For the last several years, running a restaurant on Colfax Avenue has been hard. The ongoing construction has caused many businesses to falter and others to close. But for Fouad Zaouague and Souamia Johar, the husband and wife behind Cous Cous Hice, the street has not only been a boon, but seems to be part of the eatery’s destiny.
Itap a word Zaouague uses often. He says it of the way he and his wife met during Ramadan, on Laylat al-Qadr, Islam’s holiest night. He says it was the driving force that pulled him and Johar to Denver 23 years ago, a city where he had family but to which he also felt a spiritual connection. And he says it frequently with regard to how he found the space at 5523 E. Colfax Ave.
And destiny is a fundamental part of how he continues to operate.
It also played a part in the couple’s decision to open a restaurant. Zaouague said he first designed the logo for Cous Cous Hice 25 years ago while still living in Casablanca, Morocco, where he and Johar grew up and first met. But after moving to Denver, the couple embarked on separate careers. Zaouague spent much of his working in government, jails and homeland security, while Johar worked for 15 years at the Hyatt Regency downtown, specializing in banquet service.
Three years ago, having grown weary of the lack of Moroccan food in Denver, the two decided to actualize the dream Zaouague had set forth nearly three decades prior. In April 2025, the 36-seat space opened with a small but thoughtful menu of staples the owners learned largely from growing up cooking in the homes of each of their parents. Sandwiches, soups and pastillas all receive excellent treatment, but the star of the show may be the hearty cous cous bowls.
While searching the city for a place to debut, Colfax kept calling them back, says Johar, and when other locations fell through, they decided to dive into the vitality of the street.
Cous Cous Hice toes the line between a casual cafe and a more refined, almost home-cooked experience. Guests can pick up classic Moroccan lunch or dinner plates with the same ease as a visit to Chipotle, but anyone who sits down is immediately greeted with a steaming glass of gunpowder green tea with fresh mint.
“Itap part of our hospitality; our guests will always receive tea. Itap like a tea party or tea ceremony,” said Zaouague.
True to its tagline “a break from rice,” Cous Cous Hice serves indulgent bowls of couscous, which is actually wheat semolina, akin to pasta, rather than a grain. Options to go with it include: beef dreef with carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes and cabbage; and chicken tagine, which has saffron-tinged chicken amidst pickled lemons and kalamata olives. One standout is the Lalla Tfaya, a heap of chicken, caramelized onions, raisins, pumpkins and chickpeas.
The merguez sandwich is also a good bet, as is the pastilla, which sees either beef or chicken baked in phyllo. The chicken option comes dusted in powdered sugar and cinnamon for a sweet-savory delight that is distinctive of Moroccan cooking. To close, the almond cookies, one of Johar’s specialties, can easily be downed by the half-dozen and are gluten- and dairy-free.
Zaouague said the restaurant has been successful so far, despite what he described as “the Colfax calamity.”
“I didn’t feel it. We’ve been able to weather it because of our food. Moroccan food can survive the labyrinth,” he continued, noting that Moroccan, Algerian and North African clientele have been flooding in from across the city. “The food is the real deal.”
Even so, the duo is hopeful that there will be an additional surge once the mayhem has concluded.
