Photo: Shawn Campbell

Alma Fonda Fina is a cozy restaurant designed to feel like a Mexican home-away-from-home—right in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood. The new 38-seat dining spot, which includes a chef’s counter where guests can keep an eye on the artistry in the kitchen, is a labor of love for chef Johnny Curiel and his wife Kasie. “Alma Fonda Fina’s mission is to create a space and menu that are heavily influenced by family and pride in Mexican culture,” says Johnny. “In Spanish, ‘alma’ translates to soul, while ‘fonda fina’ describes a humble neighborhood spot for friends and family to gather.”

The interiors, too, exude soul, courtesy of Agatha Strompolos of Denver-based Agatha Jane Interior Design. Strompolos enhanced the warmth and texture of the space, experimenting with a drywall mud treatment and blended paint effect to make the walls look old and earthy, and installing a reclaimed-wood wall assembled from ceiling joists salvaged from an 1882 building. “I leaned into pools of warm lighting, an abundance of plants and natural materials like terra cotta to emulate the style of restaurants commonly found in Guadalajara,” says the designer.