A new cocktail bar called Yoshi is headed to Denver, with owners Shelby and Scott Ruggiero aiming to open in early 2027.
The new venue will be at 1740 E. 17th Avenue. The bar will occupy the 1,640-square-foot space formerly home to Sullivan Scrap Kitchen, which closed in August 2025.
Scott and Shelby previously worked in Denver’s hospitality industry before leaving their jobs to pursue their dream of opening Yoshi. “My wife and I, we’ve been in this industry, to each a decade plus. I’ve always wanted to open something and have something of my own. But I think since the pandemic, we really kind of started brainstorming a lot more of what this could be,” he said.
Ruggiero said the name Yoshi was inspired by the couple’s trips to Japan. “Our first trip abroad together was to Japan just to go and see and eat and drink everything. When we got married and we did our honeymoon in Japan again, and that just kind of, like, put our focus that this is what we really wanted to do. Yoshi, it means to be good, to be loyal, we really stuck with what that meant and how we wanted to be portrayed as a bar and as business owners,” he said.
Ruggiero said the venue is going to be an all around great environment. “Its going to be a great atmosphere with great staff that’s going to make anyone who walk in there just feel feel welcomed and enjoy themselves. You’re going get great warm service. The drinks, you’re going get a great cocktail and there will be food as well. I think it will be a fun and engaging experience, we’re definitely doing things slightly different and unique,” he said.
For more information tune in to Yoshi’s Instagram for more details.
