North Broadway's Food Plaza: Three Cuisines Beside Lucky's Market

Jun 10, 2026 / Oct 4, 2026 · 7 min read · North Boulder Food and Drink 80304 Boulder Colorado NoBo ·

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Three Places to Eat Beside Lucky's Market

The shopping center around Lucky's Market on North Broadway has a supermarket, a bakery and cafe, and a short row of other places to eat. Three of them sit a few doors apart and have very different stories. China Gourmet has been run by the same owners for more than 35 years. Dagabi Cucina, a tapas restaurant, changed hands in 2025 after 22 years with one family. Ruzo Coffee opened in 2024, started by twin brothers who grew up nearby.

Where is it? 3970–3980 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304 — the Lucky's Market center on North Broadway.

China Gourmet: 35 Years of Shanghai Cooking

China Gourmet is in Suite 102 at 3970 Broadway. Its website says it has served the area "for over 35 years," with the same owners the whole time, and that it focuses on "traditional Shanghai dishes."

It is a simple place. The restaurant says locals know it as "a no frills establishment where you order at the counter for takeout and dine in." Its stated aim is "quality and consistency." You can call in an order or order online for pickup or delivery.

The menu includes dishes such as spicy sesame chicken, spicy eggplant with hot garlic sauce, kung pao triple delight with shrimp, chicken and beef, and spicy wonton soup. Lunch, from the restaurant's lunch menu, is served Sunday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A lunch plate comes with white, brown or fried rice and an appetizer — a vegetable egg roll or a crab cheese wonton — and if you eat in, a cup of egg drop, hot and sour, or wonton soup.

China Gourmet works for people who avoid meat. Any vegetable dish can be made vegetarian by asking for no chicken stock, and many can be made vegan. The vegetable list includes tofu and tempeh with vegetables, Hunan-style tofu, spicy sesame tofu, coconut curry vegetables and kung pao vegetables, and there is a separate section of "healthy entrees."

Hours: Sunday to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 4:30 to 9 p.m. Phone: (303) 440-3500.

Dagabi Cucina: Tapas Under New Owners

Dagabi Cucina, also at 3970 Broadway, opened in 1994. In 2003 the Westby family bought it and, over 22 years, made it a well-known Mediterranean tapas spot, famous for tapas and paella.

In May 2025, Boulder Weekly reported that the Westbys had sold the restaurant. They had recently opened Ironwood Bar and Grille at Boulder's Flatiron Golf Course. In a goodbye message to customers, they wrote: "This decision was not made lightly, and you all hold a special place in our hearts."

Colorado Secretary of State records list Tahmina Rakhi as the new owner of the Dagabi Cucina company and trademark. Rakhi also owns a Broomfield franchise of Smokin' Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom. The new owners wrote that their goal was "to preserve the heart and soul of this beloved restaurant," and said they were keeping the same staff and menu.

Today the restaurant describes its food as tapas and rustic Italian cooking — "Spanish Tapas & Wood-Fired Pizza" — built around shared plates, with Spanish wines and rotating specials such as paella nights. It also offers catering, private parties and reservations.

Hours: every day, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Happy hour: 5 to 6:30 p.m. every day, and all night on Tuesdays. Phone: (303) 786-9004.

Ruzo Coffee: The Newest Shop

Ruzo Coffee is at 3980 Broadway, Suite 104. It opened on February 24, 2024. Westword reported that it was started by twin brothers Jordan and Matthew McDaniel, then 20 years old, who were born and raised in North Boulder and went to nearby Centennial Middle School.

The space was home to Logan's Espresso Cafe for more than 20 years before Ruzo. Jordan McDaniel told Westword that some neighbors were "grieving the loss of this other coffee shop that they've known for 21 years — but at the same time welcoming us."

The brothers already knew the shopping center. In high school, Jordan worked at a Chinese restaurant in the same strip, and Matthew worked at Amante Coffee's Uptown location there, where he learned to make coffee and manage a shop. Regulars sometimes mixed the twins up. "You work at the coffee shop in the morning and you work here in the evening," one man joked to Jordan.

The brothers are a quarter Japanese, and the shop shows it. The logo was inspired by the Japanese flag. Westword reported that the menu at opening included matcha lattes, Ramune soda, Japanese snacks like Pocky and wasabi peas, and red bean mochi and pastries from the Enchanted Oven, a Japanese bakery in Broomfield.

Today Ruzo's website lists organic, specialty-grade coffee roasted by the owner, Japanese teas from Arteao that come directly from family farms in Japan, pastries and snacks. It also sells 5-pound bags of coffee and catering packages, and lets you order ahead online.

Ruzo names its house roasts after Japanese words. Fuji is the espresso, a blend from Colombia, Indonesia and Ethiopia. Kiku is the drip coffee, from Nicaragua. Botan is roasted for cold brew, and Sakura is a Swiss Water decaf from Peru. All are medium roasts of organic, specialty-grade beans, roasted in small batches. For people in Boulder, Ruzo hand-delivers monthly coffee subscriptions in 12-ounce or 5-pound bags during the first week of each month.

The pastries come from local bakers — Outrageous Baking, Spruce Confections and Family Bakeshop — and the menu marks which items are vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or dairy-free.

When it opened, the brothers told Westword they wanted Ruzo to be "a community space." Today the shop shows work by local artists on its walls and changes the art every three months. It also hosts small community events, such as book clubs, bingo nights and paint-and-sip evenings, and people can ask to hold their own event there.

Hours: every day, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Phone: (303) 953-8402.

Why the Three Fit Together

The three places cover different times of day. Ruzo is open for morning coffee until 4 p.m. Dagabi serves lunch and dinner, with a happy hour. China Gourmet stays open for dinner every night and does takeout. Because they share a parking lot with a grocery store, it is easy to combine a meal or a coffee with a shopping trip.

They also show how the neighborhood changes. One family has run China Gourmet for more than 35 years. Dagabi has had three eras: its opening in 1994, the Westby years from 2003 to 2025, and now new owners. Ruzo replaced a 21-year-old coffee shop and is run by two brothers who grew up a short walk away. For more on how this part of Boulder has changed, see our history of North Boulder.

Practical Information

China Gourmet:

Address: 3970 Broadway, Suite 102, Boulder, CO 80304
Phone: (303) 440-3500
Hours: Sunday–Friday 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m.; Saturday 4:30–9 p.m.

Dagabi Cucina:

Address: 3970 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304
Phone: (303) 786-9004
Hours: daily 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–9 p.m.; happy hour 5–6:30 p.m., all night Tuesday

Ruzo Coffee:

Address: 3980 Broadway, Suite 104, Boulder, CO 80304
Phone: (303) 953-8402
Hours: daily 7 a.m.–4 p.m.

Should You Go?

Yes, if you live in 80304 and want an easy meal close to home. Try Ruzo for a matcha latte in the morning, Dagabi for tapas and a happy hour, and China Gourmet for a quick Shanghai-style dinner or takeout.