Yonder Bar Bringing Bluegrass Music, Cheap Drinks and Pool Back to Former Sancho's Location

Yonder Bar's landlord had one stipulation: The concept going into 741 East Colfax Avenue couldn't be another Deadhead watering hole.

Patrick McNally, the general manager and co-owner of the soon-to-open bar and music venue, laughs as he shares that memory. He's fully familiar with the reasons for his landlord's demand: McNally often went to Sancho's Broken Arrow, the building's former resident. That Grateful Dead-themed bar was forced to close in October 2022 after a string of incidents that started with being open against orders during the pandemic; the final straw was an investigation by the Denver Police Department over a cocaine deal. The bar lost its liquor license and settled with the city over a subsequent public-nuisance case in January 2023.

The closure left a hole in the hearts of those who would venture there after Fillmore shows across the street and revel in cheap beers and general wookery, as well as those who skipped the shows and just spent the night there.

Now Yonder Bar is poised to fill that hole — but with big improvements. Even though it isn't open yet, it's already full of good vibes. "When I came here in the early 2000s, when this place was in its early days, there was a lot of fun in here," says McNally. "It was a community, and we want to create a community in here."

The bar, whose emblem showcases a banjo-wielding sasquatch throwing up a peace sign, will cater to bluegrass music and place more emphasis on a friendly, come-as-you-are atmosphere. "We're gonna have three [pool] tables in here, really nice ones — go back to a nice pool community as well as the music community and bluegrass communities," says Todd McWhirter, Yonder's treasurer and co-owner.

"We've always loved this space, and, of course, Sancho's kind of took a turn for the worse. And when they lost their liquor license — we were looking at other spots already — we decided to call up the landlord and see if she was open-minded," he continues. "And she was, but it took a while. We had to convince her that we were not going to be the same. We're going to do things differently, clean it up and have it be a very special place. ... She wanted to make sure we were going to run a clean operation."

"This is our opportunity to create something new and fresh," adds co-owner Ariana Kravette, who handles the bar's social media and interior design. "Enough time has passed, and I just feel good about it. What we're putting into it is what we're gonna get out of it, both for us and everybody who comes in."

McNally had played pool at Sancho's since it opened in 2000, and that's how he met McWhirter and their fellow co-owners, including Ariana and Joshua Kravette, who will handle audio, visuals and IT. Warm and friendly, they all evoke the typical bluegrass fan, and understand that Yonder Bar will be building on community history. They're now awaiting word on passing inspections and are hoping to open in early March.

"It's really an opportunity to continue a legacy," says Ariana, "so we want to make sure we're doing it a service."

The building had other musical themes before it became a Deadhead bar; pre-Sancho's, it was the Golden Nugget Country Disco, a spot owned by the landlord. And a special find relating to that earlier venue was what eventually secured the place for Yonder Bar. "Pat found a cool thing on eBay that really won her over: a little ashtray from when she ran the bar forty years ago," says McWhirter, flashing a smile at McNally. "I think she hugged you. And so that sealed the deal."

But the landlord wasn't the only hurdle that the would-be bar owners needed to surmount. "We had to get vetted by city attorneys in order to get into this building," McNally says, "so we had to get background checks that we passed. That had a lot to do...with the landlord feeling comfortable and trusting that we're not going to be a drug den. As Todd says, 'Don't sell cocaine to underage kids.'"

The bar has been undergoing renovations, but some details will nod to the building's past. Red-and-gold-patterned wallpaper from the Golden Nugget era was discovered as they were stripping the walls. "We salvaged it and cleaned it up, and we're actually going to mimic the same wallpaper with new [strips]," says McWhirter, "so it's really got some of the history."

Joshua, meanwhile, has been busy burning CDs to fill the old-school jukebox, ensuring that the bar will always be filled with good-time music when bands aren't taking the room's small stage. So far, Yonder Bar only plans to have music one night a week, but that could expand once the bar has a good rhythm. "We're going to have lots of people in here playing pool. so this place is gonna be packed as it is," he notes. "So we'll see how that goes."

"Our plan is to do Monday nights at 10 p.m., and really cater to the late-night restaurant people," McNally says of the shows. "Eventually, I'd like to get nice ticketed events in here."

The owners put out a submission form on its website for bands to apply to play, and the response has been overwhelming — a good problem to have for a brand-new spot. "Almost daily, new bands come in," Joshua says. "It's all kinds of bands from around the area and beyond the area. ... We have about ten dates booked down the road."

"There are also some apartments upstairs that we're hoping to be able to offer bands that are coming from out of town," Ariana adds.

Those apartments have been a big drawing point for the bands applying. As McNally notes, they'd provide musicians with a place to stay while they play other shows around town, and also give them the ability to play a more intimate show at Yonder Bar. "I really want to support local or small traveling bands, and we can only afford so much here because we can only hold a little over 100 people," he explains. "So we want to keep it affordable; we're trying to keep it at $5 for the Monday night bands. It's not very much money, but hopefully the apartment entices and we can be a landing spot."

Aside from offering pool, music and good vibes, the owners emphasize that the bar will focus on providing quality, affordable drinks, from special-recipe Bloody Marys and fresh margaritas to local brews. McNally says he's confident that "with the drink prices that we're going to have, no music venues' prices can compare or even touch us."

Another promising factor, McWhirter adds, is the bar's goal "to have the best bartenders in Denver."

With its prime location, Yonder Bar will be able to support nearby venues such as the Fillmore and Ogden by adding to the neighborhood's eccentricity, Ariana notes. Not only is the bar following a legacy, but it's ramping up excitement for the present and future.

"It's been interesting to see the different businesses that have come through here and how Colfax has changed. We're able to offer something kind of niche but also supportive of everything else that's already going on," she says. "Speaking to my experience of coming into the tail end of Sancho's, it was such a community hub for me, being able to meet such awesome people years and years ago, just playing pool. And who knew it would blossom into something like this? We're taking that and fine-tuning it, and offering a space that is inclusive, safe and welcoming, and fitting what everybody's looking for."

Follow Yonder Bar on Instagram and join its mailing list to keep up to date on an opening announcement.