Audio By Carbonatix
On a typical fall Sunday in Denver, people in orange and blue flock to local joints that serve cheap Coors Light and burger combos and have TVs blaring. But not everyone wants to bump elbows with former high school athletes getting drunk and trying to relive the “glory” days. Some people actually just want to sit and have a quiet drink, or an interesting conversation that does not focus on the Broncos. Here are our five best bars for not watching football on a Sunday.
See also: The Top five Non-Bro, Non-Dude Places to Watch Sports in Denver
5) Skylark Lounge
140 South Broadway
303-722-7844
Get away from the sea of jerseys that’s flooding the streets of downtown and head down Broadway for a blast from the past. With rockabilly music playing on the jukebox and vintage posters lining the walls, you won’t even remember that some dudes are playing sports outside. In fact, you’re more likely to run into chalk artist Joshua Finley creating new masterpieces in the Skylark than you will bros wanting to know the score of the game.
4) Lion’s Lair Lounge
2022 East Colfax Avenue
303-320-9200
Beware, all super jocks who drunkenly stumble into the Lion’s Lair Lounge. This is not the Three Lions Pub, an actual sports bar, or the Thirsty Lion, another sporty spot. You won’t find giant flat screens or a framed Randy Gradishar jersey on the walls of this dive bar. Instead, you’ll find rockers who couldn’t give a shit about the penalty on that play. The Lion’s Lair hosts different bands nearly every night of the week, and even offers an open mic night for comedy. Patrons have every opportunity to not watch a sporting game when they choose this classic spot.
Keep reading for more bars where you won’t watch football.
3) Cruise Room
1600 17th Street
303-825-1107
Class it up at the Oxford Hotel’s Cruise Room and channel your inner Jack White (who apparently prefers baseball, anyway). One of Denver’s first post-Prohibition bars would rather lure patrons in with its upscale martinis than cheap Bud Light draft pulls. This effort is appreciated by people who would much rather get lost in the Art Deco surroundings and listen to the calming sound of ice in a cocktail shaker instead of announcers yelling, “Pass intended for player X by player Y is INCOMPLETE!” But if you must find out the score, McCormick’s is right next door.
2) The Thin Man
2015 East 17th Avenue
303-320-7814
It would be laughable to even think about watching a football game at the Thin Man. For starters, the bar is fourteen-feet wide, making it hard enough just to find a seat at the bar, let alone try to cram in an entire fantasy-football league. The Thin Man, so aptly named after a Dashiell Hammett novel, fosters close conversation by advertising the lack of televisions, and the walls are lined with religious scenes rather than autographed football team photos.
1) DADA Art Bar
2470 Broadway
720-350-4716
For Denverites looking for more stimulating things to do on a Sunday than watch a football game, DADA Art Bar is an excellent option. This Broadway bar provides plenty of culture for patrons with new art exhibits each month, live music all weekend and an all-day happy hour on Sunday. This month DADA Art Bar is showcasing morbid pieces to pay homage to All Hallows’ Eve.
