Return of the Navajo Hogan
One of the most iconic C. Springs landmarks will soon reopen after a six-year hiatus, in the care of familiar hands; Chef Mario's pozole recipe; a new bartender king + brew news & food events
If the tentative mid-March timeline for opening indeed works out for the Navajo Hogan’s new owners, it will roughly mark six years since on-site dining ceased at Johnny’s Navajo Hogan in March 2020 as the Covid pandemic set in.
There’s less intentional symbolism in that than matters of circumstance, though.
The Johnny’s staff had limped through the rest of 2020 with takeout service, then finally called it quits after a fire in May 2021, which followed a prior fire in January of that year, compelling then-owner Johnny Nolan to call it quits.
Nolan told Side Dish that story, plus lessons learned in his 30 years in the industry, in this February 2025 interview. That was the same month he sold the historic building, which was constructed in 1935 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1990.
Ever since that time, the town has been clamoring to know who bought it, when will it reopen, and what the hell is taking so long? Though I’ve known the answer to that first question for some time now, I visited the site last week to glean the answer to those other questions, plus what to expect food-and-drink wise once the roadhouse is back up and rockin’.
Here’s what I learned:
Who’s behind it?
The owner is Bobby Couch of The Green Line Grill, backed by a silent partner. I’ve known Couch since I co-judged his culinary school final in 2009, four years before he opened his popular burger joint. I last wrote about him in Side Dish in late 2023, when that restaurant was faltering, before it was financially stabilized by said silent partner. The situation has improved since, with Thrasher’s Bar now co-anchoring the cool corner at 230 Pueblo Ave. downtown.
In its dozen years of business, Green Line has become somewhat modern-iconic in a way that places like King’s Chef Diner have, partly because of uniquely designed digs and quirky vibes, but also because of staple menu items. They’ve built loyal followings that patronize them in the same way that folks line up in the summer at the Tasty Freeze on Weber Street or year-round at BJ’s Velvet Freez on Union Boulevard. There’s just something culturally sticky about them. Which leads me to opine that the Navajo Hogan makes sense in the hands of someone like Couch to usher it into a new era. He’s used to higher-volume quick service and giving people what they crave, with a little attitude (okay, sometimes more than a little) and the culinary chops to pull it off. Plus, he has the chutzpah to make it all happen, like endure a year of renovations and reconstruction to reopen the Hogan with the right foundations in place, literally.
Couch is far from alone in the kitchen, and will eventually step back into more of an operations manager-type role once he helps get the new Hogan launched. He’s hired Ketil Larsen to be his executive chef and Eric Hill (who we all know as “Chicken”) to be chef de cuisine. The three have worked together before in various capacities over the years and between them count decades of industry experience. Hill and Larsen each spent over a decade at Flying Horse, and Larsen’s also known for a period (12 years) at Phantom Canyon. They can both cite lists of shorter stints elsewhere, common to the musical chairs nature of cheffing, but suffice to say they put the Navajo Hogan on respectable footing out of the gate.
“This is the best fucking team I’ve assembled in a while,” says Couch, noting a fourth chef who’ll soon be joining them. (He couldn’t name them yet, as they are concluding other employment.) “The more eyes and flavor profiles the better. Everyone will taste things and give input.” He says they all recently drove to Denver to cook through their menu at a Shamrock test kitchen, and that its development has been collaborative.
“We aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel here at all,” says Larsen. “We’re trying to keep it simple.” Adds Couch: “Yeah, this place is gonna be busy as fuck, so we need a tight menu, and to focus on quality, execution and flavor. Everything has got to taste killer. If it doesn’t, nobody’s coming back.”
To that end, they’re eschewing some of their respective fine dining training to aim for what roadhouse fare should be. “No tweezers, no microgreens, no spoon pushes,” says Larsen, earning a hearty laugh from Couch, who adds, “We’re not gonna torture ourselves with BS.” (To make sure I’m clear on their meaning of a “spoon push” I confirm that indeed he means smearing sauces across a plate like a skid mark, for pompous presentation.)
What’s on the menu?
Appetizers, like smoked chicken wings, barbecued shrimp (locally raised in Yoder, interestingly), customizable nachos and quesadillas, and chicken-bacon-beer-battered ranch fritters with boilermaker (a beer and bourbon reduction) barbecue mayo.
Two soups: house-smoked cheddar beer cheese soup and roasted chicken and wild rice corn chowder. Salads, including a Caesar, Southwest Chop, roasted chicken romaine and spinach salad with fixings.
Note I said “roasted chicken” not “broasted chicken” à la Johnny’s Navajo Hogan’s once-popular item. They aren’t doing that — don’t ask for it. And while we’re on comparisons, no, Couch never considered calling it “Bobby’s Navajo Hogan.” (I asked, he practically scoffed at the notion.)
Anyway, that roasted chicken — scored deep, rubbed with house spices, roasted, and picked skin-on with pan juices reincorporated — is one of four proteins that the chefs intend to make widely interchangeable throughout the menu for smart cross-utilization. The other three are a smoked pork butt, ground beef, and roasted mushrooms for a vegetarian option.
Expect half a dozen pizzas plus customizable frybreads, which will be more of open-faced sandwich/tacos with protein choices. (Larsen clarifies “we aren’t trying to use an indigenous label here,” given the large Navajo Indian head which constitutes the Hogan’s iconic sign on the roof. A plaque on the building explains that the Hogan’s founder, a labor organizer for the United Mine Workers, “spent considerable time with the Navajo Indians, many of whom were miners.”)
Of course you can’t have a roadhouse without a burger, or many burger options, in fact. But Couch quickly clarifies that “we aren’t smashing burgers here,” and that they’re intentionally doing something different than at The Green Line Grill. What that looks like is a brisket-chuck-short rib beef blend they’re buying for the patties. Look for familiar toppings like a mushroom and Swiss burger, bacon and blue cheese, and the Hogan Burger with house-smoked white cheddar, guajillo bacon, barbecue mayo and crispy onions.
Entrées will include fish and chips, fried chicken thighs, a sirloin steak, chicken-fried steak, cedar plank trout, rigatoni mac & cheese with protein topper choices, and a smoked, maple-glazed pork loin with peach chutney, wild rice and veggies.
For desserts: house made peach and apple cobblers and a maple crème brûlée. Plus some Shamrock-purchased cakes they selected from a wide tasting: one’s a triple chocolate and the other a gluten-free and vegan banana cake with coconut icing.
Yes there’ll be a kid’s menu, plus a pared down late night menu that will kick in after 11 p.m. And for you brunch fanatics, a Sunday morning menu that includes Rice Krispies-crusted French toast with cinnamon whipped cream, chicken-fried steak and eggs, and pancakes with toppings like strawberry-basil and bananas foster.
What about drinks?
Working backwards from brunch: “mimosas and shit.” (Haha! I love talking to Bobby.)
A custom-blend, dark-roasted coffee from Barista Espresso, all the time.
Beers to the count of 16 on draft and more in cans and bottles. Equally split between domestics and craft labels. Local taps include Storybook, Goat Patch, Red Leg and Paradox breweries. Cocktails will consist of “roadhouse classics” and “a few spins” but nothing too fancy by way of whatever the cocktail equivalent of “spoon pushes” is. (So no house tinctures, glitter, bubble guns or fat washes.) But Couch mentions a smoked maple Old Fashioned.
What about the space?
I tour the extensive guts of the basement and see the dough room (pizza prep area) and keg cooler and dry storage. The upstairs kitchen isn’t something you’d call “big,” as the poor pizza guy’s gonna have to poke his pizza peel (the paddle) halfway out of a doorway into a wait station to rotate pies. There’s not an inch of cooler or oven or counter space to spare. I’ve seen worse, but this crew’s gonna be up in each others’ business all day. (Ah, who doesn’t love this industry?)
In the front room/entryway (amazing Hogan dome ceiling number one) there’s a cocktail bar counter and tables and booth seating. Dividing that from the back room (stunning Hogan dome ceiling number two) is a beer-service counter where the tap lines lead. The rear room hosts more mixed seating and a newly constructed stage, with a big TV at the rear of it for sports viewing and such. There’s a front and rear patio, each seating 40 people, and inside should hold around 200.
For entertainment, Couch mentions a Sunday night jam session and acoustic sets on Wednesdays, with karaoke on Thursdays and live bands on Fridays and Saturdays. Those will range from popular locals to some touring acts, with an assist as needed on bookings from Thrasher’s Bar’s Connor O’Neal, of the Tejon Street Corner Thieves. “There’ll be some metal here and there, but mostly calmer music,” he says.
What took so long?
From the purchase time a year ago, Couch and an army of tradespeople have been working diligently. There’s an entirely new electrical, mechanical and plumbing system, due in-part to the prior fire damages. (Plus, you know how long things take to make their way through permitting and final inspections, etc.)
They’ve sanded and soda washed all the wide beams in the Hogan domes to clean up smoke damage. Couch got a surprise with a water drainage issue in the rear parking lot, so that was re-graded and re-paved. He had the Navajo head sign atop the building repainted and repaired the neon lighting on it to fully restore it. And behind the main roadhouse there’s an ancillary building that they’ve laboriously converted into a private events and banquet space, so they can cater larger parties.
The big cosmic why:
When all this gets up and operational, it will mark an unprecedented era of growth for the Navajo Hogan. The building has seen a lot in 90 years. Couch says he was told it was a strip club for time back in the ’70s, and that a prior owner attempted fine dining some years before seasoned restaurateur Southside Johnny Nolan brought his aesthetic under the domes.
I ask Couch why he wanting to go to all this trouble, and he at-first jokes it’s because his silent partner told him to. But he finally settles into a more serious answer, saying “this is a beautiful building and I wanted to put some life back in it.”
Growing a little more pensive after a sip of beer, he says “I’m blown away that we’re sitting in this room about to do what we are gonna do. It’s mind-blowing where we’re going, and the amount of work that’s already gone into it. Everyone who’s worked on this place is important. My friends the plumber and electrician. All of them. Johnny Nolan even welded the iron rails around the patio out front.”
I love thinking about the symbolic baton-handoff in that, picturing Nolan at work on the building he too had poured lots of love and energy into restoring back in his days with it. But doing it for Couch and crew to start anew.
The legacy of the Navajo Hogan will hopefully outlive us all, so future generations can rejoice as they will under the spectacular, swirling, beehive-like wooden domes. As I stand under them and stare up once again, in awe of the craftsmanship, I’m reminded of the feeling of being under some great vortex. It’s a little trippy and transportive.
It makes me think that all who take on the task of being overseers for this place are like cosmic gatekeepers, but you know, in a boozy culinary way. (That makes no sense, just go with it, like it’s an edge of the galaxy pit stop or something in movie.)
I snap out of my dumb daydreaming and think to ask Couch what comes next for him, if he’ll continue to open restaurants. “No,” he says. “I’m pretty sure this is it for me.”
Sounds fatalistic. Or maybe just realistic. Either way, however it came to be, the Navajo Hogan has its new steward. The ovens will fire up, the taps will flow and music will play. There will be roadhouse revelry, but no spoon pushes.
Ranch Foods Direct February recipe: Pozole
“This is my grandmother’s recipe, but I’ve been working on it for 15 years and tweaking it,” says Chef/Co-owner Mario Vasquez from Colorado Craft. “I make it at home a couple times a year. I find a lot of comfort in it. Some of my garnishes aren’t traditional, but they’re things I like. I don’t think it’s ever going to be perfect, or done.”
Bites & Bits
• Alchemy, which first opened in late 2013 in Old Colorado City, is under new ownership. “… We’ve retained staff, and intend to maintain the decor and stay true to the menu,” write incoming owners Mickey & Nancy on a Facebook post. “Free Poker Night, Trivia, Live Music, and Daily Specials are still offered. We have also added Karaoke, Wing Wednesdays, and DJ Clark After Dark on Saturdays. While we have some ideas under our flat caps, it’s most important to us to preserve the original soul of this pub, which we love too.”
• Roth’s Sea & Steak, which I previewed here in November, just won a nod on Star Wine List’s International Open roundup for 2026. They earned a Silver Star on the Best Newcomer List.
• As reported widely by other local media, including the Gazette, Carboy Winery and Angelo’s Taverna are expanding from Littleton (and beyond) into Colorado Springs. They will open in the former Old Chicago Pizza + Taproom at 7115 Commerce Center Drive, off of Woodmen and I-25. It will mark the third Angelo’s location (originally started in 1974 in Denver) and fifth tasting room for Carboy, which owns two estate vineyards in Palisade. As for the connection between the two brands, they’re owned by the same folks, and generally co-located.
• Back in November I reported on the opening of a pretty fantastic ramen popup named Hayato, serving on Sundays and Mondays weekly inside of District Elleven. And last week in this briefs section I noted how they’ve found a new home at Coati food hall. Well, I stopped by for a preview the night before service officially began, and finally got a taste of Chef Kei’s tonkatsu ramen that business partner Melvin Davila had been talking up since the day I first met him. The bowl did not disappoint. Davila tells me they’re still working on sourcing everything they need through specialty purveyors, and while we were on site a couple of boxes of goods arrived, last-minute. It was a hectic but happy launch, with Davila passing us the first two bowls of ramen served in the new space (aw, shucks, what an honor). The food hall’s atmosphere works perfectly to give Hayato an authentic feel, as if it was in a bustling metro station in Japan. Seats wrapping around the kitchen counter are perfect for an omakase-like, more intimate dining experience. I recommend eating there if you can versus taking your bowl elsewhere in the wider hall. But consider walking down to Rival Bar in the rear to bring back a sake or cocktail to enjoy with your noodles.
• By way of an update on my Jan. 9 story about the impact of the Tejon Street Revitalization Project on the immediate businesses, as cited by Oskar Blues Grill and Brew when it closed: General Manager Cooper Davidson from Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub wrote me after my Side Dish segment aired on KRCC to offer perspective from his spot. In-part, he wrote: “… our experience at Jack Quinn’s was quite different. Outside of COVID, 2025 was one of the more challenging years we’ve had in our 28 years downtown... While we recognize broader trends such as shifts in drinking habits and tourism, we felt the construction itself had a real impact on our business. Our clientele tends to skew a bit older than some nearby spots, and many guests chose to avoid the area during that period. Because of this, we made several difficult adjustments, including eliminating weekend brunch and operating with a reduced staff for much of the year. We also had to change how we approached food and beverage ordering in order to adapt. Once construction was completed, we noticed business returning fairly quickly, which reinforced how much the project had affected us… While the finished project is an improvement visually, it didn’t bring the practical benefits we had hoped for, including the promised increase in patio seating.”
• SoCo Insider has revived a year’s worth of CS Indy (and short-lived Sixty 35) archives thus far. Meaning I can now re-share a couple of fun cover stories I wrote for them in 2023: “Crunchy water with fish flavor: Popping my lingonberry at IKEA” and “Yak Pak: Divide herd uniquely adapted to thrive at high altitude, but what do they taste like?” (About PBJ Cattle Co.)
Side Dish Dozen happenings
Edelweiss: Dine with us before Feb. 11 and purchase an entrée and bottle of wine and you’ll be able to enter our Love Is In The Air Valentine’s raffle to win a fireside meal on Feb. 14, which includes a $50 gift certificate, two glasses of Champagne and our Cupid Heart dessert. (Mondays offer half price bottles of wine; hint hint.)
Bristol Brewing Company: Smoked chicken wings special at Spark BBQ through Feb. 8: 6/$10, 12/$20, 25/$39.50. Stout Month Barrel Aged Coffee Warlock release, Feb. 6. Chocolate Laughing Lab release, Feb. 13: We added cocoa nibs to our flagship Scottish Ale! They impart a hint of chocolate goodness which linger on the palate, enhancing the Lab’s nutty, roasted character.
Red Gravy: Pastarama continues in February. Last month’s winning pasta and our reigning champion, the Lobster Mac & Cheese, has advanced to battle a proven fan favorite, Red Gravy’s Short Rib Ravioli. (The month is young, but so far the Mac & Cheese is taking quite a beating from the Ravioli!)
Blackhat Distillery: The Distiller’s Vault is our most exclusive on-premise experience, offering a guided tasting and spirits education class led by our Head Distiller. Limited to 10 guests. We take you behind the scenes of the production space and into a deeper understanding of distillation, aging and flavor development. Advanced tickets required; RSVP at production@blackhatdistillery.com. Explore more experiences at blackhatdistillery.com/events.
Elephant Thai: & Chaang Thai: We have dedicated gluten-free and vegan menus for both lunch and dinner, with extensive offerings, including noodle and curry dishes as well as fried rice plates, soups, salads and vegetable-focused entrées.
District Elleven: Book your Valentine’s Day dinner with us and enjoy An Evening in Paris (our theme). Five courses include Salade Niçoise, Steak Au Poivre, and chocolate mousse Profiterole for two. $95 per couple, $35 wine pairing. Serving Feb. 13 and 14.
Four by Brother Luck: Book a private Chef’s Table with us for any occasion. Choose five or seven courses. Wine pairings available. Limited to six people for an intimate experience. Email us at info@fourbybrotherluck.com for questions or to reserve.
Hoppenings of the week
Beer Events
8th Anniversary Party at Deuces Wild Brewery: Feb. 7, noon to 9 p.m. All day party with three new beer releases, specialty merch and live music.
Valentine Charcuterie & Craft Class at Urban Animal Downtown: Feb. 9, 6 p.m. $50 gets you a hands-on, Valentine-themed charcuterie and craft class.
Bristol Beer Choir: Songs from the Heart at Bristol Brewing: Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m. The Bristol Beer Choir has been rehearsing for weeks. Grab a beer and enjoy their free concert!
Beer Releases
Dank and Confused at Storybook Brewing: Balanced IPA brewed with Nugget, Summit, Strata and Nelson hops. Expect a slight tropical fruit character up front.
Samoa What at Peaks N Pines Brewery: Coconut Caramel Amber Ale inspired by Girl Scout Cookie season.
Curated by Brandon Heid and Gerry Reyes. For full listings of beer-related events and releases download the free Hoppenings app on Apple on Google.
Upcoming events
Feb. 7: Local Relic’s Small Brew Saturday. Noon to 4 p.m. New beer releases and light bites available.
Feb. 7: Winterfest at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum. Food trucks will be part of the kickoff of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games festivities.
Feb. 9: National Pizza Day. Find specials around town, including a BOGO Classic Neapolitan pie at Pizzeria Rustica.
Feb. 10: Raise Hell for a Reason Charity Pint Night at Seven’s Gate. 4-7 p.m. $1 from every draft sold benefits Mattersville, a veterans’ program; come meet a wolf dog.
Feb. 15: A Celebration for Bar Mom Sally Wood at Lulu’s Downtown. 4-8 p.m. With after party at Rebel Rebel, 8 p.m. to close. (Get to know Sally here.)
Feb. 21: Haute Chocolate Hop. 2-5 p.m. A self-paced, progressive dessert tasting at 13 downtown venues.
Feb. 22: National Margarita Day Sip with Schnip at T-Byrd’s Tacos & Tequila. All day happy hours with $6 Tommy-style and frozen margaritas, and a full food menu that includes $4 HH nachos, wings, burnt ends and $3.95 tacos. More details coming soon.
Feb. 24: Passport to Italy Wine Dinner at Pizzeria Rustica. 6 p.m.; $89, five courses, partly benefits the Colorado Springs Therapeutic Riding Center.
Feb. 26-28: Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy at The Loft Music Venue. Storytelling performances and cocktail sipping.
Feb. 27: Polaris Pour — A Night with Chopin at The Aviator at Hotel Polaris. An intimate, guided tasting of Chopin Vodka with sushi pairings and à la carte entrées.
[Save the date] March 4-7: Wine Festival of Colorado Springs. Benefitting the Colorado Springs Conservatory. Tastings, educational seminars, winemaker experiences, the Grand Tasting and an elegant Gala Dinner & Live Auction.
[Save the date] March 14: Equinox, A Culinary Scholarship Fundraiser at The Broadmoor’s Cheyenne Lodge. 5-8 p.m.; $100 early bird tickets through Feb. 14; $125-$150 GA later. Event benefits Pikes Peak State College’s culinary program. Eight tasting stations will revolve culinarily around phases of the day, like dawn, dusk and midnight. Enjoy a lavish dessert bar and open drink stations.
Parting shot(s)
Cocktails After Dusk hosted its Fight Night Title-Belt Championship Round 3 earlier this week at Caddie’s at Valley Hi Golf Course. Here’s how it shook out:
(Hit send too soon…) We’ve been looking forward to Hogan’s return for so long (seriously - it’s been 6 years??!) Sounds like Bobby and team are going to knock it out of the park! Can’t wait
How exciting! Any info on how to apply?