It sits at 601 East Colfax in a building Denver almost lost. The Googie-style diner, all space-age angles and car-culture optimism, spent decades as Tom's Diner, the place East Colfax went at every hour of the night. When it faced demolition, the neighborhood and the preservationists fought for it and won. Look up when you walk in from Colfax. That roofline is the reason.
The building's second act is a French-American diner that owner Chris Donato describes as "bougie rowdy," which is exactly right. A mid-century dining room up front, a Palm Springs patio out back with cabanas and fire pits. Roast chicken that ruins other roast chickens. It's queer-owned, and it was built to be what Donato calls a place "where anyone can come in and celebrate."
That's the part I love most. You always feel welcome there. The food is amazing and the drinks are perfect, but plenty of places get the food and drinks right. Welcome is the hard part. It's the one thing a host can't fake and can't bring in from outside. Either the room already has it, or the night never quite gets there.
Who belongs here
- The birthday that wants a little glamour and a lot of noise. Bougie rowdy is a party brief in two words.
- A big group that wants the outdoors. The patio handles private events from about 20 to 250 guests, with its own bar, cabanas and room for live music.
- The friends whose idea of brunch includes a drag show. Sundays.
- A small dinner that wants to turn into a sing-along. Wednesday is Pasta & Piano.
Before you plan
It's open Wednesday through Sunday, so check the calendar before you fall in love with a Tuesday.