3 restaurants open, 1 closes in Fort Collins this October

A trio of new restaurants made their debuts in Fort Collins this October, marking the return of Afghan cuisine to Midtown, a Southern cafe chain's first moves in Northern Colorado and a spiced-up Foothills mall dining scene.

Meanwhile, one campus-area sub shop shuttered, a Greeley Mexican restaurant announced big plans for Windsor, a French deli and market inched closer to its November opening and a Fort Collins brewery revealed some new things on tap.

Here's the latest dish of what's in, what's out and what's next on the Fort Collins and Windsor dining scenes.

What opened

Newk's Eatery, 1700 S. College Ave., opened Oct. 2 — marking the Southern cafe chain's first foray into Fort Collins. The Mississippi-born fast casual cafe took over the southern half of a newly-renovated Midtown business strip, joining fellow new arrival Dave's Hot Chicken to the north. Newk's offers soups, salads, sandwiches and personal pizzas. It is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Silk Road Kabob House, 2427 S. College Ave., softly opened Oct. 5 — bringing Persian food, as well as a mix of Afghan dishes, to Midtown Fort Collins. The eatery took over the former home of popular Afghan restaurant Maza Kabob, which permanently closed last spring after its owner's death. Silk Road Kabob House owners Hamid Chitsaz and his wife, Sara Shafiei, had wanted to open a Persian restaurant in Fort Collins for years, bringing the recipes they grew up with in Iran to Northern Colorado. They've started out by offering mainly kabob and rice dishes, including koubideh, chicken shish and lamb kabobs, as well as Afghan-style dumplings, kaboli palau — an Afghan rice dish cooked with carrots, raisins and lamb — and Persian tea. It is open from 4-8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Agave Underground, 321 E. Foothills Parkway, has officially filled a gap in Foothills mall. The Mexican tapas and tequila bar opened in mid-October, taking over the former home of Bar Louie, which closed in early 2020. Agave Underground offers an array of Mexican tapas dishes and an expansive tequila and mezcal inventory. It is the fourth restaurant for chef and owner Fausto Felix and his wife, Perla Ruiz, who live in Firestone. Together, they own and operate Rosa Mexican Kitchen in Thornton, Rumbo 52 Cocina & Cantina in Frederick and a burger bar called The Dugout in Erie. Agave Underground is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

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What closed

Half Fast Subs, 649 S. College Ave., has closed its doors after a little more than a year in Fort Collins. The Boulder-born sandwich shop, which opened just north of the Colorado State University campus last August, closed Oct. 8, with owner Fred Liskowski telling the Coloradoan the shop couldn't generate enough business to make the new location sustainable. The shop's expansion into Fort Collins marked its first move outside Boulder, where it opened on the city's University Hill in 1996. Its Boulder location remains open.

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What's coming

Luna's Tacos & Tequila has set its sights on Windsor. The Mexican restaurant, which opened in downtown Greeley back in 2018, recently signed a lease for 1246 Automation Drive — a two-story restaurant building that housed the Howlers & Growlers taphouse until its closure in early-September. The new location is slated to open in early spring, according to Luna's owners Sam Corliss and Brian Seifried.

Snowbank Brewing, 225 N. Lemay Ave., is branching out into new, nonalcoholic territory. The Fort Collins brewery will open The Morning Grind — a coffee and espresso bar — out of its taproom, likely in early November. The coffee and espresso bar is a collaboration between Snowbank Brewing and Fort Collins coffee roaster Wander Coffee. It will offer a range of coffee drinks, cold brew coffee on tap and food options like locally-made pastries and breakfast burritos. The new venture is a response to the "gentle pull back" in the craft beer market and rising interest in nonalcoholic and healthier drinks, according to a news release from Snowbank Brewing. The Morning Grind's exact opening date will be announced on its Instagram page (@themorninggrind.coffee). It will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

La Boutique, 216 Pine St., has taken over the former Welsh Rabbit Cheese Shop and is transforming the little Pine Street shop into a slice of home for its owners, French expats Omar-Pierre and Melanie Soubra. The family-owned French deli and market will specialize in French products, including French meats, cheeses, baguettes and sandwiches, as well as French goodies like cookies and candies. La Boutique is set to open by late November.

Miracle, a Christmas-themed pop-up cocktail bar, will open at The Post Chicken & Beer, 1002 S. College Ave., Nov. 20 — bringing its kitschy Christmas decor and themed holiday cocktails through Dec. 31.

Catching up

Whole Sol Blend Bar, 1208 W. Elizabeth St., has shuttered — at least temporarily — in Campus West. The Denver-based smoothie bar business opened in Fort Collins in August. It was the first business to take over a ground-level retail space in the Union on Elizabeth apartments. A sign posted in the shop's window Oct. 28 said the location would be closed until further notice due to staffing and operational challenges. "We look forward to serving you again in the future," the note read. Another note posted in the shop's window claims Whole Sol Blend Bar has defaulted on its lease. The Oct. 17 notice claims Whole Sol ceased operations Sept. 20 and has failed to occupy and continuously conduct business on the premises, leaving it in breach of its lease agreement. "When it became apparent that the business in the space at Union on Elizabeth had closed and was not re-opening, we took the first legal steps in reclaiming the space so we could begin the process of finding a new tenant," Union on Elizabeth said in a statement to the Coloradoan. Whole Sol did not respond to the Coloradoan for this story.

Native Foods, 3300 S. College Ave., closed Sept. 29. The fast-casual vegan chain had been at Fort Collins' Foothills mall since earlier this year.

Crazy King Burrito, 632 S. College Ave., closed in mid-July after roughly four months in business. The Mexico-born burrito chain opened March 30, with Eaton couple and Crazy King Burrito franchisees Linda and Mike Rewerts at its helm. Mike Rewerts told the Coloradoan in late October that the burrito shop closed due to a lack of support from Crazy King Burrito's corporate office. The burrito shop marked a new — albeit short — chapter for the South College Avenue space, which was formerly home to Peace, Love and Little Donuts before it shuttered late last year.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins restaurants: 3 restaurants open, 1 closes in October