As a Native Coloradan, I Have Never Seen Denver in Such a Massive Downward Spiral Like I’m Seeing Now

I started my blog to try and address the issues I see in Japanese food and culture, but when Google hit my blog and thousands of others back in 2022, I wrote a manuscript to continue that mission. However, there are other things I need to call out beyond my typical focus, like the direction Denver is going with 30+ long-running restaurants being put out to pasture like grandpa.

I can’t stand politics because the vast majority of us don’t rely on facts. Instead, it’s like shopper marketing, where people simply repeat and buy into whatever they see at eye level if the messaging aligns with their team on any given topic, yeah, not good. I also don’t care if you’re native or just moved here. I welcome anyone and everyone who wants to make this state their home. However the data shows the “transplants” have stopped coming, or a net migration to the Denver metro area has dropped roughly 66% compared to a decade ago (Common Sense Institute / State Demography Office). If you failed economics: fewer people equals less money.

I remember the Tabor Center, Celebrity Lanes, Cinderella City, Gart Brothers, and when jets from Stapleton Airport crossed over I-70. Now, many spots I grew up with, like Piccolo’s Pizza, Tamarac Square, The Fresh Fish Company, and Sushi Sasa, are gone, just vacant spaces and memories. Even the Mattress store and 24 Hour Fitness near me have closed.

Unfortunately, this is just the beginning.

In the past, I would not have written or produced this sort of content because Google would never rank it, and no one typically searches for opinion pieces on such niche topics. Well, here I am anyways, producing content I personally want to document, a tally of how many restaurants and landmarks I grew up with that are now gone. So, I hope you find it useful, and it’s not just for my own personal edification/gratification.

5 DENVER STATS AS OF DECEMBER OF 2025
1-RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA Colorado’s recreational marijuana market, legalized in 2012, surged to a $2.2 billion peak in 2021 (generating $423 million in state taxes), then plunged nearly 40% to $1.4 billion by 2024 amid oversupply and competition—highlighting the volatile economic forces Denver’s long-standing restaurants have outlasted for decades. It also doesn’t help that other states like California (2018), New Mexico (2022), and Missouri (2023) legalized and ~75% to 80% of the illegal marijuana farms were linked to Chinese Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs).
2-HOUSING VALUES As of November 2025, a Zillow report found that approximately 91% of homes in the Denver metro area have lost value over the past year—the highest share among major U.S. cities. However, most experts, which I am not, say: “For the average Coloradan, it is likely not a crisis of 2008 proportions. It is a correction,” so no need for an indica gummy bro. The ones that may need a gummy tho, are the ones renting because in late 2025, the median rent for a 1-bedroom in Denver is roughly $1,893.
3-AN INCREASE OF 65,700 UNEMPLOYED Colorado’s unemployment rate, which dipped to pandemic-era low around 2.5% in 2021, has climbed steadily to 4.5% (approximately 65,700 unemployed individuals) in 2025—the first time it’s exceeded the national average since the 1980s oil bust. Now, I can’t say where those lost jobs are coming from, but Colorado ranks 5th in the nation for the number of restaurants per capita, making it a central pillar of the local economy.
4-SHRINKING LOWER AND MIDDLE-CLASS 7-Eleven closed 444 stores in 2024, explicitly blaming shrinking spending by middle- and lower-income customers amid inflation and job weakness. Starbucks felt the same pinch, axing nine Denver locations in September 2025—including the REI flagship (a location I was a regular at)—after U.S. same-store sales fell 4%, driven almost entirely by fewer visits from tapped-out middle-class patrons. With America’s middle class down to 51% of adults from 61% in 1971, the everyday spender is disappearing—and so are the businesses that depended on them.
5-CRAFT BREWERIES FLATLINING Colorado’s once-booming craft beer scene is flatlining: In 2024, brewery closures outpaced openings by a net 1% (6% closings vs. 5% openings), with 41 total shutdowns versus roughly 30 new spots, per Brewers Association and Colorado Beverage Coalition data—leaving the total at 456 statewide and signaling a maturing market squeezed by 3.2% beer sales drops amid inflation and shifting tastes.

I’m not saying Denver’s dead, but if you track restaurant obituaries aka Westword (they seem to have a knack for listing closures) against these numbers, it paints a specific finger painted picture of where this city is heading.

I may have been out of this state for almost a quarter century, but I had been back and forth throughout that time. So I can tell you how massive Cinderella City was, and all the water parks we had, like at Celebrity Lanes, Buckingham Square, and the one at Tiffany Plaza (a great time to be a kid). More recently, I got to see the end of Tamarac Square off Hampden being torn completely down for a Target. More has changed in the last 1-3 years than at any other time, which is my anecdotal observation, but I thought I’d obsess over it all by producing this post.

Colorado’s minimum wage hits $15.89 statewide and a crushing $19.29 in Denver on January 1, 2026. Every city that’s already done this (Seattle, San Francisco, New York) has watched low-margin restaurants and bars disappear in waves: job losses up to 9-13%, menu prices up 8-15%, and hundreds of legacy spots gone forever.

This isn’t the only factor, but it’s another weight thrown on an already overloaded small-restaurant balance sheet. Denver is already bleeding 200+ restaurants in the past year with Denver bearing 82% of that burden. This next jump will simply finish the job on the independents while chains automate and survive.

The spots I have my eyes on cuz Asian

To try and align it with the brand of my website which is Japanese food and culture, I will list off the places that have come and gone within that segment and expand outwards because one does not completely live off of Americanized sue-she.

BUSINESS NAME	NOTES	YEARS IN BUSINESS & CLOSE DATE
East Tao Ramen 955 Lincoln Street	Not Japanese. It’s Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese with “Japanese” for marketing.	Closed September 2025, possibly 7 years?
Izakaya Ronin 3053 Brighton Boulevard, Industry Building, Five Points	Not an izakaya, and I ran into an ex-Sushi Den co-worker here. They’re also an offshoot of Sushi Ronin. Closure notice by Westword.	Closed August 2019, barely 2 years
Kobe An Cherry Creek 231 Milwaukee St, Denver, CO 80206	An OG, but they still have their LoHi location with Marco and Michelle that you need to support. Cherry Creek closure article by BusinessDen.	Opened 1979 and closed on October 8, 2023, 40+ years old
Kyu Ramen 2205 E Colfax Ave Denver, CO 80206	They had been on Colfax, but they moved to another location where they eventually shut down shortly after.	Closed August 4, 2023, 4.5 years
Osaka Ramen 2611 Walnut Street, Five Points	Jeff Osaka is a contributor to the Japanese American community, so I made it a habit to support his businesses. Here’s a Westword article on the closure details.	Closed February 23, 2025, nearly 10 years in operation.
Sushi Kuro 3501 Wazee Street, Zeppelin Station	I had been to the quasi-Asian Zeppelin Station food court numerous times, and I had no clue it was supposed to be Asian themed.	Closed September 30, 2025, 2.5 years.
Sushi-rama All 5 Locations	I had only eaten kaiten sushi in LA two times in 14 years, but I was a regular at Rama to support the place (I’ll miss the staff). Here’s a Denver Post on the last location closure.	Closed April 12, 2025 which was their last location in Five Points, 9 years in operation.
Sushi Ronin 2930 Umatilla Street, Highland	They had been around, so they paid their dues but had other contributing factors. Businessden closure details.	Closed February 2025, but opened in LoHi in 2016, so roughly 9 years in operation.
Sushi Sasa 2401 15th St #80, Denver, CO 80202	The only spot I would go out of my way for, and the place I’d take others to. I go way back with a few of the staff here. CBSNews closure news.	Closed December 2024, 20 years in operation
Sushi Tazu 300 Fillmore St Denver, CO 80206	As I said in my best sushi in Denver post, we used to hang out here all the time, even after hours.	Sold to new owners, but it closed shortly after in May 2022, 25-30 years in operation.
20th Street Cafe  Across the street from the temple	My family and I used to mow one of the owner’s lawn. The Denverite closure details not behind a paywall.	Closed May 2020. 74 years in operation. Family-run business for three generations; owners retired.

These places are not closing due to ineptitude or bad ratings, especially the ones that have been around for several decades. Most of them have great ratings; however, changing times are reshaping many cities throughout the country, and it has already happened to malls.

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only about 35% of restaurants survive their first 10 years, dropping to roughly 26% after 20 years.

In Q3 2025, Downtown Denver’s total office vacancy rate hit 37.7% (CBRE data). That is more than one-third of the city center empty. This explains the specific closures of places like Zoe Ma Ma (Union Station) and Sushi-rama (RiNo). There is no “lunch rush” because 37% of the desks are empty. I’m not seeing things; the customers literally aren’t there because I am on the ground, and I see how empty things are.

Also, if you do not provide public bathrooms on the newly remodeled 16th Street Mall, and you rely solely on the businesses or only cater to people who are paying customers to use the bathroom facilities, I think it says a lot about our city.

The haves and have-nots have spoken: you do not get a bathroom, you don’t get a bathroom, and you don’t get a public bathroom (I will say mayor Mike Johnston has done an excellent job at cleaning things up tho).

I constantly see people commenting on social media about downtown Denver, but I am always out and about downtown. So, I have been keeping tabs on what’s opening and closing. Since late 2021, even the deepest-pocketed national chains have abandoned Denver’s 16th Street Mall in a steady, unmistakable “let’s get the eff out” rally: McDonald’s closed its longtime location at the end of 2022 (over by the poke place with sumo wrestlers); TJ Maxx walked away from its 30-year storefront in early 2023; both Starbucks outposts on the mall shut down that same year; Chili’s, Hard Rock Cafe, Uniqlo (this one sucked for me), Corner Bakery, and Banana Republic all followed suit in 2023; Sephora pulled the plug in October 2024; and Caribou Coffee delivered the latest donkey kick by closing its final Colorado location on the mall in January 2025. When brands that can usually weather any storm decide the foot traffic and economics no longer work, it’s not a warning sign anymore: it’s the spiral in motion, weeeeeee.

Upwards of five decades, now closed

The focus is on spots that closed in the last 2-3 years. However, I will be adding spots that I am sad to see go because they were around forever, or I was a regular, until I was not cuz they closed. I’m leaving off most breweries like Blue Moon (I went to their opening), Banded Oak Brewing, and Jagged Edge.

This list does not include all the large commercial chains closing around Denver (multiple locations), like 7-Eleven, Starbucks, McDonald’s, Bubba Gump, Caribou Coffee, Chili’s, Corner Bakery, Del Taco, Noodles & Company, Denny’s Hard Rock Cafe, Smashburger and Quizno’s (their first locations), and Panera Bread.

Quick-service (fast food), fast-casual, and casual dining seems like it’s struggling.

BUSINESS NAME	NOTES	YEARS IN BUSINESS & CLOSE DATE
Benny Blanco’s 616 E 13th Ave, Denver, CO 80203	Two decades ago the gf I was dating at time would eat an anchovy, pepperoni, onion, and fresh garlic slice, which I thought, WTF, that sounds gross. Now, it’s my go-to, but not here anymore.	24 years before closing. The pizzeria shut its doors on August 31, 2024
Benny’s Restaurant & Cantina 301 E 7th Ave, Denver, CO 80203	Most of my friends had live in Capitol Hill, so these are the spots I know really well. However, I have never been to Benny’s (too many better places to go, like Angelo’s), but they had fans (via Westword).	On December 2, 2025, Westword officially announced that Benny’s was “officially closed for good.” After 30 years of business.
Breakfast King 1100 South Santa Fe Drive	I only knew of this spot because coworkers used to say that Toshi-san (Sushi Den) used to hit this spot up.	Opened in 1975 and closed January 2022. So approximately 47 years.
Bubba Gump 1437 California Street	I have never been, but I pass by them all the time. Not only have I seen them in Denver, but they’re always located on piers like Santa Monica or Pier 39 or waterfronts. Here’s the closure details on 9News.	Was in business for 18 years, from 2007 to 2025. The restaurant permanently closed in November 2025.
Denver Diner 740 West Colfax Avenue	The Greeks know how to run diners in Colorado, and they’re definitely the OG’s of the industry. Want to see what that corner on Colfax looks like now, here you go, by the Denverite.	30 years on that corner in an iconic looking building till a generic looking Chase bank replaced it.
Fresh Fish Company 7800 E Hampden Ave #54, Denver, CO 80237	Since it’s in my hood, I had been coming here forever, until it was shut down by the pandemic which also killed it. Go read what the owners (Karen Kristopeit -Parker and Tim Bell) posted via Facebook.	Roughly 40 years, it opened around 1980 and closed in 2020.
Giggling Grizzly 1320 20th St, Denver, CO 80202	I have been to El Chapultepec well before any of the gentrification well over a dozen times, but I have never been to the Giggling Grizzly which is nearby. Somehow I always associate the place with Dave Matthews. Here are the proposed plans by the Monforts.	After nearly 30 years, their last day was on Sunday, July 6 2025.
Good Times Burgers 8950 E Hampden Ave Denver, CO 80231	They cook their fries to order, and seeing this location go, it’s another handful of people unemployed unless they were transferred to another location (30 locations throughout CO).	Opened probably around 2012 and closed late 2024 which is approximately 12 years.
Govnr’s Park 672 Logan Street Denver, CO 80203	I have waaaay too many stories from this spot because when I came to CO from the Bay Area after Y2K, I spent a lot of time here before moving to LA. Here’s a Westword article about the closing.	After 42 years, since 1976, Govnr’s Park closed on November 11, 2018.
Hard Rock Cafe 500 16th St Mall, Denver, CO 80202	This place was so popular when I was a teenager, and I think I’ve only been to one. Definitely not the Denver location, but this was on the 16th Street Mall.	Closed July 29, 2023, after 25 years of operation.
The Hornet 76 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203	This is one of those spots in Denver on Broadway that was always there since I could remember. Well, not anymore, and the building sold for 3.3 million in May of 2025. Here’s the 9News video about the closure.	Closed on August 9, 2025 after 29 years in operation.
Jax Fish House 650 South Colorado Blvd. Glendale, CO 80246	I’m glad they still have the Denver location because they had a killer scallop dish that they switched up for a version not as good, but it’s still a goto spot.	31 years total, but for Glendale 13 years. That location closed on November 15, 2025.
Lil Ricci’s 3333 S Tamarac Dr # S, Denver, CO 80231	I had been eating here for what seems like forever. Ever since they were located at Tamarac Square. Now “they” have two other locations, but I think there’s a deeper story as to why this location closed (they still have a Golden and Parker locations).	The chain’s first location opened over 20 years ago, and the DTC location closed in October of 2023. As of Dec ’25, I am now seeing the location being gutted for a salad spot.
Lowdown Brewery + Kitchen 800 Lincoln St, Denver, CO 80203	Yup, I had been here numerous times with the board games, and large indoor and outdoor space. Now, it’ll be an 18-story “luxury loft” or some other type of place with ridiculously priced rent.	Closed on September 30, 2023, after almost a decade in business.
The Market at Larimer Square 1445 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80202	When I first came back out to Colorado, I had a bunch of California friends come visit. This was one of the spots they wanted to go to, aside from Little Man Ice Cream. Having this business close on Denver’s oldest city block speaks for itself. Here’s a Westword article of the closure.	The Market at Larimer Square permanently closed in mid-April 2020 after 37 years in business.
Mono Mono Korean Fried Chicken 1550 Blake St Denver, CO 80202	I liked this spot, and it’s one of the better spots out of the Seoul Hospitality Group. It reminded me of Korea. Whereas his Japanese attempts, they’re not so great. There was also a Mongolian kid here at one point. Shout out to him.	Opened March 2021 and closed September 8, 2025. About 4 years and dude is no noob to the restaurant industry.
New Saigon 630 S Federal Boulevard Denver, CO 80219	A new building and all, but now gone. However the New Saigon Bakery at 640 is still open for business.	Using 1987 to February 2024 gives it a roughly 37 year run.
Old Chicago Multiple locations throughout Colorado.	Unlike all the rest, this one doesn’t really count because this Boulder, CO founded spot had been closing way prior to the pandemic.	Thornton, Colorado location at 3909 E 120th Ave, closed on March 13, 2025 which is about roughly 20–25 years.
Otra Vez Cantina 610 16th St Mall, Denver, CO 80202	I only been to Otra Vez a few times, but I had been to the Tavern in DTC numerous times (opened in 2008). In fact, I spent a new years there one year, and lost my phone that night. The BusinessDen has some of the inside drama behind the closures.	Opened March 2017 and closed late 2024, so 7 years approximately.
Pearl Street Grill 1477 S Pearl St Denver, CO 80210	When I did my short stint at Sushi Den before leaving the state for a second time, this was the hangout spot for everyone after work.	December 1983 till Jan 1st, 2011, or nearly a three-decade run.
Piccolo’s Pizza 3563 S Monaco Pkwy Denver, CO 80237	I didn’t know they were closing down till I saw SUVs and minivans filling the parking lot, so I had to ask what was going on. That’s how I found out about a place I knew since I was a kid. I even wrote about it in my manuscript. 9News did a YouTube video of the closure.	Was in business for about 50 years before it closed on April 30, 2023.
The Post Chicken & Beer 1575 Boulder St, Denver, CO 80211	They still have 5 locations throughout Colorado. The Boulder location is right next to Bohemian Biergarten which makes me stop short at the biergarten.	From Feb of ’22 to December 7, 2024, so a few years, but the first location in Boulder has been in operation for 20 years.
Racines 650 Sherman St Denver, CO 80203	I had a connection here from high school and that’s all I’ll say NC17. Here’s a story on the closure by the DenverPost.	Over 36 years in operation. Owners retired; building was demolished in October 2020
Smashburger 1201 16th St, Denver, CO 80202	Colorado has a lot of fast-casual chains from the state, like Chipotle, Qdoba, Quiznos, and Smashburger, and this was the first location, now gone, like the first Quiznos. Let’s see how long the first Qdoba survives now (Grant Street and Sixth Avenue).	The first Smashburger opened in June 2007 and it closed on November 2025, which is 18 years of business.
Szechuan Tasty House 1000 W Evans Ave, Denver, CO 80223	This place had a “sushi bar” that they never used which reminds me of the vegetarian Chinese restaurant in Newport Beach. The owner told me he should do sushi because no one wants vegetarian food in Orange County, riigggghhhhht.	Opened in 2017 and closed for good in November 2025. About 8 years in business.
Tivoli Brewing 900 Auraria Pkwy #240, Denver, CO 80204	I remember when the Tivoli was remodeled in the 90s, and I consider the name and the building to be iconic to downtown Denver. I had been back in the last 3 years, and I’m glad I got to experience it one last time because it’s a loss for the area. Here’s the History Colorado piece on the property.	This is the first brewery in Denver, Colorado, and was the Rocky Mountain Brewery in 1864/1870. Tivoli operated for 10 years and closed December 2024.
Two-Fisted Mario’s Pizza 1626 Market Street, Denver, CO 80202	I think I used to only come here because it was next to that dive sushi bar, Sonoda’s (no tears lost with that place gone, and the Aurora location is still in business).	Opened in 2000 and closed sometime around early 2022?No one really knows, but that puts it at 22 years in business.
Quizno’s 1275 Grant Street, Capitol Hill, Denver, CO 80203	I went to school down the street, had friends that lived in the area, including ex’s all within this area. The claim to fame of this spot is that it was the first Quiznos out of 5,000 at one point. I even saw them throughout S. Korea. Here’s an article by the Denver Gazette.	This original location opened in 1981, and closed in April of 2023 which is 43 years in business (now it’s a nail salong).
Yum Yum Spice 2039 S University Blvd Denver, CO 80210	Out of all the places listed here, I was a regular here, and I only found out it closed when I showed one day to eat, to find out that it had a closed sign. I also won’t link Reddit with their genius insight: “I’ve gone in there the clientele was no less than 80% Asian people who spoke with accents.”	They shut down on December 25, 2023. They opened in October 2015 and operated for about 8 years.
Zoe Ma Ma 1625 Wynkoop St, Denver, CO 80202	The older lady always worked the kitchen, and they had a great bathroom (yeah, I pay attention to that sort of thing) but the place was never busy.	Opened the Union Station location in 2015 and closed a decade later in February of 2025

By the way, I know things change, and that we no longer have Orange Julius hot dogs and secret powder blends including egg whites for foam, Round the Corner with their red phones, or Furr’s cafeteria that my family used to always eat at. I am merely pointing out, are these changes being noticed? Because I don’t think it’s for the good.

I also think the Denver food scene is really douchey (aka capital-intensive “concepts”) and not sustainable because so many restaurateurs do it to represent themselves (the owner), so there are way too many bougie establishments here versus casual Japanese sushi-yas (Shunka), and other mom and pop spots from Cuba (El Cochinito), Armenia (Zankou), Thai (Jitlada), Brazilian (Pampas Grill), to “smart casual,” like Taiwanese (Din Tai Fung). It’s a sharp contrast to the West Coast, from Newport Beach and Los Angeles to the Bay Area, where over the last 25+ years, most places have been very casual and non-pretentious, without words like bistro, modern, elevated, or fine dining in their marketing.

Out of all the places I am saddened to see go are the Chinese spots (I seriously had to turn to Panda Express for the first time in Sept ’24, and I only had been to original PE, the Panda Inn), The Fresh Fish Company, Govnr’s Park, Lil Ricci’s, and especially Piccolo’s.

Places I grew up with, or spent a lot a time at, like America’s bar and grill and even the Tavern will be missed.

No wonder, instead of eating out, us Coloradans are throwing down at grocery stores and in our kitchens (well, not all of your can cook). People aren’t just cooking at home; they are treating the grocery store as their “night out.” They are buying bougie premium steaks (the “lipstick effect” which is going from big to small luxuries cuz who wants to feel po’) or prepared foods because spending $40 at King Soopers or Whole Foods feels like a win compared to spending $120 at a restaurant for the “same” meal where tipping is now mandatory/included.

Does any of this mean anything (you tell me)?

As long as everyone keeps rooting for their team, no one is holding the individuals responsible for the future of this state. Well, it doesn’t matter because panem et circenses—you’ve got the Broncos, Rockies, Nuggets, and Avalanche to keep you distracted.

The average cost for a single ticket to a Denver Broncos home game in the 2025 NFL season is approximately $434.

Yeah, I know places open and close all the time, but seeing places close near my childhood home shows me where things feel like they’re heading. The Continental/Regal theater, Chili’s, and the office buildings on Tamarac Drive are all gone. The theater is currently being torn down for apartments, and a Walgreens replaced the office buildings. However, the sheer number of vacancies at Tiffany Plaza really hit me, even with Whole Foods as an anchor. Even when I first arrived back in Colorado in early 2018, so much had not changed, including the Village Inn on 9050 E Hampden Ave where I used to hang out in high school. Now it’s a Santiago’s (I love Santiago’s, by the way because where else can you eat for under $10). All I’m saying is, with AI, quantum computing, and the third major piece on the horizon, things will unfortunately only get rockier in the 5,280, and not just for gramps.

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