A former food hall in Aurora is being reborn as a broader retail destination, and two new tenants just staked their claim. Bonchon Korean Fried Chicken and Wapos Cantina have signed leases at Parkside @ City Centre, taking roughly 2,600 and 2,850 square feet respectively, with openings expected in the coming months.
The new leases mark another step in reshaping what was once Parkside Eatery, a food hall concept, into a wider mix of retail offerings, according to Mile High CRE. Tom Kiler said the Parkside Eatery model is being rethought into what he described as a more sustainable, higher-performing retail environment responsive to community needs, per the outlet's reporting. The property is located at the northeast corner of Alameda Avenue and Sable Boulevard in Aurora and was acquired by Spark & Halo, Two Arrows Group and OlivePoint Capital in July 2025.
Two Established Concepts Join the Mix
Henry Lee said Bonchon fits Aurora's diverse, food-savvy neighborhood and its demand for authentic international flavors, the same report notes. Bonchon specializes in Korean fried chicken and Asian fusion dishes, and the chain already operates a location at 6790 S. Cornerstar Way in Aurora, according to its own restaurant locator.
Wapos Cantina is also joining the center. Bonchon and Wapos join the center amid increased investment and leasing activity around the Alameda and Sable intersection, and the pair add two established restaurant concepts to a tenant roster that already includes Cheba Hut, Playa Bowls, Diroka Tattoo, Five Guys, Rare Tea, Einstein Bros. Bagels, The Halal Guys and Parkside Liquors. A recently announced large-format Best Buy lease next door is also part of that momentum, per the same account.
What's Left to Lease, and Who's Watching
Only two retail spaces remain available at Parkside, measuring roughly 3,034 and 1,976 square feet. Spark & Halo is working with Lisa Vela of Colliers' retail services team to fill the remaining storefronts, the report states.
Parkside sits at the northeast corner of Sable Boulevard and Alameda Avenue, as part of a larger mixed-use development that includes a 216-unit Class-A apartment complex, built by Milender White, which co-developed the 216-unit transit-oriented project with 36,000 square feet of storefront retail. The site is next to a 19-acre city park, with a pedestrian underpass linking residents to RTD's Aurora Metro Center Station.
Part of a Wider Suburban Food Hall Wave
Parkside's reinvention fits into a broader pattern playing out across the Front Range, where food halls and community-style retail hubs have been sprouting in suburban settings long associated with strip malls rather than gathering spaces. 5280 reports that similar concepts are popping up in Golden, Greenwood Village and Westminster, with developer Mark Shaker saying suburban residents want the same good food and gathering spots they once sought out downtown. In Aurora alone, the Latin marketplace La Plaza opened in 2024 with 125 vendors, while its 24-kitchen food hall was ready for its debut in 2026, part of a broader nearly 13-acre property that has drawn more than $20 million in redevelopment investment, according to Westword.
Aurora's Stanley Marketplace, which reopened in 2016 in a converted 140,000-square-foot industrial building, offers another data point for what these hubs can become — the property was 98% occupied as of June, and city officials described it as catalytic for reinvestment in the surrounding area, per the Denver Post.
