Hosnah Safi and Wil Evans in front of Cantina at 1416 Market St. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen)
Wil Evans is bringing tacos to the LoDo market.
Cantina, his upcoming restaurant at 1416 Market St., will serve tacos and margaritas in an area he says needs more lower-priced, quick eats. Evans, who owns and operates Society Sports and Spirits a block away at 1434 Blake St., said Cantina will open at the end of January.
“We’re really trying to focus on giving a reasonably priced lunch and happy hour spot to this block, especially compared to the pricing on Larimer Square,” Evans said.
Cantina’s logo on a fireplace inside. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen)
Cantina’s menu will revolve around tacos and bowls, he said. Patrons will grab their orders from a window at the bar, which will just have the protein inside handmade tortillas. They can then add toppings from a salsa and toppings bar right next to it. Evans said this will help streamline operations and give customers a more involved meal.
The drink menu will feature frozen and house margaritas, along with cocktails like an Oaxacan Old Fashioned. Cantina will also have bottled Mexican beers, and the only thing on draft will be Modelo.
The goal is to have meals in the $15 per person range, he said. Cantina will have Taco Tuesday deals, and one of the everyday specials will be two tacos and a beer for $12.
Cantina will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Evans said he might offer late-night options once things get rolling.
Evans likened Cantina to a tapas-style spot found in Mexico. South of the border, it’s a custom for people to stop at an outdoor spot to grab a margarita and light bites before a full sit-down meal. Cantina will emulate that with pergolas above each seating area with red tile and aluminum and wooden beams. Most of the other decorations are vintage, he said.
“It feels like you’re almost on the street or in an alley,” Evans said. “We’re staying away from the neons, away from sports on TVs. We’re trying to build this up so we have more groups in for happy hour.”
Though Evans is running the concept, the lease for the space is held by HB Hospitality, which operates spots like El Patio, RiNo Country Club and Tony Tenderonis. Evans said he is essentially a consultant/manager of the restaurant for HBH.
Evans cautioned that the interior of Cantina still has some aesthetic massaging to go before opening day. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen)
Hosnah Safi, the group’s chief operating officer, said HBH originally leased the space in 2020 to be home to Con Safos, a taquería the group eventually opened at 20th and Market. The pandemic complicated things, but the company eventually got the space going with a tapas bar called Villa.
Shortly after that opened, though, HBH changed the spot to Georgie’s, an Italian restaurant, and then to Last Resort, a deer-themed bar that lasted several months in 2025.
HBH also has the Gasolina Latin nightclub on the top floor, though that is currently closed. Safi said she wants to utilize the space, but she’s not sure whether it’ll reopen as Gasolina or become something different.
“This building has seen a lot of personality, and we’ve been trying to determine what that block needs,” Safi said. “We tried things and it wasn’t what the people were actually wanting. But this block needs food, and it needs good food.”
Evans said he’s known Safi and the rest of the crew at HBH, an offshoot of the former Handsome Boys Hospitality, for years. That and his knowledge operating all-week food-oriented spots — he’s run Society since 2014 — made the Cantina marriage a good one, he said.
“With their marketing knowledge and their widespread holdings in downtown Denver, doing a group project like this is a slam dunk,” Evans said.
Hosnah Safi and Wil Evans in front of Cantina at 1416 Market St. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen)
Wil Evans is bringing tacos to the LoDo market.
Cantina, his upcoming restaurant at 1416 Market St., will serve tacos and margaritas in an area he says needs more lower-priced, quick eats. Evans, who owns and operates Society Sports and Spirits a block away at 1434 Blake St., said Cantina will open at the end of January.
“We’re really trying to focus on giving a reasonably priced lunch and happy hour spot to this block, especially compared to the pricing on Larimer Square,” Evans said.
Cantina’s logo on a fireplace inside. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen)
Cantina’s menu will revolve around tacos and bowls, he said. Patrons will grab their orders from a window at the bar, which will just have the protein inside handmade tortillas. They can then add toppings from a salsa and toppings bar right next to it. Evans said this will help streamline operations and give customers a more involved meal.
The drink menu will feature frozen and house margaritas, along with cocktails like an Oaxacan Old Fashioned. Cantina will also have bottled Mexican beers, and the only thing on draft will be Modelo.
The goal is to have meals in the $15 per person range, he said. Cantina will have Taco Tuesday deals, and one of the everyday specials will be two tacos and a beer for $12.
Cantina will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Evans said he might offer late-night options once things get rolling.
Evans likened Cantina to a tapas-style spot found in Mexico. South of the border, it’s a custom for people to stop at an outdoor spot to grab a margarita and light bites before a full sit-down meal. Cantina will emulate that with pergolas above each seating area with red tile and aluminum and wooden beams. Most of the other decorations are vintage, he said.
“It feels like you’re almost on the street or in an alley,” Evans said. “We’re staying away from the neons, away from sports on TVs. We’re trying to build this up so we have more groups in for happy hour.”
Though Evans is running the concept, the lease for the space is held by HB Hospitality, which operates spots like El Patio, RiNo Country Club and Tony Tenderonis. Evans said he is essentially a consultant/manager of the restaurant for HBH.
Evans cautioned that the interior of Cantina still has some aesthetic massaging to go before opening day. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen)
Hosnah Safi, the group’s chief operating officer, said HBH originally leased the space in 2020 to be home to Con Safos, a taquería the group eventually opened at 20th and Market. The pandemic complicated things, but the company eventually got the space going with a tapas bar called Villa.
Shortly after that opened, though, HBH changed the spot to Georgie’s, an Italian restaurant, and then to Last Resort, a deer-themed bar that lasted several months in 2025.
HBH also has the Gasolina Latin nightclub on the top floor, though that is currently closed. Safi said she wants to utilize the space, but she’s not sure whether it’ll reopen as Gasolina or become something different.
“This building has seen a lot of personality, and we’ve been trying to determine what that block needs,” Safi said. “We tried things and it wasn’t what the people were actually wanting. But this block needs food, and it needs good food.”
Evans said he’s known Safi and the rest of the crew at HBH, an offshoot of the former Handsome Boys Hospitality, for years. That and his knowledge operating all-week food-oriented spots — he’s run Society since 2014 — made the Cantina marriage a good one, he said.
“With their marketing knowledge and their widespread holdings in downtown Denver, doing a group project like this is a slam dunk,” Evans said.
