CREJ

September 2020 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \ 89 Avanti Food & Beverage Opens on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall A weird, corporate restaurant reborn as hip, funky food hall WORDS: Kevin Criss F orBoulder locals, TheCheesecakeFactoryrestaurant onthePearl StreetMall was never a good fit. The interior was a peculiar mix of Egyptian columns, wood paneling and palm trees. The gold-hued Vegas-Meets-Cairo vibe was a head scratcher. And the menu? Well, that weighty laminated tome never alignedwith Boulder’s healthful, organic, farm-to-table foodie palate. Andyet the restaurant survivedalmost twodecades at 1401Pearl bybeing a safe option for tourists who preferred a “glamburger” to ceviche. Vegans wouldn’t go there but the relatives fromOhio sure loved it. Well, Boulderites cannowrejoice; Denver’s Avanti Food&Beverage has just opened its secondFront Range location (in theCheesecakeFactory space), and it promises todeliver innovative dining options in its signature industrial funk aesthetic alongwith jaw-drop- ping views froma rooftop deck guaranteed to be the place to be downtown. ThenewAvanti is13,000square feet spreadoutover twofloors– the first andthe fourth – and features two bars, six restaurants and a coffee shop with walk-up counter service accessible directly fromthe pedestrianmall. The relatives fromOhio will dig it, but Boulder is going to fall head over heels for this place. It All Starts with the Perfect Location The food hall/restaurant incubator Avanti Food & Beverage has been a huge success since it opened in the Lower Highlands in 2015, and co-founders Rob Hahn and Patrick O’Neill have toyedwith the idea of opening a second location for awhile.