El Chingon's New Home on Santa Fe Drive Closed After Fire

El Chingon just celebrated its grand opening in Denver's Arts District on Santa Fe, after taking over the longtime home of El Noa Noa this spring. But it's already closed — for now.

A fire broke out in the kitchen on Friday, June 27, just as lunch service was starting. Only a few tables in the patio area were occupied, and those diners were quickly escorted out onto Santa Fe Drive before the Denver Fire Department arrived, according to Lorenzo Nunez, one of the restaurant's owners and the son of El Chingon's founder, Gloria Nunez.

"Everybody was safe, and that's the most important thing," he says.

This spring the Medina family, who had operated El Noa Noa at 722 Santa Fe for 45 years, turned the place over to the Nunez family. They'd started El Chingon in Arvada in 2010, then moved to two different locations in north Denver before taking over the Santa Fe spot. (There's also an El Chingon at Denver International Airport, which opened last summer.)

"We just had our grand opening last week, and we did a soft opening the week before," Nunez says. "We had a group of individuals who were very loyal to Noa Noa and were willing to give us an opportunity, and a lot of our own followers. So it was a mix."

Business was building, Nunez says, his eyes watering as he looks at the exterior door to the kitchen. "We have the adjuster coming in either Tuesday or Wednesday, so there's a lot to happen."
But there's good news amidst the bad. No one was hurt, and the fire was contained to the kitchen and the roof directly above it. Aside from the smell of smoke in the dining room, there was no damage to any other part of the restaurant. As a result, Nunez has hopes that El Chingon can rise quickly like a phoenix from the ashes, serving customers on one of Denver's best patios.

"The great thing about this building is that they actually built a second kitchen that doesn't appear to be affected at all," he says. "So we met with health and environmental, and they feel that if we get a restoration company in here right away, clean everything up, where the fire was, yeah, it could work. We can use the second kitchen with a temporary menu, and just continue to do business. But we'll find out. We don't know yet. We'll find out."

He credits the damage containment to the previous owners. "I believe the spirit of El Noa Noa protected us," Nunez says. "That 45-year history, that rich history of El Noa Noa, that family protected us. I believe that."

He also credits his religious faith, pointing to a statue of the Virgin Mary against the opposite wall of the patio. "That protector is God," he says. "In our Latino community, we have a strong belief that that's the bedrock right there. It protected this entire building, and the fire was concentrated in one area, and it allowed everyone to get out safe. Okay, so we got lucky. God's on our side. We'll see what happens."
He also thanks the restaurant's supporters, including the three tables that were just getting ready for lunch on the patio when the fire broke out. "I wasn't here at the time," Nunez says. "But when the tables were escorted out the exit and left, they called our servers and said, 'Hey, we want to make sure we pay our bill.'"

Nunez is clearly touched by this story: "So my server asked me, 'How do you want me to charge this?' I said, 'Don't charge for it. Call them back and tell them we're not charging anything, apologize for the inconvenience, and say thank you. Come back and you know, support us when we reopen.'

He's just happy that they're safe, and that this new El Chingon will reopen again.