Super Mega Bien Brings ‘Pan-Latin’ Dim Sum to Denver

Denver diners will find out if Super Mega Bien is as fun as it sounds when the much-anticipated restaurant opens for dinner tonight at the Ramble Hotel. And by the looks of it, the eagerly awaited restaurant, named for a line cook’s response to “How are you doing?,” just might be. “Everything here is more big and better than good,” chef Dana Rodriguez joked to Eater Denver.

Rodriguez moved to Denver from Chihuahua, Mexico nearly two decades ago and began working in Denver’s restaurant industry as a dishwasher. In 2014, she opened essential Denver restaurant Work & Class serving American food with Mexican influences. Now, at Super Mega Bien, she’ll draw inspiration from the wider Latin American region and serve dishes with origins in Brazil, Peru, and elsewhere.

Photo by Ryan Dearth/Eater Denver

According to Eater Denver, large format dishes for sharing, like mofongo and mixiote, accompany Super Mega Bien’s pan-Latin dim sum, which arrives to tables on brightly colored carts. The delivery vehicle isn’t the only element of the traditionally Chinese meal Rodriguez incorporates into this section of the menu — dishes like Peking-roasted and honey-glazed duck with escabeche and gorditas also meld Latin American and Asian flavors. “Asian food and Mexican food have a lot of things in common,” Rodriguez says. “Even though our cultures are different, we wanted to put something together that can glue all of those ideas.”

Super Mega Bien’s dining room is filled with color from bold graphics and Brazilian posters. Rodriguez intends for it to be a place where everyone can feel comfortable. “Denver is growing so much,” the chef told Eater back in January. “We’re working to keep it affordable, so all people can come and eat a good meal.”

Ryan Dearth/Eater Denver

Rodriguez says Super Mega Bien is all about being “happy here.” It’s an ethos that extends to staff, too. Rodriguez partnered with Work & Class co-owner Tony Maciag and longtime Work & Class employee Tabatha Knop on the new restaurant, and she envisions it as a place where other employees can work their way up, just as she did. She tells Eater Denver, “We have a really great culture with our people... we love them, and wanted to do another place so they can grow up with us.”

• Super Mega Bien [Official]
• Latin Dim Sum Rolls Into RiNo This Week [EDEN]