Denver’s Union Station is the coolest food court in town. It’s also the site of four full-service independent restaurants from some of the city’s best chefs. It houses a 112-room luxury hotel, The Crawford Hotel, named for LoDo visionary Dana Crawford. And, oh yeah, it’s a real train (and bus) station.
The 120-year-old building at 17th and Wynkoop streets underwent a $54 million transformation and reopened with a charity gala July 11. The entire building will officially open next weekend, but the hotel and three of the restaurants are open as of July 16.
The public grand opening is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 26. The free celebration will allow full access to the building, along with food trucks and live music from the Railbenders, Rachel & the Kings and Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers.
Dining options
Here’s a guide to eating and drinking at Denver’s Union Station (many don’t yet have phone numbers, but we have included websites). To the north and south of the Great Hall:
Stoic & Genuine, the seafood restaurant from Jennifer Jasinski, Beth Gruitch and Jorel Pierce, boasts “No ocean. No Worries” because the fish, lobster, shrimp, oysters and other sea creatures are flown in daily. House specialties include granitas, intensely flavored shaved-ice concoctions that come with the raw oysters and in cocktails and desserts.
PHOTOS: View more images of the Union Station dining options
The 62-seat room designed by Denver’s Boss Architecture features an open kitchen with barstool seating, a small bar and a row of tables along the Wynkoop-facing windows. The patio on the fountain plaza seats 40. An octopus mural by Denver artist Lui Ferreyra wraps around the walls, and beach fencing forms paneling along one wall and ceiling.
Opened July 9. Lunch and dinner daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; Friday-Saturday until 11 p.m. The bar will remain open one hour later. South of the Great Hall, 303-640-3474, stoicandgenuine.com.
The Kitchen Next Door, from the folks (Kimbal Musk, Jen Lewin and Hugo Matheson) who brought us The Kitchen restaurants in Boulder, Denver and Fort Collins, is a 4,400-square-foot “community pub” offering fish tacos, roasted chicken, sandwiches and a delicious beet burger.
Opened July 14, lunch and dinner daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m. South of the Great Hall, thekitchen.com.
RELATED: Denver’s renovated Union Station has been a 30-year barn-raising
Mercantile Dining & Provision is the largest of the Union Station restaurants at 5,000 square feet, split into a market side and a 75-seat dining room. It will also have patio seating on the Wynkoop Street side of the station. Chef-owner Alex Seidel plans to sell preserved foods from his Fruition Farms in Larkspur, seasonings from Savory Spice, and to-go dishes from chef Matthew Vawter’s dinner menu.
Planned opening: Labor Day weekend. Dinner only. North of the Great Hall, mercantiledenver.com.
Snooze, the breakfast place famed for its long lines, opens its ninth location on July 16. The restaurant and take-out counter will serve breakfast sandwiches and tacos, its famed pancakes and Benedicts. It also has a full bar.
Open July 16, breakfast and lunch daily 6:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. North of the Great Hall, snoozeeatery.com.
Open July 26
Inside the Great Hall, opening officially July 26:
Milkbox Ice Creamery will serve 16 flavors of Little Man Ice Cream, frozen yogurt, cones and milkshakes at bistro tables in the station’s former barber shop. The terrazzo floor, subway tiles and original large mirrors remain. Opens at 11 a.m. daily, milkboxicecream.com.
Acme Burger & Brat Corp. will serve Niman Ranch burgers, local bratwurst and Kennebec and sweet potato fries, with a menu of 12 sauces. Opens at 11 a.m. daily, acmeburgers.com.
Pigtrain Coffee is named for the trains that carry rail cars piggyback-style. The coffee comes from family-owned Novo Coffee, which roasts its beans in Denver. Pigtrain will also serve pastries, fresh juices and cocktails in a “steampunk” setting with mustard-yellow walls, steel trim and oak paneling. Opens at 6 a.m. daily, pigtraincoffee.com.
The Cooper Lounge offers a great view of the Great Hall from the second floor mezzanine, serving cocktails and wine. Think of it as The Cruise Room’s even-more-glamorous little sister. Open daily 11 a.m. to midnight, cooperlounge.com.
The Terminal Bar on the east side of the Great Hall features the original ticket windows and a large patio. More than 30 Colorado craft beers will be offered, plus an extensive wine list. Open daily 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., terminalbardenver.com.
Fresh Exchange offers quick smoothies, salads, sandwiches, wraps and more, unionstationindenver.com.
Kristen Browning-Blas: 303-954-1440, kbrowning@ denverpost.com or twitter.com/krisbb
