Brunch of the Week: Sobo 151 Is a Czech Magnet

If you're looking for brunch and sports, you have to Czech out Sobo 151, at 151 South Broadway. The brunch operation at this Czech sports bar and grill is small, but it still has a place in Denver's brunch scene, especially if you're a sports fan looking for an inexpensive meal.

“We have always served breakfast, but we're trying to revamp our offerings for brunch,” says Filip Tomas, owner and native of the Czech Republic.

The breakfast menu comprises six permanent dishes, plus a weekly rotating dish. The smazene knedliky, or dumpling scramble (for those of you who don’t speak Czech), is a filling platter of dumplings, eggs, kielbasa, green peppers and onions. The dumplings are first steamed and then pan-fried for a little crispness before being scrambled together with eggs and smokey kielbasa. If this dish ever catches on outside of Sobo 151, breakfast dumplings could become the new hash browns.

Tomas notes that his favorite rotating brunch option is Eggs Benny Sobo Style. He describes the dish as similar to traditional eggs Benedict, but “the base is rye bread, then bacon — because why not add bacon? — and over-easy eggs all topped with Hollandaise.” He's also a fan of the simple kielbasa and eggs plate, which comes with home fries and toast. The Power Play is another crowd-pleaser: It's a platter-sized omelet loaded with bacon, ham, mushrooms, peppers, onions and two types of cheese, and sided with potatoes and toast.
  While Sobo is known for its selection of European beers, the bar also serves the standard brunch cocktails; mimosas are poured as doubles for $3, and Bloody Marys are made from scratch. Of the eight beers on tap, half are European, including Pilsner Urquell, a Czech staple. A good brunch option is the light and tangy Konig Ludwig Hefeweizen. For something stronger, there are a number of Czech spirits behind the bar.

On the sports side of the ticket, Sobo shows televised games beyond those of the typical Denver teams. The volume is usually kept low except when championship games are on; they always draw a crowd, regardless of the teams playing. The bar subscribes to NFL Sunday Ticket, so every game is available, though you might be relegated to a small television in the corner if you want to watch anything other than the Broncos. Hockey fans, just look up: The ceiling is adorned with the jerseys of all six original NHL founding teams, as well as many others. And since this is a European bar, soccer fans will almost always have a match to watch, whether European leagues or American. Basketball and baseball fans have a home here, too, though you might have to watch games in the pool room behind the bar.

Brunch may be a distinctly American tradition, but Sobo 151 gives it a great Eastern European twist, which you can experience from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Call 303-778-1560 or visit the bar's website for more details.