From the team behind Dio Mio and Redeemer Pizza, this neighborhood Italian-American spot combines familiar comfort food, thoughtful cooking, and a little old-school nostalgia.
Denver has no shortage of places to grab a pizza or a bowl of pasta. Finding a restaurant that does both exceptionally well, though, is a different story.
Tucked along South Pennsylvania Street in Denver’s Speer neighborhood, Johnny Bechamel’s is making a strong case for itself.
The restaurant puts its own spin on familiar Italian-American favorites, pairing thoughtfully prepared food with a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. It’s the kind of place that feels right at home in a neighborhood like Speer.
A New Addition to the Neighborhood
Located at 81 South Pennsylvania Street, Johnny Bechamel’s opened in late 2025, bringing new life to a restaurant space just off the busier corridors of Broadway and Speer Boulevard.
Speer has long been a mix of historic homes, residential streets, and small businesses, with restaurants and neighborhood gathering spots scattered throughout the area.
Johnny Bechamel’s adds something new to that mix: a place to settle in for a great Italian-American dinner without the formality of fine dining.
Behind the concept is Mamas & Papas Hospitality Group, the team responsible for Dio Mio and Redeemer Pizza in RiNo. Those restaurants have built followings around two specialties: fresh pasta and thoughtfully made pizza.
Johnny Bechamel’s brings those strengths together while establishing an identity of its own.
Handmade Pasta, Seriously Good Pizza
The menu at Johnny Bechamel’s revolves around familiar Italian-American favorites, but the execution is what makes it stand out.
All of the pasta is made in-house, a detail that becomes especially meaningful when you consider the team’s background at Dio Mio.
The ricotta ravioli, served in tomato sauce, is a great example of the restaurant’s approach. It’s a relatively simple dish, relying on fresh pasta and familiar ingredients rather than an overly complicated presentation. Sometimes that’s exactly what you want from a good Italian restaurant.
The pizza deserves just as much attention.
The double pepperoni is a standout, built on a medium-to-thin crust that strikes an excellent balance. It’s substantial enough to hold the toppings without becoming overly thick or heavy. For anyone who appreciates a thinner pizza that still has some structure, this one gets it right.
Then there’s the mushroom pizza.
Rather than relying on the usual scattering of sliced mushrooms, Johnny Bechamel’s uses oyster mushrooms, giving the pizza a distinctive appearance and making the mushrooms a central part of the dish rather than an afterthought.
Both pizzas are excellent examples of how the restaurant takes familiar favorites and gives them a little more attention without losing what makes them appealing in the first place.
There’s plenty more to explore on the menu, including appetizers, salads, and other pasta dishes, but the pizza and handmade pasta are more than enough reason to plan a visit.
A Little Old-School Pizza Parlor Nostalgia
Part of Johnny Bechamel’s charm is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The restaurant has a playful identity, right down to its name. Johnny Bechamel isn’t an actual chef behind the kitchen, but a fictional character created as part of the restaurant’s personality.
That sense of humor carries into the dining room.
One particularly memorable detail is an old-school Pizza Hut-style lamp hanging above one of the tables. It’s the kind of fixture that immediately brings to mind the classic pizza parlors of decades past, when dining out for pizza meant sitting down in a booth rather than picking up a box to go.
It’s a small touch, but one that perfectly captures the restaurant’s personality. Johnny Bechamel’s embraces the familiarity of an old-school pizza parlor while bringing a more contemporary approach to the food. The kitchen takes its cooking seriously, but the experience never feels overly formal.
Finding Its Place in Speer
Johnny Bechamel’s also has an interesting story when it comes to its location.
The building at 81 South Pennsylvania has seen several transformations in recent years, previously housing Budlong Hot Chicken, Au Feu, Clairette, and most recently AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q Steakhouse.
Now, with a redesigned interior and a new restaurant group behind it, the space is beginning another chapter.
But a restaurant’s place in a neighborhood is ultimately about more than its menu.
It’s about becoming somewhere people return to, whether that’s for a casual weeknight dinner, a favorite pizza, or a familiar table.
Speer has plenty of neighborhood character, but it’s often overshadowed by nearby dining districts like South Broadway and Capitol Hill. Restaurants like Johnny Bechamel’s help give people another reason to explore the neighborhood itself.
Worth a Visit
Johnny Bechamel’s isn’t trying to reinvent pizza or pasta, and that’s part of its appeal.
Instead, it takes two familiar comfort foods, puts care into the fundamentals, and serves them in a setting with plenty of personality.
The house-made ricotta ravioli, double pepperoni pizza, and oyster mushroom pizza all make compelling arguments for a return visit. Add in the nostalgic Pizza Hut-style lamp and a dining room that balances playful charm with a polished atmosphere, and it’s a place that leaves a lasting impression.
For anyone exploring the restaurants of Speer, Johnny Bechamel’s is an easy addition to the list.
