Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in Denver for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Denver for grown-ups.
Williams and Graham in Denver is Sean Kenyon's Highland speakeasy behind an unmarked bookcase, a James Beard nominee since 2011 and a Front Range cocktail benchmark.
Signature drink: Pisco-based and rye-based cocktails
Food: Snacks and shared plates
Death and Co Denver is the Ramble Hotel cocktail bar from the New York original, an Alex Day and David Kaplan operation since 2018 with a hotel-attached two-room layout.
Signature drink: Modern classics from the NYC playbook
Food: Bar snacks
Cooper Lounge in Denver is the Crawford Hotel's mezzanine bar over Union Station's Great Hall, a destination room with classic cocktails and a view down the train deck.
Signature drink: Champagne cocktails and classic martinis
Food: Oysters, caviar and small plates
My Brother's Bar in Denver is the city's oldest continuously-operating bar since 1873, a 15th Street institution with Jack Kerouac history and a cheeseburger-and-beer ritual.
Signature drink: Cheeseburger and a beer
Food: Burgers and bar food
Yacht Club in Denver is the Whittier neighborhood tiki bar in a converted Victorian, with classic rum drinks, a no-cover lo-fi crowd and rotating DJ sets.
Signature drink: Mai tais and tiki classics
Food: Tiki snacks
The Cruise Room in Denver is the Oxford Hotel's Art Deco bar, an Officially-Designated Denver Landmark and the city's oldest cocktail bar since the day after Prohibition ended in 1933.
Signature drink: Classic martinis
Food: Bar snacks
The Matchbox in Denver is the RiNo cocktail bar on Larimer, a casual late-night room with pisco sours, frosted Champagne cocktails and a pizza counter next door.
Signature drink: Pisco sour
Food: Snacks and pizza by the slice
Ironton Distillery and Crafthouse in Denver is the Globeville distillery-bar with house-made bourbon, vodka and rum, a casual taproom layout with a beer-garden patio.
Signature drink: Old fashioned with Ironton bourbon
Food: Hot dogs and snacks
Millers and Rossi in Denver is the RiNo cocktail bar and art gallery on Walnut Street, a rotating gallery space with classic and modern cocktails and live DJ sets.
Signature drink: Negroni and seasonal cocktails
Food: Snacks
Beatrice and Woodsley in Denver is Kevin Delk's SoBo Ozark-themed dining-and-cocktail room, with a forest-fairy-tale interior and a long-running cocktail program.
Signature drink: Lavender and herb cocktails
Food: New American small plates
The Thirsty Monk in Denver is the Cherry Creek Belgian beer bar in the Clayton Lane mall, with a long Trappist and lambic list and a tight Belgian frites menu.
Signature drink: Belgian Trappist ales
Food: Belgian fries and snacks
X Bar in Denver is the Colfax LGBTQ cocktail bar in Capitol Hill, a friendly room with drag shows, drink specials and one of the city's most diverse crowds.
Signature drink: Espresso martini and frozen cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Bull and Bush Pub in Denver is the Glendale English pub brewing house lagers since 1971, a Front Range fixture with cask-conditioned ale and a long beer list.
Signature drink: Cask-conditioned bitter and house lagers
Food: English pub menu
Peak food season in Denver is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Denver rewards trust.