Odie B’s opens second outpost in Novel RiNo serving sandwiches, brunch

Odie B’s has officially opened its second outpost, on the ground floor of the Novel RiNo apartments.

The popular sandwich shop quietly launched on Jan. 18, joining Filipino eatery Magna Kainan, chic rooftop lounge Sorry Gorgeous and Corvus Coffee inside the luxury residences.

Odie B’s first store (formerly Bodega), located at 2651 W. 38th Ave. in the Sunnyside neighborhood, has become a local gem since opening in 2022. Now, owners Cliff and Cara Blauvelt are excited to bring their beloved bodega fare to the neighborhood they call home.

The new location “is actually five blocks from where we live in Cole, so it’s pretty awesome that we can feed our community,” Cara said. “It’s a bit of a food desert on this edge of RiNo and Cole, so hopefully we’re filling a need for this area.”

The RiNo shop features a larger kitchen and a more spacious dining room than its Sunnyside store, seating around 60 people. To create the true Odie B’s vibe at the new space, the team tapped mural artist Jolt, founder of Guerrilla Garden, who also did the graffiti-style art at the original location.

The larger space “has allowed us to start exploring parts of the business like catering, which we’ve had to say no to a lot. Now, we can really expand on the business model like we envisioned from the beginning,” said Cliff.

The RiNo location has combined Odie B’s weekday and weekend menus, including its buzz-worthy brunch, into one comprehensive daily menu. Signature menu items — such as the widely lauded breakfast burrito, the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, the award-winning OD Burger, and a variety of plant-based options — will remain permanent fixtures, while rotating items like the fried chicken sandwich and certain breakfast options will keep the offerings dynamic.

“Our team is extremely talented, and we’re all about using technique-driven cooking. We use classic techniques like braising, making our own sausages and chorizo, going beyond just buying premade ingredients like cold cuts,” Cliff added. “That authenticity resonates with Denver, and I think people here really appreciate it.”

The restaurant plans to have a full bar with hip-hop-inspired cocktails like the Wutangerade, as well as non-alcoholic options – which are just as important to the Blauvelts. The couple places a strong emphasis on the well-being of their team, 75% of whom are in active recovery.

“We’ve been in the restaurant industry for a long time, and drinking is often at the forefront of the culture. Cara and I realized that we couldn’t have healthy relationships with alcohol, so we decided to change our lives. We’re proud to say we’ve been in recovery for five-and-a-half years,” Cliff said.

“We care deeply about our team, and we want to provide opportunities for people who might have thought their restaurant career was over,” he continued. “We pay half the insurance costs for our full-time employees, and for all our managers, we cover 100% of their insurance. For us, it’s not just about putting something in a handbook; we really wanted to walk the walk.”