Logan Street Restaurant & Bar never really found its footing after opening at the end of 2019, in part — but not entirely — because the pandemic began just a few months later.
“The writing’s been on the wall for a while now,” said Steve Kingsbury, director of operations for Carboy Winery Group, which owns Logan Street. “We had a bit of an identity crisis right from the get-go, trying to figure out if we were an American or Mediterranean restaurant.”
As a result, Logan Street, 400 E. 7th Ave. will serve its last espresso martini on Sunday, June 16 and make room for Pancho Poncho, which will open three days later.
The Carboy Winery Group took over the former Govnr’s Park Tavern space in 2019, opening both Logan Street and the first tasting room for Carboy’s wines next door. The group now has locations in Littleton, Breckenridge and Palisade. It also owns Angelo’s Taverna, a local Italian staple with locations on 6th Avenue and in Littleton. Littleton.
Pancho Poncho will serve Mexican food, however, something the owners believe has been needed in the neighborhood since Benny’s, a local institution, closed in 2020.
“We’ve always been keeping a close eye on what’s happening across the street at Benny’s,” Kingsbury said. “After kind of coming to the conclusion that they’d likely not be reopening, we decided to expedite this and insert ourselves into the neighborhood in hopes of being a replacement for Benny’s and a new option in Capitol Hill.”
Courtesy of Benny’s Restaurant & Cantina via BusinessDen
Benjamin Armas has owned the building that contained Benny’s Restaurant & Cantina since 1991, according to property records.
Pancho Poncho will take some inspiration from Benny’s, which opened in 1987 and was known for its green chile. Kingsbury said the menu was created by the kitchen staff, from dishwashers to prep cooks, for whom they’ve created a profit-sharing program. There will be hearty molcajetes, queso blanco, enchiladas, tacos and other entrees like braised short ribs.
While it’s been a “challenge to bridge the divide between a Mexican spot and a winery, our bar manager has managed to incorporate some wine cocktails that speak to the Mexican spirit,” including wine-based margaritas, sangrias and sauvignon blanc palomas, Kingsbury said.
“After speaking with the community at Angelo’s and Logan Street, we realized the neighborhood was missing a full-service, authentic Mexican destination,” he added.
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