With the start of a new year, Boulder will see the opening of several new restaurants in the coming weeks and months. Ruzo Coffee and the Boulder Public Library’s cafe are set to open early in the year, along with Jet’s Pizza. In March, Illegal Pete’s will expand to South Boulder, and restaurateur Bryan Dayton’s new concept, C Burger and C Bar, is scheduled to open in April.
Meet these additions to Boulder’s cafe and restaurant scene, in order of planned openings.
Ruzo Coffee, opening Feb. 2, 2024
One month after Logan’s Espresso Cafe, a beloved community spot, closed at the end of 2023 due to the landlord’s refusal to renew the lease, a new coffee shop is opening in a neighboring vacant space. On Feb. 2, twin brothers Jordan and Matthew McDaniel, 20, are launching Ruzo Coffee at 3980 Broadway Street, next to Lucky’s Market. They hope to fill the void left by Logan’s closure in North Boulder by offering coffee, bagels and sandwiches sourced from Boulder-area businesses.
“The neighborhood needs a coffee shop, and we wanted to add value to the community,” Matthew McDaniel previously told Boulder Reporting Lab.
The brothers, who grew up in Boulder and attended community college to save money, are financing Ruzo Coffee with their savings and money from their parents. They plan to buy out their parents’ stake in the business within five years, they said.
“There are so many things we want to do for the neighborhood because this is a place that we’re so familiar with,” Jordan McDaniel said. “We know these people.”
The cafe’s name is inspired by the McDaniels’ Japanese heritage. The brothers rearranged the letters in “rozu,” meaning “rose” in one of the Japanese writing systems. Inside the coffee shop, a linear, wooden design reflects a classic, minimalist Japanese aesthetic.
Ruzo Coffee will initially be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., though the McDaniels have plans to extend the cafe’s hours into the evening to host board game nights and coffee workshops.
Jet’s Pizza, opening in February 2024
Boulder’s first Detroit-style pizza place, Jet’s Pizza, is set to open at 2609 Pearl Street next month.
“We specialize in Detroit-style deep dish pizza, which nobody in the Boulder market has,” said Robert Dancer, co-owner of the Boulder Jet’s Pizza franchise with his daughter, Casey. “We’re really excited to bring this product that a lot of people here don’t know about.”
Dancer, 56, originally from Michigan, pursued a career in music in California after high school and worked at a pizza place. In the 1990s, he returned to Michigan to open his own Jet’s Pizza franchise in Northville, followed by two other in-state locations.
After Casey Dancer started classes at CU Boulder in 2015, and began working at Blackjack Pizza the following year, Robert Dancer bought a house in Gunbarrel and started splitting his time between Colorado and Michigan. When the pandemic hit, the father-daughter duo decided to break into the Boulder pizza business together.
“This has been a long-standing dream of ours,” Robert said. “We’re pizza people.” The menu at Jet’s Pizza on Pearl Street will mirror that of the franchise’s other locations, featuring pizzas made with homemade dough, freshly ground cheese and locally sourced produce.
When the Dancers open in February 2024, operating hours will be Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m.
“We can’t wait to get open and serve the town,” Robert said. “I think they’re really going to embrace us wholeheartedly,” he said of Boulderites, “and I know we’re going to do well.”
Boulder Public Library Cafe, opening in February or March 2024
After Tonantzin Casa de Café closed its short-lived location inside the main branch of the Boulder Public Library in August 2023, the library is now set to take over cafe operations.
Because the library’s main branch on Arapahoe Avenue has not yet returned to its pre-pandemic visitor numbers (a factor contributing to Tonantzin Casa de Café’s closure) the next coffee shop opening there will be managed by the library, since it doesn’t need to generate revenue.
Jennifer Phares, the Boulder Public Library’s deputy director, told Boulder Reporting Lab, “We’re not necessarily looking for it to turn a profit. We’re more interested in having that space activated and having lots of people use it.”
The main branch plans to hire a part-time barista to run the new coffee shop. The barista’s salary and the cafe’s operational costs will be covered by its revenue and out of the budget for the Boulder Public Library District, which has taken over library operations from the city.
While the cafe doesn’t have a name or exact opening date yet, it will initially sell espresso and tea drinks before expanding the menu to include food.
Illegal Pete’s, opening March 21, 2024
Following permitting delays, Illegal Pete’s 13th location is set to open at 657 South Broadway in March, replacing Murphy’s South in the Table Mesa Shopping Center.
Pete Turner, Illegal Pete’s founder and a CU Boulder graduate, said he had wanted to open a South Boulder location for years. When the owners of Murphy’s South reached out to Turner last year to offer him the lease after closing due to low sales, he jumped at the opportunity.
Although Turner initially expected to open in December, he said he is still waiting for a permit from the City of Boulder’s Planning & Development Services Department to begin minor construction.
“We’re well on our way,” Turner said about his newest location opening. While Illegal Pete’s South Boulder location will keep much of the space’s existing infrastructure, Turner said he still needs to install new floors and lighting, plus paint the walls. He also will hire around 40 new staff members to work at the new store when it opens March 21. To apply, email hr@illegalpetes.com.
C Burger and C Bar, opening April 2024
Bryan Dayton — owner of Oak at Fourteenth, Corrida and Bellota in Boulder — will open a new restaurant in April, building on the concept of C Burger, a kiosk he launched last year inside Sanitas Brewing in Englewood. Expanding on the kiosk’s organic and locally sourced burger joint concept, he is also incorporating a bar.
Located at 921 Pearl Street, C Burger will specialize in smashburgers, offering options with regular toppings, plus specialties like the ColoRADo Double Cheeseburger that features bacon, crispy jalapenos and green chili aioli. C Burger sources its organic beef from Colorado farmers who practice regenerative ranching to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Ranchers and farmers who use regenerative grazing practices manage their cattle in a way that mimics the natural movement of herd animals,” Denise Quintavalle, a publicist at Bolster Media, told Boulder Reporting Lab. “This grazing allows for more rest and regrowth of grasses, leading to better food for livestock and healthier soil. These practices also support biodiversity and make the land more productive.”
In addition to serving smashburgers, C Burger will also offer chicken sandwiches, salads and sides.
At C Bar, mixologist Diego Baud will offer a variety of cocktails, which are still in the research and development phase. Samuel McCandless, executive chef at Corrida and Dayton’s business partner in Corrida, and now C Burger, will help in curating snacks and small plates for C Bar.
Game night, how cool is that? Can’t wait. “Ruzo Coffee will initially be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., though the McDaniels have plans to extend the cafe’s hours into the evening to host board game nights and coffee workshops.”
Would love to have some new restaurants in Longmont including a Greek Restaurant. Looking forward to trying the new ones in Boulder.
Any info on The Med reopening in Boulder? TIA