HashTAG brings elevated breakfast staples to second location

By Melissa Voss

There is nothing like a little brunch spot down the road to spend some time with good food, good company and great drinks. In November, Chef Troy Guard’s restaurant, HashTAG, became one of the splashy additions to the Highlands Ranch restaurant scene. HashTAG heightens the everyday brunch experience with a Boozy Brunch, a menu designed to elevate both brunch classics and cocktails.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Guard worked across the globe before settling in Denver to open his first restaurant, TAG. He was voted Best Chef in Denver and named one of the “Great Regional Chefs of America” by the James Beard Foundation.

For Guard, HashTAG was inspired by the morning staples he enjoyed but could not find in Denver. So by taking the brunch classics and giving them a personal upgrade, Guard built the HashTAG menu, first for the original Denver location and now for the Highlands Ranch outlet.

“The menu has morning staples, dishes with bold Mexican flavors and Colorado classics, all with my own personal twist,” Guard says. I wanted to bring some influence from my Hawaiian upbringing to the new location so the decor, music and layout brings a cool, laid back vibe that reminds me of home.”

HashTAG also serves up their infamous Boozy Brunch with classic brunch staples like the Egg Benedicts, Chilaquiles, Big Cast-Iron Cinnamon Roll, Biscuits & Gravy, and platter-sized hot cakes. Guard is not afraid to add in some of his own twists to the menu with the Pho Real Hangover Cure and Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Hot Cake.

The lengthy drinks menu includes mimosa carafes, bloody marys, the sharable Big Ass Breakfast Punch made with Deep Eddy Grapefruit Vodka, rum, mixed juice, orgeat and ginger beer, as well as a large list of breakfast-inspired cocktails.

When choosing Highlands Ranch for HashTAG’s second location, Chef Guard says the community was ready to welcome him with open arms.

“We always want to go places that want us,” Guard says. “The Highlands Ranch neighborhood has been missing an awesome brunch spot and the people down south were always asking when I was going to open a restaurant here. We’ve only just opened but we already love being here.”

If you are looking to stop by HashTAG and want to try something new, here are some of Chef Guard’s recommendations: “There’s too many to choose from but my favorites that I cycle through are the monster sized El Jefe Burrito with homemade adobo pork shoulder, the classic Old School Egg Benedict and the cinnamon rolls which I always take home for our family breakfasts around the holidays. For a couple unique options I have to shout out the Knife & Fork Smoked Salmon Toast served with a house orange marmalade and the Pho Real Hangover Cure. I think it’s interesting that pho is a traditional breakfast food in Vietnam and this is my own personal take on the dish. It gets me going again in the mornings when I really need it to.”