Lucky Pie Pizza and Tap House will take over part of the Dixons space

Lori Midson

Lucky Pie Pizza and Tap House is coming to the former Dixons space downtown.

And Lucky Pie, says McManus, who opened the pizzeria and tap house earlier this year, has been so successful that he's bringing the same concept to LoDo, where he'll unleash a second Lucky Pie next February, taking up nearly 4,800 square feet of a 9,200-square-foot space, located at 1610 16th Street, which is being subdivided into two different restaurants (the remaining square footage has yet to be leased).

"We've been poking around for a space on and off since early spring, looking at LoDo and Highland, and when this opportunity became available, we found exactly what we were looking for," says McManus, whose pie palace and beer bar will take up residence -- and a huge patio -- on the Wazee Street side of the building. "We really wanted to be in LoDo," he continues, "and I love the fact that we're in such a cool area that's home to some great restaurants and Coors Field."

McManus says that the LoDo restaurant will mimic the Louisville store, but he'll expand the menu, adding several more pizzas, along with a larger antipasto selection, a grill and an oven that his chef, Joseph Troupe, can utilize for roasting. "We're definitely going to do a lot more seasonal pizzas, utilizing local crops, and the emphasis, just like in Louisville, will be on artisan Colorado craft foods," he says.

And craft beers. "The beer selection will be just as amazing as the one we have in Louisville," he insists, adding that he'll have at least 25 taps of craft beer, compared to the 21 taps at the original location. And, teases McManus, "We have a few surprises in store, too, both from a decor standpoint and a food standpoint." He won't divulge what he has up his sleeve, but he and Troupe just returned from a jaunt to New York, and McManus is leaving later this week for Italy. "Suffice it to say that we're going to do some things here that we haven't seen so far in Denver," he reveals.

"All I can say," he adds, "is that it's going to be an awful lot of fun, and we're excited -- beyond excited -- to bring our food and beers to Denver."