From the Team that Opened Denver's Award-Winning Yacht Club, Rougarou is Plating (and Pouring) Shapeshifting, Elevated Southern

Evan Dale | January 7, 2026

Luke Gottlieb

There are a lot of expectations on the folks who opened Yacht Club. The award-winning bar and hotdog joint – which, among other accolades, has its name tattooed on James Beard nominations and the top prize for 2024’s Best U.S Cocktail Bar – has been a RiNo destination since it opened in 2021. Curating a culture of balance between an upscale, experimental drink menu, an almost ironically casual yet delicious list of bites and an approachable neighborhood atmosphere lie at the core of its success. Any of those reasons – but most likely the combination of them all – is what makes for a packed house every night they’re open.

Each of those core traits are also at the beating heart of the team’s newest endeavor. What do you get if you take the Yacht Club philosophy, make the kitchen the center of its ethos, experiment with classic flavors and Southern staples, keep with the shaken and stirred gusto and take the exceptional service to a fully sat dining room? The answer is Rougarou – founders, McLain Hedges, Mary Allison Wright, and John David Wright’s new restaurant named for a shape-shifting swamp creature.

The concept – born from the team’s no-frills identity that still manages to infuse plenty of whimsy, which takes some fun liberties with the unexpected elevation of its offerings – is inherently reminiscent of its sister bar, albeit kaleidoscoped into a full-service restaurant. Rougarou’s menu can be boiled down at most to a phrase as opaque as Shape-Shifting Southern, just as its tagline suggests. But within that foggy definition – within the mire from where the Rougarou rises – all things nostalgic and familiar feel done just a little differently, and with such confidence and lofty taste that perhaps they always should have been done exactly as Rougarou is pouring and plating it up on Welton.

From the bar, find the boldness along with the Southern and Golf Coast roots that likewise define Yacht Club. There are New Orleans classics, of course, like a Hurricane, a Sazerac or the Bijougarou, all twisted into something a little off kilter, but never off-putting. There’s a Tropical-ish section overflowing with rum and fun takes on the Daiquiri, the Mai Tai and the Julep. And then there are martinis. The Muffaletta – born from the traditional Big Easy sandwich – is bizarre and tantalizing, sweet from Sherry and benne seed, salty and savory from brine and skewered provolone, and boozy, to boot. The Holy Triniti is a vegetal sipper, bright and strong from bell pepper, celery and dry vermouth.

But it’s the food that’s the beating heart of the beast – and the most daunting undertaking for a team, that although has its roots in full-service restaurants, has been predominantly bar-focused for years. But a guest would never know it. There are no skips on either menu – liquid or from the kitchen – but where the bar’s prominence can only be matched by Yacht Club’s existence a neighborhood over, the food menu at Rougarou is entirely unparalleled in Denver.

Start with the Tidbits section of the menu and fold some greens into the order while you’re at it. The Black Eyed Pea Salad is a delicately spiced take on the texturally enticing staple, while the Collard Greens Salad is a complete departure from the expected. Raw collards – with all their leafy bitterness – are tossed with fresh strawberries and a Sorghum Vinaigrette for a fresh, bright start. The star of the small plate show, however, is the Blue Cheese Tart. Overtop a crunchy crust, a deep layer of creamy blue cheese is garnished with sweet, earthy green tomatoes and sour pickles.

Then, dive into Rougarou’s Mains and Sides for the next course of your shareable Southern smorgasbord. The Hot & Sour Catfish is fried to crispy perfection, as is the Chicken on a Stick. Both are served with pepper jelly and comeback sauce. Make sure to add the Benne Seed Rolls to mop up all the good stuff with the sweet, chewy dough. And don’t forget Braised Collard Greens and Sea island Cream Peas for some traditional additions that pair with everything on the menu.

When it’s almost over, the Sorghum Ice Cream is another can’t miss, salty and elegantly presented.

Just as Yacht Club has long shined a deserved light on the Northern reaches of RiNo, Rougarou is perfectly at home in Five Points. Down the block from Cervantes and Rosenberg’s, its operation has been another local, independent addition to a neighborhood that’s survived so much of Denver’s changing identity through the last couple decades. The success stories on Welton are written in defiance of corporate oversight or national chains. Instead, vibrant creativity and a locally rooted business acumen define the staples that call it home.

Rougarou is warm and welcoming, although nested in the nostalgia of antique furniture and made modern by a wide-open, half-storied floor plan. The space seems like it’s always been there, offering Five Points flawlessly executed and tastefully experimental Southern fare. And if Yacht Club is any testament to its future, Rougarou – along with its attached expansion and enclosed patio space, Over Pour, which serves grab-and-go bites, bottled wine and cocktails – is only beginning to tell its tale.