Cherry Cricket Denver: History, Menu, Locations
How a 1945 bar in Cherry Creek became Denver's burger institution, who runs it now, and what to order at its four locations.
Photo: Gtj82, CC BY-SA 3.0
The Cherry Cricket is Denver’s burger institution, a Cherry Creek bar that has been open since 1945 and where you build your own burger. The formula hasn’t changed much. Pick an 80/20 Angus beef patty, a quarter pound or a half pound, then choose from nine cheeses and 32 toppings, peanut butter, cream cheese and green chile among them. The original, at 2641 E 2nd Ave, is open 11 AM to midnight every day. Three newer locations followed, Downtown, in Littleton and in Broomfield. Wynkoop Brewing Company has owned the Cricket since 2000, and Breckenridge-Wynkoop LLC runs it.
Who owns the Cherry Cricket in Denver?
Wynkoop Brewing Company has owned the Cherry Cricket since 2000, and Breckenridge-Wynkoop LLC operates it today (Cherry Cricket; Mile High CRE). Wynkoop was co-founded by John Hickenlooper. DiningOut’s November 2025 profile names Lee Driscoll as co-CEO of Breckenridge-Wynkoop LLC.
Driscoll doesn’t pretend to have a formula. “People have always asked me what makes the Cricket so special. I never really had an answer. So I would just say it’s fairy dust,” he told DiningOut.
The building has its own owners. In June 2022 the Cherry Creek property at 2nd Avenue and Clayton Street sold for $25.2 million to Alpine Investments and a group of mostly local investors, BusinessDen reported. Seven years earlier, the previous owner had paid $13.8 million.
Sale price of the Cherry Cricket’s Cherry Creek property at 2nd Avenue and Clayton Street: $13.8 million in 2015, then $25.2 million in June 2022 to Alpine Investments and mostly local partners (BusinessDen). (Chart: Burger Breton, original chart rendered with QuickChart; data from BusinessDen (June 2022))
Cherry Cricket history: from Mary Zimmerman’s Bar to Denver icon
The Cherry Cricket began in 1945 as Mary Zimmerman’s Bar, which Zimmerman ran out of her own home on the south side of 2nd Avenue. Five owners have shaped it since. The timeline below follows the restaurant’s own history page and DiningOut.
| Year | Who | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Mary Zimmerman | Opens Mary Zimmerman’s Bar in her home on 2nd Avenue |
| 1950 | Lloyd Page | Buys the bar, renames it the Cherry Cricket, commissions the marquee from Denver’s Gordon Signs |
| 1963 | Bernard Duffy | Buys the Cricket, adds the rotating “Duffy’s” sign, serves a $2.50 prime rib lunch buffet |
| 1972 | Bernard Duffy | Retires |
| 1990 | Eli McGuire | Revives the Cricket |
| 2000 | Wynkoop Brewing Company | Takes ownership |
| 2009 | Aarón Sánchez | Calls the Cricket’s burger “the best thing I ever ate” on Food Network |
| 2011 | Man vs. Food | Travel Channel features the restaurant |
| 2016 | — | Kitchen fire the night before Thanksgiving closes the restaurant for about five months |
| 2017 | — | Reopens in April with its original look intact |
| 2018 | — | Downtown/Ballpark location opens in April |
| 2022 | Alpine Investments and partners | Buy the Cherry Creek property for $25.2 million |
| 2023 | — | Littleton location opens |
| 2025 | — | Broomfield location opens on August 25, during the 80th-anniversary year |
Why is it called the Cherry Cricket?
Nobody knows, and the restaurant admits it. Lloyd Page picked the name when he bought the bar in 1950, and “no one knows why,” says the Cricket’s history page. The “Cherry” is easy: the bar sits in Cherry Creek. The cricket is anyone’s guess.
The signs on 2nd Avenue
The Cricket’s two signs come from two different owners. Lloyd Page had Denver’s Gordon Signs build the marquee in 1950. Thirteen years later Bernard Duffy bought the place and added his rotating “Duffy’s” sign.
The 2016 fire and the 2017 reopening
A kitchen fire the night before Thanksgiving 2016 shut the Cherry Creek restaurant for about five months. It reopened in April 2017, and according to the restaurant the original look came back intact (Cherry Cricket).
The Cherry Cricket burger: how it is built
A Cherry Cricket burger starts with an 80/20 Angus beef patty, seasoned with salt and pepper and flame-grilled. It comes as a quarter pound (the “Little Cricket”) or a half pound. DiningOut and Table Journey both say the grill runs on lava rocks. I couldn’t get the restaurant to confirm it.
Why 80/20? That much fat keeps a patty juicy over an open flame. Our guide to burger patty beef and internal temperature explains what the ratio does and how hot the center should get.
96,768 ways to build a burger
At the Cricket, building your own burger is the main event. You choose from eight burger bases, including Impossible, bison and turkey, then nine cheeses and 32 toppings. The restaurant counts more than 96,768 combinations (Denver Gazette, May 2025).
Does the Cherry Cricket really put peanut butter on burgers?
Yes. Peanut butter is on the Cherry Cricket’s topping list, next to cream cheese and green chile (Denver Gazette). Those oddballs made the Cricket’s name. My advice for a first order: one strange topping, not three. A list of 32 is the fun and the trap at the same time.
What to order at the Cherry Cricket
Order the 303 Green Chile Relleno first. It’s the Cricket’s most decorated burger, and it’s the one you’d struggle to find outside Colorado. On a second visit, try the Burger of the Month or build your own. I’ve left out the exact build of the house “Cricket Burger” because my sources disagree on it, so check the menu at the counter.
The 303 Green Chile Relleno burger
The 303 Green Chile Relleno is a half-pound patty topped with white cheddar, a whole chile relleno and pork green chile. It won the Judge’s Choice Award at the 2019 Denver Burger Battle (Tasting Table, December 2025). 303 is Denver’s area code. Green chile is Colorado’s own stew, and it shows up on burgers all over the state. Our Denver burger city guide covers that culture and the Pueblo Slopper, a cheeseburger served drowned in green chile.
A chile relleno smothered in green chile and melted cheddar, the two Southwestern components of the Cherry Cricket’s 303 Green Chile Relleno burger. Illustrative photo taken at El Patio in Albuquerque, New Mexico, not at the Cherry Cricket. (Photo: Eugene Kim, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chile\_Relleno\_with\_Green\_Chile\_Sauce\_(3611997362).jpg)
Burger of the Month
The Cricket changes its Burger of the Month every month and often ties it to a cause. October 2026’s was the Harvest Moon: smoked Gouda, brown-sugar-glazed pork belly, apple butter, apple-cabbage slaw and crispy poblano, served with sweet potato tots. For every Harvest Moon sold, $1 went to the Angel Relief Fund (Cherry Cricket, checked October 31, 2026). It has now left the menu, so ask for the current one.
Burger Battle entries
The Cricket enters the Denver Burger Battle every year, and some of its entries never make the regular menu. It took People’s Choice in 2021 and 2022. For the 10th edition, in 2023, head chef Horacio Viramontes built the Cricket Royale as a one-off (Denver7).
Cherry Cricket menu prices
In 2025 a quarter-pound burger at the Cherry Cricket started at $9.50, the rotating specialty burger went up to $17 and sides ran $3 to $8.50 (Denver Gazette, May 2025). Sales tax and tip come on top. I couldn’t confirm 2026 prices because the online ordering page was down when I checked, so look at the current menu before you go.
Cherry Cricket menu prices in 2025, before sales tax and tip: quarter-pound burgers from $9.50, specialty burger up to $17, sides from $3 to $8.50 (Denver Gazette, May 2025). (Chart: Burger Breton, original chart rendered with QuickChart; data from the Denver Gazette (May 2025))
Cherry Cricket locations and hours
The Cherry Cricket has four locations: the original in Cherry Creek, Downtown/Ballpark, Littleton and Broomfield. The table below comes from the official site, checked October 31, 2026.
| Location | Address | Opened | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Creek (original) | 2641 E 2nd Ave, Denver, CO 80206 · 303-322-7666 | 1945 | 11 AM–12 AM daily |
| Downtown/Ballpark | 2220 Blake St, Denver, CO 80205 | April 2018 | Sun–Thu 11 AM–11 PM, Fri–Sat 11 AM–12 AM |
| Littleton | 819 W Littleton Blvd, Littleton, CO 80120 | 2023 | Check the official site |
| Broomfield | 1280 E 1st Ave, Broomfield, CO 80020 | August 25, 2025 | Check the official site |
Broomfield is the biggest: about 8,500 square feet, more than 325 seats and an outdoor “Burger Garden” (Mile High CRE). The Ballpark location sits on Blake Street, close to Coors Field, which makes it the obvious stop before a Rockies game.
Map of the Denver metro area with the four Cherry Cricket locations: Cherry Creek (2641 E 2nd Ave), Downtown/Ballpark (2220 Blake St), Littleton (819 W Littleton Blvd) and Broomfield (1280 E 1st Ave). (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0, https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright)
Is the Cherry Cricket the best burger in Cherry Creek?
For history and track record, yes. No other burger bar in Cherry Creek has 80 years on 2nd Avenue, a Burger Battle Judge’s Choice and two People’s Choice awards. The restaurant also says Westword readers voted it Best Burger and Best Fries in the 2026 Readers’ Choice awards, for the third year running (Cherry Cricket). That claim comes from the Cricket itself, because Westword’s results page was down when I checked. If you only go once, go to the original. It’s the room behind the signs, the TV spots and the 80 years. The Cricket also tops our ranking of the best burgers in Denver, and the Restaurants section has more picks.
Is Justin Brunson connected to the Cherry Cricket?
No. None of the sources I checked connects Denver chef Justin Brunson to the Cherry Cricket. Brunson opened Old Major in LoHi in 2013 and said in June 2020 it would not reopen, so he could focus on River Bear American Meats (BusinessDen). By summer 2022 he had sold his stake in River Bear and launched Brunson Meat Co., which sells bacon and spice rubs. About ten years before that he founded Denver Bacon Company (Westword).
How I put this profile together
Every fact here comes from the Cherry Cricket’s own website and history page or from Denver and national food media: DiningOut, Westword, the Denver Gazette, Tasting Table, Denverite, Denver7, BusinessDen and Mile High CRE. I checked them all on October 31, 2026. What I couldn’t confirm is either left out or flagged: a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives appearance, the full build of the house burger, 2026 prices. This is a profile, not a scored review, so it carries no rating.
Cherry Cricket FAQ
Who owns the Cherry Cricket in Denver? Wynkoop Brewing Company has owned it since 2000, and Breckenridge-Wynkoop LLC runs it today. DiningOut names Lee Driscoll as that company’s co-CEO.
Is Justin Brunson the chef or owner of the Cherry Cricket? No. No source connects Justin Brunson to the Cherry Cricket. His restaurants and businesses were Old Major, River Bear American Meats, Denver Bacon Company and Brunson Meat Co.
How old is the Cherry Cricket, and why is it called that? The Cherry Cricket opened in 1945, so it turned 80 in 2025. Lloyd Page gave it the name in 1950, and the restaurant says no one knows why he chose it.
What is the best burger to order at the Cherry Cricket? The 303 Green Chile Relleno is the safest first order. It won the Judge’s Choice Award at the 2019 Denver Burger Battle, and with its chile relleno and pork green chile it’s the most Colorado burger on the menu.
Does the Cherry Cricket really put peanut butter on burgers? Yes. Peanut butter is one of 32 toppings, along with cream cheese and green chile.
How many Cherry Cricket locations are there, and which is the original? There are four: Cherry Creek, Downtown/Ballpark, Littleton and Broomfield. The original is at 2641 E 2nd Ave in Cherry Creek.
Was the Cherry Cricket on Man vs. Food or Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives? The Cherry Cricket appeared on Man vs. Food in 2011, and Aarón Sánchez praised its burger on Food Network in 2009. The restaurant confirms both. We could not confirm a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives appearance.
How much does a burger cost at the Cherry Cricket? In 2025, quarter-pound burgers started at $9.50 and specialty burgers went up to $17, before tax and tip. Check the current menu for 2026 prices.
What are the Cherry Cricket’s hours, and is it open late? Yes. The original Cherry Creek location is open 11 AM to midnight every day. The Ballpark location closes at 11 PM Sunday to Thursday and at midnight on Friday and Saturday.
What happened in the Cherry Cricket fire? A kitchen fire the night before Thanksgiving 2016 closed the Cherry Creek restaurant for about five months. It reopened in April 2017 with its original look intact.
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