Larimer Lounge ★ 4.3
$$rino{'monday': 'varies by show', 'tuesday': 'varies by show', 'wednesday': 'varies by show', 'thursday': '19:00 doors, varies', 'friday': '19:00 doors, varies', 'saturday': '19:00 doors, varies', 'sunday': 'varies by show'}
Larimer Lounge in RiNo has run touring indie rock since 2002 as the kind of small Denver club where The Lumineers and Nathaniel Rateliff played their early sets.
Tip: Doors typically 19:00 for an 20:00 show. The back patio opens through the warm months; sound is best from the centre of the floor.
Globe Hall ★ 4.4
$$rino{'monday': 'varies by show', 'tuesday': 'varies by show', 'wednesday': 'varies by show', 'thursday': '17:00 doors, varies', 'friday': '17:00 doors, varies', 'saturday': '17:00 doors, varies', 'sunday': '17:00 doors, varies'}
Globe Hall on Logan Street is the northern RiNo Slavic dance-hall turned live music room and Texas-style BBQ kitchen, with a backyard patio and Americana, country and indie bookings.
Tip: Show nights only, 17:00 onward with the kitchen open until it sells out. The smoked brisket and pulled pork tacos are the food order.
Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom ★ 4.5
$$five-points{'monday': 'varies by show', 'tuesday': 'varies by show', 'wednesday': 'varies by show', 'thursday': '20:00 doors, varies', 'friday': '20:00 doors, varies', 'saturday': '20:00 doors, varies', 'sunday': 'varies by show'}
Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom on Welton Street sits inside the old Casino Cabaret on Five Points' main strip, the room that hosted Duke Ellington and Count Basie in the 1940s.
Tip: The Other Side room runs a second show most nights; combo tickets work the corridor between rooms and run roughly $25 to $45.
Hi-Dive ★ 4.4
$$south-broadway{'monday': '16:00-02:00', 'tuesday': '16:00-02:00', 'wednesday': '16:00-02:00', 'thursday': '16:00-02:00', 'friday': '16:00-02:00', 'saturday': '16:00-02:00', 'sunday': '16:00-02:00'}
Hi-Dive on South Broadway has been the musician-owned Baker rock club since 2003, the small room that gave The War on Drugs, Vampire Weekend and the Lumineers early Denver sets.
Tip: Open daily 16:00 to 02:00 with $2 Rainier and $4 well happy hour 16:00 to 19:00. Doors typically 19:00 for a 20:00 show.
54thirty ★ 4.3
$$$$18 cocktails, walk-in plus fire-pit reservationsdowntown{'monday': '14:00-22:30', 'tuesday': '14:00-22:30', 'wednesday': '14:00-22:30', 'thursday': '14:00-01:00', 'friday': '12:00-01:00', 'saturday': '12:00-01:00', 'sunday': '12:00-23:00'}
54thirty atop Le Méridien Denver Downtown is the city's highest open-air rooftop bar, 20 floors above California Street with fire-pit booths and a full Front Range view.
Tip: Sunday and Friday-Saturday open earlier at midday; weather closes the deck below freezing. Reserve a fire-pit booth via the website on busy nights.
Rare Bird ★ 4.4
$$$$20 cocktails, cabana reservations recommendedcherry-creek{'monday': 'seasonal, check operator', 'tuesday': 'seasonal, check operator', 'wednesday': 'seasonal, check operator', 'thursday': 'seasonal, check operator', 'friday': 'seasonal, check operator', 'saturday': 'seasonal, check operator', 'sunday': 'seasonal, check operator'}
Rare Bird sits on top of the Halcyon Hotel in Cherry Creek with a heated rooftop pool, cabana seating and a wood-fired kitchen pushing kofta and grilled cheese to a Rockies view.
Tip: Rooftop season runs May through October. Cabana reservations are the move on summer weekends; in-house guests get year-round pool access.