Chicken Rebel owner replaces LoHi restaurant with coastal brunch spot

Two customers walked into the old Chicken Rebel space in Denver’s Lower Highland last week, craving a fried chicken sandwich, but they were surprised to find an entirely new restaurant.

The name and space might have changed, but luckily, owner and chef Lydie Lovett’s “Nashville hot chicken sammie” is still on the menu. She has since replaced Chicken Rebel at 3618 Tejon St. with Wilde, a new coastal brunch spot, which she opened at the start of October.

“Where I grew up in San Diego, it’s all community-centric,” Lovett said. “You walk down the street, and you know a bunch of people. There’s a local watering hole, every restaurant makes you feel like family, and I’ve always wanted to re-create that.”

Lovett moved to Denver from San Diego with $300 in her pocket and rode the hot chicken sandwich wave, which was very popular in California at the time. Chicken Rebel started as a food truck in 2017 before moving onto a stall in Avanti and eventually a Read Entire Article