Larimer Square’s Bao Brewhouse plans Tennyson spot

The existing Bao Brewhouse at 1317 14th St. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)

Michael Swift is bringing the Far East a bit farther west. 

“The goal is to make you feel like you’re in the streets of Asia,” he said.

Swift is planning a spinoff of his Larimer Square restaurant Bao Brewhouse on Tennyson Street in Denver’s Berkeley neighborhood. 

The first Bao opened up in the midst of the pandemic in 2020, serving up Asian street food classics like meat skewers, dumplings, drunken noodles and as the eatery’ name suggests – bao buns. 

“When we were looking for the next place for Bao, we always felt like Tennyson was the spot,” Swift said.

“The clientele around that area is perfect for us … there’s a lot of new construction and new apartments and you can tell they’re putting a lot of effort in building that street out … I think it’s come a long way since I’ve come to Denver [in 2011],” he added.

Swift plans to spend around $1 million building out the new 2,100-square-foot location at 3973 Tennyson St., once home to a glass shop. Unlike his original spot, which previously had a bar and restaurant inside, the new eatery requires a full remodel. 

“Our goal is to create a 3D mural design where there’s pieces that pop out of the wall, the graffiti is mixed in to give you that cityscape. We’re still finalizing how it’s all gonna come together,” he said.

Soup dumplings at Bao Brewhouse. (Courtesy Bao Brewhouse)

He hopes to open in the summer with a somewhat casual feel; patrons will order at a counter, take a number and have food delivered to the table. There will be a full bar and cocktail menu, with eight to 10 beers on tap.

Hours will also be similar to the Larimer Square spot, serving up fresh food and drinks for lunch and dinner. Most food items at that location range between $10 and $20.

He’ll keep the same landlord, Asana Partners, too. The North Carolina-based retail investor owns Larimer Square and a large swath of Tennyson Street. JLL brokers Lily Armstrong, Jeff Feldman and Sam Zaitz have been leasing its retail spaces in both locations. The trio recently negotiated a lease for Le Labo, a perfume and fragrance store, in the neighboring unit, JLL’s website shows. It’s the business’ third Colorado shop. 

Swift, meanwhile, has been in town for nearly 15 years. The restaurateur, who is in his mid forties, hails from Pennsylvania and later worked in kitchens in Aspen, taking trips to China and exploring the cuisine, planting seeds for his future business. 

The first Bao restaurant at 1317 14th St. came with different concepts on different floors. 

The main level is street-food focused, like the one that he’s putting in on Tennyson. The downstairs is home to Ukiyo, a twelve-seat chef’s table that serves up eighteen courses for $175 per person. Upstairs is where you’ll find the tea room, offering more traditional Chinese dishes such as whole fish and Peking duck in a more elevated atmosphere decked with traditional red lanterns. 

The tea room is also what Swift plans to focus on after his work on Tennyson is done.

“We want to do a Bao tearoom somewhere a little more luxurious, whether it’s Cherry Creek or the DTC, where we can show that elevation of what we do,” he said.