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Green Russell: Frank Bonanno’s Genuine Gin Joint
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Charlie Brown’s Bar & Grill: Where the Beat Goes On
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The Shag Lounge: Getting Down(town) and Dirty
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Wild Ivories: Tickling the Keys and the Karaoke Crowd
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Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fun: The Robusto Room
Named for a type of stogie, The Robusto Room serves as a rare sanctuary for smokers—and a swanky one at that. One part cigar bar, one part martini lounge, The Robusto Room boasts a robust amount of Citysearch Awards, cleaning up everything from Best Club to Most Romantic Bar and Singles Scene.
Hidden in a courtyard off a suburban street, this dark, wood-and-leather-filled Lone Tree martini lounge and cigar bar doesn’t only sell hundreds of tobacco labels but also rents private humidors for regulars to maintain their stashes. And though there’s not much food on the menu—with only a couple of appetizers, you should plan to dine elsewhere—there’s lots of entertainment in store: besides plasma TVs and free Wifi, karaoke, poker, trivia, and DJs all turn The Robusto Room into a refined rec room on any given night.
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Authentic French Cuisine & Parisian Bar at Z Cuisine
Chef Patrick Du Pays wanted to make a "home away from home" with Z Cuisine & A Cote Bar a Absinthe- and he has succeeded. The restaurant has been awarded the Westword Best of Denver five years in a row. Using local and organic ingredients, the food is exquisitely done to perfection including classic French dishes that every palate can enjoy.
Going beyond the average bistrot restaurant, Z Cuisine has an added bonus of the A Cote Bar a Absinthe right next door. Taste real (minus the wormwood) absinthe that was illegal in the States not so long ago. If you're not interested in some sugar and green liquid, there's also an incredible selection of wines and cocktails to start, or end, your evening.
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Falling Rock Tap House: The Opus One of Beer
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A New Twist on Tryst: Dive on Fifteenth
The name’s a bit cheeky—real dives rarely refer to themselves as such. And sure enough, Dive on Fifteenth doesn’t look all that different from its previous incarnation as Tryst Lounge. But its slogan, “LoDo in a Blender,” says it all: from rotating DJs and a Wii system to a shot wheel and the famous strawberry vodka (a Tryst holdover), it’s clear Dive’s ultimate goal is to be all things to all downtown bar-hoppers: a dance club, a rec room—and, of course, a watering hole.
Insider's Tip: Speaking of shots, come Monday and you’ll score a free one on the house; “Cheap Ass Sundays,” meanwhile, are true to their billing with $5 martini and $1 PBRs all night long.
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Chill Out at Mynt Mojito Lounge
But whether it’s catering to the after-work or the after-hours crowd, Mynt Mojito Lounge means business when it comes to play. From happy hour ($4 martinis from 4pm to 9pm!) until the wee hours, the bar whips up 12 different kinds of mojitos, from guava to ginger, many by the pitcher; at 10pm, bottle service begins—and so does the dancing, especially on weekends when DJs spin house and techno. If you need a bite to absorb the alcohol—and keep yourself on your toes—there’s a limited menu of small plates, appropriately Latin-themed.
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The Bluebird Theater’s Still Singing After All These Years
From the Fillmore Auditorium to the Ogden Theatre, East Colfax Avenue is bejeweled with historic concert venues. But the Bluebird Theater, at almost 100 years old, is the crown gem.
Like the infamous neighborhood itself, the location has had its ups and downs—including a run as a porn house—but since 1994 it’s been welcoming the nation’s coolest up-and-comers (and even some of its more beloved down-and-outers) from a wide range of musical genres. Neither the main floor nor the balcony has seating (though both have bars), so sport comfortable footwear—unless, of course, you’d rather put on your dancing shoes, a must on New Year’s Eve when the local legends of Slim Cessna’s Auto Club return to town.
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A Slice of the Lush Life at El Chapultepec
The smoke that hung thickly for decades has cleared, but that’s about the only difference between the El Chapultepec of yesteryear and the Pec, as it’s affectionately known, of today.
Tiny, dark, and frankly pretty dumpy, this legendary club at the edge of downtown nonetheless shines white-hot with live jazz and blues nightly, just as it has since the 1930s.
Along the way, everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to Stan Getz to the Marsalis brothers has played the Pec—but musical magic seems to happen no matter who’s onstage. And the fact that there’s no cover—just a one-drink minimum—only sweetens the good vibe.
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Perks Aplenty at Peaks Lounge
s beyond. Incredibly, you’d think wrong: Peaks Lounge, at the top of the Hyatt Regency, is the one and only—and well worth the price of admission (that is, the hefty drink tab).
Long, narrow, and lined with cozy banquettes, it draws as many canoodling locals as tie-loosening conventioneers, who soak up the sunset glow along with martinis accompanied by complimentary cocktail nibbles. But should something a little more alcohol-absorbent come in handy, the small menu of appetizers and desserts is quite a bit better than it has to be.
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Glitz and Giggles at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret
ars as Patsy DeCline in a hearty send-up of country music—the spotlight shines on a variety of acts Denverites hold dear, from the Demented Divas to Naughty Pierre’s Burlesque and Comedy Extravaganza; risqué as they are, their real appeal’s due to their surprisingly strong talent.
If your taste runs toward subtler stuff, however, you’re still in luck, as nationally touring torch singers, jazz combos, and blues crews also regularly book stops here.
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My Brother’s Bar Belongs to Everyone
hers Brothers got their start), Denver’s a treasure trove of storied dives. Among its most colorful gems is My Brother’s Bar, a scuffed and stained Depression-era time capsule revered by generations of fans of Jack Kerouac—who famously whiled away the hours here with fellow Beat hero Neal Cassady.
Yet this is no mere hipster hang. Another quirk of the Mile High City’s more historic haunts is their diversity, frequented by grizzled guzzlers and families alike; here, young and old, stoned and stone-cold gather ’round as much for the signature JCBs (jalapeno cream cheese burgers) as the booze.
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Mile-High Honky Tonk: Charlie’s
Having launched the career of RuPaul’s Drag Race runner-up Nina Flowers, Vivid still glitters with up-and-comers like Felony Misdemeanor Sunday in and Sunday out. But cowboy-themed GLBT bar Charlie’s is much more than just a weekly stage for Denver’s premier drag show. Depending on the night (it’s open all 365), an extra-diverse and welcoming horde descends for free line-dancing lessons, raucous rounds of bingo and trivia, unreal happy hour deals—and even, yes, the occasional wet jockey shorts contest. Meanwhile, if more than the occasional Jello shot is your guilty pleasure, Charlie’s is your watering—er, gelatinizing—hole.
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The Cruise Room: A Come-What-May Place
It's a suave moniker for a swanky joint. Not just old school but downright historic, The Cruise Room in The Oxford Hotel was downtown Denver’s first post-Prohibition bar. And it’s still every inch an Art Deco–era wonder—resplendent in red neon, leather, and chrome and replete with elegant murals, a classic jukebox, and natty bartenders who pour proper martinis (the real three-to-one deal, even if the rest of the cocktail list is a tad twee). Throw in some oysters on the half-shell from McCormick’s Fish House (located just across the lobby, it services the bar)—and prepare to lose yourself in retro reverie.
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The Lowdown On The Hi-Dive
venues in a town that knows indie music.
Small and dingy, it nonethless draws the idiosyncratic likes of string maestro Anni Rossi; Dengue Fever, influenced above all by old Cambodian pop and surf rock; and neo-psychedelic groovers Starlight Mints.
And when you get your fill of tunes, you can load up in turn on suds and grub like the famous sweet potato fries at Sputnik, the hi-dive’s adjacent sibling.
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Psst: PS Lounge is a Local’s Secret
make that tallboy—runneth over with legendary dive bars, PS Lounge floats to the top. What makes the dark, kitsch-filled corner joint on Colfax—once dubbed the wickedest street in America by Playboy—so special? You. At least that’s how you’ll feel when your first round comes with Alabama Slammers and long-stemmed roses for the ladies, compliments of the house. The icing on the cake (or topping on the pie, rather): you can even have a pizza delivered right to your booth from Enzo’s End next door.
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Beers & Steers at Denver Chophouse & Brewery
railstation complex, this link in a small national chain hearkens back to Denver’s cowtown past, when beer and beef were what was for dinner most every night.
Handsomely high-ceilinged and woody, Denver Chophouse & Brewery is a decent place to dine (tip for filet fiends: order yours one shade pinker than usual). But it’s a better place to imbibe, with a good-sized selection of wines by the glass, generous cocktails, nearly ten housebrews on tap—including an oatmeal stout conditioned in Wild Turkey barrels—and bottomless bloody marys and mimosas for weekend brunch.