Aurora stretches across Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties, from older neighborhoods along East Colfax to brand-new rooftops beside E-470 and Denver International Airport. Restaurant Finance Network helps Aurora hospitality owners put one application in front of several lenders at once, whether the plan is a family restaurant on Havana Street or a ground-up build near the airport.
Aurora at a glance
- Population: 410,053 (U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimate for July 1, 2025; up from 386,261 in the 2020 Census).
- Counties: Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas.
- Food and drink corridors: Havana Street, Stanley Marketplace, the Aurora Cultural Arts District on East Colfax, Southlands, and the growing commercial areas at The Aurora Highlands near E-470.
- SBA coverage: the SBA Colorado District Office in downtown Denver serves Aurora along with the rest of the state.
How Aurora’s dining scene is built
Havana Street is the city’s best-known eating corridor. Its business improvement district promotes Korean, Ethiopian, Mexican, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern and many other cuisines, much of it from family-run restaurants that opened in older strip centers. That mix creates very different financing needs than a downtown fine-dining room: owners often want to refresh a dated space, replace a tired kitchen line or buy out a retiring neighbor.
Stanley Marketplace shows another side of Aurora. The former Stanley Aviation plant on Dallas Street reopened in 2016 as a food hall and marketplace with restaurants, a brewery and shops, and the Aurora Cultural Arts District has been working to link it with the arts blocks on East Colfax. Southlands, in the southeast, adds a lifestyle-center setting where national and local brands sit side by side.
Large employers keep weekday traffic steady. The Anschutz Medical Campus at the former Fitzsimons Army hospital site draws hospital and research staff, and Buckley Space Force Base sits on the city’s east side. Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center opened near E-470 in December 2018 with 1,501 rooms and more than 486,000 square feet of meeting space, which brings group business to that end of town. The Aurora Highlands, a 4,000-acre master-planned community near the airport, received a full E-470 interchange in 2024, and its commercial pads are the kind of sites that call for new construction rather than a second-generation lease.
Financing that fits Aurora operators
- Construction and renovation loans for ground-up pads near E-470 and remodels of older Havana Street spaces.
- SBA loans for owners buying an existing restaurant or the strip-center unit it occupies.
- Equipment financing for kitchen lines, hoods and refrigeration; restaurant equipment financing goes deeper.
- Expansion loans for a second unit in the newer southeast or airport-area neighborhoods.
- Franchise restaurant financing for franchisees following residential growth.
See our Aurora pages on restaurant loans in Aurora and bar financing in Aurora.
Opening another location in a growing city
Aurora added more than 20,000 residents between the 2020 Census and the 2025 estimate, and much of that growth is in the east and southeast. For an existing operator, that is a chance to follow customers into new neighborhoods. Lenders reviewing a second unit check the original store’s deposits and debt load, the lease or construction budget for the new site and how long the owner could carry both through ramp-up. Groups with several stores can review multi-location restaurant financing.
Licensing and local help in Aurora
The City of Aurora’s Tax and Licensing Division supports the Local Licensing Authority, which holds the public hearing on new liquor licenses before the application moves to the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division for state approval. A hotel and restaurant license requires a real food operation. The Colorado SBDC serving Aurora-South Metro is hosted by the City of Aurora inside the Aurora Municipal Center on East Alameda Parkway, which makes free advising easy to reach.
Questions owners ask
Can I get a loan to remodel an older restaurant space on Havana Street?
Often, yes. Lenders look at the business’s deposits, time in business and the landlord’s approval for the work. A remodel can be funded with a renovation loan, an SBA loan or, for kitchen items alone, equipment financing. Getting contractor bids before you apply helps a lender size the request and speeds up the review.
Who handles liquor licensing for an Aurora restaurant or bar?
Aurora’s Tax and Licensing Division takes local liquor applications on behalf of the city’s Local Licensing Authority, which hears new license requests in public. Once Aurora approves, the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division processes the state license. Because Aurora spans three counties, check that your address is inside city limits before you file anything.
Is new construction near E-470 harder to finance than a lease takeover?
It usually takes more documentation. A ground-up build needs a construction budget, plans, a timeline and often more owner equity, and some lenders release money in draws as work is completed. Taking over a second-generation restaurant space can cost less upfront. A broker can show which lenders are open to each path for your numbers.
Nearby cities
Back to the Colorado hub, or see Denver, Centennial and Parker. Ready to see options? Check what you qualify for.