Jelly, a restaurant that serves primarily breakfast and lunch with a contemporary twist on classic diner food, will open a location this August at 1700 E. Evans Ave., which was formerly occupied by Tokyo Joe’s.
Tokyo Joe’s, a fast, casual Japanese grill closed late last summer when the lease ended and the building’s landlord increased rent, which “made no fiscal sense,” according to Tokyo Joe’spresident and owner Larry Leith.
“Joe’s was there for 15 years and most of the reason for us pulling out of that site is that the landlord wanted a hefty increase in rent,” said Leith. “We closed it late last summer,We and yes, the neighborhood did have a high turnover rate for restaurants but we did nicely there.”
Despite a number of restaurants shutting their doors in the DU-area, Jelly co-owner Josh Epps remains confident in his eatery.
“As far as what we’re doing, I think we can offer a totally different experience,” said Epps. “We’re approaching breakfast, trying to think out every aspect of the dining experience.”
Jelly also has a Capitol Hill location, which is open seven days a week, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Epps said he has not made any final decisions on the hours the Evans location will be open.
The typical price range for the Capitol Hill location, according to Yelp, is moderate, with prices ranging from $11-$30.
Currently, Epps said he and his team are discussing new concepts, such as made-to-order, to-go donuts and potentially extending hours for when the Evans space opens, although no plans have been finalized.
Epps said this will be the second and final Jelly location in order to maintain “the mom-and-pop feeling.”
The new restaurant will feature similar dCB)cor to the original location with vintage cereal boxes decking the walls and neon stools lining the bar. The Evans space will also have twice as much seating as the original eatery with nearly 102 indoor seats and 14-20 outside.
“I’m thinking it’ll be 45-50 percent bigger,” said Epps. “We love our place now, its cozy, but maybe a little too tight in the middle. In my opinion, the new place is going to be a little more user-friendly.”
According to Epps, additional seating was a “bonus,” as the main priority was to be in the DU neighborhood.
“The way we’re set up now, our dCB)cor and everything appeals to a younger generation,” said Epps. “The college kids will love us.”
The menu, which offers all-day breakfast and an assortment of lunch options, provides reconstructed egg dishes, multi-flavored donut bites, biscuits and gravy and crumbled bacon-infused pancakes. Most dishes are moderately priced, ranging from $7 to $10. For lunch, the menu covers sandwiches, salads, burgers and daily specials eggs benedict with trout.
“We wanted to get really creative with the savoury aspect of breakfast,” said Epps. “We wanted to dig a little deeper into non-traditional options.”
Jelly will also offer patrons a host of alcoholic breakfast beverages, such as Bloody Marys, along with some unusual cocktails such as this month’s special at its Capitol Hill location. S’mores cocktail with fluffed marshmallow vodka, Baileys, Ghiradelli hot chocolate and whipped cream.
Epps said since moving to Denver eight years ago, the restaurant scene has transformed, specifically, mentioning the recent breakfast makeover.
“I think of breakfast and lunch places as a newer concept,” said Epps. “It sounds silly, but it’s a little more foodie-oriented.”
Epps, a San Francisco restaurant veteran, along with his business partner and wife Christina Smith, first launched the popular restaurant in January 2011. Since, Jelly has earned a four-star Yelp rating.
Epps said he saw a niche worth tapping into in Denver’s breakfast culture.
