Tucked behind a chain link fence and a decades-old storefront sits one of Denver’s newest, most promising pizza restaurants.
Enzo’s on Colfax took over the old Enzo’s End space, 3424 E. Colfax Ave, a few months ago. The latter had closed in June 2024 after 28 years on the block, with owner Charlie Puma saying he was concerned about the potential effects of the East Colfax bus rapid transit construction project, which was approaching from the west.
“Charlie wanted to sell the recipes to me, but that’s not really my M.O.,” said Enzo’s on Colfax owner Robert Cherenzia, who is currently the only employee. “For 28 years the guy had a great go of it, and a great following. But we’re here to do a better product than what was here. Which I realize is saying a lot.”
Talks to take over the business started last year, with Cherenzia having just come from a development company that launched several Smoothie King franchises. He managed Wheat Ridge’s West 29th Restaurant and Bar, and formerly owned a bakery in Park City, Utah, having trained to make bagels in New York City in between it all.
After researching different types of pizza on a family trip to Italy in August, he decided to serve New York-style slices at Enzo’s on Colfax — as opposed to Enzo’s End’s thin-crust style — and more unusual toppings. The Cap, for example, features two eggs, green onion and pecorino with herbs and olive oil ($19 for a 12″) while the Pig and Cow offers prosciutto, burrata, arugula, grated parmesan, and balsamic drizzle with olive oil and cracked pepper ($17 for a 12″ and $20 for a 16″).
“We were eating in Florence and they brought a pizza packed with prosciutto and a big ball of burrata,” Cherenzia said. “It wasn’t sliced, and you had to just dig in. It’s pretty hard to beat that!”
Cherenzia said Enzo’s End owner Puma would have preferred to retire the name Enzo’s along with his original restaurant — and Cherenzia agreed with him. But in addition to the fact that Cherenzia’s son is named Ezno, the building’s owner, Pete Siahamis, wanted to continue the Enzo’s name in some way. That’s because his PS Lounge bar shares a doorway with Enzo, and the two businesses can service each other’s customers that way.
One of Cherenzia’s biggest upcoming challenges will be surviving the BRT project that had worried Puma and has since closed down all but two lanes of the wide street in front of him, choking off Enzo’s parking and making it difficult for customers to find him.
The pedestrian-heavy Bluebird District may be his salvation, though, since the neighborhood’s mix of bars, stores and music venues sends a lot of foot traffic past the pizza joint. The original Enzo’s End was one of three Bluebird District restaurants that shuttered within quick succession of each other last year, including Fox Run and Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs. (All three now have new tenants.)
But Cherenzia is confident he’ll stand out — even in a neighborhood with plenty of other pizza places, including Blue Pan’s Detroit-style pizza a few blocks south, and Fat Sully’s to the west. That’s even as he hangs onto the red-and-white checkered tablecloths, well-seasoned Bakers Pride ovens, and other elements of Ezno’s End.
“We’re smaller but more high-end,” he said. “And other pizza places have their niches. … Competition brings about a better product and you want to earn people’s business by doing things right. For me, it’s going to be all about the details.”