Mile High City food scene sees turnover with August openings and closings

By Patricia Calhoun | Westword

Noble Riot, Pandemic Donuts and Milk T Boba House all closed on the last weekend of the month.

After a summer of long-anticipated openings (Bear Leek, Pig and Tiger, Fortezza in the former home of Farow in Niwot) and much-publicized closings (the Hornet, Middleman), August ended with a surprise: Noble Riot, the spinoff from the owners of Nocturne that was named one of 2021’s Best Bars in America by Esquire (and won top honors for Best Fried Chicken in the Best of Denver 2023), shuttered its brick-and-mortar location in RiNo on August 30, after six years.

“This was an incredibly tough decision, and one I didn’t make lightly,” says Troy Bowen, co-founder and owner of Noble Riot. “I am immensely proud of what we built at Noble Riot and the incredible community we’ve been so fortunate to serve. We’ve poured our hearts and souls into creating a space where people could discover and appreciate wines in a fun, unpretentious environment. While this marks the end of Noble Riot’s brick-and-mortar presence as we know it, we are excited about future iterations and new ways to share our passion for wine. This isn’t goodbye, but rather a transformation.”

But he adds a warning to his message. “The current landscape makes it incredibly difficult for independent businesses like ours to thrive,” Bowen says. “Many businesses are one large expense away from collapse. We urge the public to continue supporting their local establishments now more than ever, as these businesses are the heartbeat of our communities. We also call upon our local government and policymakers to consider more robust support systems and policies that foster a sustainable environment for small business owners, who are the foundation of our city’s unique character and economy.”

Pandemic Donuts, the house-based venture that Gabrielle Henning and Michael Milton started a month into the pandemic, then moved into a brick-and-mortar space at Queen City Collective Coffee, gave its regulars more time to prepare for its closure on August 31. “Almost 6 years ago, we started Pandemic Donuts in the middle of an uncertain world, thinking it might be a small side project,” they posted on Instagram. “Instead, it turned into something much bigger than we could have imagined — a community, a family, and a place where we poured our hearts into every dozen.”

Also shutting on the final day of the month: Milk T Boba House. “We’ve really enjoyed serving you all for these past 3 years,” the owners posed on Instagram, “but we’ve decided to set our sights on new goals. It’s been a pleasure contributing to our community and meeting so many wonderful people.”

Balancing those end-of-the-month closings were several openings over the past week, including a fourth Cherry Cricket, a fourth Aloy Thai and yet another Urban Egg. But despite those optimistic openings, restaurateurs warn that there are rough times ahead..and some, like Mary Nguyen of the Olive & Finch empire, are working with the city to smooth out those bumps.

Here are all the restaurant openings and closings in metro Denver in August 2025.*

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