Two veritable Colorado institutions, Angelo’s Taverna and Carboy Winery, are heading south.

The beloved Italian restaurant that opened in Denver’s Capitol Hill in 1974 and the wine brand that is now one of the most recognized in the state are bringing their signature experience to Colorado Springs, “(blending) tradition, innovation and a distinctly Colorado sense of place,” owners and operators said in a recent news release.

A new full-service restaurant and tasting room with rooftop views of Pikes Peak are planned to open this summer at 7115 Commerce Center Drive, in the location of the former Old Chicago Pizza + Taproom that closed last June near Interstate 25 and Woodmen Road.

Colorado Springs will be home to the third Angelo’s Taverna and the fifth Carboy Winery tasting room, said Kevin Webber, chief executive officer of Carboy Winery, and Robert Davis, director of restaurant operations for Angelo’s Taverna.

“This one we’re really excited about,” Davis said at the site on Wednesday morning. No construction was ongoing then, but some renovations have gotten underway.

Angelo’s Taverna opened its doors 52 years ago on Sixth Avenue in Denver, owned and operated by the Laveo family until Craig Jones and Eric Hyatt bought the restaurant in March 2013, according to the website.

In 2016 the team opened a second Angelo’s location in Littleton, where it also introduced Carboy Winery, a “pioneering Colorado wine brand” that has since become one of the most recognized wine brands and the largest wine producer in the state.

Carboy’s Littleton location is its primary winery and production headquarters, with existing tasting rooms in Denver, Littleton, Palisade and Breckenridge. The winery also owns two vineyards in Palisade; it sources grapes from its vineyards and purchases from other growers in the Palisade and Grand Valley areas, Webber said.

The bottom half of the two-story, 9,000-square-foot building in Colorado Springs will house the restaurant, while the rooftop wine tasting room occupies the top floor.

The location will also include space for banquets and other events, with garage doors planned to be built on the west side of the banquet room to offer exceptional views of America’s Mountain.

“When we’re done … you won’t be able to recognize it,” Davis said of the renovations.

Extensive landscaping is also planned for the site to provide guests with a more authentic winery experience, Webber said.

Angelo’s Taverna will serve the traditional handmade pastas, pizzas and craft cocktails it is known for, alongside innovative recipes from Executive Chef Scott Hybbeneth like green chile ravioli and balsamic ribs, Davis said.

Like its two other locations, the Colorado Springs restaurant will serve thousands of fresh oysters sourced from the East and West coasts and shucked daily. Angelo’s is known for its happy hour offering $1.25 raw oysters and $2.75 chargrilled oysters at its Denver and Littleton locations.

“There’s some good Italian (restaurants) in the Springs, but I think with our vibe and flair, we’re going to add something a little bit different,” Davis said.

The concept’s expansion is the natural next step for both brands, and the city was “always on our radar” for another location, Davis and Webber said.

The restaurant and winery both attract visitors from Colorado Springs to their various locations, and the city’s proximity to other communities such as the Tri-Lakes area will expose the brands to more people, they said. The new location is also in an established part of town, close to hotels and the interstate.

Furthermore, Colorado Springs is “an active outdoor community,” dovetailing with Carboy Winery’s brand as “part of an active, outdoor lifestyle,” Webber said.

“The beer industry is able to capture hikers and bikers … and we’re trying to reinvent wine’s place at the table. So, Colorado Springs just being a really great thriving, growing community, especially the north part of the Springs, it just seemed like a great place (to do business),” he said.

The restaurant’s and tasting room’s anticipated summer opening notably coincides with Carboy Winery’s 10th anniversary but also comes at a time when the wine and alcohol industry faces headwinds.

Global drinks data provider IWSR’s 2025 trends report showed that in 2024, global wine consumption declined by about 1% to 2% annually. Factors contributing to the shift include changing consumer preferences and economic stress, as well as excess inventory in key wine-producing regions, according to a Jan. 12 Forbes report.

“What we’ve learned over the last couple of years is it really isn’t a fear of drinking alcohol, it’s really more of a pro-health and wellness movement, which is a cultural shift,” Webber said. “The good part about that is that wine’s place at the table isn’t going anywhere. I mean, it’s existed for thousands of years and it’s built to endure.”

And while American winemaking has declined on the West Coast, new frontiers in places like Colorado, Idaho and Texas are growing, offering people “differentiated experiences.”

“For a long time, (the) Colorado wine (industry) struggled with trying to figure out, you know, what is Colorado wine? … We took a step back collectively and said Colorado wine is just an extension of the Colorado lifestyle; it doesn’t have to be anything more than that,” Webber said.