The best restaurants don’t just serve great food—they tell a story. From the moment you step inside, the lighting, furniture, and flow of the space set the stage for the meal ahead. And few understand that balance better than Regular Architecture’s Kevin Nguyen, the architect behind some of Denver’s most beloved dining spaces. Nguyen’s design fingerprints are all over the city’s food scene—Hop Alley, Beckon, Brutø, The Wolf’s Tailor, Hey Kiddo, Yuan Wonton, Xiquita, Uncle, Odell’s Bagels, Funky Flame, Dio Mio, Point Easy, Sap Sua, and Redeemer Pizza, to name a few. His approach? Start with the food. We caught up with him at Hey Kiddo restaurant to hear why minimalism is harder than it looks and learn where the foodie designer is eating now.
Fast start: “After about ten years of designing multifamily residential projects, I started working on commercial restaurant rollouts like Jack in the Box. That’s when I learned how to design an efficient kitchen, which is the same in fine dining restaurants. The big difference is all the front-of-house details.”
Taste test: “I like to try the food before I design the space. I want to understand the message, story, and ideology that the chef is trying to convey through their food and translate this to the space. That’s why I try to make it to every new restaurant or popup in town. So, if I get the call to design the space, I fully understand the concept.”
Less is more: “I would describe my design aesthetic as minimal. The best-designed places are the ones that feel like there is nothing in them. It is hard to design a space that looks simple because there is so much going into making everything work. But my goal is to make it simple, comforting, and inviting. For example, at Xiquita, we used cinderblocks to create clean structural lines and then added live greenery to soften it up.”
First impressions: “My mentor Rick Joy once said that a door handle is like the handshake of the building. That has always stuck with me.”
Open book: “I love an open-kitchen concept, selfishly because I want to peek behind the curtain. But it also shows diners that the kitchen is clean and efficient. From the chef’s perspective, it gives them more visibility to see if customers look happy, if the meal’s pacing is on track, etc.”
A rising city: “Denver’s restaurants used to all have a similar vibe. Lately, we have seen restaurants push boundaries, and I really love it. Johnny Curiel has done an incredible job with all of his places, and they work with Agatha Jane Interior Design. Maximalist, Semple Brown, and Unum Collaborative are three other Denver firms doing great restaurant work.”
Picking favorites: “Hop Alley was the first restaurant I designed, and it’s my favorite place to eat out in Denver. We always like to try new things or sit at the chef’s counter.”
Next order: “I’m designing the upcoming Emilia from the team behind Restaurant Olivia, Johnny Bechamel’s from the Dio Mio group that combines their two concepts, and Boombox with Oddie B’s crew, which will serve their take on pasta.”
