Sichuan Restaurant Noodles Express Gets Lease Extension...for Now

Noodles Express brings the heat, but maybe not for much longer. Molly Martin

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Noodles Express, one of our picks for the top 100 restaurants in Denver, has had a tough run. It debuted in the Belcaro Shopping Center at East Exposition Avenue and South Colorado Boulevard in February 2020 — perhaps the worst month in recent history to open a restaurant. Just a few weeks later, COVID-19 put the kibosh on indoor dining for months, and those who were ordering takeout or delivery tended to stick to tried-and-true favorites.

But the eatery pulled through, and by early 2022, it had gained a loyal fan base thanks to its unexpected selection of Sichuan specialties like chong qing chicken, dan dan noodles and fried green beans.

Those fans got some bad news, though, when Noodles Express announced that it was set to shutter on February 24, 2022; its landlord was not going to extend its lease because the shopping center was set to be redeveloped.

But diners came out in droves to show support, and by February 23, the restaurant had confirmed that its landlord was working to renegotiate the lease.

Dan dan noodles at Noodles Express.

Molly Martin

More than two years after that scare, history repeated itself. In June, there were signs posted in the dining room noting that the restaurant's current lease was up at the end of August and "the landlord has not offered any kind of extensions yet."

But on September 4, Westword confirmed that Noodles Express is still open...for now. An employee told us that the landlord had offered to extend the lease once again, but only on a month-to-month basis. "It's very stressful to operate a business not knowing when it's going to end," the employee said. "For now, we're safe...for a little bit."

Ultimately, the nearly empty shopping center will be torn down and Noodles Express will have to close for good. So make a point of supporting the place while you can!