Every Opening This Week: Dozens and Beau Jo's Are Back in Denver and More

On June 22, 2022, a kitchen fire forced Dozens to close its location at 236 West 13th Avenue, where it had been a breakfast and lunch staple for over 25 years. Two years later, it's back in a new space not far from its longtime home.

Dozens took over the former Greedy Hampster, at 323 14th Street, and is now open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Many of the former employees are back, as is the full menu of homestyle favorites — and the signature quirky menu names and descriptions. Choose from such options as the Egg Arnold ("Benedict that is. We use lean ham steak on a puff pastry then sprinkle on bay shrimp. No traitor to your taste buds"); the Literary Club ("An edible edifice as multifaceted as the Denver Public Library. Triple decker club sandwich on wheat toast with smoked turkey, breast, thick sliced bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo. Check it out!"); or the Platte River Platter ("Real crab, not that fake stuff, and shrimp swimming on a tide of swiss cheese and immersed in a wave of hollandaise sauce. Promises to induce rapture of the deep").

Also making a comeback in Denver is Beau Jo's, the local chain that's known for what it calls "Colorado mountain pies," with signature craggy, hand-rolled crusts designed to be drizzled with honey. After closing its only Denver outpost on South Colorado Boulevard in 2017, it's finally made its Mile High return near the University of Denver.
Another homegrown chain, Illegal Pete's, has expanded. "We have returned to the place where it all started," the company says of its latest location, in Boulder's Table Mesa neighborhood. On Sunday, June 30, it will celebrate the opening from 4 to 7 p.m. with live music on the patio. Its location near the University of Denver has been closed for renovations since December, but founder Pete Turner tells Westword there will be an update on its reopening soon.

Cerebral Brewing added a location as well, officially debuting a taproom on East Colfax in Aurora; it previously used the space for pop-ups.

Brand-new to the scene is J&T’s Family Kitchen, located on the first floor of Denver’s Civic Center Plaza. It's owned by Derrell "Texas" Trussell and his fiancée, Julie Mason, and is dishing up affordable breakfast and lunch staples plus specialty items such as hickory-smoked meatloaf; it also has a pay-by-the-pound salad bar.

Beyond Carioca Cafe (Bar Bar) shuttering at least temporarily after a fire, there were no closures to report this week. But two spots are shutting down this weekend:

• Citizen Rail's last day is June 29; it will reopen in early August as Ajax Downtown.
• Enzo's End, the pizzeria attached to PS Lounge, is set to close on June 30, but its owner is still hoping to find someone to buy the brand and keep it going.

Here's the complete list of restaurants and bars that opened and closed this week*:

Openings

Beau Jo's,  2110 South University Boulevard
Cerebral Brewing, 9990 East Colfax Avenue, Aurora
Dozens, 323 14th Street
Illegal Pete's, 657 South Broadway, Boulder
J&T’s Family Kitchen, 1560 Broadway

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

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