The chef behind some of Denver’s most beloved modern Mexican food has opened a “listening bar,” referencing the concept’s Japanese origins on the menu and spotlighting mezcal and Latin music.

Malinche Audiobar, 1541 Platte St., is Jose Avila’s long-awaited follow-up to La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal, which opened near Coors Field in 2021. It’s the first of several new concepts that Avila — who has been repeatedly recognized by the Michelin Guide and the James Beard awards — is working to open in the city. Listening bars in Japan are places where people can sip whiskey, smoke cigarettes and listen to jazz records on a high-fidelity sound system.

Like La Diabla, Malinche is a den for lovers of Mexico City, where Avila is from, albeit smaller, with a 35-person occupancy. (It takes reservatio

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