Mayfair's Colfax Is Becoming a Morning Street, Cones and All

The places that opened on East Colfax between Colorado Boulevard and Monaco over the past year open in the morning. They are an espresso bar, a Mexican brunch restaurant and a motel lobby that serves coffee before it pours cocktails. Over the same months, several spots built around lunch, dinner and late nights have closed or paused. It is happening on the blocks where the bus rapid transit construction is now heaviest, and that work runs at least through December.

The Line at Colorado Boulevard

On September 27, 2026, the two center lanes of East Colfax from Broadway to Colorado Boulevard became bus-only lanes. RTD's 15 and 15L buses now stop at center platforms along that stretch. Westword described the drive west from Aurora as closed lanes, torn-up sidewalks and orange cones until you cross Colorado. West of there the road is smooth and freshly painted, and the paper compared it to a movie that switches from black and white to color.

Mayfair is still in the black-and-white part. East of Colorado, according to the City and County of Denver's project page, buses still run in general traffic and stop at the existing side stops. The city calls Colorado Boulevard to Niagara Street Segment 3, the third of five segments, and says construction continues through 2027.

What Crews Are Building on These Blocks

The Colfax Mayfair Business Improvement District's fall update says the most disruptive Segment 3 work runs through December, and the whole segment is scheduled to finish next fall. The work falls into three categories:

• Intersections. Crews are building curb bump-outs that narrow crossings and slow turns, plus new ADA ramps, drainage and signal upgrades. Each intersection takes one to three months.
• Sidewalks. New pedestrian light poles are going in, along with soil cells for street trees. You can already see them at Elm Street on the north side of Colfax and at Fairfax on the south side. Each soil cell takes about four weeks to install.
• Stations. Center-platform stations are under construction at Elm, Hudson and Krameria, and work at Monaco followed in the spring.

Tree planting, repaving and crosswalk restriping are set for 2027. The schedules have already moved once. In the spring, the BID said major work in the district was on track to finish by the end of 2026. The fall update notes that weather, underground conditions and utility conflicts can shift the dates. The district's construction hotline is 720-336-0025.

The soil cells come up again in this post because they show what the finished street will feel like on foot. A soil cell is a hollow frame set under the sidewalk. It keeps the soil loose so new street trees have room to root, with concrete and a metal grate on top. Shorter crossings, new pedestrian lighting and trees that can grow all favor walking. And the businesses that bet on Mayfair's Colfax this year are the kind you walk to.

Who Opened During the Hardest Year

Eastside Espresso, 5091 E. Colfax

Azeb Leul opened Eastside Espresso in January 2026. The Denver Post reported that the menu pairs coffee sourced from several African countries with ful, which is spiced fava beans eaten with French bread, and chechebsa, slices of teff flatbread served with honey and spiced butter. The beans are roasted by Millete Birhanemaskel, who owns Whittier Cafe. The Post described the shop as bright and planted, with seating that works for a laptop or a slow latte. The same story placed Eastside Espresso within a small group of Ethiopian-Tigrayan coffee sellers across the metro area. Each does its own version of the traditional coffee ceremony, which involves pan roasting, hand grinding and clay-pot brewing.

Cafe Solene, 5001 E. Colfax

The W, a craft burger spot, served its last day on May 24 after about two years at 5001 E. Colfax, Westword reported. By mid-June, Cafe Solene had opened in the same space. Westword's July roundup said it was operating mainly as a Mexican breakfast spot. Cafe Solene's own site calls it a family-owned Mexican brunch restaurant, with smothered burritos, chilaquiles, French toast, omelets, strawberry matcha and mimosas. So the address that had been serving burgers and fries now serves brunch.

El Piñon at La Vista Motel, 5500 E. Colfax

La Vista Motel was built in 1956. Nathan Beal bought it in 2022, and 5280 reported that a full-gut renovation produced 23 guest rooms and an on-site cafe and cocktail bar called El Piñon. The motel reopened in December 2025. The Denver Post's 2025 preview said El Piñon would take over the motel's old check-in area and serve espresso in the morning before turning into a cocktail bar in the evening. Of the recent arrivals, it is the one that stays open from morning into the night.

The BID's welcome list for new businesses also includes VIVA! Mexi-Coffee-Shop at 4900 E. Colfax. The listing mentions café lechero, guava cream cheese knots, murals and plans for music nights.

The Other Side of the Ledger

Here are the same blocks sorted by what changed in 2026:

The two temporary closures come from Westword's roll call for July, and BoxBox from its September roll call. BoxBox served customizable bento-style salads. Catfish King serves Southern and Louisiana barbecue, and the BID describes Circular Lounge as a 1970s-style bar with craft beer, arcade games and pool. Those are lunch, dinner and late-night places, and that is the gap the morning openings sit beside.

In May 2026, Denverite looked at city data for three Colfax business improvement districts, including the Mayfair BID between Eudora and Monaco. It counted ten closures and nine openings since construction began in October 2024. Before construction, the post-COVID average in those stretches was about 20 closures a year. Openings have slowed by a similar amount. On those numbers, construction has slowed the turnover in both directions. What has changed is which kinds of businesses are filling the gaps.

What the Finished Street Is Built For

Denverite reported that once the system is fully running, the 15 and 15L are expected to come every 4.3 minutes. The stations will have steel arches for shade and shelter, and narrower driving lanes are meant to slow traffic on a road the outlet has called one of Denver's most dangerous. Stations at Elm, Hudson, Krameria and Monaco mean regular foot traffic at four points on Mayfair's stretch. A coffee counter at 5091 or a brunch table at 5001 is the kind of business that foot traffic supports.

Two Ways to Show Up Before the Cones Leave

The BID's We Back The Fax Pass lists deals from businesses within a block of Colfax, anywhere between Broadway and I-225. Businesses can sign up on a rolling basis, according to the BID's holiday events and construction update.

The bigger date is the 2026 Sip & Stroll on Saturday, December 5, from noon to 4 p.m. That falls in the same month the BID expects the heaviest Segment 3 work to wind down. The BID's event page explains how it works:

1. Pick up a passport and register for prizes at Marczyk Fine Foods, 5100 E. Colfax.
2. Visit about a dozen participating shops for stamps, free wine samples at some locations, mocktails, bites from local restaurants and holiday deals.
3. Turn in your completed passport at the after-party at El Piñon at La Vista Motel, 5500 E. Colfax, or scan and email it by 6 p.m. that day.

The route starts at a grocery that has been on Colfax for years and ends at a bar that opened last winter.

The Graham Group keeps a close eye on East Colfax because the finished corridor will change how the blocks north and south of it work day to day. If you want to talk through what the new stations at Elm, Hudson, Krameria or Monaco might mean for your corner of Mayfair or Hale, Graham Group Real Estate is glad to share what we know. Start a Conversation.