The team at West Highlands eatery American Elm has plans to further expand the culinary offerings in the area. According to the Denver Post, restaurateur Bob Reiter and Chef Daniel Mangin are opening a small-format bodega called M.E. Deli next door, at 4140 W. 38th Ave.
An adjacent property also owned by Reiter, it has been used mainly for administration purposes. But now it will be transformed, with 225 square feet of the space turned into a counter-service joint. The other remaining part of the building will house a European bistro called Wednesday Ellie, which will debut later this year.
M.E. Deli will be open Monday through Friday, from 7:30 to 1:30 or 2 p.m. It will serve breakfast and lunch sandwiches and other grab-and-go bites, some from vendors and some from American Elm’s At Home sector of take-away products. There will also be simple coffee service.
“The idea there is trying to build a convenient and quick spot for people to get a little bit of food, coffee, or juice (or whatever!) on their way to work in the morning,” Reiter told What Now Denver.
Reiter started in hospitality in Kansas City, and then ran operations for a large entertainment company in NYC before moving to Denver in 2019 to open American Elm. Chef Mangin, who has worked at acclaimed venues in Chicago and several other cities around the country, joined the team in 2021 and says Colorado is going through a “food renaissance” right now.
