At 27th and Walnut, the music from Meadowlark carries across the street, the alley beside the old Noble Riot space is covered in graffiti and stickers, and Denver Central Market sits on the far side of it. That's how Westword described the corner in September, when a Champagne bar called La Vie En Rose opened in that space at 1336 27th St. The same writer called RiNo a neighborhood "in the midst of a reinvention," caught between its industrial, bohemian roots and the shiny new buildings going up around it.
This fall's openings show what that reinvention looks like on a plate. Three new places opened in RiNo between late August and mid-October, and all three are wine bars with casual food: Champagne with small plates, vegan pasta and pizza with wine, and Milanese pizza with wine. Over the same weeks, the businesses that closed or announced plans to close pointed to rising costs, fewer people walking in off the street, and changes in how people drink.
The Fall So Far, Block by Block
| Place | Location | What happened | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soda Club | Ramble Hotel, 1260 25th St. | Opened | Soft opening in late August, official opening Sept. 1 |
| La Vie En Rose | 1336 27th St., former Noble Riot space | Opened | Week of Sept. 11, pushed back from a planned Sept. 4 |
| Risica | 3463 Walnut St. | Opened | Weekend of Oct. 17 and 18 |
| The Greenwich | 3258 Larimer St. | Closed | Sunday, Oct. 18 |
| Poor Boys pop-up | The Source, Brighton Blvd. | Pop-up ended | Reported by Oct. 21 |
| The Block Distilling Co. | 2990 Larimer St. | Closing announced, wind-down underway | Announced in August |
| El Chingon | The Source, Brighton Blvd. | Renovating to open | No date announced |
Three Openings, One Format
Soda Club opened first. Westword's first look said it soft-opened at the Ramble Hotel in the last week of August, ahead of a Sept. 1 official opening, with an all-vegan menu of pasta and pizza served as a wine bar. The address is 1260 25th St.
La Vie En Rose came next. Owners Nicole and Scott Mattson first planned to open on Sept. 4, and The Denver Post later updated that date to Sept. 11. Westword reported it open that week in the former Noble Riot space, so the corner went from one wine bar to another. Westword reported a list of more than 120 bottles alongside small plates, including an oyster bavarois meant to be eaten in three bites, each with its own garnish.
Risica, the most anticipated of the three, opened last. Chef Andrea Frizzi, who was behind Il Posto and Vero, opened it at 3463 Walnut St. over the weekend before Westword's Oct. 19 report, after more than a year of waiting. He calls it a "Milanese pizzeria and wine bar," modeled on the restaurants he grew up with in Milan. Westword reported that the menu covers pizza, sandwiches, small plates and charcuterie, with dishes priced under $20 and hours from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Westword's headline quote has Frizzi saying outright that he doesn't want to do fine dining.
Each of the three serves wine with food built for sharing or a quick bite. A Champagne bar, a vegan pasta spot inside a hotel and a Milanese pizzeria are very different restaurants, but they're all in the same lane.
What the Departures Said About Walk-In Traffic
Risica opened on the same weekend another Italian place in RiNo closed. The Greenwich ended its five-year run at 3258 Larimer St. on Sunday night, Oct. 18. Delores Tronco founded it in 2021 with opening chef Justin Freeman. Drew Davis bought it on Jan. 1, 2026, according to The Denver Post. Westword reported that chef Luke Miller stayed on after the sale.
In the announcement Westword quoted, Davis wrote:
"Despite efforts from our wonderful team, the business was never able to find its footing after I took the reins in January."
In a follow-up call reported by Westword, he named operating costs and broader economic pressure, both of which restaurants across the city are facing. He also named two less expected factors: this summer's unusual heat and fewer walk-in customers. Westword reported no successor for the space.
Down the street, The Block Distilling Co. announced in August that it would close its tasting room at 2990 Larimer St. The distillery cited industry woes, changes in how people drink and rising costs, and expected a wind-down of three to four months. Counted from that August announcement, the wind-down would end sometime between mid-November and mid-December, but no final date has been announced. For now, The Block is still open and on its way out.
Over at The Source, Poor Boys Louisiana Po'boys and Kitchen ended its temporary pop-up. Axios Denver reported on Oct. 21 that owners Kenta Kamo and Isaac Woo hope to find a permanent home but had no leads yet.
A distillery tasting room named changing drinking patterns. A full-service Italian restaurant named fewer walk-ins. Meanwhile, the newcomers opened with menus that work for a glass and a few plates as well as a full dinner.
The One Still Under Construction
El Chingon is the next name to watch. Westword's Sept. 29 anticipated-openings list reported that the restaurant was renovating its space at The Source, 3330 Brighton Blvd., with no opening date. The Denver Post put the space at 3,100 square feet in July. It's a bigger project than the three fall openings, and it's going into the same building that just lost the Poor Boys pop-up, so it's a good gauge of whether The Source keeps its food stalls full this winter.
The First Weekend of November Is Built for Walking
The Greenwich's closing pointed to fewer people walking through. On RiNo Art District's monthly calendar, the first weekend of November is when the district asks people to walk the most. The First Fridays page invites visitors to plan a route around the district and build their own itinerary. November's dates:
- Friday, Nov. 6, 6 to 9 p.m. First Friday across the district.
- "The Spaces Between" opening reception, Nov. 6, 5 to 9 p.m., at RiNo ArtPark Gallery & Welcome Center, 1900 35th St. It's a group exhibition about childhood spaces, memory, identity and creative development.
- 5th Annual $300 & Under Art Sale, Nov. 6, 6 to 9 p.m., at 73 Art Agency, 2601 Blake St. Every original piece by established and emerging artists is priced at $300 or less.
- Autumn Artfest 2026, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2 to 6 p.m., at Globeville Riverfront Art Center, 888 E. 50th Ave. The calendar lists it as free, with more than 75 artists, open studios and demonstrations.
Friday night lines up well with the new places. The ArtPark reception opens at 5 p.m., an hour before the rest of First Friday. Risica's kitchen runs until 10 p.m., an hour after the gallery events end. And all three fall openings are the kind of place where one glass and a plate between galleries is enough.
Saturday's Artfest is farther north, at 50th Avenue in Globeville, so it's a separate afternoon trip rather than an add-on to Friday's route.
At Sold With Kathryn, we track RiNo the same way you do, by watching which storefronts on your block change hands and what moves into them. If you'd like to talk through how this fall's openings and closings around your street affect what your home is worth, get your home valuation or schedule a consultation with our team.
