The Uptown neighborhood will get a taste of traditional Chinese hand-pulled noodles in November, thanks to Magic Noodle House, which will open in the former Qdoba space at 1400 East 17th Avenue.
“There will be an open kitchen with people making the noodles from scratch, starting with flour and transforming it into skinny noodles right in front of the customers,” says Nina Zhang, who also owns Kung Fu Tea and TKK Fried Chicken in Colorado Springs and Hana Matsuri Sushi in Westminster with business partner Sunny Sun.
Helping to lead the culinary side of the project is chef Guoming “Sam” Xin, best known for his restaurant The Noodle Man, which opened in Vegas in 2015 and, more recently, his work at the Noodle Den inside the Sahara Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.
Chef Sam’s culinary journey began more than twenty years ago in Zhengzhou, China, where he launched his first restaurant, Noodle City. He later earned certification as a Senior Noodle Technician in Beijing before relocating to Las Vegas, where he’s held senior culinary positions at Wynn Las Vegas, the Cosmopolitan and Caesars Palace, among other top resorts.
His hand-pulled noodles and dumplings have won critical acclaim and a loyal following. In Denver, he’ll be on-site for a year-long residency, training Sun and helping to develop the menu and kitchen operations. “He’s kind of famous in Las Vegas,” Zhang shares. “He’ll be teaching my husband everything: recipes, technique, all of it.”
Cooking is not the only thing that Chef Sam will have taught Sun: The two first met in China, where Sam was Sun’s acrobatics coach.
“Both of them were professional acrobatic performers from China, and they were well known, which is why they were invited to the U.S. to perform,” explains Zhang, who is originally from Chengdu, China.
Now, the two will reunite at Magic Noodle House, where the menu will feature two main types of noodles: thin, hand-pulled strands and thicker, knife-cut noodles. Guests will be able to choose from different preparations like stir-fried, dry-style or noodles in broth, with a variety of flavors and spicy and non-spicy options. On the dumpling side, diners can expect fillings like pork, beef and chicken, with a vegetarian option likely to be added.
The noodle joint will offer full table service, with up to eighty indoor seats and an additional ten to fifteen on the patio. The 2,700 square-foot, stand-alone space will be transformed with modern interiors with dark red walls and moody lighting, as well as a bar; a full liquor license is currently in the works. In addition to beer and wine, there are plans for a cocktail menu featuring martinis and other specialty drinks.
For Zhang and Sun, choosing the Uptown area for their newest venture was a strategic decision. “We were looking for a place where there’s more population and more young people,” Zhang explains. “Denver is growing fast, and we felt like the style of hand-pulled noodles would spread quickly here.”
Although a couple of other hand-pulled noodle spots have recently opened in the metro area, including Lan’s Noodles and Dumplings in Glendale, Zhang is confident that Magic Noodle House will stand out. “Ours will be much different,” she adds.
Watch for it this fall.
