Dazzle at the Denver Performing Arts Complex runs 70 jazz, blues and large-ensemble shows a month across two rooms, the city's anchor jazz club since the late 1990s.
Tip: Shows nightly with the early set the easier reservation. Enter on Arapahoe at the corner of 14th; the room has full table service.
Address: 1080 14th Street, Denver, CO 80202
The Cooper Lounge runs the mezzanine above Denver Union Station with 28-foot cast-iron windows, an Art Deco cocktail program from culinary director Kevin McCormick and small plates until 21:30.
Tip: Sunday through Wednesday closes at 22:00; Thursday through Saturday runs to midnight. Reserve via Tock for the window seats.
My Brother's Bar at 15th and Platte has poured since 1873 as the oldest continuously operating bar in Denver, with a Jack Kerouac letter on the wall and a brick patio overlooking the Platte.
Tip: Open until midnight weekdays, 02:00 Friday and Saturday. The Johnny burger and JCB cheeseburger are the food orders; the jukebox is classical only.
Lion's Lair on East Colfax has run live music in a low-ceilinged Colfax dive since the early 1990s, an Aladdin Lounge holdover from 1936 that signed a fresh ten-year lease in 2024.
Tip: Music most nights from 21:00, cash bar, last call 01:30. The back bar is the quieter spot when the front stage is loud.
PS Lounge on East Colfax has not changed since 1981, with floral carpet, a Houston Oilers helmet on the wall, a 100-song jukebox and free roses for women at the door.
Tip: Cash only, no cards. The welcome shot at the bar is the long-running PS tradition. Open to 01:00 weeknights, 02:00 weekends.
Candlelight Tavern on South Pearl runs a faux-brick storefront, neon Cocktails sign, pool tables, jukebox and burger kitchen as a Platt Park dive open 11:00 to 02:00 every day of the year.
Tip: Open 365 days a year, 11:00 to 02:00. The burger is the food order; live music drops in Sunday afternoons.
Don's Club Tavern on East 6th has run a Capitol Hill dive since 1947, with shuffleboard, pool, a back patio and the cheap drinks reputation that won Westword Best Dive multiple years.
Tip: Open from 15:00 weekdays, 13:00 weekends, last call 02:00. The shuffleboard table runs heavy on Thursdays; weekends fill the patio first.