Instead, El Chingon is taking over the space.
El Chingon was founded in an Arvada strip mall by the late Gloria Nunez in 2010. It became so popular that three years later, Nunez and her grandson, David Lopez, moved El Chingon to Tennyson Street. That location was a hit, too, and after almost a decade, the family decided to move to a larger space at 1691 Central Street.
But renovations took a long time, and the restaurant didn't open until January 2023. The delays were just the start of the problems there, and last fall it left that location for good.
In the meantime, the family opened an El Chingon at Denver International Airport last summer.
El Chingon is now open at the airport.
Denver International Airport
El Noa Noa predates the formation of that district. It was founded 45 years ago, in May 1980, by Raul and Hortencia Medina; the restaurant got its name from a song written and sung by Juan Gabriel called "El Noa Noa."
The restaurant quickly gained popularity with its cozy dining room and one of the best outdoor patios in town, complete with iron gates and fountains. It was always a neighborhood go-to, the place I learned over margaritas on the patio that the city was going to help Su Teatro buy the Denver Civic Theater, the place I had dinner with Gustavo Arellano and Tom Tancredo before I moderated their debate on immigration at the theater now owned by Su Teatro.
The El Noa Noa Facebook page still shows pictures of that patio, along with the promise to reopen March 1.
But when those iron gates do reopen, they will lead to a new restaurant. The Medinas decided it was time to let go of El Noa Noa, which Letitia Bañuelos and husband Vidal had been running for years; now the Nunez family will lease it for a El Chingon. "We're a good fit for one another," says Lorenzo Nunez, son of Gloria and uncle of David Lopez. "If they were going to move on, they really wanted it to go to another family."
And now it has. "It's a challenge for us to go in and fill their shoes," Nunez admits. "They've been such an institution."
They're starting by giving the space a facelift, "painting, redoing the wooden floors that needed a little TLC," he says. The only places that aren't getting a touchup are the beloved patio and a little bar in the back. "We don't know what we want to do in that back room," Lorenzo adds.
But they know what they want to serve. "We'll have the staples of what we normally do: the chile rellenos, the enchiladas, the chicharrones, our carne asada," he says. "Chef David Lopez will also be introducing different flavors, managing a small menu, adding specials."
The plan is to launch the new El Chingon in the old El Noa Noa within the next few weeks. In the meantime, Nunez and Lopez are keeping in close touch with the Letitia and Vidal Bañuelos, and Lorenzo even jokes that they should put the couple on the payroll, to make sure they come in once or twice a week to keep up with the community.
"What a wonderful family they are," Nunez concludes. "To be able to keep their legacy, it's an honor."
