A new Thai street-food restaurant is taking shape at 800 Sherman Street in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood, where Dom and chef Jay Anderson are turning the former Reckless Noodles space into Den Thai Street. The casual concept is aiming for an October 2026 debut, with dishes like kua gai and a potato-shaped riff on massaman curry planned for the menu.
According to WhatNow, Den Thai Street will emphasize Thai street-food dishes and is being positioned as a more casual counterpart to the Andersons' existing restaurant, Den Thai. No exact opening date has been announced, though the target remains sometime in October. The Andersons are still renovating the Sherman Street space and are waiting on final permits before they can open the doors, the outlet reports.
Permitting is a significant step in a Denver restaurant opening: the city requires restaurants to have a zoning-use permit and business license, and says virtually all restaurant projects need building permits and inspections. The city’s restaurant permitting rules help explain why renovations and approvals can shape an opening timeline.
The menu is expected to include kua gai, described as a stir-fried noodle dish, alongside a potato-shaped version of massaman curry and crispy duck panang carried over from the original Den Thai menu. The pairing of familiar favorites with street-food-style plates suggests the new spot will lean into a more grab-and-go, casual dining experience than its tapas-style sibling.
A Chef's Roots in Thai Cooking
Chef Jay Anderson learned the foundations of Thai cooking from his grandmother in Thailand and has developed Thai street-food dishes throughout his culinary career, per the same account from WhatNow. That background appears to be shaping the direction of Den Thai Street's menu, which draws on both his family recipes and his broader culinary experience.
The new concept builds on a family-owned business whose original Den Thai is at 2200 Market Street. Chef Jay Anderson’s cooking there combines Thai flavors learned from his grandmother with a tapas-style approach and wine and cocktails, giving the Sherman Street project a distinct street-food direction within the family’s existing restaurant business. Den Thai’s profile of its restaurant and chef describes that family background and the original location.
Den Thai Street is expected to serve lunch and dinner once it opens, though the report notes there's initially a planned break between the two services during its first few days of operation. That detail suggests the Andersons are easing into a full daily schedule rather than launching at full throttle from day one.
Another Foothold for the Andersons in Denver
If it opens as planned, Den Thai Street will give the Andersons' restaurant group another foothold in Denver's dining scene, building on the momentum of their original concept. The new spot is described as a more casual counterpart to Den Thai, giving the team two distinct ways to serve Thai food to Denver diners.
The expansion comes as Denver restaurants face a challenging business climate alongside continued openings. A 2025 restaurant-sector assessment put the industry at 7.9% of the city’s workforce, down from 8.7% in 2019, while accounting for about 13% of local sales-tax revenue. The assessment identifies rising labor and occupancy costs among operators’ pressures. The sector assessment provides a wider backdrop for the Andersons’ second Denver concept.
For now, Capitol Hill diners will have to wait for a firm opening date, with renovations and permitting still underway at the Sherman Street location. Until then, the target of an October debut remains the clearest signal of when the neighborhood might get its next taste of Thai street food.
