BearLeek — Restaurant in Denver

An exciting new addition to the Denver scene. While I'm a bit bummed Osaka Ramen's green chile ramen is gone forever, I'm quite happy with what took it's place. Service was great, exactly what I would expect from a place of its caliber. The staff was friendly and chatty without feeling excessive at the chef's counter. The table service seemed more intimate though I only took the occasional glance in that direction.

We started with the burrata, which came with a spicy oil and a sesame and fennel covered cracker. The cheese had a smooth texture with just enough give to let the crackers separate it without needing a utensil. Solid opener.

Next came the compressed melons and heirloom tomatoes with a vegetarian take on fish sauce, topped with jalapenos. Hands down my favorite bites of the meal. The melon (santaclaus melon tonight, though apparently it changes) had a nice sweetness and satisfying crunch, and the jalapeno had a lot more spice than I expected. There was a citrusy punch from the sauce, with a faint note of pineapple. Very satisfying in every way.

We added an order of bread, which came with a charred leek butter pressed into a bear shape. Don't let the color distract you, it's a brilliant dish. The four fluffy yeast rolls with a light sheen of oil or butter were great alone, but oh so savory and delicious paired with the grey smokey leek butter. I will order this again on all subsequent visits.

Our mains were well executed and quite filling. We sat at the chef's counter, so we watched countless half chickens get egged and floured before being dropped into the fryer. The meat itself was decent, but the standout was the sauce and slaw. The unusual mix of flavors left me excited and drooling for the next bite, though that might have been the szechuan in the sauce.

The chef's take on a steak frites was competently done, sliced app style, and served with potato straws and a "broken A1 sauce." After every other dish pummeled me with flavors, it was a bit of a surprise in it's relative simplicity. I guess there aren't too many things you can do with steak and potatoes to make it stand out. If they're still on the same menu on my next visit, I'll go with the fish.

Our last course was a round of drinks and the bear popsicle. The house made seasonal cello was melon (honeydew?). It was sweet and smooth, though a bit much for any course but dessert if you're not into limoncello variants. The Arnold palmer-esque drink my partner ordered was fantastic, capturing the look and feel of an Arnold Palmer with none of the ingredients.

That brings me to the bizarrely delicious frozen custard bear on a stick. The sweet and sour filling was topped with a spicy oil with black garlic and peanuts. Absolutely none of those flavors seemed like they should have gone together, but I couldn't stop eating it. It was quite an experience. I feel like I need to have it another two or three times just to figure out if it was the taste or the feeling of bafflement the taste evoked that made it so enjoyable.

The last bear themed food was a small jellied berry in the form of a gummy bear, dropped along with the check and two BearLeek stickers. I asked the server, and I managed to get all the bear shaped foods currently on the menu. I don't think the menu needs any more bear themed options, but if there are any more in the future, I'll order them. They added a nice layer of whimsy to the meal that fit quite well.

All in all, I'm very happy I got to visit, and excited to see how the menu changes...

Just recently opened in RiNo, this is going to be a hit. Sexy vibes. Incredible food. Fantastic service. Canoodling space galore. Why aren’t you here yet?!?!!!??

Bookmarked this for our date night and it did not disappoint. You’ll almost miss it since it’s got a discreet logo of the bear on the door deceptively tucked between other ho hum shops. Like any spot in RiNo, you’ll have a park and jaunt over. Hey best way to work up appetite and work off the carbs end of night.

Plenty of seating but make reservations since it’s going to be a hot spot. We sat at the bar and always my type of seating. Brendan was attentive, knowledgeable and efficient. All the staff is very sweet and welcoming. Someone is always checking on you like a wonderful host. Love seeing the open kitchen and they turn food very quickly to ensure you aren’t hangry.

Cocktails, cocktails and more craft cocktails. I decided on Pretty Fly for a Chai Guy. Now I wouldn’t have chai or whiskey any other way after this. I will have the Tropic Thunder next time for a more sweet take.

Simple menu that offers quite the tasteful delights. Next time I am having the brioche bread. The chicken liver tart is yummy; the surprising tartness of cherry mixed with the savory pate is refreshing and addictive to not share. The sharing plates are generous. We couldn’t believe our eyes on the chicken entree but I’m a carnivore. Naturally my favorite was the steak and cooked medium rare. While the special was a take on the traditional root beer float with Mexican beer, I couldn’t resist the peach pavlova. THAT is killer. Well next to the homemade in house apricot gummy bear. The next best thing is to serve it frozen during the summer heat. Trust me… game changer. You’re welcome.

One star shy because the acoustics in here can be much. Not sure if the group next to us was inebriatedly loud or just the walls echoing. Forced me to whisper into the babe’s ear and I had to do it often. Thanks BearLeek. Since I believe this used to be an underground ramen spot, I can see why the combination of neon lights, dark walls and being under can give someone vertigo. However, ironically one of the best music play list at any spot I’ve been to so far here in Denver outside of a hip club or EDM rave.

I’ll be back to see what else they come up with as well as to introduce my friends to a new spot. Bear Leek makes it seem like your own little world and but you don’t need a wristband to get in here...

This food here is just ok for the hype and how new it is; we expected the dishes to be good across the board but only the tuna crudo, fried chicken, and french onion tartlet stood out to us (no “wow” factor but still very tasty, and the chicken was perfectly fried and moist. Maybe do hamachi instead of tuna crudo to make it less “safe”?). Unfortunately, the burrata was virtually tasteless - the chili crisp was just oil and crisp, it completely lacked salt although the crackers that came with it thankfully added a touch of it, and it could’ve maybe used a hint of sweet. It’s too safe a dish to be so disappointing. The pierogis would’ve been another stand-out except the truffle butter flavor hardly came through when it should be pretty powerful (add shaved truffle on top? Marinate the radishes?). Loved the passionfruit dessert bear popsicle for the tartness of the sorbet but, once again, we didn’t think the chili oil, garlic, or peanuts added much besides visuals and some spice. Go heavier on the garlic!, and perhaps salty Szechuan peppercorn? Crush the peanuts or honey-roast them? They’re too soft whole to go with the sorbet, which might benefit from some crunch. The bread and butter were a must, but I don’t think this dish should shine above the others. Our orders were enough food for 3 hungry women!

The ambiance has definitely been improved since it was Osaka Ramen - the dim, low-hanging lights at each table are a nice touch - but my friends thought both the benches and chairs were uncomfortable for an upscale spot. Service was wonderful and attentive.

Curious to see what their next menu (“Dinner #2”) looks like but tbh if I want this menu structure/price range, I’m going to Wildflower, Brasserie Brixton, the new Rougarou, even Dio Mio, and of course Mezcaleria Alma, which are all reliably excellent, seasonal, and/or exciting (but not Major Tom 👎🏼). We wanted BearLeek to be sexier with biggg flavor explosions, especially given the dark atmosphere (their theme is comfort/curiosity), but I don’t think they’ve nailed it yet with this menu. Also hope they start responding to some of...