Best Pool Hall 2004 | Jillian's, Colorado Mills | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Pool Hall

Jillian's, Colorado Mills

Okay, okay: Jillian's isn't one of those smoky, spit-scarred old pool halls that have earned top honors in the past. But let's remember that pool is a social event as well as a sport. So it's about time we paid homage to a company (yes, Jillian's is part of a chain) founded on the pool-as-entertainment theme. And how's this for entertainment? At the Colorado Mills Jillian's, the twelve felt-covered tables in the main section come complete with views of more sports on nearby TVs. And although private rooms are available for the true aficionado, this family-friendly place is designed more for the Huxtables than the Hustler. Because the service is friendly, the equipment superb and the wait never too long for a table, Jillian's has racked up this honor. Just bring your own grit.

Best Pool Hall

Jillian's, Colorado Mills

Okay, okay: Jillian's isn't one of those smoky, spit-scarred old pool halls that have earned top honors in the past. But let's remember that pool is a social event as well as a sport. So it's about time we paid homage to a company (yes, Jillian's is part of a chain) founded on the pool-as-entertainment theme. And how's this for entertainment? At the Colorado Mills Jillian's, the twelve felt-covered tables in the main section come complete with views of more sports on nearby TVs. And although private rooms are available for the true aficionado, this family-friendly place is designed more for the Huxtables than the Hustler. Because the service is friendly, the equipment superb and the wait never too long for a table, Jillian's has racked up this honor. Just bring your own grit.

Best Place to Light One Up

Lyons Classic Pinball

Ding! Ding-ding! (Bump.) Ding! Ding-ding! If you ever walked into a pinball arcade going full-bore in the late '70s, you'd know the sound immediately, because there's nothing like it. Unlike the robotic Pacman and its cavalcade of increasingly sophisticated computerized offspring, pinball is a game rooted in physicality: You grind your hips into the machine, play rough with it, guide it with your hands like a horse, moving the silver ball -- ding, ding-ding -- from bumper to bumper, watching it elide like quicksilver through a mysterious maze, points amassing. The epitome of the age came on the edge of pinball's ruin: Bally's Xenon, a liquid being who cooed at you -- "Xenon" -- in a whispery, come-hither female voice, staring at you coldly yet salaciously from her bitchin' black-glass frame. Oh, to have her back again. The hell of it is, you can: Lyons pinball freaks Kevin and Carole Carroll have thirty pinball machines, including Xenon, at your disposal on any given Saturday night at their Lyons Classic Pinball, a smoke-free throwback arcade where you can share your memories with a new crop of kids -- your own. Unglue yourself from that computer screen and try it sometime. Bring quarters and an urge to get physical.

Best Place to Light One Up

Lyons Classic Pinball

Ding! Ding-ding! (Bump.) Ding! Ding-ding! If you ever walked into a pinball arcade going full-bore in the late '70s, you'd know the sound immediately, because there's nothing like it. Unlike the robotic Pacman and its cavalcade of increasingly sophisticated computerized offspring, pinball is a game rooted in physicality: You grind your hips into the machine, play rough with it, guide it with your hands like a horse, moving the silver ball -- ding, ding-ding -- from bumper to bumper, watching it elide like quicksilver through a mysterious maze, points amassing. The epitome of the age came on the edge of pinball's ruin: Bally's Xenon, a liquid being who cooed at you -- "Xenon" -- in a whispery, come-hither female voice, staring at you coldly yet salaciously from her bitchin' black-glass frame. Oh, to have her back again. The hell of it is, you can: Lyons pinball freaks Kevin and Carole Carroll have thirty pinball machines, including Xenon, at your disposal on any given Saturday night at their Lyons Classic Pinball, a smoke-free throwback arcade where you can share your memories with a new crop of kids -- your own. Unglue yourself from that computer screen and try it sometime. Bring quarters and an urge to get physical.

Best Old-School Video Arcade

Climax Lounge

Sure, the front of the Climax Lounge is one of Denver's finest black-box live-music venues, but the vintage video arcade in the back lounge is where we like to spend our spare change. The selection of early- to mid-1980s games is truly a hall of fame: Donkey Kong, Pac Man, Centipede, Galaga, Qix, Tempest, Gorf and Tron (light cycles rock, dude!), all for just a quarter a play. If only they had Dig-Dug, we'd be in retro-vidiot heaven.

Best Old-School Video Arcade

Climax Lounge

Sure, the front of the Climax Lounge is one of Denver's finest black-box live-music venues, but the vintage video arcade in the back lounge is where we like to spend our spare change. The selection of early- to mid-1980s games is truly a hall of fame: Donkey Kong, Pac Man, Centipede, Galaga, Qix, Tempest, Gorf and Tron (light cycles rock, dude!), all for just a quarter a play. If only they had Dig-Dug, we'd be in retro-vidiot heaven.

Best Place to Play Shuffleboard

Candle Light Tavern

At the Candle Light Tavern, bar games are taken seriously. And while the dart boards, pool tables, foosball and Golden Tee Golf games are always popular, the kick-ass shuffleboard table is where the serious action happens. The long wooden table is covered with plenty of smooth sand, and an electronic score board hangs above center court; fifty cents is the going rate per game. And while the Candle Light is revered for its laid-back atmosphere, shuffleboard challenges are battled to the last hanging puck. This West Washington Park dive packs 'em in nightly, so hit it early to stake your claim.

Best Place to Play Shuffleboard

Candle Light Tavern

At the Candle Light Tavern, bar games are taken seriously. And while the dart boards, pool tables, foosball and Golden Tee Golf games are always popular, the kick-ass shuffleboard table is where the serious action happens. The long wooden table is covered with plenty of smooth sand, and an electronic score board hangs above center court; fifty cents is the going rate per game. And while the Candle Light is revered for its laid-back atmosphere, shuffleboard challenges are battled to the last hanging puck. This West Washington Park dive packs 'em in nightly, so hit it early to stake your claim.

Best Place to Lose a Day Playing Monopoly

Recovery Room

Monopoly is not a game of speed. And whether you prefer to be the cannon, the dog, the top hat or the thimble, there is a built-in Monopoly board in a booth at the Recovery Room that is just waiting for challengers to cover its Park Place and Marvin Gardens with houses and hotels. And this dark, narrow neighborhood tavern is the perfect place to waste an afternoon becoming a wealthy land baron or a pauper, as it opens daily at 2 p.m. and serves drinks at happy-hour prices until 8 p.m. Consider this your "get out of work free" card: Do not pass Go -- just head straight for the Recovery Room.

Best Place to Lose a Day Playing Monopoly

Recovery Room

Monopoly is not a game of speed. And whether you prefer to be the cannon, the dog, the top hat or the thimble, there is a built-in Monopoly board in a booth at the Recovery Room that is just waiting for challengers to cover its Park Place and Marvin Gardens with houses and hotels. And this dark, narrow neighborhood tavern is the perfect place to waste an afternoon becoming a wealthy land baron or a pauper, as it opens daily at 2 p.m. and serves drinks at happy-hour prices until 8 p.m. Consider this your "get out of work free" card: Do not pass Go -- just head straight for the Recovery Room.

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