Abbey Tavern

Call it the luck of the Irish: With the Abbey Tavern, Glen Eastwood has managed to create a pub that's better than the sum of its parts. The former general manager of a couple of Irish bars around town, Eastwood turned an old florist's shop on East Colfax into a true hangout for Park Hill, a neighborhood hungry for more restaurant options. "An Irish pub, to me, is a form of inviting hospitality and warmth, very welcoming," says Eastwood. And the Abbey is welcoming indeed, with eager servers, an excellent weekday happy hour and an atmosphere that attracts families, young groups, older couples and singles alike. They all order from a menu that features a predictable roster of Irish standards and American bar fare, with some dishes -- like the Abbey rolls that fry up corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss in an egg-roll wrapper; that are a combo of both. While most of the food is unlikely to win any awards, the place itself has very winning ways.