Turtle Boat, beloved Denver poke restaurant, closes suddenly

One of Denver’s best poke shops closed its doors suddenly last month, but a local chopped cheese food truck has rolled up in its place.

Turtle Boat Colorado Poki Salads, located at 2231 S. Broadway, closed without word at the end of April. Brothers Jeremy and Darren Song opened the counter-service poke shop in 2017, and it quickly gained popularity for its heaping portions and a wide variety of ethically sourced fish, like Alamosa-raised bass and Idaho-raised trout.

In October, USA Today ranked the restaurant, which served poke bowls ranging from $10 to $18, No. 15 on its top 100 cheap places to eat in the country.  

“…With a notable increase in our loyal customer base in that time (for whom we are very grateful), we outgrew the space on South Broadway years ago and have been doing a lot of extra work to continue operating there,” the owners said in a statement to The Denver Post. “We have been searching for a place that suits our growth, but ultimately decided to leave before the situation became completely unsustainable.”

The brothers said they’re on the hunt for a new, larger space for Turtle Boat and taking some “much-needed and deserved rest.” In the meantime, they plan to host a pop-up for their French Dip-inspired ghost kitchen Dip the Sandwich, and multi-course brewery pairing dinners.

“We did not announce prior to closing to avoid the chaos and morbid curiosity we have seen many others deal with in similar circumstances,” they added. “While some may be upset, we truly appreciate everyone who has reached out with words of support and appreciation.”

The South Broadway space has already been filled by food truck Big Apple Bodega, which hopes to open its first brick-and-mortar restaurant there at the end of May. Owner Brian Murphy, a New York native, started the mobile chopped cheese business in the summer of 2022.

He said he was looking for an investment opportunity and picked up two books, one on Airbnb rentals and the other on food trucks. “Well, I already have two Airbnbs now, so I decided to pick up the next one,” Murphy said.

Murphy previously worked in the corporate restaurant industry at Starbucks and Shake Shack, but hopped off that track to start his own name. He got some experience working on a Kona Ice truck one summer before launching Big Apple Bodega.

Big Apple Bodega serves chopped cheese, a ground beef sandwich with grilled onions and melted American cheese, similar to a Philly cheesesteak, that originated in New York City corner bodegas. Murphy ships in all the bread from the East Coast. The menu has a variety inspired by different New York City boroughs, like the Fire Island Luau with teriyaki ground beef or the Little Italy with marinara and mozzarella. There are also streetside classics, like Dirty Water Dogs and Coney Island Corn Dogs.