DENVER HISTORIC BARS & RESTAURANTS, BUILDINGS & HOTELS

I don't think I had ever been to Denver before (well, possibly on a family cross-country trip in 1971 along Rt. 40 but I sure don't remember the place). My image of Denver was that it was some sort of cowboy town (not that that would have been a bad thing and Denver does have plenty of Western American culture).  Man was I wrong.  Denver defies any label.  At times I felt like I was in San Diego, Dallas, Los Angeles, D.C. etc.  It seems to be a conglomeration of all American cities, which I guess makes it the model "All American City".  City planners have much to learn from Denver. The town exudes a vibrant, dynamic culture in the downtown area. People seem to walk with more confidence here - it's the town of perfect posture (did I imagine this or have other people noted it). Other parts of town are real time machine type places, frozen in time.  Plenty of upscale places as well as down home mom and pop spots.  Very green and with houses and buildings that tend to be built with very solid rock (probably a remnant of the mining history). It also seems to have an infinite amount of dive bars, of which I guess I only scratched the surface (decaf coffee and O'Doul's seem to be a bit harder to get in this city and at times drew a negative reaction - only a slight drawback for whimps like me). Anyway - I regret not being able to move here, but I'm sure the populace is tired of people like me moving in to escape the ills of other decaying cities. I try to look for unique cultural traits in every city I visit.  One thing I noticed in Denver is that most restaurants serve killer Chili, and in Denver you have your choice of three or four types of Chili - red (traditional), Green (with pork), and White (which I didn't try - I forget the fourth type). Often served with tortillas or Oyster Crackers (the only kind you should use with Chili!!!).  I also noticed that bars tend to have "mixed drinks" in their name for some reason.  Anyway, below is the best I could do on a short trip, but it's a good start! Take a tip from Jack Kerouac and check this town out!

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Aurora Fox Theater, 9900 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, CO 80010  303-739-1970 since 1946	Nice old movie palace along Colfax Ave. (historic Rt. 40).  Used mostly as a legitimate theater these days.
Bastien's Steak House, 3503 E Colfax Ave Denver, CO 80206 (303) 322-0363 T T T T since 1937	Started by William Bastien in 1937 when he bought out the Moon Drive Inn.  In 1958, the present building was constructed. Cool old school Steakhouse and bar with an interesting architectural design (sort of a subtle Googie flair).  Very hip bartender the day I was there and an all around friendly place. The couple next to me were drinking Martini's from a unique sort of metal martini glass that I guess keeps the drink extra cold.  The bar had the best time machine effect in the place. Often voted best steaks in town and prices that I thought were quite reasonable for a nice place like this.  While the restaurant is older, this structure dates from the '50's.  Got to love the great neon sign as well.  A Denver iconic restaurant for sure.  Near the Bluebird Theater, Pete's Kitchen and Pete's Satire Lounge.
Bluebird Theater, 3317 E Colfax Ave Denver, CO 80206 Phone: (303) 322-2308 since 1913	Another movie palace on Colfax Ave. now being used mostly as a music venue.  Not far from Bastien's Steak House, Pete's Kitchen and Pete's Satire Lounge.
Blue Bonnet Cafe,457 S Broadway Denver, CO 80209 303 778-0147	I stopped here because the signage looked pretty old. Apparently, this is an older restaurant established in the 60's that moved here and kept some of the old signage and fixtures.  Nice, upbeat Mexican restaurant with a friendly staff.  A mild old feel at the bar.
Bonnie Brae Tavern, 740 S University Blvd, Denver, CO 80209-4723 303 777-2262 T T T T T since 1934	Wow, what a great place!  This is either sort of the Musso and Frank's of Denver or Musso and Frank's is the Bonnie Brae Tavern of Hollywood.  Ok, Mussos is quite a bit fancier and has the Hollywood history, but this place still has somewhat of a  similar feel.  Very well preserved interior with old woods and booths and a really great back bar (I wish they would remove some of the announcements covering up the great lighted parts of the back bar).  Very nice bartender the day I was there. Several of the owners were present (sons of the originator of the place).  A true bastion of local history. Great sketches of the family of owners behind the bar.  Some internet articles say this place had the first pizza in Denver, but the owner seemed skeptical.  The whole Bonnie Brae neighborhood is an incredible time warp.  This was definitely one of my favorite places in my visit with very nice locals as well. Across the street from the Bonnie Brae Tavern is Bonnie Brae Ice Cream (another very historic place).  One of many great reasons to come to this area.
Breakfast King, 300 W. Mississippi Ave, Denver CO 80202	Down home, straightforward local coffee shop with wisecracking waitresses and food made from scratch. Everything you would want in an old school coffee shop. Try their homemade pea soup.
Brown Palace Hotel and Ship Tavern, 321 17th St., Denver, CO 80202 303 297-3111 since 1892 Pictures of the Hotel:     Pictures of Ship Tavern:	Without exaggeration, I believe this is the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen.  A jaw dropping atrium in pristine original condition.  It almost makes the Bradbury building in Los Angeles boring (which it certainly is not). Delightful later added art deco elements including inspiring murals above the elevators that Tamara de Lempicka would have appreciated.  I doubt that my pictures do the place justice. Sure wish I had stayed here, but my employer would never have paid for digs of this class! I can only imagine what the rooms look like.  President  Clinton stayed here during the recent Democratic Convention. And then there is the Ship Tavern in the hotel.  As classic an old bar as one can imagine.  Lot's of old woods and antiques. The bartender that day, a very elegant, attractive and well-read woman (as one would expect in a hotel like this) was nice enough to show me around the tavern and share some of its history, including a shooting in the 1940's that adds to the mysterious, noir feel of the place. It saddens me that more cities do not have places of this caliber (and that I may never travel here again unless I attend  another conference here!).  This place must rival any hotel in the world at any price! I'll have to return at least once and stay there before I head off to that great hotel in the sky (I guess this place is on my "Bucket List!"). I'm getting a little morbid I guess.
The Buckhorn Exchange, 1000 Osage St., Denver, CO, 80204. 303 534-9505 T T since 1893	Denver's oldest restaurant.  Animal rights activists would probably not like this place with all of the hunting trophies, but it definitely makes for an interesting ambiance. Very popular - you should probably make reservations judging by the crowds I saw.  Nice old saloon upstairs. If you are looking for an old Western feel, this is your place. Not far off Colfax if you are on a Rt. 40 tour.
Buffalo Rose Saloon, 1119 Washington Golden, CO 80401 303 278-6800	Kind of hard to pin down when this place was built, but it most certainly has a very classic old Western Backbar. Golden Colorado is a nice stop in touring the Denver metro area.  A bit touristy but worth a visit. The Buffalo Rose Saloon fits the same description. An older crusty local I talked to said that he traveled a fair distance to come to this place because the drink prices were good.
Campus Lounge, 701 S. University Blvd., Denver, CO, 80209 303 722-9696 T T T since 1949	I found this place on my way to the Bonnie Brae Tavern.  Another great spot in this very historic block of Bonnie Brae.  This place perhaps draws a younger crowd than the Bonnie Brae Tavern.  You would be foolish not to check them both out here.  I had the green "pork" chili here.  Very friendly staff and some nice aquariums.  Love the bar stools.
Candlelight Tavern, 383 S. Pearl Street Denver, CO 80209 303 778-9530 T T T	Nice old school bar with a very impressive exterior.  Seems like a good part of town with a college sort of crowd.  I noticed several bars in this town like this one that have a unique sort of faux marble bar counter I've never seen outside of Denver. One of those rare bars that still have a classic shuffleboard (the above ground type). Great burgers at 1950's prices. You wonder why they don't charge more? Not far from the wonderful  Bonnie Brae area.
Duffy's Cherry Cricket, 2641 E 2nd Ave. Denver, CO 80206  303 322-7666 T T established 1945 building dates from 1950	Popular bar and restaurant in an upscale area.  It's interesting to see an old school place (albeit somewhat remodeled) so surrounded by new places.  Very friendly, upbeat service.  Got to love their neon sign. Three chili's to choose from (and quite tasty).  An all around nice place. Plenty of parking in the area behind the place.
Davies' Chuck Wagon Diner, 9495 W. Colfax Ave. Lakewood, CO 303 237 5252 T T T T since 1957	A real 100% authentic East coast diner in Denver?  Shipped in from the East Coast Mountain View Diners of Singac, New Jersey Company on a train no less (not one of those barfable fake 50's diners!).  This place is often packed to the brim, which attests to the good food.  The neon sign has be one of Rt. 40's greatest pop culture treasures.  This place is a must see. Not far from the Lakewood Grill.
Doll House Motel & Cafe, 5637 W Colfax Ave Lakewood, CO 80214-1817 303 238-0772 T T  since 1954	I just happened to drive by here as well.  Fairly remodeled but still a nice stop on a historic Rt. 40 tour. Good pancakes!
El Chapultepec, 1962 Market St.  Denver, CO 80202-1420 303 295-9126. T T T T T since 1951	One of the last (perhaps THE last?) of the true Jack Kerouac hangs left in Denver.  This place is 100% pristine old school. Countless Jazz greats have played here as well. Prices tend to be pretty cheap all over this town, but insanely, this place, which was packed on Saturday night and could easily have charged $10-$20 dollar cover and have a drink minimum as well, had neither a cover nor minimum!  Is this place non-profit? The night I was there they had an excellent Latin Jazz band.  The Chapultepec is the place for jazz in Denver. Located in a lively area of downtown bars and restaurants (although I don't know why you would want to go anywhere besides the El Chapultepec in this area!). El Chapultepec includes a very cool looking restaurant as well with a classic "Eat" neon sign outside. If you have a limited amount of time in Denver, I would say that the El Chapultepec, along with the Cruise Room, Ship's Tavern, and Bonnie Brae Tavern are the absolute can't miss places.
Gennaro's Lounge, 2598 S. Broadway, Denver, CO 80210 303-722-1044 T T since 1951	Rat Pack style old school Italian restaurant and bar with killer East Coast style ultra-thin pizza and warm hearted service.  You're sure to hear Sinatra playing the back ground.  None of that Northern Italian upscale haute pay a fortune for a table spoon of pasta here. This place is the real thing. Relaxing bar with a tranquilizing red glow to it. Classic neon sign out front. This place is sincere. Sort of by itself in this part of town.
Griff's Hamburgers, 742 S. Broadway, Denver, CO 80209  303 777 7290 established in the 60's	Don't know how old Griff's Hamburgers is.  The sign looks kind of old.  The original building burnt down in 2003.  But I'm putting it on the site just because the burgers that cost the same as McDonalds are about 10 times better!  And I still sort of like McDonald's hamburgers. That's all I'm going to say! There is another location in Arvada, CO
Lakewood Grill & Bar, 8100 Colfax Ave., Lakewood, CO 303 237-7599 T T	I just happened to drive by this place on my tour of Rt. 40. Great old exterior and neon sign.  There are some nice remnants of the original interior as well.  It has a beautiful back bar, so covered up with knick knacks and posters that the owners apparently do no appreciate what they have.  Also some neat old booths.  I don't think it ever hurts to market a place by acknowledging its history.  Maybe the owners will discover this in the future.
Lion's Lair, 2022 E. Colfax Ave, Denver, CO, 80206 303 320-9200	If you like dive bars (as many do) this is about the diviest you will find.  I went in on a late afternoon weekday, so I probably didn't get an accurate feel for this place. At that time of day at least, everyone was well behaved, although a few patrons looked like they were no strangers to hard times.  I did get a fairly surprised reaction from the bar tender to my request for O'Doul's but they did have it somewhere in the deep recesses of their stockroom.  The prices were quite good, however. This is another of the faux marble bars.  Like all bars and restaurants in all of my websites, I make no representations regarding the safety or lack thereof for any place I mention. I love the bar's signage.  This was recommended to me but someone I'd be shocked to see in here, so it must have a different crowd when there is live music.
Little Wagon Steakhouse, 11707 E. Colfax Ave. Aurora, CO 80010 303 366 9523	This place is sort of interesting for the home made tables and chairs and the signage.  Prices are good.  The day I went there, there was a very nice waitress. It used to be called Pfeifer's.  This place is for patient people who want to relax and have a quiet conversation (a dying breed in the modern world).
My Brother's Bar, 2376 15th Denver, CO 80202 United States 303 455-9991 fixtures date back to 1873 (this name since 1970)	Make sure you make a note of the address, because this place has no sign.  While such a practice is now a sin qua non for hip places in Los Angeles, I would guess this place was cool before no sign became de rigueur.  A lively crowd at night with a pleasant dark ambiance, and once again good food for surprisingly low prices.  This is especially novel given the sort of upscale crowd. Worth checking out!
Ogden Theater,  935 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80218  303 830-2525 since 1918	Another movie palace no longer showing movies.  On this page I'm leaving the history of movie palaces to more competent experts.  Colfax Ave., historic Rt. 40, is a really nice drive for history buffs with the various old bars, restaurants, motels, movie palaces and Googie gas stations.  It gets a little rough in parts but so does Rt. 66.  It may be a good thing that so much of the historic highways have become "out of fashion".  In that way, many of the historic structures were never torn down for "upscale" improvements.
Oxford Hotel, 1600 17th St. Denver, CO 80202 (Cruise Room) Hotel opened in 1891 Cruise Room opened in 1933, the day after prohibition was repealed. T T T T T Photo by Eddie ("the great") L. Above is the hotel lobby.	This classic hotel has a beautiful lobby, but the real star here is the "Cruise Room", which often makes the top ten best things in Denver list in various magazines.  This pristine art deco bar is nothing less than a national treasure.  I imagine you can count places like this on one hand in the U.S. While I'm not a well traveled person, this is the best art deco interior I know of that is open to the public on a daily basis (now that the Redwood Room in San Francisco is remodeled).  It is often compared to the Queen Mary, but this bar is actually nicer than the one on the Queen Mary (which I also like and which is very often seen in period piece movies).  John Denver apparently played here early in his career.  Each design element or relief depicts a different way to say "Cheers" while drinking (in a different language or culture).  Apparently the picture depicting Germany was torn down around World War II by angry military men. Very proud and well trained bartenders who are well versed in the history of this place.  If you only have an hour or two in Denver, this is the one place you simply cannot miss.  I fear that national treasures like this will all eventually disappear, since most of the present generation of people (excluding the elite hipster crowd that appreciates old school design) view places like this as simply old and out of fashion (the same way the present author is often viewed!).  The place also has a killer free jukebox with classics by Perez Prado, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, etc.  You just have to see it to believe it.
Pete's Cafe, 514 E. Colfax Ave. Denver, CO 80203, 303 832-7854 since 1972	Pete's Cafe, which I do not believe is affiliated with Pete's Kitchen or Satire Lounge (which are not too far away on Colfax), is a quiet, little, and unassuming place that I really enjoyed.  It is one of those classic hole in the walls, untouched by time, where the immigrant owner does the cooking on the grill in the front.  No credit cards taken here (fortunately I had a ton of change in my pocket for parking or the policeman eating at the next table might have had to hall me away)!  The food was simple and really good (killer pancakes).  The waitress sincere and friendly.  The policeman was eating voluminous items that appeared to not be on the menu while I was there (including a massive plate of spinach).  Locals, some who look like they have some very interesting or hard experiences under their belts wondered in and out in a relaxed fashion.  In the "All American City" that I found Denver to be, this is as classic (albeit nondescript) an American place as you can get.  And if you are into adventure - ask them where the restroom is!  If you don't mind rubbing elbows with blue collar workers and the occasional corporate business executives (and if they don't mind putting up with you), you can't get much better than this for a peaceful breakfast or lunch (and did I mention how good the prices were). Near the state capitol building.
Pete's Kitchen, 1962 E. Colfax Ave. Denver CO 80206 303 321 3139 T T since 1942	Open 24 hours a day and beloved by all of Denver, this is a true landmark.  While the interior has only a mildly old feel, you just have to love the neon sign.  Surprisingly, for a place sometimes referred to as a greasy spoon (in an affectionate way), the food is outstanding here. I had what was probably the best Greek salad ever here (and the small one was too big to finish). Great prices and an exceptionally friendly staff of hip, young people.  If you are wondering where to go at a time or day when most things are closed, you have only one excellent answer. As one long time Denver denizen told me - if it has "Pete's" as part of the name, you can't go wrong. Close to Bastien's, the Ogden and Bluebird Theaters, the Lion's Lair and Pete's Satire Lounge.
Pete's Satire Restaurant & Lounge, 1920 E. Colfax Ave. Denver, CO 303 322-2227 T T T since 1962	Right next to Pete's Kitchen (and I assume owned by the same people) is this bar and restaurant.  Got to love the neon sign out front.  Can you believe they sell mixed drinks here!!! (and all I got was boring O'Doul's - someone has to tell me where this "mixed drink" thing originates). Nice interior and quite an eclectic crowd, from hipsters to well behaved people with broken dreams.  I didn't stay long here but it looked to be a fun place to hang out. Tattoos abound here, which always makes for a lively place. Wish Vegas had a place like this. Another unique aspect of Denver bars are the pleated overhangs on the back bars.  Haven't seen that in other cities.
Sam's No. 3, 2580 S. Havana St. Aurora, CO 80014 303 751 0347 also (at 15th & Curtis) 1500 Curtis St. Denver, CO 80202 303-534-1927 established 1927	This chain of restaurants have historic origins in Denver, but the interiors are new.  The Curtis St. location gives a nod to the historic interiors of the original restaurant.  The place is often packed and the food excellent.  I had the chili of course which seemed like a unique original recipe. Denver is ground zero for great Chili.
Stadium Inn Mixed Drinks, 1701 E. Evans Ave. Denver, CO 80210 303 733-4031 T T	I just happened to drive by. When I saw the great sign, I knew this place had to be old.  Pretty typical local bar.  No O'Doul's here but they were nice enough serve me a coke for a dollar or two (but with a somewhat suspicious look from the bartender, probably because of my big camera).  It was too early in the day to really get a feel for this place. You'll have to check it out for yourself. Looks like a good place for Billiards.
Ted's Montana Grill, 1401 Larimer St. Denver, CO 80202 303 893-0654	As you know, I'm not a fan of chain restaurants, but this place was really done extremely well.  In my subjective opinion, it looks an awful lot like the Tadich Grill in San Francisco, which is a good thing.  This chain has spared no expense in recreating the look of a vintage restaurant. They even fooled me (I thought it was an old place).  No corporate bean counting here.  And the food and service were superb as well, with their specialty being Bison meat.  Apparently this was the creation of Ted Turner.  Bravo!  Support the mom and pop places in Denver, but you have my permission to go here as well.  I rarely trust my judgment of what normal people (unlike weird old me) will like, but my colleagues at the conference I was attending liked it as well.
Village Coffee Shop, 1605 Folsom St., Boulder, CO 80302-6717 303-442-9689 and  Boulder, CO in general. T T	Ok, this is Boulder and not Denver, but not being from the area, I can naively think of it as the Denver metropolitan area (a term they don't seem to like in outlying cities near Denver).  Boulder is of course a quaint college town.  It's so beautiful, I can only image that it's pretty expensive to buy a home here.  It reminded me of an upscale version of Berkeley, California.  They have a great pedestrian mall (closed off street or whatever you want to call it) on Pearl. Tons of interesting used book stores.  My only criticism is that too many of the restaurants are upscale (a euphemism  for overpriced).  That's why the Village Coffee Shop is a godsend for those with an appetite.  Sort of a nondescript interior, but definitely a slice of Americana.  The food is as American as American food can get here.  Don't look for arugula on the menu! The special I ordered (I think it was $6.95) was so large that even a porker like me could not finish it - good old American meatloaf!  Definitely a place for locals but tourists are made to feel welcome.  I guess even liberals, the prevailing ideology in Boulder, occasionally eat meatloaf!