(Editor’s be aware: That is a part of The Know’s sequence, Workers Favorites. Every week, we provide our opinions on the most effective that Colorado has to supply for eating, buying, leisure, outside actions and extra. We’ll additionally allow you to in on some hidden gems.)
To stroll into Baker Market is to take a step again in time.
Nestled within the coronary heart of Denver’s Baker neighborhood, the brick-and-mortar bodega is a call-back to a special period when somebody may take their canine for a stroll and decide up a sandwich and a few produce in a single fell swoop.
When proprietor Berlinda Olivas first purchased what was then often called Baker Neighborhood Market again in 2000, there have been a number of bodegas close by. Hers is the one one nonetheless working — partially as a result of she purchased the enterprise again from a household good friend after some lean years through the pandemic. Had Olivas offered the constructing, its distinctive zoning would have disappeared.
“I didn’t wish to lose that historical past,” the 66-year-old lifetime Baker resident stated.
That historical past dates again to the late Eighties, when Baker Market hosted parishioners from close by St. Joseph’s Catholic Parish. And it’s on show all through.
The uncovered brick inside wall matches the tone of the 100-year-old properties that line the neighborhood’s streets. A mural on the east facet of the constructing highlights a group backyard that abuts the property. And an previous money register Olivas inherited sits in a single nook of a captivating again porch open to clients.
It’s the form of place the place you would possibly see the postman pop in and clean up his espresso, or a mom on a stroll together with her toddler make a pitstop for a calming glowing water. Not solely are pets welcome, they’re inspired — typically with a bit of deal with.
In fact, issues have modified within the a long time since Olivas purchased the enterprise, even when the costs stay comparatively old skool.
For a time, the enterprise was often called Java ‘n Scoops, nevertheless it transitioned to Baker Market and has expanded its menu over time. Breakfast and lunchtime choices are served all day, with contemporary produce, groceries and regionally sourced espresso, teas and breads additionally out there. The burritos and tacos — breakfast or lunch — are scrumptious, however don’t sleep on the croissant breakfast sandwiches. Different sandwich alternatives embody classics just like the BLT, grilled cheese for the kiddos, and fewer extensively out there fare just like the “Cubano” and “Leonardo de Veggie.”
All of these objects are made to order. You possibly can even watch them sizzle on a flat-top griddle in the back of the deli.
Nonetheless, it’s the old-school appeal of Baker Market that makes it such a treasured gem. And so long as Olivas remains to be round, that’s not going anyplace.
Baker Market is positioned at 713 W. 4th Ave. in Denver. Open 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays by way of Fridays, and eight a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. fb.com/bakermarketdenver
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