Ophelia’s= not the place to take your conservative family from out of town.
Ophelia’s is the sister restaurant to Linger and Root Down, two of Denver’s top restaurants. The owners (Edible Beats Restaurant Group) specialize in repurposing buildings into restaurants, while still honoring their history. Linger used to be a mortuary, and Root Down used to be a gas station. Ophelia’s is located in an old brothel, so the ambiance is dark and sultry with risqué pictures all over the walls. When you walk in, you immediately notice a giant hole in the floor, which turns out to be a sunken lounge-type place, where you can see a stage below. There was a heavy curtain covering the stage with pictures of women all over it. All 3 restaurants (and a bonus Root Down at DIA that is a must-stop when you’re traveling) are some of Denver’s finest. They all specialize in organic and locally grown food.
My sister and I recently got to go for brunch. We made reservations for 10:00 am, which turned out was totally unnecessary, because we were the only ones in the restaurant for about 15 minutes. I’m unsure if this is because we were there in winter, or they don’t have a large brunch rush yet. (And, if you’ve ever tried to get into Root Down or Linger for brunch, you know how exciting it is to not have a wait or too large of a crowd.) We ended up going during Kung Fu Brunch, so we not only ate a great meal, but also were highly entertained by a random kung fu movie playing on the big screen.
To start brunch, we ordered blood orange mimosas. It took a long time for us to get our drinks, and our server apologized and spent the entire rest of the time making up for the oversight. My sister ordered the Berkshire Pork Rib Benedict. The flavors were deep and complex, and the hollandaise was extra delicious. I ordered the Croque Madame, because, cheese. I thought my dish was quite tasty, especially the cheddar-jalapeño bread. We had a great time, and I look forward to checking out their back patio in the summertime.
Address: 1215 20th St, Denver, CO 80202