TROY GUARD UNVEILS BARBARA, A NEW RESTAURANT COMING TO DOWNTOWN DENVER
Inspired by Chef's Mother, Barbara Brings a Worldly, Travel-Rooted Concept to 1900 Lawrence in Fall 2027
DENVER, CO – TAG Restaurant Group, led by Denver chef and restaurateur Troy Guard, today revealed the name and concept behind its new restaurant coming to Downtown Denver at 1900 Lawrence in Fall 2027: Barbara.
Named for Guard's mother, a former flight attendant whose career took her around the world, Barbara draws on a lifetime of travel, curiosity, and connection. The concept celebrates the moments, meals, and memories that stay with travelers long after they've returned home, and the belief that travel teaches people to slow down, notice beauty, and gather around a table with generosity. The menu will feature globally inspired dishes while highlighting Guard's signature approach to bold flavors and modern hospitality.
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"When people ask why I'm doing this restaurant, the answer is my mom," said Chef Troy Guard, Owner and Executive Chef of TAG Restaurant Group. "Barbara welcomed everyone to her table, she noticed beauty everywhere she went, she collected stories instead of souvenirs. I spent my career traveling, from Hawaii to Hong Kong to Singapore to New York, and every stop taught me something about how food brings people together. Barbara is where all of that comes home."
Barbara will open within 1900 Lawrence, Denver's newest 30-story Class A office tower and one of the most significant additions to the skyline in recent years. Developed by Riverside Investment & Development and designed by Goettsch Partners, 1900 Lawrence features nearly 720,000 square feet of modern workspace along with best-in-class amenities, including private terraces, a fitness center, and roughly 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.
The announcement marks another key Denver investment for TAG Restaurant Group, which renewed the lease for its flagship downtown steakhouse, Guard and Grace, in December 2024, opened the third and largest location of HashTAG in downtown Denver in April 2025, will expand further with HashTAG Wheat Ridge this fall 2026, and will debut its newest concept, G&G Surf Club, in the Denver Tech Center later this fall.
More details on Barbara's menu, design, and full concept will be shared as the project progresses toward its fall 2027 opening.
TAG Restaurant Group Media Kit
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About Chef Troy Guard
Born and raised in Hawaii, Chef Troy Guard has lived and worked across the globe, from luxury hotels in Hong Kong and Singapore to celebrated kitchens in New York, before putting down roots in Denver in 2002. He opened his first restaurant, TAG, on Larimer Square in 2009, and has since grown TAG Restaurant Group into ten locations across five concepts, including Los Chingones, Guard and Grace, HashTAG, Bubu, and Done Deal. Guard has been voted Best Chef in Denver, named one of the "Great Regional Chefs of America" by the James Beard Foundation, named Bar & Restaurant Expo's 2023 Chef of the Year, and honored by the MICHELIN Guide with Guard and Grace.
About TAG Restaurant Group
TAG Restaurant Group (TRG) is a Denver-based restaurant collection founded by Chef Troy Guard. TRG currently operates five concepts over ten locations in the Denver metro area and Houston: Los Chingones (two locations), Guard and Grace (two locations), Bubu (two locations), Done Deal, and HashTAG (three locations). In 2019, TAG Restaurant Group made its first move out of Denver, expanding the award-winning Guard and Grace to Houston, TX. TAG Restaurant Group strives to shake up your typical dining experience by offering immersive culinary experiences that are deeply rooted in and inspired by Chef Troy's life and travels. They are crafted with genuine hospitality in mind and are never shy about producing bold, worldly flavors using local ingredients. More than the sum of their parts, TRG’s brands represent a way of life and a celebration of the unexpected. The feeling of an Ohana passionately pursuing culinary excellence is tangible.
Jacob Kingrey