The team behind El Five and Linger is filling one of LoHi's most talked-about vacancies. Edible Beats plans to open a new restaurant called Pip Food + Drink inside the 2,000-square-foot space at 2930 Umatilla St. that formerly housed Sushi Ronin, with a target debut of Fall 2026.
The move keeps the address entirely in the Edible Beats family. Sushi Ronin, whose majority owner was Alexander Gurevich and whose opening chef was Corey Baker, opened at that spot on January 2, 2016, and closed after nine years in business in March 2025, according to Denver Westword. Once it shut down, Edible Beats sought to replace Sushi Ronin in the building, and as BusinessDen reports, that pursuit has now resulted in Pip Food + Drink.
Pip will sit in the same building as El Five, the pan-Mediterranean tapas restaurant that has occupied the building's fifth-floor penthouse since May 2017, serving small plates alongside views of downtown Denver, per 303 Magazine. Founder Justin Cucci reportedly joked at El Five's launch that it would be his last restaurant, since he couldn't build any higher than the penthouse — a line that reads differently now that his group is expanding into the floor below it, per the same account.
A Lower-Priced Sibling Downstairs
According to BusinessDen's reporting, Pip Food + Drink will focus on tapas at a lower price point than El Five upstairs, giving Edible Beats two distinct dining experiences under one roof. Executive Chef Corey Ferguson, who has led El Five's kitchen since it opened in 2017 and has spent 14 years with Edible Beats overall, is discussing the new concept. Ferguson began his tenure with the group at Root Down in 2011, per 303 Magazine.
Ferguson told BusinessDen that he and the Edible Beats team thought they were done opening restaurants — until this particular scenario, a rare chance to take over the space right below their own penthouse, presented itself, the outlet reports. BusinessDen reports that the opportunity changed that outlook.
LoHi's Fourth Edible Beats Address
Pip Food + Drink will mark Edible Beats' fourth restaurant clustered in Denver's Lower Highland neighborhood. The group's flagship, Root Down, opened in 2008 inside a former auto repair building, establishing founder Justin Cucci's now-signature model of repurposing unconventional neighborhood buildings, per Shore Fire Media. Linger followed as a Root Down sister restaurant, serving global street food from a former mortuary with a rooftop deck.
Root Down itself just got a refresh: in May 2026, Edible Beats promoted Hannah Elkins to Executive Chef there, updating the menu after the restaurant's 2008 founding, Developing Denver reported. Hoodline previously highlighted that legacy, ranking Root Down and Linger among the top Highland destinations built around Cucci's vegetable-forward and global street food concepts.
An Employee-Owned Expansion
Whoever staffs Pip will join a workforce with a direct financial stake in the outcome. Edible Beats has a self-funded, 100% Employee Stock Ownership Plan for more than 350 staff members, according to Shore Fire Media. The arrangement gives employees a direct financial stake in the company's outcome.
Edible Beats runs its buildings on 100% wind power and draws produce from its own 320-square-foot hydroponic Beat Box Farms, according to the company. Pip Food + Drink is planned as a cheaper way to eat at the same address as El Five.
