First Look: The Tavern Platt Park Is Now Pouring on Old South Pearl

The Tavern Hospitality Group launched the latest in its string of bar-and-grill-style eateries yesterday when the Tavern Platt Park opened on Old South Pearl Street. The newest Tavern joins Izakaya Den next door and Fourteen Seventy-Two across the street to make the block one of the city's prime indoor-outdoor destinations, since each restaurant has a second-story patio where the city's sun worshipers can bask.

The Tavern's secend-floor bar area features a retractable roof to bring in even more sunshine, and the patio has plenty of powerful outdoor heaters for when the weather gets nippy. Both the upstairs and main-floor bars are encircled by TVs so that guests can catch their favorite sporting events. 
Because the restaurant is located in a residential neighborhood, THG made several changes to the original plans after the location in the former India's Pearl was announced nearly four years ago. Those included moving the patios to the front of the building, paving the alleyway in the back and promising offsite valet parking. In a nod to the neighborhood's history, the restaurant built a two-story courtyard on the north side of the dining room to accommodate an ancient elm tree that rises above the roof line. 

The Tavern's menu comprises "Friends of Beer (appetizers); "Obligatory Healthy Stuff" (salads); burgers and "Sandwich-y Things;" pizza and flatbread; larger plates labeled "Let's Call These Entrees;" and "Sweet Thangs" (desserts). The food board leans heavily toward comfort food and bar fare, but THG has taken a cue from the slightly more upscale menu at Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (which it opened in the Prospect neighborhood last year). With a more family-friendly ambience and a broader menu, this version of the Tavern aims to please the surrounding neighborhood.

That doesn't mean that the bar is an afterthought, though; This Tavern expands the list of craft beers, ultra-premium spirits and house cocktails beyond that of its older siblings. And because brunch and booze go hand in hand here in Denver, there's a "Morning After" brunch served from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays with a long list of eats and drinks, including a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar and bottomless mimosas.

In another nod to its Platt Park surroundings, the Tavern will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. weekdays but will close the patios at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Weekends will see the Tavern open an hour earlier to get brunch rolling at 10 a.m. Keep reading for more photos of the newest member of the Tavern family.