The Cheeky Monk Is Closing

What a shame, I always enjoyed going there (first the Winter Park location, and then the Westminster one before those were closed), even if their food was a bit overpriced for the quality (in my opinion).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Lost Highway Brewing owned / started by the same guys?

 

Sounds like a Jon Cook move, only on Colfax

 

Wow. That's too bad. Hopefully this doesn't affect the Royal Hilltop, which is (kind-of) like Cheeky Monk East.
While occasionally understaffed, they tend to do excellent business in my hood.

 

Royal Hilltop was sold years ago.

 

Yeah? They still have a lot of the same menu items and they always have the Lost Highway stuff on. Whoever owns 'em must keep ties over there. They just need to hire more staff. 1/2 the time It's 2 servers and a bartender dealing with a full room.

 

That's it? Just like that? Not reopening somewhere else a la Rackhouse?

Seems a little odd that they are just packing it in.

Definitely a shame though as it was top notch for Belgian beers as well as some pretty lucrative craft options. It was certainly overpriced, but tolerable given the beers they had access to.

 

Update from Lost Highway's facebook page:

"Hi everyone,
We have some important news to share with you - The building we are in has been sold. But have no fear! We will continue to operate, brew beer, pour beers and serve up fun in this location.

We are working on a new location and will relocate later this year upon completion of our expanded Production Facility. We are very excited about this new phase and can't wait to see what TJ will brew in the new digs!

So there is no confusion, our neighbor next door Cheeky Monk, will be closing its' doors after 10 years of sharing their love of great beer with Denver effective today.

Our current tap room hours won't change so stop by and enjoy TJ's award winning beer!"

 

Damn, CM Colfax was my go to Bourbon County and Parabola stop

 

This is lame. Cheeky Monk was definitely my gateway to craft beer when I moved to cap hill in 2010, and the best spot in Denver to get BC, Parabola and Pliny releases. It definitely felt like the owners had been building the Lost Highway brand at the expense of Cheeky Monk as of late.

Wish they would have done a going away party, or posted this a few days ago, would have been nice to go in and get one more Kwak out of the wooden handled glass.

 

And Pliny the Younger

 

I liked the CM, but found myself rarely going outside of the rare lunch on my day off. The lunch special (1/2 off) was killer and borderline unmatched for value.
For dinner, I loved the beer selection and I loved the food. The issue is that it was tough to get out of there for under $75 as a couple. That wasn't for a 3-course throwdown, either. If you "went big" at the Cheeky Monk, you could run up some strip club level bills if you weren't paying attention.
The prices weren't marked up or anything. Belgian beers just simply aren't cheap. Belgian dishes aren't cheap to make either. That's just an unfortunate reality. Their food was always pretty authentic, IMO. Better than some places in Belgium, even.
I wish them well and hope Lost Highway keeps doing well.

 

Yeah the lunch special was amazing. $7.99 burger and fries with 1/2 off all drafts was a mainstay for me. Also a secretly great place to watch 11am Bronco games.

 

So is there now a void in the Belgian beer demographic for Denver? Off the top of my head I can't think of anywhere that has it covered to the level CM id. Question is really does it even matter? Is there even a need for a Belgian beer bar in Denver? While I would like to believe the answer is "yes" and hope that there is a good place to take their spot, I truthfully did not go that often and I'm not sure the large majority of Denver beer drinkers really care about traditional Belgian styles.

 

Westword: Cheeky Monk Is Closing Today; Lost Highway Brewing Moving to a New Spot This Fall

 

http://www.westword.com/restaurants...ve-points-serving-wild-and-sour-beers-7600713

Not strictly "traditional Belgian styles," but I know for a fact that they will have a ton of Belgian beers available and Belgian inspired cuisine.

 

FWIW the owner of the building, today (and since April 29, 2013), was RH Holdings LLC, per Denver tax assessor records.

RH Holdings LLC has a trade name on file with the secretary of state. That trade name is "Cheeky Monk."

All filings for RH Holdings LLC, with the Secretary of State, are submitted by an individual. That individual is Tina Pachorek.

So this does not appear to be some evil landlord kicking out a beloved business so he could reap the $$$ from the appreciation in the value of his building caused by said business.

Strange use of the passive tense ("the building in which we are located has been sold" as opposed to "we sold the building") in the facebook post, however.

 

Secretary of State records indicates that the trade name "Royal Hilltop" was filed by Royal Hilltop LLC, by Tina Pachorek, in 2002. Royal Hilltop LLC later changed its name to Dutch Love, LLC, but filings continued to be made by Ms. Pachorek.

But on 7/31/2013 the trade name "Royal Hilltop" was filed for by Sunset House LLC, by a different individual, then withdrawn by that entity on 3/28/2014. On 10/22/14 it was again filed for, this time by an entity known as Chorizo, Inc, by a gentleman I know to be an attorney who handles restaurant transfers, Peter Nemkov.

Only the participants know for sure, but looks like the Hilltop was sold in 2013 and then sold again in 2014.

 

Yeah, the wording threw me off a bit. Glad it was their decision.

 

Well damn. The things you have no idea about as a consumer.
I suppose 2014 is right around when the staffing issues started happening. Same folks (same menu, too) but just a lot fewer of them.
The place does pretty good business, at least from a volume point of view. No clue if they're making money, but they're busy and they turn over a surprising number of taps for a random pub in A-town.
About 1/3 of the menu is made up of old Cheeky Monk recipes for the folks that need a croque madame, monte cristo, moules frites, or fried pickle fix. Great taps, too. They did scrap all of their imports a few years ago...which now makes more sense.