DENVER — Sunnyside sits just west of Interstate 25 and just east of Federal Boulevard in northwest Denver — and depending on who you ask, it might just be the city's best-kept secret.
The neighborhood has a history that runs deep. According to Becca Levin, vice president of SUNI, the local neighborhood organization, Sunnyside was once entirely agricultural land.
"The history of Sunnyside is it actually did used to be all farm and agricultural land. So there were a bunch of orchards and farms and gardens," Levin said.
Watch what makes Sunnyside so special in the video below:
That legacy is still visible today. Fruit trees dot the neighborhood, and gardening remains a defining part of the culture — something Levin says is woven into Sunnyside's identity.
"It's not only just that people like to garden; it's actually like very rooted in Sunnyside, down to the name even," Levin said.
Levin encourages residents and visitors to explore that history firsthand.
"One of my favorite things to do is just take myself on little scavenger hunts around the neighborhood," Levin said. "If you ever walk around and notice that and pay attention, there's all kinds of fruit trees and it's really fun."
At the heart of the neighborhood is Chaffee Park, named after Jerome Chaffee.
Levin describes the park as a natural gathering place for the community and home to the Sunnyside Music Festival, a staple event that has been running for more than 25 years.
Gardening, grapes, and good neighbors
Will and Jamie Chesser have lived in Sunnyside for 7 years, and their yard reflects the neighborhood's gardening spirit — from flowers to food to wine grapes planted in the health strip.
"I will take responsibility for the food elements of the garden, and she can claim the flowers and the beautiful things," Will Chesser said.
Will Chesser said the neighborhood's gardening culture connects to its layered immigrant history.
"Walking around the neighborhoods, obviously, I think there was a lot of Italian immigrants that lived here, and then transitioned to a lot of Hispanic culture and influences with the amazing history of La Raza Park and everything that happened there with the Chicano movement," Will Chesser said.
"If you walk around, you still see grapes that Italians planted to make wine, and so definitely leaning into that and embracing that history," he said.
Jamie Chesser said living across from Chaffee Park has been a highlight of life in the neighborhood, and that the community's close-knit feel extends beyond the park.
"Neighbors look out for each other. My daughter's getting to the babysitting age, so you know there's lots of families, and just lots of great places to walk to, and a major dog walking community in the early mornings," Jamie Chesser said. “There’s just a real nice feel here.”
Local businesses with deep community ties
Sunnyside has a growing food scene that includes 2-star Michelin award winner The Wolf's Tailor, alongside longtime community staples.
Simon Lagos opened Cherry Bean Coffee on May 11, 2015, and has watched the neighborhood grow and change around him ever since.
"I have seen so many changes going on since 2015, like new businesses, new homes," Lagos said. "We were the first business in this corner for like two years, and then the other businesses opened."
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Lagos said the community showed up for him.
"I remember when COVID happened, many people called me to the phone. ‘Simon, how can we help you?’ And it was it was incredible to receive that support," Lagos said.
That support even shaped the look of the shop. A mural inside Cherry Bean was donated by a neighbor, with more murals added later together with the community.
Lagos, who is from Honduras, has also put his own cultural stamp on the menu — offering drinks like café con leche, cortadito Cubano, and a signature creation called the horchalatte.
"One day one of my regulars comes and says, 'Simon, my wife loves your dirty Horchata, but she's asking if we can make it hot,'" Lagos said. "So, we made it. She walked inside the door, eyes wide open. 'This is amazing. You have to try it’ and she gives it to me. So, since that day, we also changed the name to horchalattes, and you can have it on ice or hot."
A few blocks away, Jessica Turano has been serving the neighborhood at Sunny's Breakfast for 12 years — a name that carries its own unintentional charm.
"I know. It's funny. I don't even really think about it much until I'm like posting on Instagram or talking to someone about it, and then I'm like, oh, Sunny's is in Sunnyside," Turano said.
Turano said Sunnyside offers something increasingly rare in Denver.
"Denver just looks — the scene has changed. It's a lot more bougie than it once was, and we have a different vibe here," Turano said. "Sunnyside is more the Denver and the Colorado I fell in love with 20 plus years ago."
She describes the neighborhood as understated — and that's exactly the appeal.
"We're just a little more understated, and it's got a more casual vibe to it, which really fits for me, personally," Turano said.
For Turano, it is the people who keep bringing customers back — some of whom have been coming since the day Sunny's opened.
"The neighborhood shifted a lot and it's changed, but it stays a consistent that it's really connected. Just everyone's a good neighbor," Turano said.
It is a sentiment echoed by nearly everyone in Sunnyside.
"People kind of look out for each other and yeah, it's been a good community," Will Chesser said.
"It's awesome. I really love this neighborhood. I think it felt like home immediately when I moved here," Levin said.
And for Turano, that feeling is what makes Sunnyside worth seeking out.
"I really have a lot of appreciation for being kind of like the best kept secret in Denver," Turano said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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