The 9th Door has closed in LoDo. That’s no pun. Just a fact.
The 13-year-old Spanish-tinged tapas restaurant, located next door to fellow neighborhood long-timer Vesta, served its last meal Saturday night.
Its space at 1808 Blake Street has already been absorbed by the Sheamus Feeley Hospitality Group, according to a news release from that company. It’s unclear what Feeley and company plan to do with the space, but the group boasts a roster of experienced restaurant operators who have helped lead well-known establishments like Hillstone in Cherry Creek and the White House Tavern in Aspen.
“We have such immense respect for the concepts that have been built here in LoDo, long before the neighborhood was what it is now,” Sheamus Feeley, president of founder of the eponymous company, said in a news release, crediting the 9th Door and Vesta for their longevity. “We’re excited to bring something to Denver that will add to the already vibrant conversation happening here.”
Staff at the now-closed restaurant will be provided with a severance package while they seek new jobs, Feeley said.
It is unclear how the closure impacts the 9th Door location at 925 Lincoln St. in Capitol Hill. That restaurant has a separate website from its now-departed sister.
Whatever concept the new proprietor chooses to bring to the space, it will come to a block in transition. The Celtic Tavern and sister cigar bar Delaney’s closed their doors in the 1800 block of Blake in 2016. That vacant space is part of the rapidly redeveloping Dairy Block mini district. Developers there recently announced six more business they will be adding to the mix on the project, which seeks to attract people to the alley between Blake and Wazee streets. They include the Run for the Roses cocktail lounge and a new restaurant named Foraged.
