The incoming Little Finch will take over a former Starbucks at 1490 16th St. Mall Denver, CO 80202 in LoDo (lower downtown).
Like so many other establishments, the aforementioned Starbucks shuttered its doors in 2020 and sat vacant until Nguyen gutted the building. Now, she intends to transform the 2,500-square-foot space into a chef-driven, European-esque all-day bistro — what Nguyen calls “the heartbeat of European culture.”
Little Finch will provide downtown with a happy medium between fast food and fine dining, a much-needed amenity for those looking for something healthy, delicious, and affordable while hustling and bustling to their next stop. The “menu” will offer grab-and-go meals including salads, sandwiches, and snack boxes in addition to coffee and pastries.
In the evening, the venue will slip into something a little more comfortable, shaking up cocktails alongside its other offerings. Additionally, Little Finch will partner with local vendors to bring customers jams, soups, and pickles amongst varying assortments. The establishment will open early this winter with its hours of operation running from 7 am to 9 pm.
Prior to opening Olive & Finch, Chef Mary Nguyen owned two Asian-inspired restaurants — Parallel Seventeen and Street Kitchen — both of which were fine-dining focused to match Denver’s momentum a decade ago. Nguyen closed both establishments as she began to lean into her longing for a chef-driven quick-service eatery.
Olive & Finch “cooks up delicious food made from scratch in a quaint, casual setting” and “wholesales its packaged meals to a variety of businesses around town, including Rose Medical Center, Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center, and Platte Street Mercantile.” In addition to her two Olive & Finch locations, Nguyen also operates a wholesale bakery and kitchen on Colfax Ave. called Olive & Finch On The Fly.
