Zanzibar Billiards, Briefly Solids & Stripes, Gets a Return Visit From Bar Rescue

At the end of 2012, Zanzibar Billiards received a visit from Spike TV show Bar Rescue and its host John Taffer, who transformed the ailing Ballpark pool hall into Solids & Stripes Badass Billiards. Taffer gave the bar a patriotic theme in red, white and blue to hammer home the stars and...

By Mark Antonation

April 2, 2015

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At the end of 2012, Zanzibar Billiards received a visit from Spike TV show Bar Rescue and its host John Taffer, who transformed the ailing Ballpark pool hall into Solids & Stripes Badass Billiards.Taffer gave the bar a patriotic theme in red, white and blue to hammer home the stars-and-stripes motif, including a looming Statue of Liberty crown over the bar back. Almost exactly a year ago, bar owner Ami Benari changed the name back to Zanzibar but kept most of the decor from the TV show makeover. Benari also brought back free billiards (every day, except from 7 p.m. to close on Friday and Saturday), a feature of the bar before Taffer and his crew swept in.

Bar Rescue wanted to see how things have been rolling at Zanzibar since the makeover, so the crew recently returned to Denver — and several other locations where establishments had been transformed — for a "Back to the Bar" episode which, according to the show's description, features "some of the most hot-headed and stubborn owners in series history."

Tune in to Spike this Sunday at 7 p.m. Mountain time to see if Taffer agrees with the bar embracing its history and customer base — or if he bawls them out for backsliding into bad habits. Past episodes, including the Zanzibar/Solids & Stripes show (episode 5 of season 3), can be seen on Spike's website.

Mark Antonation is the former Westword Food & Drink Editor. In 2018, he was named Outstanding Media Professional by the Colorado Restaurant Association; he's now with the Colorado Restaurant Foundation.

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