Denver
Bar Guide

Denver's brewery capital packs more taprooms per square mile than anywhere else in the city. The stretch of Brighton Boulevard between 25th and 38th Street is the country's most concentrated craft beer corridor. Weekend afternoons here are a masterclass in how to drink well without spending much.

LoHi sits across the Millennium Bridge from downtown and punches well above its size for cocktail quality. Williams and Graham on West 32nd Avenue is the neighbourhood anchor of Denver's cocktail bar scene, but the surrounding blocks reward exploration with small-batch whiskey bars and intimate wine rooms that opened in its wake.

Denver's oldest commercial block is also its most polished drinking destination. The Victorian facades conceal some of the city's best cocktail programs and the highest density of James Beard-recognised bars. Dress up, book ahead for weekend tables, and expect prices that match the ambition.

Capitol Hill keeps Denver's independent bar scene alive. Dive bars and cheap cocktail rooms share blocks with live music venues that have hosted Colorado's best touring acts for decades. The drinking culture here is unpretentious and the prices prove it. Best visited late on a weekend.

South Broadway through the Baker neighbourhood runs three miles of bars, restaurants, and live music venues catering to Denver's creative class. The bar density here means you can spend an entire evening on a single block without repeating a drink style. Broadway on a Friday night is reliable fun.

LoDo powers Denver's sports bar economy, with Coors Field and Ball Arena both within walking distance driving game-day drinking to a professional sport. The rooftop bars here have the best views of the city skyline. Come early on game days or plan to share a standing table.