At Boombots Pasta Shop, “idiot” is not an insult—it’s a term of endearment. The restaurant, which opened in Denver’s Sunnyside neighborhood in early November, invites diners to “eat like an idiot” and gorge themselves on “stupid good pasta.”
Far from being a traditional Italian restaurant, Boombots blends comfort, creativity and a sense of joyful abandon in a way that feels both familiar and entirely fresh. Sip a Pasta Water Martini—yes, made with real pasta water—while slurping Castelvetrano olive bucatini noodles tossed in vodka sauce with Maytag blue cheese.
The carb-centric eatery is the brainchild of Cliff and Cara Blauvelt, the husband-and-wife duo behind the celebrated Odie B’s. Their newest venture occupies the space next door to the original Odie B’s location in Sunnyside, offering a bright, intimate venue with seating for about 45 indoors and another 25 on an open-air patio.
Before officially opening, Boombots hosted a preview pop-up at Odie B’s RiNo location and offered a fully vegan menu at Eat Denver’s Savor the Season event, giving the team a chance to refine the menu and build buzz. Now, as diners roll through its doors, the shop feels like a dream realized: a place where innovation meets a warm seat, where elevated flavors land next to a laid-back bar and where every bite suggests that pasta doesn’t have to play by the rules.
For the eatery’s whimsical name, the team draws inspiration from the Italian-American slang term for “idiot” or “lovable fool.” That playful spirit lies at the heart of everything Boombots does: bold, boundary-pushing pasta in a fast-casual but elevated setting.
“Some people don’t understand why we’d call ourselves that, but we wear the title like a badge of honor,” the team says on the Boombots website. “Because we’re all idiots about the things we love. Family. Community. Pasta. It’s not a weakness. It’s what happens when you care so deeply about something that you’ll throw out every rule, challenge every expectation and risk looking completely ridiculous just to see what’s possible.”
In 2022, the Blauvelts opened Odie B’s in Sunnyside. The sandwich shop quickly became a beloved Denver staple—so much so that the duo opened a second location in RiNo in January 2025.
At Odie B’s, sandwiches are just an excuse to play around with any flavor and texture under the sun—and the Blauvelts see pasta through the same lens. Noodles, like sandwich bread, are simply a vehicle for experimenting with any ingredient imaginable. Running the kitchen is executive chef Connor Gushen, who is joined by culinary director Jesse Moore, bringing additional depth and creativity.
“With the love that we have received from Denver, we’re extremely excited that we can give back, especially in the form of pasta,” says Cliff Blauvelt.
The menu is filled with inventive dishes that riff on traditions from far and wide. There’s the Dirty Martini Bucatini, which features Castelvetrano olive bucatini tossed in a vodka sauce with Maytag blue cheese. Then there’s the Green Chile Duck Mac and Cheese, with lumache pasta, cheddar, green chile-braised duck, duck chicharrones and a cornbread crumb. For something fun and shareable, there’s the BAMBAM (BAM = big ass mozzarella) sticks, with calabrian chile marinara and pepperoni dust.
Other standout options include the red chili and butternut squash risotto, made with aged Acquerello rice, tequila-orange roasted beets, chorizo-spiced pepitas, queso fresco and cilantro crema, as well as the everything seasoned cavatelli stroganoff, with porcini pasta, braised beef, pearl onion agrodolce and pickled mustard seed.
The pasta dishes come in two sizes, depending on how hungry you are: single and mingle. If you’re simply feeling snacky, Boombots offers a selection of East and West Coast oysters, a meat and cheese board, a charred root vegetable salad and a house salad.
Save room for dessert, especially for clever treats like the pumpkin coconut cake with chile caramel, spiced anglaise and coconut krispies, or the fig gelato with poached pear and granola. And don’t sleep on the cocktail menu, either. Double down on the carby vibes with the Pasta Water Martini, made with pasta water, vodka, gin, olive and thyme olive oil. Or get nostalgic with the Man in the Yellow Hat, made with bourbon, burnt cinnamon banana, walnut and orange.
The drinks menu also includes a selection of non-alcoholic options, like the Bell Ringer, made with zero-proof aperitif, bell pepper and celery salt, and the Tunnel Vision, featuring mole-spiced verjus, blood orange and citrus.
The couple celebrated six years of sobriety in July, and Cliff Blauvelt is a certified peer support specialist for mental health and substance abuse recovery, and his commitment to building a recovery-friendly workplace carries through at both Odie B’s and Boombots. His mission? To make hospitality more human, more honest and more inclusive, so that people feel not just fed, but seen.
For the look and feel, the Blauvelts enlisted Regular Architecture, helmed by Kevin Nguyen, to design a space inspired by Lil Wayne, Supreme, Pharrell and Louis Vuitton. The result is a dining destination with sophistication and swagger—balancing dark tones, light woods, olive greens and plenty of energy.
“We knew we were going to have fun and end up with something fresh in the Denver restaurant scene,” says Nguyen. “We’ve been talking about it as the cool older sibling with luxury taste compared to Odie B’s—it’s going to have a bit of an elevated feel but still feel welcoming.”
The branding from Paper Laundry further leans into Boombots’ irreverent charm.
“When you’re presented with a name like Boombots, you know it’s going to be an amazing ride,” says Cara Moyle, founder of Paper Laundry. “Cliff and Cara are so skilled at helping us see the vision they have in their minds so that we’re able to produce a killer brand that welcomes guests in—while ensuring everything they do stands out.”
The next time you’re in Denver and ready to eat like an idiot, make a beeline for Boombots.
Boombots Pasta Shop, 2647 W. 38th Ave., is open Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 5-9 p.m., and Friday-Saturday from 5-10 p.m.
