On Nov. 2, a new counter opens on the first floor of Avanti Food & Beverage at 1401 Pearl St. It's called Costa Brisa, and it's a Baja-inspired Mexican concept from Bill Espiricueta, who has run the Michelin-recommended Denver barbecue spot SMŌK since 2018. Costa Brisa takes the stall that Quiero Arepas had held since the food hall opened, according to the Daily Camera.
Avanti's pitch has always been about rotation. The company calls its halls an incubator for chefs and says it mainly signs short-term leases of one to two years. Leases that short suggest a building that remakes itself every couple of years. The record at the Boulder location shows something steadier. Half of the original food lineup is still serving, and when counters have changed hands, the new operator has often been someone who already had a foothold inside.
The incubator promise, as Avanti describes it
Avanti's own restaurant-opportunities page lays out the model. Small, self-contained restaurants sit around two large bars, and the setup lets established chefs try a quicker-service version of a concept while newer chefs can open "for a fraction of cost of a typical brick and mortar restaurant." Anyone who wants a counter is asked to send a pitch deck and résumés.
When the Boulder hall was about to open in fall 2020, co-founder Patrick O'Neill told 303 Magazine that the first stalls had leases of one to three years, that Avanti meant to bring in new concepts every year, and that it picked from concepts the team had tasted. The term on the company's current page is a little shorter than the one quoted at opening. Either way, the plan was for the lineup to keep changing.
Six years, counter by counter
Avanti Boulder opened on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, in the building that once housed the Cheesecake Factory. Westword's opening coverage and the Daily Camera's preview listed six food concepts plus a coffee counter. Here is how each one has changed since, using the dates local outlets reported.
| Counter at opening, Oct. 2020 | What happened | Who's there going into November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Boychik | Still operating | Boychik |
| Rooted Craft Kitchen | Still operating | Rooted Craft Kitchen |
| New Yorkese | Still operating, upstairs | New Yorkese |
| Pig and Tiger | Same owners switched concepts, June 2024 | Peko Peko |
| Rye Society | Replaced in spring 2023 | Mangia Panino |
| Quiero Arepas | Was still listed in August 2024; its stall now goes to the newcomer | Costa Brisa, opening Nov. 2 |
| Method Coffee | Followed by Lost City Coffee, then by Bona in August 2024 | Bona Coffee Roasters |
Three of the six food concepts that opened in 2020 are still there after six years: Boychik, Rooted Craft Kitchen and New Yorkese. That is several lease cycles under the terms Avanti describes. The coffee counter has turned over most often, with three different operators on the same spot.
Much of the change came from inside the building
Of the original six food counters, two have changed hands so far, and a third changes on Nov. 2. In both completed changes, the new operator was already connected to Avanti.
Peko Peko came from the Pig and Tiger team. Darren Chang and Travis Masar switched their Avanti counter from Pig and Tiger to Peko Peko, a Japanese-inspired concept, the week Westword reported it on June 8, 2024. Westword also said the pair were working toward a brick-and-mortar Pig and Tiger in Denver. Same owners, same stall, new menu.
Mangia Panino came from a former New Yorkese manager. Boulder Weekly reported in May 2023 that Jeremiah Harvey and partner Trevor Schulze had opened Mangia Panino in the former Rye Society stall. Harvey had been the opening manager for New Yorkese.
Bona came from across town. Bona Coffee Roasters opened at Avanti in late August 2024 and took over the space Lost City Coffee had used. Owners Andre Di Bonaventura and Vanessa Rossi also ran Bona's Boulder roastery and a coffee shop at Sanitas Brewing Co. So the coffee counter went to a Boulder roaster that already had a following in town.
For a food hall that bills itself as an incubator, this is a more local and more internal pattern than the pitch suggests. Operators who do well here tend to stay, change concepts in place, or hand the counter to someone they worked with. Costa Brisa is the newest arrival and comes from outside that circle.
What Costa Brisa adds to the first floor
Espiricueta also ran Vaca Gordo in Denver. In a statement quoted by the Daily Camera, he said he had always loved "the bright, fresh flavors of coastal Mexican food and the comfort and approachability of Tex-Mex." He added that Baja fish tacos tested at SMŌK went over well enough to build a concept around.
The menu, as the Daily Camera described it, includes:
- Shrimp tostadas with guacamole
- A California-style burrito with carne asada, cheese and French fries
- Baja fish burritos
- A wider list of tacos, burritos, quesadillas and bowls
- SMŌK's breakfast burrito, which went viral, on weekends
The Daily Camera listed Costa Brisa's hours as Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Avanti's site lists its downstairs vendors as open every day. If you're planning around a weekday lunch in Costa Brisa's first weeks, check the counter's own schedule before you go.
It also changes the downstairs lineup. Once it opens, Costa Brisa will share the floor with Boychik, Mangia Panino, Peko Peko and Rooted Craft Kitchen. New Yorkese and the rooftop bar are upstairs, and Bona handles coffee.
The hours and house rules at 1401 Pearl
The counters keep different hours from the bars, and the two floors keep different hours from each other. Here is the schedule on Avanti's Boulder page:
| Sunday to Thursday | Friday and Saturday | |
|---|---|---|
| Bar | 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. |
| Upstairs vendor, New Yorkese | 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. | 11 a.m. to midnight |
| Downstairs vendors | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Bona Coffee Roasters | Mon. to Sat. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sun. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Mon. to Sat. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
A few more details from the same page:
- Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 2 to 6 p.m. and all day Sunday.
- "Avanti After Dark" happy hour runs Sunday through Thursday from 9 p.m. to close. On those nights, New Yorkese is the only food counter still open, since the downstairs vendors close at 9.
- Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Only service animals are allowed inside. Avanti says the rule follows Pearl Street guidelines, so leave the dog at home after a walk on the Mall.
The page doesn't show when it was last updated. With a new vendor arriving and the holiday season starting downtown, these hours may change before year-end.
When we show people around downtown Boulder, Avanti is one of the places we point to, and the longtime counters there are part of the reason. If you'd like to talk about how the blocks around Pearl Street are changing, or you just want a lunch recommendation for your next showing, the team at Boulder Residential is glad to compare notes.
