Buzzy Southern restaurant serving $36 chicken and waffles coming to Denver

When Yardbird restaurant debuted on the American dining scene in 2011, it did so in a big way, with nominations as the country’s best new restaurant from the James Beard Foundation and Bon Appétit. And when the company opens a Denver location later this year, it will somehow be even bigger – literally.

According to an announcement this week, Yardbird is slated to open this fall in the River North Arts District — at 26th and Blake in the Lot Twenty-Eight development — in a space that’s a whopping 13,800 square feet inside with an additional 20,000 square feet of outdoor space. The outside – lauded in a statement as the area’s “largest urban patio” – will feature a stage for live entertainment, a full bar, and a smoker.

The restaurant will be able to hold more than 500 patrons between its seats inside and out, the announcement said.

“I instantly fell in love with Denver’s RiNo District and knew Yardbird, with its combination of locally-sourced food in a warm and inviting industrial atmosphere, was the perfect addition to the continually developing neighborhood,” said John Kunkel, CEO of owner/operator 50 Eggs Hospitality Group, which also opened CHICA in Aspen in December.

Yardbird is known for serving upscale Southern food, with an emphasis on fried chicken, paired with a sizable menu of whiskey, beer, wine and other spirits. Bourbon, fittingly, is a staple of the beverage menu.