On a really busy night, when the floor is littered with custom horse-shaped vessels that pour whiskey from the rump, and the ping-pong tables start to look like scenes out of Marty Supreme, neighbors say they can hear the party at Ace Eat Serve from at least a few blocks away. (I’m one of those neighbors.) Locals know it to be a raucous spot that’s played host to many a drag brunch, the occasional Taylor Swift pop-up and even a Carrera’s Taco truck that lived on its patio for a summer.
So why, in 2026, can it sometimes feel like an afterthought?
“I feel like we’ve been a little bit forgotten,” said Chef Kevin Chu, who has been running the kitchen at Ace since last March. “I’m excited to get the name back out there.”
So far, he’s been doing a good job of bringing people back to the large dining room, an inviting, rustic-chic space that has occasionally been known for sparse seating even when the game room is a bonanza. New dishes like the salt and pepper popcorn chicken with fried basil, jalapeno, scallion and chili, and the old-school chicken lettuce wraps with bamboo shoots, pickled daikon, fried rice noodles, Sriracha hoisin and pumpkin seed crumble are reasons enough to visit. “Most of the dishes are just food I love to eat,” said Chu, noting that he plans on adding more Taiwanese staples that he learned to love from his parents.
Chu’s presence seems to have enlivened the place. Older dishes like the bird’s eye wings with tom yum dry rub, and the crispy beef and broccoli with ginger soy and crispy scallions have all been arriving with greater pizzazz since he started running the show. Don’t leave without getting the rangoon mozz sticks, a fried snack lovechild that is exactly as good as it sounds.
Chu says he plans on switching out four or five dishes per menu change, which happens twice annually. Another new dish, the mapo tofu with Sichuan peppercorn, bok choy, and trumpet and oyster mushrooms, is not as spicy as the one you can get down the street at Hong Kong Station 3. Even so, it sings when paired with the claypot fried rice, a heaping holdover from earlier menus with pork belly, shrimp, mushroom XO sauce, carrots and a jammy egg.
At the start of this year, Ace started offering its Peking duck for all six of its weekly dinner services. Formerly just available on Thursdays, the duck is carved tableside and served with mu shu crepes, pickled chiles, sliced scallions, apricot jam and sesame hoisin. It’s one of the best ways to experience the restaurant, and despite the frequent clacking of paddles, the old-timey elegance doesn’t seem the least bit out of place.
Chu started cooking professionally after moving from Los Angeles to Colorado. He spent eight years working at ChoLon, moving from line cook to chef de cuisine before helping to open the now-closed location in Central Park. The trajectory was noticeably similar to Chef Thac Tran’s, who also did five years at Lon Symensma’s downtown location before taking over at Ace from 2017 until 2023. Tran was responsible for adding many of the menu’s still-present heavyweights.
While there was a year or two when it seemed like Ace was losing steam, Chu has successfully put the wind back in its sails. But he hasn’t done it alone. The kitchen team is currently something of a supergroup. The lineup also features Jodee Reyes, former chef de cuisine of Magna Kainan and current owner of Abante, who joined the line after Magna’s closure. In late October, Reyes will host Kasama Fest, where she will serve multi-course Filipino dinners alongside vendors and musical acts.
Ace Eat Serve is located at 501 East 17th Avenue, Denver. It is open Tuesday – Thursday from 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday from 7 a.m. – 11 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. – 11 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
It is closed Mondays.
Photos courtesy of Ace Eat Serve.
