Shortly after the year began, the 5-year-anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdowns brought a stark reminder of the lows the industry had hit not so long ago. While many restaurants that were around before the pandemic are seeing brighter days, dozens of others were unable to make it another year. Here a re some of the ones we’ll miss the most. The Breakfast Inn A name like The Breakfast Inn comes baked in with some swagger. (It’s bold to name your restaurant after a meal you can find in diners around the city.) The thing is, for nearly 50 years, it had all the elements a classic diner needs: A signature item (sweet cream pancakes), a novelty (the model train that circled the restaurant), longevity and the long list of regulars that time garnered. The Breakfast Inn ultimately closed in June because the landlord didn’t renew his lease, owner David Frieder said at the time. And so went another relic of a seemingly simpler past. Chickens roast on the rotisserie as Brider chef Chase Devitt, right, cooks during lunch at Brider on February 13, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post) BriDer Platte Street lost a verified destination for a low-key, delicious lunch or dinner this October when BriDer spun its rotisserie for the last time. This wasn’t Boston Market: It had pastas, polenta and meatballs and yes, the chicken was juicy, too. Past Denver Post food writer William Porter wrote of BriDer in 2016, the year it opened: “Patrons come for food that does a bit of globe-trotting: a falafel sandwich with tzatziki and harissa on ciabatta, a Vietnamese banh mi with roasted chicken and paté aioli on a baguette, and a Cajun shrimp sandwich that is a bit of a hat-tip to a po’boy. There is also a curry bowl with jasmine rice, and they even toss in a slice of naan.” Frank the Pizza King Frank the Pizza King was the kind of unpretentious family-run, family-centered establishment that has been dealt a particularly harsh blow in recent years in metro Denver. The restaurant stayed at one address — 4701 S. Broadway in Englewood — for 64 years. The Pizza King’s long reign ended unexpectedly in the spring after its landlord sold the property to a new owner. (Talks of relocating have not materialized.) The Krascek family prepared its thin-crust pizzas pretty much the same way over the decades. Ultimately, it was the neighborhood that changed. The building at the intersection of 1st Avenue and Broadway was home to The Hornet for 30 years. (Courtesy Todd Snyder) The Hornet This one stung. The Hornet proved itself to be a reliable jack-of-all-trades over the nearly 30 years it occupied on the southeast corner of South Broadway and East 1st Ave. Its sprawling dining hall brought in countless families, partiers, dates and football fans who wanted to banter over fries, salads and sandwiches and watch the world pass by on the other side of the glass. That it had a build-your-own Bloody Mary station on the weekends was a major plus. The Hornet left rather unceremoniously in the summer, though a line of customers stretched down the block on its last weekend of operation, all hoping for one more sit-down chat. Jacques and Noisette DENVER, CO - APRIL 4: Executive chef Tim Lu plates a dish alongside pastry chef Lillian Lu – both owners – at Noisette Restaurant Bakery on Thursday, April 4, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) Denver’s French food wave crested in recent years. Restaurants such as Jacques and Noisette were impressing diners with caviar, duck and baguettes. The Michelin Guide took notice, recommending Noisette in back-to-back years. Then the economy took a turn for the worse, and the wave came crashing down. Both restaurants closed around the same time before the summer. Jacques chef Nick Dalton, however, is still keeping the tradition alive at Brasserie Brixton (3701 N. Williams St., Denver). Lao Wang Noodle House Known for serving some of the best soup dumplings west of Interstate 25 for 25 years, Lao Wang Noodle House, formerly at 945 S. Federal Blvd., shuttered in early 2025. The family that ran the business went through a loss a couple of years ago when “elder” Tse Ming Wang died at 76. His spouse and business partner, Chun Ming Wang, ran the business until its closure. Despite their day-to-day quirks and perceived attitudes, one could always tell their heartwarming dumplings were prepared with love in mind. Middleman/Misfit Snack Bar Another bar bit the dust on East Colfax Avenue due to the construction of the Bus Rapid Transit line. There was a mysterious allure to Middleman and chef Bo Porytko‘s food counter inside, Misfit Snack Bar. That dishes so delicious could come from a space so small was some kind of magic, indeed. Porytko is still pulling bunnies out of top hats at Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails, his Ukrainian restaurant down the street on Colfax. Meanwhile, Middleman’s bar changed hands and names. It’s now the Lowbeam — think of it as the Middleman with his shirt untucked. Sushi-Rama owner Jeff Osaka at the restaurant in Denver on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post) Osaka Ramen/Sushi-Rama Denver restaurateur Jeff Osaka closed the doors on what remained of his once-imposing Japanese food empire this year when he closed Osaka Ramen, followed by his last-standing Sushi-Rama location. “Nobody wants to pay $25 for a bowl of ramen,” he said this winter, five years after the COVID-19 lockdowns left restaurants in dire straits. Some never recovered. Q House This “Year in Colfax” was defined by looming excavations, orange traffic cones, detours and lane closures. Crews renovating the street to make room for a new bus rapid transit line have made progress, as the standing arches at some of the future bus stops proclaim. But the street construction choked out several existing businesses and restaurants. Q House was recommended by the Michelin Guide in 2023 and 2024. Its owner, Christopher Lin, announced its closure days before Michelin would recommend the restaurant for a third year in a row. McIntosh record player at Sunday Vinyl in Denver on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post) Related Articles Denver’s biggest restaurant openings of 2025 Johnny Curiel to open ‘tasting menu restaurant’ on Taxi campus Edgewater sandwich outpost calls it quits just five months after opening Former Frasca chefs make national list of most anticipated winter restaurant openings Sushi Den and Izakaya Den chef to make solo debut in former Fruition space on 6th Avenue Sunday Vinyl Bobby Stuckey’s announcement earlier in December that Sunday Vinyl, his vinyl-themed wine bar at Union Station, would close at the end of the month felt poignant. At a time when restaurateurs and customers are looking for experiences that liven the senses, Stuckey recognized his would be better served in Boulder, where he lives and where his flagship restaurant, Frasca Food and Wine, is the most high-profile restaurant in town. While he hasn’t found another home for Sunday Vinyl yet, he’s not letting go of the Union Station space. That will be converted into a private event space for his adjacent Italian restaurant, Tavernetta. Those weren’t the only restaurants diners will fondly remember. This year also marked the closures of the Comal Heritage Food Incubator, a training kitchen and restaurant; West Washington Park dive bar Pub on Pearl; Vietnamese-food restaurant Pho on 6th; the CitySet Plaza location of Jax Fish House Oyster Bar; after 45 years, La Alma-Lincoln Park Mexican-food restaurant El Noa Noa; and after 25 years, California Pizza Kitchen at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center. Subscribe to our new food newsletter, Stuffed, to get Denver food and drink news sent straight to your inbox. ...read more read less