Millers & Rossi Combines Art Gallery and Speakeasy on Walnut Street

An unprepossessing storefront at the north end of the Tracks/EXDO building at 35th and Walnut streets doesn’t look much like RiNo’s hippest new gathering space. From the outside, it appears much like a dentist office or perhaps a small legal firm. The name on the door, Millers & Rossi, might even support that notion. But those in the know will head inside to peruse art from local artists in the gallery up front before ducking through a second doorway – vaguely disguised as a framed print – into a dark, sexy speakeasy in the back.

Millers & Rossi is the creation of brothers Dustin and Casey Miller, along with Rafael Depaz and Aaron Bodrog. (The “Rossi” in the name came from a friend who is no longer involved in the project.) Depaz is the barman of the group, while Casey Miller is the chef, who will provide a short menu of Southern-inspired fare to complement the cocktail list.

If you go, don’t give the art gallery short shrift. The small space is loaded with works from local talent, including photography by Dustin Miller, who also serves as the gallery’s curator. But once inside the bar, cushy seating in lounge areas and at the copper-topped bar will invite you to settle in for several drinks. House cocktails are designed around some of the classics, with showy twists like a smoked glass used in the house Manhattan.

The bar itself is open Wednesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday from 2 to 11 p.m., while the gallery opens at 11 a.m. on those days.