Last March, facing pandemic-based business restrictions, The Market, at 1445 Larimer Street, closed for good after more than forty years of serving espresso drinks, deli sandwiches and baked goods to downtown residents and visitors. And then things really started to change on Larimer Square.
A deal to sell the entire Larimer Square real-estate package was announced in the fall, and the sale by Jeff Hermanson (who had owned Larimer Square since 1993) to Asana Partners closed in mid-December. In the meantime, entrepreneur Josh Sampson, founder of TheBigWonderful, Neon Baby, Denver Bazaar and other ventures, had opened a couple of new projects on the block, including Farmers Market LSQ, a collection of Denver food artisans peddling breads, pastries and other goods inside the former home of the Market.
>Chef Alex Figura cuts a pepperoni pizza at Redeemer Pizza’s second pop-up of the winter, which sold out in three minutes, inside Good Bread Denver on Saturday, January 30. (Eli Imadali, Special to the Denver Post)
Editor’s note: We’re just craving pizza all the time lately. There are few foods that are more comforting. So leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, we’re bringing you a three-part series on our favorite pie. Today: A pizza place that is selling out before it even opens. A
For a rare view into Colorado’s food culture over the coming year or more, just look to chefs Alex Figura and Spencer White and their growing family of Denver restaurants.
292 Shares
Carbon Knife Co., a Larimer Street storefront that offers knife sharpening and sells a curated selection of kitchen tools and Japanese knives. (Beth Rankin, The Denver Post)
Editor’s note: This is the first in The Know’s new series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we will offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).
Head to
to find all of our Staff Favorites.
Tucked away next to RiNo pasta mecca Dio Mio is one of Denver’s best-kept secrets for home cooks.
4.5K Shares
The owners of Dio Mio are opening a new pizza shop on Larimer Street in 2021. Redeemer will sell naturally leavened sourdough pizzas, hoagies, shared plates and more. (Nikki A. Rae Photography, provided by Redeemer)
Can’t possibly imagine what surprises 2021 has in store for Denver and Front Range restaurants? Frankly, neither can we. But the future still feels hopeful at least for these 18 spots slated to open throughout the year.
Most are located around Denver, but we’ve also unearthed a few coming to Fort Collins, Boulder and Colorado Springs. And we’ve spotted some trends already.
Pizza seems to be a strong bet moving forward. The pandemic has shown Denver restaurants what people really want in times of distress. The answer: cheese and bread, of course. (See also ice cream in that same category. And throw in tacos and tequila, too.)