Ted’s cheesesteaks now in LoDo
Capitol Hill’s “beef and beer” spot moves to new, expanded location
The patio of the new, larger Denver Ted’s seats 30. The entire Capitol Hill location of the popular cheesesteak joint sat 34.
Denver Ted’s is now officially open in its new LoDo location at 2020 Lawrence St. after a long, long wait.
Inside on Monday morning, the freshly chopped onions sizzled on the grill and the bar — a new addition with the larger space — was being prepped for patrons ready to walk through the doors when the restaurant opened at 11 a.m.
Established in 2004, Denver Ted’s became the go-to cheesesteak spot in Cap Hill. It announced last spring that it would be moving to a bigger space and would open in the summer. Delay after delay kept hungry fans waiting for a year, and they came out in full force for the grand opening this past weekend.
“We were expecting maybe a 50-60 percent increase in volume,” said co-owner Jim Payne, “but it has been more like 200 percent.”
Payne estimated just under 400 patrons walked through the doors during the Saturday celebration, and another 245 on Sunday.
But for Ted’s, the bigger location and patron growth doesn’t mean cutting any corners. Everything is still made to order.
“We are committed to the quality,” Payne added. “So if you want the best cheesesteak in town, you may have to wait a little for it.”
And they do.
A regular cheesesteak will run you $8.75 for 9 inches and $11.25 for a foot. Additions include peppers, mushrooms, jalapenos and more. The Specialty Cheesesteaks board includes some names Denverites could recognize: Helton, Elway, Chauncey and Peyton. Those beasts run $9.75-$13.75.
For now, the restaurant is riding the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” model, only adding two new items for the expansion: Mac and Cheese Bites and Jalapeno Corn Nuggets.
“I’m not saying we won’t be exploring new cheesesteak ideas in the future, but for now we’re sticking with the winners,” said owner and general manager Michael Rodriguez.
Rodriguez hopes visitors see the new location as more of a hangout spot with more space, a full bar serving up cocktails and local beer, and custom Coloradocentic artwork by partner Jack Mudd. Along with his brother Matt, the pair hopes to be a fixture in the expansion of the area as it also makes way for Rocky Mountain Public Media’s planned headquarters at 21st and Arapahoe.
There’s more: A happy hour is on the way, as well as the neighboring Ice Cream Riot.
Denver Ted’s, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily; 2020 Lawrence St.; denverteds.com.