Denver Speakeasy Guide – Secrets of the Mile High Bar Scene

You know we love a good speakeasy!  However, there has been a concerning trend of places calling themselves speakeasies that really are not. Or they may use a descriptor of “speakeasy vibes” in order to show up in a Google search. 

Our requirements to be considered a true speakeasy include a secret entrance or at least hidden out of plain sight.  And if you have a challenge to get in, we are all on board. Give us a password or a “must know” secret way to gain entry and we are in! (See Las Vegas Speakeasy Guide for our favorite entry to a speakeasy to date)

The Best Speakeasy in Denver

Let’s start this off strong, and tell you right up front where you need to go in Denver.

Coming in as the number one Denver speakeasy:  Williams & Graham.

It took us several trips to Denver before we could fit it in and get a reservation.  And you need a reservation. 

Sister Side Note (ssn) – Yes…it seems like having a reservation system kind of takes away from our definition. But it is hard to find a speakeasy that doesn’t recommend reservations these days.

On a street corner in the Highlands is a wood and glass door that looks to lead you into a small book shop.  There’s an old-fashioned cash register and book shelves with an eclectic variety of books.  Give your name to the lady working the register and she will check your ID, take your coat, and press a button on the wall.  A green light comes on above the bookshelf.  When that light goes off, she will open up the book case and allow you entry to the back room where you will be greeted by your host.

We had early reservations which got us a seat at the bar.  Rhianna welcomed us, introduced us to Cade and Hayden (Cadenhaden?), who set a small glass in front of us.  Every drinking guest is given a welcome drink. It changes nightly depending on what the bartenders have developed for the day. Ours was a whiskey cocktail with honey and lime, and it was perfect for setting our expectations for the evening.

Their menu changes seasonally, but I had the Calm Before the Storm, which was a carbonated rum milk punch. Peggy had the Falling Through Thyme (Gin, grapefruit, thyme and lemon, definitely her wheelhouse). There were many great choices, and we were thrilled that not all their cocktails included weird and off-the-wall items. Enough with putting peppers in cocktails for me!

ssn – Williams and Graham was just an all-around success. The staff was soooo chatty, the drinks and the menu were fantastic and everyone in there was happy and friendly. And I love a good welcome drink!.

We ordered the bone marrow appetizer. They provided gluten-free toast for me, so a win for the gluten-free options.  AAANNDDDD, as a bonus to the bone marrow you can add on the “luge” at the end – whiskey or sherry poured down the bone into your mouth. Fantastically fun. We were Cade’s first luge. So he got the honor of pouring our drinks down the bone – mine was poured too slow, Peggy’s too fast, but big kudos for Cade and his learning curve.

ssn – down the bone, hahahaha

And as we were settling our bill, suddenly our coats magically appeared. We were directed to exit through the back of the room.  Side note, the bathroom is covered in little notebook pages with people’s drawings, advice, and humor, and I loved it.

From First to Worst

Going from our best experience to our least favorite visit. You know we hate to bad mouth any business, especially when it’s a small locally owned joint.  We know people have very different experiences at places and we can only give you the story of what we experienced. We feel we owe our readers our honest review when something doesn’t live up to our experiences or online reviews.

As is the case with: The Cruise Room

First off, it shows up on many speakeasy lists, so we are including it in our even though the entrance is not secret or hidden. It is much more of a nightclub than a speakeasy.  It is also the longest running bar in Denver.

We did love the décor.  It’s little art deco, unique and quirky. High back booths and a jukebox.  However, it is a long skinny room and it felt very cramped.

ssn – and don’t forget RED. Just completely red ambient lighting.

We didn’t like that it was crowded and loud and just had a very pretentious feel to it. The service was terrible, our server was not friendly, and we couldn’t flag them down for a second round so we were one and done just out of frustration.  The drinks were clearly trying too hard to be original and inventive. But we would have worked our way through the menu more had we been able to get service.

ssn – we have both seen multiple recommendations on travel boards for The Cruise Room. Did we miss the thing that makes it so good? We may need to give it a second chance.

Best Speakeasy Entrance in Denver

This honor was hands down: Retrograde

Just east of the Central Business District, in a cute little neighborhood is an ice cream shop called Frozen Matter.  There’s a big glass window with a guy cutting up ice and doing ice cream related stuff.  There are freezer cabinets with ice cream choices, it’s super cute. 

And there’s a big freezer door. And a little switch you need to flip right next to it to gain entrance.

On the other side of the freezer is an adorable retro-science fiction looking room.  Think sixties/seventies era décor Sci Fi: Aliens, planets, all purple-y and green.  The drinks are all titled to sound like terrible sixties era science fiction movies, like My Alien Girlfriend, Vegas in Space, Time Chasers, and Alien Apocalypse.

The bartender was clearly overwhelmed and alone. So there was a definite lack of attention or time for chatting about the concept.

While we found the drinks to be a little over the top, and we struggled to find things we liked due to the weird ingredients, we applaud their commitment to their theme.

ssn – Our drinks were really good once we decided on something. But the ingredients and combinations really are out there!

Important to note, they do not require reservations and you will be carded before entry, so make sure you bring your ID.

Inside Our First Tiki Bar in Denver

This is the real bar behind the entrance to a bar, through the bamboo doorway is an expansive back bar that qualifies this as a speakeasy.  The Ohana Room is the front tiki bar, keep heading back to the back through the next door to find Millers and Rossi.

Millers & Rossi is an interesting combination of plush and upscale décor with a little funkiness. As in super comfy chairs but a little flow-over from the tiki bar. It’s rather expansive and airy compared to the Ohana Room out front. But let’s talk about how fantastic their cocktail selection is.

They have Seasonal Sangria, whiskey drinks (like a smoked old fashioned), and then they throw in fluffy cotton candy and glitter cocktails.  Seriously, something for everyone. 

I absolutely had to go with the Between Arak and a Hard Place. Arak is served frequently in Bali, so it’s a little piece of home for me.  Arak is also of Mediterranean descent and has notes of anise and grape. But the Arak and a Hard Place has Arak combined with lemon and pomegranate and was amazing. 

Also appealing was the Terminally Pretty, a vodka and hibiscus based cocktail, with the pretty edible flower garnish, Tiki-feel despite the lack of rum. 

They also have huge pitchers for table sharing of select cocktails.  We love a good table share!

And we couldn’t start our day drinking without a shot, and Oh, Look, shots on special!!!  Pat did the pickle shot, Peggy and I opted for the Kool-Aid.  And clearly, we made the better choice.

Another Not Quite a Speakeasy, but. . ..

The Roosevelt Room does not have a secret entrance.  It has the speakeasy feel, and we are including it in our list because the bathrooms have secret entrances, and we loved it.  So, it’s here.

Now this will be brief, because we were on the high side of drunk by the time we hit The Roosevelt Room, but we were enamored with it.  It is a beautiful bar, very modern, with big floor to ceiling bookshelves.  It was elegant, the staff was amazing, and the drinks were impressive.

And the bathrooms are hidden behind the bookcases, so you should go just for the fun of that.

The Speakeasy we want to like

Peggy originally hit up Run for the Roses without me, and while not blown away, felt we should definitely go together for the blog’s sake.

In the Dairy Block of downtown Denver, there is simply a door with a red neon sign above it that says Cocktails.  The floor is painted with a string of roses that leads you to an elevator to the basement. 

The basement takes you down a long corridor to big glass windows with roses etched into them. And then to what looks like a betting window where you must check in.

The interior is pretty, but not over the top. I’m left wondering how it fits in with the theme of horse racing.  It has big, cream colored walls and a low ceiling, the chairs are all blue velvet pub chairs, with couches around the outside.

What I loved was that they give you a deck of cards.  The numbers correspond to choice of liquor (all the twos are vodka drinks, three are gin, etc), then the suit denotes the strength or kind of cocktail (bright or fruity or bold or classic).

Our only complaint is that the bartenders were not friendly or engaging and we were seated at a very cramped bar.  Well, to clarify, the seats at the bar were crammed so tightly together we could barely squeeze in. There were about 30 chairs at the bar and they chose to seat us between two other couples while the entire other side of the bar was empty – picture 6 of us elbow to elbow and then 20 empty seats. 

ssn – this one is disappointing to me because it should be fantastic. It has all the things. I honestly have to wonder if it because we are not their target customer – young and hip (just the fact that I said “hip” is proof). And it is below Bruto – one of Denver’s newly named Michelin 1 star restaurants. I want to love it.

A Solid All-Around Choice

We hit up B&GC on our most recent trip to Denver.  It’s in a back alley, in the Halcyon Hotel in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver.  Look for a delivery door with a distinct doorbell (you have to ring the same bell on their website).

You are greeted at the door and are taken down a long hallway to a second door where the speakeasy is.  It is a cute back bar (I loved the ceiling and the feel of the room) with great drinks, great service, great atmosphere. It has an elegant feel and a little retro, think Mad Men.

ssn – now this is a great entrance. We may have been a little deep into our evening to have fully enjoyed it but looking at the interior pictures, it was beautiful. This is one you definitely need reservations for so check out the website for instructions.

The drinks we had were amazing, but there is also the “take a chance” option where you roll the dice, the bartenders will also whip up something based on your preferences for flavors and liquors.  Peggy had the It’s Always Foggy in London, served in a tea cup giving us throwback to our sushi bar in Penang. I had the Something Sunny, and it was clean and perfectly balanced for an end of evening drink. Next time we will start our evening here.  Apparently, the bathrooms are something you are supposed to visit, but we didn’t find that out until later, so looks like we have a reason to go back!

Honorable Mention

The Cooper Lounge deserves a mention. While not technically a speakeasy, it is hidden-ish. The Cooper Lounge is on the upper level of Denver’s Union Station and unless you know it’s there, you would not stumble across it. Take the stairs up to the second level and there is this beautiful, bright, airy bar that overlooks the bustling station below. The service, the drinks and snacks were all fabulous but the energy of Union Station just adds something.

Do a Little Something Different in Denver

Speakeasies are always a fun experience for us, and we love finding new places in new cities.  Denver has a great speakeasy scene. But as mentioned, you do need to read through your lists carefully as there are several bars we will cover in our Day Drinking Denver Blog that describe themselves as speakeasies that are simply not. They are just “speakeasy” feel, which I assume they mean quiet, elegant, prohibition theme spaces.  But take our word for it, we are your voice of experience for a good time and plenty of giggles.