Boulder's Arugula Announces Plans to Close in 2018

Cabernet and Arugula: an unlikely though delicious pairing. Westword file photo

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Cabernet and Arugula: an unlikely though delicious pairing.

Westword file photo

Arugula, at 2785 Iris Avenue in Boulder, has been a fixture of that city's dining scene for the past nine years under chef/proprietor Alec Schuler. But the restaurant's lease expires next summer, and Schuler plans to close his eatery rather than renew at a higher rate. The news was announced in Arugula's email newsletter yesterday:

You may have heard, since I have not been super secret about it ... I have decided to close Arugula when our lease is up in July 2018. There is a chance we close earlier, as I have the restaurant for sale, but no takers yet. Massive thank yous and well wishes to ALL OF YOU over the years for your patronage. Without you, we would not have made it to 9+ years of business. As the Boulder climate for evening restaurants continues to become more competitive, as dining styles move toward quicker and more casual, as staffing has become ever more challenging, as I have tried to step away from night to night cooking, as our sales have plateaued and with the coming of the 2nd Tangerine in Lafayette in February 2018 - it has just become too challenging to continue. So I announce this with a bit of sadness but also with great joy for what Arugula was and lots of hope for my new future. Also want to send a big shout out and thanks to my awesome and dedicated staff members, past and present. So please - friends of Arugula - come and dine with us more before the end!

In 2011, Schuler opened a breakfast spot, Tangerine, in the same Boulder shopping center that's home to  Arugula; he'll open a second Tangerine at 300 South Public Road in Lafayette early next year.