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For 50 years, a Pepto Bismol-pink tower has loomed large over the Lakewood shopping center marking the spot of the legendary Casa Bonita. The tower is something of a beacon, calling to longtime fans and would-be diners with the promise of mariachi music, cliff divers, crispy sopapillas and the kind of fun that inspires childlike joy. Next week will mark the 50th anniversary the day that Oklahoma City entrepreneur Bill Waugh opened Denver’s Casa Bonita in a former Joslin’s department store. The restaurant was part of a…

Four years of waiting. Four years of questions. Denver’s Vine Street Pub & Brewery, which closed because of the pandemic on March 17, 2020, along with every other restaurant, bar and brewery in Colorado, said Thursday that it had made plans to finally reopen this spring. Vine Street Pub & Brewery is opening on May 15th,” the business wrote on its Facebook page. “We are currently hiring for all positions.” Three other pubs that are part of the Boulder-based Mountain Sun group were able to open in 2021, while a…

The most expensive home ever sold in the Denver area is officially off the market — and Russell Wilson took a $3.5 million loss to seal the deal. Wilson, the former Denver Broncos quarterback who was cut from the team earlier this month, sold his 20,000-square-foot Cherry Hills Village mansion for $21.5 million Wednesday, according to Arapahoe County public records. The quarterback and his wife, singer-songwriter Ciara, moved into 10 Cherry Hills Park Drive in April 2022, just weeks after the Seattle Seahawks traded…

Littleton recently passed a law banning the retail sale of cats and dogs, joining fifteen other Colorado cities in a bid to decrease commercial breeding operations, according to the Best Friends group. The ordinance, which passed the Littleton City Council with a unanimous vote on March 5, was first introduced in January and follows a slew of similar attempts to increase animal welfare in Colorado after the state’s “puppy mill” bill, or Humane Pet Act, failed to pass in 2020. The bill would have established standards for…

Sure, you can hit up a Dunkin Donuts, a Starbucks or a McDonald’s at Denver International Airport — and sometimes it’s traveling that gives us license to be bad like that — but a better option is to try some of Denver’s homegrown food and beverages from local businesses. While these restaurants, coffee shops and breweries don’t actually own or run their airport branches — that is done by large concessionaires — many of them do take an active role in maintaining the quality and consistency of their offerings. Here’s a…

When Justin Cucci would fly out of Denver International Airport more than 10 years ago, he’d usually pack his own food. “As a traveler, I was always let down by the food and the lack of Denver representation,” he said. So when an airport concessionaire approached him about opening a branch of Root Down — his eclectic, farm-to-table restaurant — as part of a major retail overhaul at DIA in 2013, he decided to take the risk. “I thought it would be cool to make a statement about accessibility to craft food that’s…

A Denver distillery is relocating operations to the suburbs, and when it does it will close its taproom and restaurant in the city. Ironton Distillery & Crafthouse, which opened in the River North Arts District in 2018, will soon break ground on a brand new production facility located at 1303 Empire Rd. in Louisville. According to an announcement Wednesday, the new spot will enable the company to bring its distillery and barrel-aging program under one roof and to provide a new drink-centric destination for locals.…

A bill that would provide state tax rebates to draw data centers to Colorado has run into opposition from critics who warn of the facilities’ large demands for energy and water and potentially higher costs for other electric customers. The legislation would offer state sales and use tax rebates for construction materials and equipment starting in 2026. Senate Bill 24-085 declares that investing in projects such as data centers “is crucial for the economy of the future” and Colorado, considered a growing high-tech hub, is…

Update 9:11 a.m. Friday: This story will no longer be updated. Click here to see the latest update on Friday delays/cancellations at Denver International Airport.  Update 8:30 p.m.: There were 830 canceled flights and 427 delayed flights at Denver International Airport as of late Thursday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. All airport operations were normal, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Update 2:00 p.m.: Snow is finally falling at Denver International Airport, though operations…

Denver-based Alterra Mountain Company revealed early-bird price increases for next year’s Ikon passes on Thursday that were less than the increases rival Vail Resorts announced Tuesday for its Epic passes. But Ikon passes still cost more than comparable Epic passes. When Ikon passes go on sale next Thursday, the early-bird cost will be $1,249, which is $267 more than the comparable Epic Pass. The Ikon Base Pass will cost $869, which is $138 more than the Epic Local pass. Year-over-year, Ikon increased $90, a 7.7%…