Tres Chiles owner opening new Mexican restaurant in Denver

Nicolas Medina feels like a phoenix.

The restaurant owner will open Cenizas — Spanish for “ashes” — at 3900 Tennyson St. next month. It’s a return to the space for Medina, who operated the Mexican cantina Tres Chiles there from 2018 through 2023.

“It’s like a renaissance,” Medina said. “Some of the same, but new, better and different.”

His upcoming spot will feature a slew of family recipes from his native Mexico, including classics like enchiladas and tacos that Tres Chiles fans will remember. Medina also plans to bring back breakfast and brunch on weekends, where chilaquiles, a salsa and egg-topped tortilla dish, will be the featured item.

The biggest menu change from his last spot, Medina noted, will be more hamburgers, steaks and other meat-filled sandwiches.

“I love the barbecue. There’s always carnes asadas in my house,” Medina said. “I’m one of those guys that if you invite me to your barbecue, I end up cooking the food for you.”

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