Chef, patrons celebrate Denver legacy restaurant during last days of business
After a tough year, a Denver legacy restaurant that has been part of the community for over 30 years is closing its doors.
Chef Tony Zarlenga announced the closure of Café Brazil on social media earlier this month, stating, "For over three decades, Café Brazil has been more than just a restaurant. It has been a second home for its cherished guests, a canvas for culinary imagination, and a vibrant piece of Denver's cultural fabric. Today, with a heavy heart, we share that Café Brazil's future is uncertain as our lease will not be renewed as of January 1, 2025."
Zarlenda said the creative dishes they serve each day are an important part of their identity.
"I come here because the food is stunning, and you can't get these flavors anywhere else in town," said Susan Bloomquist, a restaurant patron.
Family and friends have turned to Café Brazil for more than just a cultural food experience. It is also a place where many have made lifelong memories.
"We've had all of our special events. The kids have had engagement dinners, birthday celebrations," said Cynthia Knoebel, another restaurant patron.
"It's been home. We live here," said Zarlenga. "I mean most chefs and restauranteurs will tell you they practically live in their establishments night and day."
The longstanding Denver restaurant, which opened 32 years ago in the LoHi neighborhood, before moving to its existing space in Berkeley on Lowell Blvd, will now be closing on January 1, 2025. This comes after 18 years of serving customers in the newer location.
"We're really sad," said Knoebel after learning the news.
It's a sadness that lingered over patrons earlier this week when CBS Colorado stopped by. Many bid goodbye to Zarlenga with hugs and kind words about the legacy he built here with his wife and staff.
"Our landlord has been fantastic. Without a doubt, they've given us every consideration possible, but they just can't carry us," said Zarlenga.
Like many other businesses that shuttered in the last year, Zarlenga said they ultimately could not keep up with the costs of maintaining the restaurant.
"2024 was brutal, I think we've seen, the city has seen many depart and it's, unfortunately, the sign of the times," he said.
Zarlenga says they were challenged with a mixture of declining business over the last year, rising costs of goods, and even lingering effects from the pandemic.
"We just have not had the volume to create the revenue that we need to keep our staff, to maintain the facility, and do what we love to do," said Zarlenga.
It's a similar formula that's forcing other businesses to close down, according to a spokesperson with the Colorado Restaurant Association. The organization's CEO issued the following statement in CBS Colorado's request for an interview.
"We hear about local restaurants that are closing practically every day now. Sustainability is a real challenge, and operators are praying for a busy holiday season.
Since the pandemic, the restaurant industry in Colorado has faced incredibly challenging headwinds, including indoor-dining shutdowns, labor shortages, unprecedented inflation, surging property-tax evaluations and interest rates, and unreasonable state-level regulatory burdens, all of which threaten a restaurants' ability to succeed.
So many Colorado restaurants have closed this year, and that trend will continue in 2025. It's not feasible to keep your doors open when costs consistently rise and you can't increase menu prices accordingly or your customers complain and dine out less. It's lose-lose for an industry with tight margins to begin with."
While Zarlenga said declining business contributed to some of their struggles in the last year, it was quite the opposite for the restaurant this week. Dozens of people in the community showed up to support the restaurant and enjoy one last meal at Café Brazil.
"We're doing our best with the volume that came through, and it was unexpected," said Zarlenga.
Some patrons even said they planned to make it a point to come as much as possible before the final date.
"We just decided we're going to come as much as we can before they close," said Bloomquist.
"Other family members are coming back for New Year's Eve," said Knoebel.
Even in these somber moments leading up to the restaurant's last day, both customers and Zarlenga remain hopeful, that the spirit of Café Brazil will always be part of the Denver community in some way.
"It's a long journey that we're just not ready to depart from," said Zarlenga.
