Owners Austin Junker and Jimmy Van Kirk.

If you are looking for craft cocktails, an innovative menu, and a welcoming atmosphere where you’re treated like family, Casa Brava Tapas in the Six South Street Hotel in Hanover is the place to go. Jimmy Van Kirk and his partner Austin Junker have created a restaurant with a cocktail-forward menu inspired by Latin American, European, and Asian cuisines that is like nothing else in town.

The Six South Street Hotel wanted to compete with Hanover Inn and its successful Pine restaurant but did not want to manage the dinner shift of their in-house restaurant anymore. Jimmy and Chef Martin’s expertise in hospitality was the perfect fit to bring a new, exciting restaurant to the hotel. The two got the ball rolling and opened Casa Brava Tapas in December 2024. Chef Martin helped create the menu, get the kitchen set, and train the young culinary team before moving on to his private catering endeavor.

Casa Brava Tapas has an intimate setting of just 12 tables, a bar, and a seasonal patio. A private event space in the hotel can accommodate up to 50 guests for parties and functions. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 pm.

In 2025 Jimmy began searching for a partner that would bring cocktail bar expertise to Casa Brava, and he found that in Austin Junker. Originally from South Florida, Austin’s hospitality background started in his teens as a busser. He quickly moved on to positions as bartender, beverage manager, and eventually general manager, running bars and programs for several locations for about 18 years. When he moved to Denver in 2020, he became immersed in the mixology end of hospitality while working in downtown hotels.

“Casa Brava’s menu inspiration comes from Candela’s dynamic ‘menu in motion,’” says Jimmy. “The good thing about tapas is we can do a lot with the 12 dishes that we offer. Our menu is small, but it brings in Spanish, Mediterranean, South American, and a little bit of Asian influences and creates a fusion that you can’t find anywhere else.”

He continues, “If I ever take the bang bang shrimp tacos off the menu there will be a riot. We want to keep things on the menu that our guests really love, but we like to switch things up, especially with the changing seasons. We listen to our guests and rotate and bring back items, but we are always researching new dishes to keep things fresh.”

The ever-changing food menu is in part due to the young kitchen staff that like to learn and experiment. Jimmy encourages innovation and fresh ideas. He also plans to bring in guest chefs for a few weeks as he did at Candela, from Puerto Rico and other locations, who will further expand menu offerings and train the staff.

“With a cocktail-forward bar menu, I wanted to bring the influence of my time in Florida and Denver to create a cocktail menu that complements the food,” says Austin. “Our cocktails revolve seasonally but 80 percent are original cocktails I’ve created and 20 percent are pre-Prohibition style. Our La Zorra is a top seller—it’s a blend of Milagro Reposado, pomegranate liqueur, cinnamon syrup, and fresh lime.

“Our bar program will keep evolving and getting bigger,” says Austin. “We have a great bartender who is a true mixologist. I still bartend once a week, so I keep my hand in it. And for those who find something they love, we always have all the ingredients for all the past cocktails.”

What makes Casa Brava Tapas special, says Jimmy, is not only the innovative international menu of food and cocktails but how guests feel when they are there. “When you come here, you know you are in good hands,” says Jimmy. “We’ve become friends with many of the guests. It’s a place where you can sit with the owners and enjoy good food and drink. Ausitn and I treat Casa Brava more like a family than a business. These are things that bring people in.”