Trevor Phipps
At the start of 2026, a new eatery coined Popup Cheese Steaks opened inside Jess’ Place Pool Hall in Woodland Park.
Early reviews indicate that fans are captivated. Business owner Daren Stoeckel has reported he gets people travelling from across the region for his specialty cheese steak sandwiches.
Since the business started, customers have returned from Colorado Springs and as far away as Hartsel for Stoeckel’s one-of-a-kind sandwiches. Moreover, he recently placed in the top three in TMJ’s Best Of 2026 competition in the heavily contested Best Lunch showdown in the Teller high country.
The Popup menu consists of their staple cheese steaks (kind of like those found in Philadelphia) with a choice of beef or chicken, peppers, onions and cheese like their “Red Dog.” For those who enjoy all the fixings, the “Dream” adds mushrooms and cheese whiz.
Others tend to enjoy the specialty sandwiches that are also on the menu. The “Homestead” has been a popular option as it comes with chicken, bacon and ranch dressing. For those who like spice, there is the ever-enticing “Bossy” or “Waylon.”
In addition, the head chef takes pride in keeping his award-winning red chili on the menu. Popup Cheese Steaks has also been working on other specialty items.
For the past few weeks, Popup Cheese Steaks has offered fries for a side as opposed to the usual Boulder potato chips. With the addition of fries to the menu, Popup now offers chili cheese dogs and chili cheese fries as a special
Making specialty dishes for the holidays is how Popup Cheese Steaks’ popularity has really grown. For the St. Patrick’s Day holiday last month, Stoeckel introduced the “Patrick.” This featured Stoeckel’s rendition of a famous St. Patrick’s Day Sandwich.
“I just call it a corned beef Philly,” the business owner explained. “It has sauerkraut, the Guinness Dublin cheese spread, and then Swiss cheese with corned beef. We are going to bring it back once a month as a special since it was such a big hit for St. Patrick’s Day.”
Popup Cheese Steaks is currently open Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
