Known as one of the great spots in Denver for spaghetti and a place where garlic-lovers could unite, the Saucy Noodle’s closure comes as a bit of a shock as the building hosting the restaurant sold earlier this month, and they’re not the first. Another long-term Bonnie Brae tenant, Bonnie Brae Tavern, also closed up shop after 88 years of operation. The terms for keeping The Saucy Noodle in business weren’t feasible and, according to the Denver Post, they’d been kicked out.
This comes after a surprise demolition notice that arrived at the restaurant in February 2020 from the city of Denver, so while co-owner Erin Markham, granddaughter of the man who opened the Saucy Noodle in 1964, Sam Badi, knew a closure would eventually come, they thought they might have a chance to purchase a new property to suit the restaurant. Any deals fell through and so they just announced that their last day of business will be on August 14th.
In an emotional letter posted on the Saucy Noodle’s website, Erin, Nathan, Sawyer, and Ayine Markham say, “While these circumstances are out of our control, we will not let them stop us from going out on a high note. For the next two weeks, we invite you to join us in celebrating the Saucy Noodle from 4 PM until the party’s over as we serve a special menu that highlights our most delicious achievements over the last six decades,” They continue in the next paragraph, “This will be a very difficult transition, and though we have not yet determined what our next steps will be, we leave you with a promise that the Saucy Noodle legacy will be carried on wherever our journey leads us next.”
This isn’t the first setback we’ve seen from the Saucy Noodle. In a tragic fire in 2000, they lost everything in the building except for the pizza oven and were able to rebuild. With that, we’re hopeful this isn’t he last from the family behind the Saucy Noodle, but Bonnie Brae will sorely miss them.