Lola's Beach Cantina

Lola Coastal Mexican plans a major overhaul with a Hollywood designer refreshing the space | Eater Denver

"A 17-year-old coastal Mexican restaurant in Denver’s Lower Highland neighborhood is closing briefly for a renovation guided by interior designer Kari Whitman, a longtime friend of owner Dave Query. Whitman—known for hotel projects in New York, Baltimore and Los Angeles, for designing several rooms of the White House during the Obama era, and for residential and commercial work for chefs and Hollywood clients such as Jessica Alba, Kristen Bell, Melanie Griffith, Antonio Banderas and Emilio Estevez—brings a high-end, eco-conscious aesthetic and has appeared on The Discovery Channel’s The Dude Room. The planned redesign aims to restore a breezy Baja-inspired feel with raw organic finishes mixed with cool, ocean-reflective colors; Query says the goal is to recapture the rustic, grounded spirit of the Baja Peninsula. The restaurant will close on May 13 for the bulk of the work and plans to reopen on May 21. It originally opened in 2002 on South Pearl Street in Washington Park and moved to its current location four years later." - Susan Stapleton