Whether they’ve been around for decades or are new to the scene, the following Mile High hangouts are your best bet for everything you’re looking for in a sports bar—flat screens, cracked leather stools, and all.
LessIf you’re looking for the perfect combination of sports bar and mellow lounge, this is your spot. Find TVs all over the place here—at the bar, throughout the dining room—accessible no matter where you sit. Choose from over 90 whiskeys and 30 beer taps, and handcrafted cocktails if that’s your gametime vibe. Plus, once the game’s over, head up to the rooftop to finish off your drink or signature sandwich and take in some lovely views of the city.
Since becoming the staple sports bar for Congress Park locals more than a decade ago, this place has served locals well with its 30 beer taps, big-screen TVs, and cozy atmosphere. The taproom, which also has four wine taps and carries the NFL, MLB, NHL, and college football packages, has some free popcorn and a few snacks, but you can order delivery from any number of nearby restaurants right to your barstool, thanks to the open food policy here.
Just a few doors down from Sports Column (Ballpark really is the place for sports bars in Denver) is a place where the vibe is up to you. Meaning, whether you’re trying to sit and watch the game with a cold beer or are looking for a fun night out a la some adult slushies, Swanky’s should be your go-to.
This is a real Bronco’s legacy bar, having been opened just blocks from the stadium in 1983. It feels like an entirely hallowed space, having originally been constructed nearly a century earlier in 1896. This is a place where people have watched much of the trajectory of a true Denver dynasty, with fans celebrating the victories and lamenting the losses year after glorious year. Every bar staple can be expected, with quesadillas, chicken fingers, BLTs, and burritos all keeping it unfussy.
Tom’s Watch Bar recently hit McGregor Square as a new big boy on the block. Claiming over 155 TVs, a full stadium screen, and golf simulation rooms courtesy of Top Golf, this is a truly mammoth ode to the viewing of all things athletic. Cocktails like the Cactus Ass Kick and the Cocomojito are joined by pickle brined crispy chicken, a Rockies green chili burger and a fully developed taco menu that doesn’t shy away from stacking one of its tortillas with butter-poached shrimp and lump crab.
If hockey, a long list of Czech drafts and minty spirits, and schnitzel, kielbasa, and beef goulash is your idea of a well done evening, SOBO 151 is the place. The lights are dim, the ashtrays generally on their way towards filled, and the crowd is almost always set to mingle. This place is inarguably bold, built for people who are ready for a little friendly confrontation, and the joys of making your opinion known, whatever the consequence.
Stoney’s has established itself as a major hub for folks trying to enjoy any number of games in an appropriately raucous setting. Its OG Cap Hill location on Lincoln is staggeringly large, with room after room of TVs, fried food, and huge plastic cups full of suds. A second location, dubbed Stoney’s Uptown Joint, is more lowkey, though not by much. As the world inches back towards full sports fervor, both locations are starting to show signs that nature is healing.
Esters has an admirable formula and has made it work in two neighborhoods, nearly taking over the surrounding area as the go-to spot for, well, just about everything. They have amazing pizza (many of which are named after Phish songs), plentiful brews, a family-friendly atmosphere, and a killer brunch menu. And about those sports. Esters comes correct, with Sunday being as lively as anywhere else in town. The TV set-up at the latest location in Park Hill is particularly impressive.
RiNo Beer Garden is one of the best places in the neighborhood to enjoy the game while knocking a few back on the place’s 4,000 square foot crown jewel—the patio. It also boasts a massive tap list with an endless array of brews both local and big name, and more than a few ciders and hard seltzers. Perhaps best of all is the weekend brunch, featuring robust plates of corned beef hash, biscuits and gravy, and black forest pancakes with chocolate mousse, cherry compote, chocolate chips, and whipped
The College, as it is affectionately known, has been slinging beers on its corner of east 8th Avenue since 1958. As the neighborhood around it has grown, College Inn has stayed mostly the same, sticking to its guns as one of the last great truly unapologetic dives in the city. Cheap drinks and daily specials dot the blackboard as regulars look upward to the sports on the many TVs. If you’re feeling nostalgic, the green chili is basically a window back in time.