New Saigon Restaurant, one of Denver’s best and longstanding Vietnamese restaurants, is closing its doors for good on Sunday, Feb. 25.
Restaurant owners Bao and Mai Vu did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.
The building itself, at 630 S. Federal Blvd., is owned by Thai Nguyen and Ha Pham, who also owned the restaurant for 30 years before selling it to the Vus in 2017.
Nguyen and Pham couldn’t come to an agreement on the lease renewal with the Vus, according to the family’s lawyer Ramon Rhymes with Business Agility Law. He said the property and surrounding buildings in the half-block radius that the family owns have been on the market for a while, and the lease renewal didn’t fit into the “bigger picture” that Nguyen and Pham have for the buildings, including a possible larger concept taking over the spaces.
New Saigon, which is known for its do-it-yourself spring rolls and loaded combo plates, started as a tiny mom-and-pop shop in 1982 before Nguyen and Pham bought it in 1987, expanding the business over the years.
In 2012, they attached New Saigon Bakery and Deli next door. That business is owned and operated by Nguyen’s and Pham’s daughter Thu Nguyen, who confirmed that the restaurant is closing but who said that the bakery and deli will operate as usual.
Her sister Thoa, who recently competed on Food Network’s “Holiday Baking Championship” is the owner of Banh and Butter Bakery and Cafe in Aurora.
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