SEPTEMBER 12, 2025 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | By Maya Rosen
When I returned to campus this fall, my friends and I made a short trek to our favorite nearly on-campus eatery. We were so excited to hold our campus reunion at a packed table in our favorite Victorian home. However, we were met with a for-sale sign, nearly shedding tears at the dark windows of the lavender-colored house. Dale Street Bistro, beloved by students, faculty and the Colorado Springs community, has permanently closed its doors.
Despite our surprise, it was not an unplanned exit. No, it was a very successful closing of doors, following 22 incredible years of business. According to their Instagram, the owners have decided to retire and were met with a celebration by CC’s Korean American Students Association (KASA).
It’s hard to find much record of Dale Street online anymore, outside of a now-inactive staff-run Instagram and a broken URL, so there is not much more to be said about the owners and where they ended up.
Part of the Bistro’s appeal was its hominess, and perhaps they achieved that by being somewhat underground. That being said, I can share a bit about the owner from the Catalyst’s records. Hui Yon Park was born and raised in South Korea, and moved to the U.S. 38 years ago to join her relatives in Colorado Springs. She followed in her family’s footsteps, opening several businesses throughout the city, ranging from Chinese and Italian restaurants to jazz clubs. Park opened Dale Street Bistro in 2003 as a more relaxed restaurant, allowing her and her family to work fewer hours. She saw working at Dale’s (as many of us like to call it) as “more like a half-retired restaurant,” and “a kind of hobby,” as she told The Catalyst in 2017. Now, 8 years later, she has entered full retirement.
While I did not personally learn these facts about the owner, from my own experience, I can testify she truly was the kindest of people. It was a warm environment, and closer to my classes and dorm building than most of the on-campus options.
We would venture to Dale’s for chocolate cake on every birthday, when we just needed a warm cup of the housemade French onion soup on a cold day or some Bibimbap to make up for a bad test. We knew no matter what, we would always be met with a warm smile, good food, and a ready table. And all of that at no cost to us, thanks to the restaurant’s partnership with CC’s Gold Card Plus Program.
Thankfully, for those of us who like to enjoy our “free” meals, we do still have Odyssey Gastropub to hold onto, and rumor has it that we will soon get to use our Gold Card Plus money at 707 Pizza as well. Still, I doubt anything can ever match the warmth of Dale Street Bistro (certainly not the club lighting and blue light glow of 707 Pizza). Still, the loss of Dale’s has been a major hit to the CC community and the Gold Card Plus dining plan, especially when combined with the slew of businesses that stopped their partnerships with the school, as well as Bingo Burger’s demise in a fire last fall.
My only hope for the future is that the purple house won’t sit empty (and will retain its signature color), and maybe some new place, even half as good, might move into it. I just pray, please, for the love of God, that they accept Gold Card Plus.