East Colfax Avenue, though it’s hard to admit, has seen better days.
Fences, orange traffic cones, cement barricades and heavy machinery have condensed and diverted traffic, down to one lane in many places, through an obstacle course while construction workers erect a new path for city buses along the center of the avenue.
That’s not to say progress isn’t visible. White arches — future bus stations — are cropping up between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard and will soon begin marching eastward. But that future is still at least three years away as work on the lines moves toward Interstate 225 in Aurora.
Until then, restaurants and businesses will continue to see their business dwindle and their sales plummet as people avoid the roadblocks, be they perceived or physical.
But you don’t have to wait until the Bus Rapid Transit line is completed to rediscover East Colfax’s edible treasures. If you do, it might be too late. Here are five dishes worth trying.
Chivis Tacos birria egg rolls
Hearing the phrase “birria egg rolls” may cause involuntary drooling among lovers of the Mexican-style barbacoa beef, which has become an American sensation in recent years for the rich flavors it develops as it stews in herbs and spices.
Despite the obstructions, Chivis Tacos is hard to miss: Its red sign is a replica of the Tabasco sauce label. The fast-casual Mexican restaurant’s fried egg rolls are stuffed with birria, onions and cilantro and served with a cup of beef jus, also called consomme. It’s a knockout, heavyweight punch in a bite-sized package.
2101 E. Colfax Ave.
La Abeja Restaurant green chile
This little restaurant’s name uses clever wordplay as an apt descriptor for the level of heat the Mexican cafeteria brings to the table. Abeja is Spanish for “bee,” and what does a bee do? It stings — pica — a word that might also be uttered when spice levels rocket toward causing an out-of-body experience.
And reader, the green chile burrito at La Abeja is picante. Muy, muy picante. So spicy it might leave you asking for a glass of water and extra napkins to wipe the sweat off your face. Never mind that the burrito underneath it weighs a brick. Eating it builds character. Its windows may be boarded up and shattered and its ‘OPEN’ sign tilting askew, but La Abeja Restaurant is still stinging, hard.
508 E. Colfax Ave.
Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails seasonal borscht
Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails, led by chef and owner Bo Porytko, is small but mighty, drawing praise for its elevated menu of Ukrainian dishes (and a James Beard nomination as well). One of the specialties: borscht. But not just any old beet soup.
The restaurant puts a seasonal spin on this quintessential Ukrainian meal. For example, this spring’s “green” borscht had a rich chicken broth, chicken meatballs, blooms of stinging nettles, millet and pickled ramps. This coming fall’s “short rib” bortsch will be made with smoked pear, braised red cabbage and smetana, a Ukrainian creme fraiche, Porytko told The Denver Post.
Now through October, however, the borscht at Molotov is the kind people know best. Porytko pickles golden beets from Esoterra Culinary Garden in Boulder, mixing them with pine nuts, figs and herbed smetana to make a chilled borscht that’s a summertime classic.
3333 E. Colfax Ave.
Phoenician Kabob chickpea falafel
The Lebanese restaurant Phoenician Kabob hasn’t had to deal with as much construction as restaurants on the other side of Colorado Boulevard, but that will change soon. And when it does, the quality of its cooking, dish presentation and Middle Eastern delicacies will be worth fighting the traffic cones for.
Lunch specials right now include burek, a puff pastry filled with a vegetarian mince and sliced in a wedge. But the chickpea falafel — paired with tahini dip — makes Phoenician Kabob stand out, its crisp outer crust and fluffy-soft inner texture combining into an irresistible snack.
5709 E. Colfax Ave.
Tessa Delicatessen chopped cheese
Sandwich shop owner Vince Howard views the BRT line construction with a sunnier disposition. His place made it through the sea change brought forth by the coronavirus pandemic. So did other restaurants on the strip, he told The Denver Post last month before the opening of his second location in the Edgewater Public Market.
He hopes that by the time the construction ends, his kids’ generation will have a better experience riding the bus. “It’s gonna be sexy,” he said of the bus line.
Something else that’s sexy: Tessa Delicatessen’s chopped cheese sandwich, fawned over more than once now by this newspaper. A mixture of angus beef, sweet bell peppers, caramelized onions and gooey American cheese is topped with scallion mayonnaise and served between a seeded hoagie roll. There’s not room for much else after devouring this behemoth.
5724 E. Colfax Ave.