What's Open on Park Hill's Stretch of East Colfax This Fall

As of September 27, 2026, the two center lanes of East Colfax from Broadway to Colorado Boulevard carry buses only, and riders on the 15 and 15L board from new center platforms. Cross Colorado heading east and the change stops. On the blocks along South Park Hill's southern edge, buses still run in regular traffic lanes and riders still use the existing curbside stops. The western half of the corridor is done. Park Hill's half is still in the middle of construction.

That timing shapes which storefronts make it through, and it is already showing on the street. This year, between Fairfax and Krameria, one restaurant space changed hands in a matter of weeks, a few businesses closed or went dark, and a new arrival just across the street picked this moment to open. The businesses holding up best are the ones that draw from the surrounding blocks.

The Finish Line Is Still a Year or More Away

The City of Denver's East Colfax BRT project page says the bus-only setup west of Colorado will stay in place until the whole corridor is finished at the end of 2027. At that point the new Lynx service replaces the 15 and 15L. RTD's September 8 project update was a little more cautious, putting full completion in late 2027 or early 2028.

Park Hill's frontage sits in Segment 3, which runs from Colorado to Niagara. RTD reported in May that crews were building eastbound and westbound stations there, with traffic pushed to the outer lanes and work shifting toward the center as it goes. RTD's target for Segments 3 and 4 at that time was fall 2027. The city's construction notices set phased start dates of May 2026 for Eudora to Fairfax and June 2026 for Ivanhoe to Leyden. The same notices commit to keeping at least one lane open each way and preserving business access, with crews usually working 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. On-street parking may be limited in places.

Planned stations near Park Hill include Elm, Krameria and Quebec. Until they open, a normal errand run on this stretch means narrowed lanes, fewer curb spots, and sometimes coming in through the back door.

A Space That Changed Hands in Weeks

The block at 5001 E. Colfax shows how quickly turnover happens here. The W, a cocktail-and-burger bar that opened in 2024, served its last night on Sunday, May 24, according to The Denver Post. By mid-June, Westword reported, Cafe Solene had opened in the same space.

Westword identified owner Manuel Gonzalez as a veteran of Santos Cafe and a former 50% partner in Oasis Cafe & Grill. The outlet described Cafe Solene as mainly a Mexican breakfast spot and said Gonzalez planned to add Friday through Sunday dinners. The cafe's own site calls it a family-owned Mexican brunch restaurant and features chilaquiles, smothered burritos, omelets and specialty drinks. It opens at 8 a.m. Call ahead before planning a dinner visit, since the weekend dinner service was a plan as of July.

A former bar became a breakfast-and-brunch counter. That change fits a construction calendar where crews work daytime hours and the people walking in are the ones who live a few blocks away.

Where the Stretch Stands This Month

Westword's monthly restaurant roll calls are the clearest public record of what has opened, closed or paused along these blocks in 2026. The table pulls the Park Hill-adjacent addresses into one place, each with the date of its most recent confirmation.

Westword's July list is now more than two months old, so the two temporarily closed spots may have reopened since. Both are worth checking again before you assume either way.

The Anchors Lean on the Neighborhood

The longest-running businesses on this stretch draw people from the surrounding blocks. Marczyk Fine Foods opened its second store at Colfax and Fairfax in 2011. Founder and CEO Pete Marczyk's Burger Night cookouts happen at the Colfax store, and that format grew into FineBurger, a separate restaurant on Northfield Boulevard, as The Denver Post reported in July.

Park Hill Treasures at 6035 E. Colfax is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. In an April report from Denver7, the store's Dirk Turner said utility work made it hard for customers to get in, and at times the alley was the only way into the shop. He also said staff were hopeful about what the finished project would bring. In the spring the store was among the businesses welcoming visitors to RTD's arch-lift viewing party at Krameria Street.

Farther east near Quebec, Fiction Beer Company hosted an arch-lift gathering on April 27. Co-owner Ali Hoskins-Kelly told Denverite that because so many customers come from the neighborhood, construction "hasn't hampered our business too, too much."

Shops with a steady flow of neighbors on foot have the easiest time getting through a year of lane shifts, while spots that count on drivers pulling over on Colfax have it harder.

Vegan Van Picked This Moment to Move In

The newest arrival is choosing to open right in the middle of all this. Vegan Van, Denver's first vegan food truck, is moving from its Northeast Park Hill commissary kitchen to 1490 Eudora St., the former home of The Fifth String, according to The Denver Post and BusinessDen. The address sits just south of Colfax, on the Hale side. General manager Hannah Lagaly said the restaurant plans to start serving breakfast, lunch and dinner on October 17.

Owners Justin Warner and Brittney Gurule bought and relaunched the business in 2016. For the past two years it has served crunchwraps, tacos and fries out of a pickup window at the commissary, building what Lagaly called "a line of cars every day." The 3,500-square-foot space is planned to open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. Plans include nine taps of local beer, house cocktails such as a Baja Blast margarita, a bigger baked-goods case, and an outdoor stage and hammock area for live music and events. The October 17 date was a target as of late September, so a quick check of the restaurant's channels before heading over is a good idea.

Dates on the Colfax Calendar

The city and the local business district have built a small calendar around keeping people coming to these blocks during construction. Here is what is coming up, counting from October 12:

1. Wednesday, October 14. Vegan Van's original truck is scheduled to serve wings to the public again, a day after the business moves out of its commissary.
2. Saturday, October 17. Vegan Van's target opening at 1490 Eudora St.
3. Thursday, October 29, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. A Fax Pass pop-up at Si Amigos Grill, 9500 E. Colfax, for picking up a booklet or claiming prizes.
4. Saturday, December 5, 2 to 6 p.m. The Colfax Mayfair Business Improvement District's Sip & Stroll, which starts at Park Hill Treasures or Marczyk Fine Foods, where you pick up a passport. About a dozen shops take part, with wine samples at participating stops, bites from local eateries and holiday deals.

The Fax Pass is a free loyalty booklet. Participating Colfax businesses add a sticker with each qualifying purchase, and enough stickers move you up through prize tiers from "Colfax Crawler" to "Colfax Legend." Denverite reported in May that more than 100 businesses had signed on. The city's We Back The Fax page also links a shared Colfax events calendar that covers block parties and business district events along the corridor. On the business side, Denverite reported that qualifying construction-affected businesses could apply for one-time grants of up to $15,000.

West of Colorado, the bus lanes are finished and in use. East of it, at least through the end of 2027, what this stretch of Colfax looks like will depend on the restaurants, grocers and shops that neighbors keep visiting while the construction continues.

When a Park Hill home sits a few blocks from a construction corridor, the timeline matters as much as the finished street. If you're weighing what the Colfax schedule means for a sale or purchase in South Park Hill, Julie Winger can go through it block by block with you. Schedule a neighborhood consultation.