Thirsty Lion Gastropub is preparing to open a new restaurant at Park Meadows in Lone Tree, taking over the roughly 7,900-square-foot space at 8335 Park Meadows Center Drive that formerly housed Earls Kitchen + Bar. The Arizona-based gastropub chain plans to open the location in December 2026, according to its website, marking its second Colorado restaurant and its first foray into the southern Denver metro area.
The Denver Business Journal first reported the move; WhatNow later reported the planned Park Meadows restaurant and cited the Denver Business Journal's report on the opening date and the company's search for additional Denver-area sites. Thirsty Lion currently operates one Colorado restaurant, located at Denver's Union Station, where it serves lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. That Wynkoop Street location first entered the Colorado market in April 2014 as one of the anchor dining venues during the revitalization of the historic train station, according to Denver Westword.
The Lone Tree opening actually represents something of a homecoming to a two-venue Denver-metro footprint for the chain. Thirsty Lion once ran a second Denver-area restaurant in Cherry Creek North, which opened in June 2016 at 201 Columbine Street in a 7,000-square-foot space before it eventually closed, per The Denver Ear.
Scratch Kitchen Meets Craft Cocktails
Thirsty Lion describes itself as a scratch kitchen and gastropub, with a menu that spans burgers, sandwiches, salads, bowls, pizzas and entrées, alongside signature burgers, chicken dishes, fish and chips, mac and cheese, tacos and shareable appetizers. The bar program features craft cocktails, beer and wine, and the kitchen leans on fresh ingredients, premium spirits and house-made juices and purées.
Brunch runs Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the chain offers daily happy-hour specials on select pints, cocktails, wine and food. Thirsty Lion restaurants are built to accommodate casual meals as well as larger group gatherings and events, a format that traces back to the company's roots. Originally established in Oregon in 2006 as a traditional pub concept, the brand later pivoted to a scratch-kitchen gastropub model and grew to 11 locations across Oregon, Arizona, Texas and Colorado by mid-2023, according to Nation's Restaurant News.
That trade publication's 2023 operational profile found Thirsty Lion generates roughly two-thirds of its total revenue from scratch food sales and one-third from beverage sales, built around a 45-item core menu with quarterly rotating seasonal fresh sheets. The chain is owned and operated by Scottsdale, Arizona-based Concept Entertainment Group, founded in 1990 by CEO John Plew, the same outlet reports.
A Prime Corridor Draws Competition
Park Meadows itself is a Lone Tree shopping destination that draws visitors from across the south metro area, and the new restaurant will add another full-service dining option to the property. Opened in August 1996, Park Meadows Retail Resort spans more than 1.57 million square feet, making it the largest enclosed regional shopping center in Colorado, according to the City of Lone Tree.
The surrounding corridor has drawn a wave of full-service restaurant investment this year, including the arrival of upscale steakhouse The Capital Grille nearby at Westview Road, as Hoodline previously reported. Diners in the area have also watched the return of Jack's Steakhouse to Lone Tree following a fire, complete with a hidden speakeasy concept, adding to a competitive dining landscape near Park Meadows Drive.
Guests dining at Thirsty Lion's Colorado locations should note that the chain applies a mandatory 3% service charge to all food and beverage purchases, intended to help fund competitive wages and employee health benefits, though the surcharge can be removed upon request. With its December target date approaching, the Lone Tree location will give Thirsty Lion Gastropub a second Colorado outpost and expand its presence into the fast-growing southern Denver metro area.
