Cautious optimism was the theme for bars and restaurants in February, which saw a combination of declining COVID-19 numbers, increased dining room capacity and a second round of Paycheck Protection Program loans helping businesses stay afloat. While many eateries are still choosing to stay closed until patio weather returns and health and safety for guests and employees looks more certain, a surprising number of new restaurants and bars opened last month including a few big hitters.
Biggest of all was Perdida, which opened the doors to its bright, well-appointed open-kitchen eatery on February 8. The coastal Mexican cantina took over the former home of the Tavern Wash Park and transformed it from a clubby sports bar into a sun-drenched tribute to Baja s beaches. Over in Aurora s Fitzsimons neighborhood, a new version of Ambli Mexico cropped up. Fans of Ambli, which was originally located at 600 South Holly Street, only had to wait a couple of months for the move after the restaura
Denver s newest cafe on wheels, the Green Bus Cafe, will hit the streets beginning Saturday, February 20. After months of hard work by owner Dustin Croniser to outfit a 1976 Volkswagen microbus, he s ready to start serving up vegan drinks and food around Denver.
Croniser s take on a food truck started as a side project to his full-time career as a traveling A/V technician for live events. I’ve always been attracted to food, he says. I love to cook and had an affinity for VW buses; they re nostalgic to me.
Croniser purchased the bus in North Carolina in February 2020 and immediately got to work turning it into a mobile cafe with an entirely plant-based menu. He named his project the Green Bus Cafe because of the plant-based menu and because the VW uses alternative fuel. Combine that with the bus s original bright-green paint job, and the Green Bus Cafe practically named itself.