Middleman shuttered at the end of June; Giggling Grizzly stopped pouring a week later. Bar Bar closed after a fire last summer, and may never recover from the recent collapse of a wall; Blake Street Tavern's reopening has been pushed back to December. And White Horse Tavern, a century-old bar that closed during COVID, shows no signs of ever coming back; it went on the market for $1.5 million three years ago.
Although new bars are opening all the time, the patina of old age is what gives so many taverns their real flavor.
At an office meeting, one young editor fondly recalled drinking at Govnr's Park — where Westword marked its first anniversary 47 years ago, before he was even a twinkle in his parents' eye. Now, after a few different attempts to fill that space with other concepts, the owners have opened Apres Govnr's Park, honoring the bar that so many still miss.
Blink, and you'll miss this sign, which is still on Logan Street.
Sarah McGill
Emerald Isle
4385 South Parker Road, Aurora
Denver doesn't have a beach, but you'd never know that after you spent a few hours at Emerald Isle. The bar itself was a classic roadhouse, which got its start as the barracks for the Army Corps of Engineers during construction of the Cherry Creek Dam; it then became a schoolhouse for several years. It was turned into a saloon (a much better use of the structure) sometime in the '70s, and the new owners who took it over in 1986 expanded the place, adding the giant redwood deck with such a great view of the Cherry Creek Reservoir that you never missed the sand (or the mosquitos). Sadly, it closed for good last year.
McCormick's
1600 17th Street
This outpost of the McCormick's & Schmick's chain was a game-changer when it opened in a corner space at the Oxford Hotel in 1987. LoDo was already an unofficial arts hub and just becoming a historic district; with its twice-a-day happy hour (known to regulars as cheap time), McCormick's became a kitchen for those who lived and/or worked downtown, as well as a living room for those who appreciated hanging out for hours chatting with neighbors while quaffing stiff drinks. (And that fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice!) After Landry's bought the McCormick's & Schmick's chain in 2012, this bar was never the same...and today, the space is occupied by Urban Farmer. Consolation prize: the Oxford is still home to the classic Cruise Room.
The original Racines on Bannock, before the move to Sherman Street
Racines
650 Sherman Street (and 850 Bannock Street before that)
Yes, we know that Racines was much more than a bar: It was a vast restaurant with a vast menu that had something for everyone. And everyone came to Racines; for almost four decades, it was Denver's go-to spot whether you were going for breakfast or happy hour or just a late-night drink. No matter when you went, you were guaranteed to find many people who knew your name. And if you just sat down at that big center bar, you were bound to become friends with others who didn't know your name...yet. This was Denver's clubhouse, and while owners David Racine and Lee Goodfriend were already planning to sell the property and retire at the start of this decade, COVID moved up their plans. Sadly, we never got to say a proper goodbye; this will have to suffice.
Rockbar
3015 East Colfax Avenue
Rockbar had the kind of buzz that can't be bought — or can it? The kitschy club with the disco-happy '70s decor opened in 2006 in what had been Perry's, a restaurant that was sealed like a tomb inside the All-Inn Motel, which dated from Colfax's glory days as the gateway to the West in the '50s and '60s. Under promoter/owner Jesse Morreale, Rockbar served up great bands and greasy goods late into the night; during the Democratic National Convention in 2008, it became a hangout for celebs. But after numerous wrangles with neighbors and the city, Rockbar closed after six years and Morreale sold the All-Inn, which is slated to someday rise again as a boutique hotel. Rock on, Rockbar memories.
Inside the Wazee Lounge and Supper Club after a renovation that added TVs (but left the dumbwaiter).
Mark Antonation
1600 15th Street
We will always miss the Wazee Lounge and Supper Club, and not just because the Westword office was located on the rickety second floor for four glorious years. The restaurant got its start sixty years ago as a comfort-food eatery in an old warehouse, then turned into a pizza joint and late-night watering hole owned by the legendary Karagas brothers, who also owned the essential My Brother's Bar. Before Lower Downtown became LoDo, this was the place where students, artists and other night owls gathered at the end of the night, to order pizza (we can still taste the cornmeal on the crust) until 1 a.m. and beer after beer until 1:50 a.m., right before last call (the clock was always ten minutes fast). The Wazee continued to gather crowds right up until Angelo Karagas, who oversaw the place, passed, and the family sold it. After that, it went through a few transformations until one stuck with A5 Steakhouse. Which has a great bar, too (especially at happy hour). But it will never be the Wazee.
Which bars do you miss? Email [email protected].
