Subterranean South Broadway HiFi Bar Debuts Today

Denver is officially in its listening bar era, and Vaultaire, which opens Thursday, March 12, is set to become the latest addition. The trend, which began with Japanese jazz kissas before spreading across Europe and making its way to New York City and beyond, has taken hold in the Mile High in recent years.

ESP HiFi was the first Japanese kissa-inspired bar to debut in Denver back in 2021, nabbing an editor’s pick for Best Place to Drown Out Your Annoying Friend in our Best of Denver issue the following year. Last October, a different kind of listening bar joined the scene with the opening of Malinche Audio Bar, where chef/owner Jose Avila’s personal collection of vintage Mexican records helps transport guests to the streets of Mexico City.

In November, husband-and-wife Stuart Jensen and Alex Jump, both longtime bar pros, opened the Peach Crease Club just outside Mission Ballroom, complete with a sound system that blends vintage and new components, filling the space with the sounds of their record collection, making it an ideal spot to pre-game before enjoying live music next door.

Now, the team behind some of the best bars in the city is opening a listening bar of its own, underneath its buzzy French eatery. Guest Floor Management includes the Tatarian, Union Lodge No. 1 and the Arvada Tavern. In March 2024, the group added French eatery La Forêt to the mix when it took over the former Beatrice & Woodsley space on South Broadway. The place feels like a magical woodland escape, and Vaultaire sounds like a fitting extension.

Located beneath La Forêt’s dining room, the team describes its newest concept as “a subterranean cocktail and HiFi-driven space blending vintage spirits, French-inspired small plates, and analog sound into an intimate European basement experience, inspired by the underground pubs, listening bars, and synth-wave club scenes that shaped European nightlife from the late 1970s through the early 1990s.” It will be walk-in only, with no reservations available.

Design details include “ornate woodwork, vaulted ceilings and cellar-like architecture to create a dimly lit environment that feels both timeless and quietly electric,” according to a press release, along with a HiFi analog sound system that will play records from a curated collection featuring European synth wave, post-punk, underground disco and late-night club culture.

Vintage and rare spirits will star in the beverage program designed by Jason Patz, which will include European-inspired craft cocktails and a wine list that spaces classics with emerging producers. Executive chef Jamie Rutherford will serve a menu of French-inspired small plates such as escargot au Champagne and duck rillette.

As South Broadway’s bar scene continues to evolve, this subterranean escape will add something new to the neighborhood: a low-key, candlelit experience where you can simply slow down, sip and listen.

Vaultaire is located beneath La Forêt at 38 South Broadway and will be open from 6 p.m. to close Thursday through Saturday beginning March 12, with plans to expand its hours in the coming months. For more information, visit vaultaireden.com or follow @vaultairedenver on Instagram.