- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.
Jason Sakry and Dagan Thomas have both lived and worked in Englewood for more than a decade, and when they met while serving on the city's school board, they knew they wanted to be a part of Englewood's growing bar and restaurant scene. So the two purchased the building at 4361 South Broadway with the intention of leasing it to someone who could transform the space into a new eatery or bar for the neighborhood — little knowing that that someone would be them.
Sakry and Thomas bought the building in 2017, and by 2018 decided they were going to open their own beer bar. The result is Barnhouse Tap, which opened in late December with forty tap handles (more than thirty of which are now pouring) and a surprising selection of wines by the glass.
Barnhouse Tap is located several blocks south of downtown Englewood, which is undergoing its own rebirth as places like One Barrel Bistro, Englewood Grand, Duffer Haus, the Whiskey Biscuit and the Tabletop Tap open up. "We purchased the building with the intention of setting the tone for revitalization and building foot traffic," Sakry explains.
The response has been "very encouraging," according to the bar owner. Older residents and new homeowners attracted to Englewood for its lower real estate prices and quiet neighborhoods have been walking to the bar for pints of Colorado beer that were hard to come by in the area before Barnhouse opened. "We want to demonstrate to other businesses that there is a demand and a demographic for this kind of thing," Sakry adds.
The bar is named for the wood salvaged from a Minnesota barn owned by family friends of Sakry. He helped dismantle the barn before using the materials as decor at Barnhouse. A mural on the side of the building painted by Englewood artist RUMTUM (John Hastings) continues the barn theme. At only 1,500 square feet, the space doesn't have a kitchen, but Sakry says that Barnhouse now has the largest patio in Englewood. "We designed the patio to be plug-and-play for food trucks," he points out. So even in cold weather, guests need only walk a few feet to order food.
While events and activities are still in the works as the owners gather input from new customers, Sakry and Thomas are already planning a St. Patrick's Day party with live music and a crawfish boil from the Colorado Cajun food truck.
Until then, you can visit Barnhouse Tap from noon to "10-ish" Sunday through Thursday and noon to midnight on Friday and Saturday. Call 720-523-0201 or visit the taproom's website for more details.
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.
