Something specific is happening to the Colorado Springs dining scene this year, and it is easier to feel than to name. Walk past the shuttered pavilion on North Nevada that used to hum on Saturday nights, or the Ivywild storefront that has been dark since 2017, or the east-side pad on South Carefree Circle where a longtime Mexican restaurant went quiet in early 2024, and you can see paper on the windows and lights on inside.
The story of 2026 is not a wave of new concepts chasing a trend. It is the return of buildings and operators with real history behind them, plus a handful of quieter arrivals that are worth planning a Tuesday around. Here is what is actually opening, where, and why each one matters if you already live here.
The Comeback That Took Two Fires and a Pandemic to Undo
The Navajo Hogan was originally constructed in 1935 and spent most of a century as a roadside landmark on North Nevada, the kind of building people give directions by. It was officially recognized as an American architectural treasure in 1990 on the National Register of Historic Places, with a pair of massive pyramidal roofs made from hand-stripped local logs.
Then it went dark. "Johnny's" Navajo Hogan closed in 2021 after a series of fires, the first caused by an after-hours trespasser in the pavilion, the second by a broken dryer in the basement, ending then-owner Johnny Nolan's post-pandemic reopening plans.
Now it is coming back. Almost a year after acquiring the property, the new owners are preparing for the Hogan's grand return, with property owner Raul Marcelo Gomez saying that day could come as early as mid-March 2026. New owner Bobby Couch is running the front of the operation with executive chef Ketil Larsen in the kitchen. The iconic sign has been repainted and the neon tubes replaced, which is the kind of detail that tells you the reopening is real rather than aspirational.
If you have lived here long enough to have a Navajo Hogan memory, you already know whether you are going. If you have not, this is the rare chance to visit a Colorado Springs landmark on its opening week rather than reading about it after the fact.
Ivywild Gets Its Anchor Back
The Blue Star was, for a long stretch, the restaurant people named when out-of-town friends asked where to eat. Before Colorado Springs' dining scene renaissance of the past decade, The Blue Star was a beacon of approachable elevated cuisine cozily situated in the Ivywild neighborhood, and it was a loss when the restaurant closed in 2017.
Owner and restaurateur Joe Coleman is bringing The Blue Star back as a 2.0 version. Work on the total renovation has been ongoing through last year, and The Blue Star Group is eyeing a third quarter opening.
The timing matters more than it might sound. Ivywild has been operating for almost a decade without its old anchor, and the neighborhood has quietly grown up around the absence. A Q3 2026 reopening lands right as the summer patio season peaks and back-to-school reservations start filling in. If Coleman hits the window, Ivywild reads differently by fall than it has since the Obama administration.
The Vacancy on South Carefree That Just Got Interesting
The east side is the case study for how quickly a corner can turn. Jose Muldoon's northeast location closed in January 2024 after 13 years of operation. The owners, Colorado Springs-based Concept Restaurants, cited financial challenges. The downtown location remains open.
The building did not sit long. After opening a location in Castle Rock in late 2025, a Denver-based chain is continuing its expansion south to Colorado Springs. Homegrown Tap and Dough, known for its hand-tossed pizzas and local beer selection, has begun remodeling the former east-side Jose Muldoon's at 5710 S. Carefree Circle into its first Springs location. The restaurant chain is owned and operated by the Gastamo Group and has five locations in the Denver area.
The opening is not immediate. The restaurant in Colorado Springs won't open until late summer, according to Gastamo Group staff.
Two details are worth pulling out for anyone who lives in the surrounding neighborhoods. With Homegrown Tap and Dough planning to move into the site, only minor modifications are needed, according to planning documents submitted to the city. The documents show plans to remove some parking spaces on the south side of the building, so the new restaurant can have a larger patio space. That is the tell. A larger patio in a spot that already had adequate parking says the operator is betting on evening foot traffic and lingering diners rather than the lunch-rush turnover Muldoon's used to run. If you are within walking distance, the character of the corner is about to shift.
The Quieter Arrivals Worth a Weeknight
Not every 2026 opening is a comeback. A handful of newer names have landed with less fanfare and more geographic spread, which is the more interesting pattern if you are tired of driving downtown for anything unfamiliar.
- Amore Italian Grille at 5278 N Nevada Ave #160, a new concept from the owners of Ambli Kitchen & Bar and Latin Social. Modern Italian with the pedigree of two operators who already know how to run a room in this city.
- L&L Hawaiian Barbecue at 2130 Southgate Rd. in southwest Colorado Springs, located within the Broadmoor Towne Center. The 900-square-foot restaurant is open seven days per week for dine-in, takeout, mobile ordering and catering. It opened in April 2026.
- Codswallop at 3012 W Colorado Ave, sister restaurant to The Brit Pub, serving authentic British fish and chips and homemade pies. Old Colorado City address, so easy to fold into a Saturday afternoon on the west side.
- Nana's Dim Sum & Dumpling at 1895 Democracy Point, with soup dumplings, bao buns, pan-fried dumplings and vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free selections.
- Curry Culture at 162 Tracker Dr, modern Indian cuisine in a fast-casual format, with garlic naan, butter chicken, and tikka masala on an extensive menu.
- Perriteaux's Cajun Restaurant, opened this spring, where head chef Jason Miller has been in the kitchen for over 30 years.
- The Sportsbook Bar & Grill downtown, a locally owned sports bar arriving beneath the SpringHill Suites and Element hotels.
- The Ice Guys, Dice Guys, whose combined ice cream shop and game store in Old Colorado City has added a second location downtown off Tejon.
There is also news for people who already have a favorite. Brother Luck expanded the Happy Hour menu and hours at Four in spring 2026. Available Tuesday through Sunday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., the new menu includes discounted cocktails, wine, beer and chef-driven bites at the 321 N. Tejon location. And The Warehouse will be opening its new Warehouse Urban Grocer concept in spring 2026 with chef-prepared grab-and-go meals, meats from The Warehouse's suppliers, seafood, and breads.
What This Actually Means for Where You Eat This Year
Read the list as a whole and a geographic pattern shows up. The comebacks are anchored in older, more established corridors, North Nevada, Ivywild, the east side, while the newer arrivals are spread across Broadmoor Towne Center, Old Colorado City, downtown, and outlying pockets like Democracy Point and Tracker Drive. The center of gravity for interesting food in Colorado Springs is not moving downtown in 2026. It is spreading outward, and it is doing so behind operators with local track records rather than out-of-market brands parachuting in.
The practical version of that observation: the restaurant worth driving to this year is probably closer to your house than you think, and the one worth waiting for is probably a name you already recognized from before. Keep a running list. The Hogan opens first, Homegrown follows in late summer, and Blue Star lands in Q3. Space them out and you have a year of first visits without having to leave the city.
If you are weighing a move within Colorado Springs, or trying to understand how a specific corridor is changing before you list your home there, the team at Innovative Moves tracks these shifts the same way we track comps. Let's Connect.
