Fit to Be Thai'd: Lucky Noodles Leaves Colfax for New Spot in Baker

Nearly six months after Lucky Noodles decided to close its East Colfax location because of rising costs, the beloved Thai eatery is back — this time with a fresh start off Broadway at the former home of Señor Burritos.

It was a rocky end of the year for Kamolrat “Ploy” Limpapath, owner of Lucky Noodles. “I gave up on December…the sales were down too low, so I just, yeah, gave up,” she says. For a millisecond, she thought about giving up on the restaurant life altogether and moving back to Thailand, but “I was grateful for all the love and support the customers gave to me. The times and the moments that customers shared stories with me of bringing friends, family in town, bringing graduation parties, things like that. It was really cute,” Limpapath adds.

Buoyed by the supportive stories her customers shared during her last few weeks on Colfax, she started searching for alternative locations. In January, she signed the lease on this 1,600-square-foot location right off Broadway on First Avenue. The space is slightly larger than her previous spot, seating around thirty people and, most important, located next to a busy intersection with plenty of foot traffic.
Limpapath initially thought the renovation would be easy, as the space had been a restaurant for 36 years. She soon found out that she had to upgrade electrical and plumbing, as well as redo the ceiling after a contractor error. And because she had sold all her equipment and furniture to her Colfax sub-tenant, Uptown Banh Mi & Pho, she had to purchase new furnishings. Even her beloved plants didn’t all make it. “I lost a lot, I lost twenty plants because [the ceiling] here is lower. The plants got stressed and they died,” she says.

However, she did gain a beautiful mural on the side of her building done by friend Patrick Kane McGregor: her dog, “Biggie,” basking in the sunlight on a Phuket beach. Because of the typical unexpected renovation work, she soft-opened later than expected on April 5, with the grand opening a week afterwards.
Although the space doesn’t have the airy, high ceilings as her previous place, Limpapath still created a similar cozy, homey vibe with (new) plants and her lucky Biggie statue. “The new location is really good energy. There’s a lot of foot traffic; this one is more alive and more action and more active,” she says. The food is just as delicious, with that perfect balance of sweet, spicy and savory; the broth is just as beautiful, with a depth that comes from simmering for four to five hours.

There are a few menu items that didn’t transfer over, such as the pork and rice; she found her customers in this area tend to want their food quicker and eat faster. “They have a lot of things to do around this location, around this neighborhood,” she explains. “They can go for a drink over there, go to Punch Bowl Social to meet up with friends. There’s just so many things to do around here.”

Although early business is steady, Limpapath is still concerned about being the new kid on the block.

“We want customers to know that we really need love and support. We put a lot of love and timing into putting this food together. This is not easy on this day and this market because everything is expensive, but you come here ten times, twenty times, my flavor is always consistent, always good,” she says, then takes a deep breath to steady herself.

“We are human, you know? How long can I do this? I’m getting older and older but just like I said, I want to keep it all in. Enjoy the memory, enjoy the moment with the customer.”

Lucky Noodles is located at 12 East First Avenue and is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Find more information at luckynoodlesthaidenver.com.