuttered Au Feu Brasserie after just over a year in business, though he plans to open a new concept in the space.
In other openings-and-closings news:
- After more than a year of delays, one local couple is finally ready to celebrate the grand opening of their wine bar, Room for Friends, in the Santa Fe Arts District.
- As Casa Bonita's May opening gets closer, one local man's "Great Wait in Line" Facebook event gets a huge response.
- Get a glimpse inside Side Pony, the new all-day cafe on West Colfax.
Restaurants and bars opening this week:*
22 Provisions at Avanti, 3200 Pecos Street
Chili Shack, 7260 Broadway
Dazbog, 5650 Tower Road
Kalaka Mexican Kitchen, 4528 Tennyson Street
Modern Market Eatery, 12230 East Colfax Avenue, Aurora
Mora Pizza, 911 East Colfax Avenue
The Porchetta House, 1510 Humboldt Street
Room for Friends, 846 Santa Fe Drive
Second Dawn Brewing, 2302 Dayton Street, Aurora
Side Pony, 4635 West Colfax Avenue
Sofia's Roman Pizza, 1530 16th Street Mall
Stoner Pizza Joint, 4565 East Colfax Avenue and 7456 South Simms Street, Littleton
Restaurants and bars closing this week:*
Au Feu Brasserie, 81 South Pennsylvania Street
El Tejano, 1949 Market Street
Loaded, 1941 Market Street
Smash Face, 1937 Market Street
*Or earlier and not previously reported.
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