The epitome of your neighborhood bar and pub, Sloan’s has been going strong for ten-plus years in tiny Edgewater. With a homey, local vibe and a dining room that, upon first glance, doesn't seem much different than any other bar and grille, Sloan's seemingly effortless and casual decor belies the hard work that went into collecting and repurposing furnishings and decor salvaged from across the city, giving it new life.
Included in the bar's homage to Denver are a marble bar top, back bar cornice, and several doors that came from the old Columbia Bank building at Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard, while the booths are pews from a synagogue at 17th Avenue and Gaylord Street. And the chairs? They're from Denver's libraries and courtrooms, so you’ll be sitting on history as you enjoy a weekend brunch.
The 411
Brunch, which doesn't involve the ordeal of a long wait or line, is available Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. We were able to walk right in and seat ourselves at 10:30. Despite the dark interior and rust-colored tin ceilings, the bar was no reprieve from the cold as I fidgeted in my icy, wooden chair. Seated as far back as we could from the door (without actually resorting to eating at the pool table), we could still feel the draft, an unfortunate side effect of Denver’s dreary winter that’s feeling a little endless these days. Despite the physical temperature, the room had a warm vibe and a welcoming noise level abuzz with a mix of tunes and chatter and friendly servers that leaned in when they talked.
Drinks
The $1 mimosas and $3 build-your-own Bloody Mary bar are definitely a big selling point, and I don’t think I’ve seen a better deal anywhere in the metro area. The glasses are a bit on the small side, but with those prices does it really matter? I headed straight to the Bloody bar, which offers a choice of using Paddy’s homemade tomato mix — concocted by a former bartender who has since relocated to San Diego (smart man given Denver's recent weather) — or V-8, along with what looked like an entire spice rack and every brand of hot sauce you could possibly want. The creole seasoning and Old Bay complemented each other nicely, and when mixed with Worcestershire and horseradish, ended up being my version of a North-meets-South concoction (with a sprig of celery salt for Midwestern grounding). The garnishes were mostly above my eye level (#shortpeopleproblems) so I had to ask a tall patron to help distinguish what was in the dark dishes, but the array of pearl onions, sweet pickles and green beans were far outnumbered by the spices and sauces. The sweet and extra-pulpy fresh squeezed OJ is also worthy of a shout out. The Food
The brunch menu isn’t extensive, but it covers all the bases: chicken and waffles, burritos, eggs Benedicts —the creative combos of the latter indicating an obvious house specialty. I ordered the steak Benny with beef medallions on a traditional English muffin, while roomie had the smoked, shredded pork on corned bread, which we both thought was the better of the two. I wasn't given an option on how I wanted my steak cooked, but the beef on my dish and the pulled pork on hers were both expertly cooked and seasoned, although the scratch-made Hollandaise was a little too mild to balance the free-flowing yolks. There was plenty of the sauce though — perfect for slathering on the side of crispy hash browns.
For dessert, we shared the “cinnamon roll” waffle, a cinnamon-flavored waffle topped with cream cheese frosting, sliced almonds, and whipped cream that tasted like the love child of a Cinnabon impregnating a waffle. A gluttonous fiend for frosting, I could have licked the plate clean, and probably would have gotten away with it, since the shared plates they gave us were plastic. Casual elegance.