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College students attending classes at Denver’s Auraria campus will soon be able to add recess to their schedule.
Recess Beer Garden this week announced plans to bring its patio vibes to the historic Tivoli Student Union next month, with the intention of opening before the start of the fall semester. It will take over the space formerly occupied by Quad Side Tavern and Tivoli Brewing.
“When we first created Recess, the goal was simple: build a place where people could take a break, enjoy great food and drinks, and connect with the people around them,” says CEO & managing partner Jason Romero. “The Tivoli has been doing that in its own way for generations, which makes this an incredibly meaningful place for us to call home. We’re excited to welcome the Auraria community and continue that tradition together.”
Tivoli Brewing closed its 10-year operation within the student union last April, and was briefly replaced with Quad Side Tavern the following October. However, that effort proved short-lived, and now Recess will take a shot at reviving the space.
The Recess team has had an up-and-down success rate taking over iconic Denver locations over the years. In 2015, it first emerged on the Denver scene in LoHi, when owners William Frankland and Owen Olson took over a former bookbinding warehouse to bring their outdoor beer patio dreams to life.
The team, under the auspices of the Recess Family restaurant group, later added the nearby fieldTRIP to its roster in 2022 (which later closed) and then took over the troubled Campus Lounge in Bonnie Brae. This is the first expansion of the Recess brand.
Earlier this year, that brand took a slight hit when it found itself at the center of a national controversy after an anti-vaccine dating event was booked at the venue, apparently without its knowledge. The group canceled the event, drawing the organizer’s ire and a subsequent lawsuit.
However, that hasn’t stopped Recess from appearing on our list of the 10 Best Denver Beer Gardens, nor, it seems, seeking to open its doors in other venues like Tivoli. The progression seems to be a bit of a fortunate theme for the restaurant group. First, it opens in a former bookmaking facility. Then it takes over a scholastically named venue like Campus Lounge. And now it moves onto an actual campus, with real students and books.
