We’ve been running food tours in the Mile High for more than six years. Nearly all of our days are spent downtown and we know the best of the city, inside and out. In this guide, we share our favorite bars near the ballpark in Denver, from long-standing dives to upscale cocktail bars and even a Michelin award-winner. Our list also covers happy hour specials, where to find food and entertainment, and more local insights.
For a guided experience in this lively district, join us on our Cocktail Tasting Tour! It visits some of the area’s best bars and includes four boozy beverages, plus curated small plates and an insider’s take on dining in Denver.
Our Favorite Bars Near the Ballpark
Star Bar
2137 Larimer Street │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $
Photo: Star Bar Instagram
Visiting Star Bar is one of our favorite things to do around Coors Field, especially on game days — and Thursday nights when it offers wildly entertaining karaoke. Well into the early morning hours, enthusiastic patrons belt out their favorite tunes while sipping on cheap drinks. Open since 1959, this enduring dive also hosts local bands and has a great back patio just two blocks from the stadium. Come late and stay later to experience this bar at its best.
Jackson’s
1520 20th Street │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $$
Photo: Jackson’s Instagram
Located right next to Coors Field, Jackson’s is the original Rockies pre-game spot — but it’s worth a visit other times, too. When the team is away, this bar offers a weekday happy hour from 2 to 6 pm with $2 street tacos and $3 pours of Coors Light. It also has an all-you-can-drink special on Fridays from 9 pm to midnight, priced at just $20 cash. Schedule an Uber and party away on the rooftop, where you’ll also find a packed dance floor.
Tap Fourteen
1920 Blake Street │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $$
Photo: Tap Fourteen Facebook
With great views of the stadium and downtown, Tap Fourteen is one of our top-recommended rooftop bars in Denver. It strictly offers Colorado-made beer and booze, with favorites like Avery Brewing Company, Great Divide, and Spirit Hound Distillers appearing throughout the menu. Several kitchen items also feature local ingredients, like Colorado-raised beef and chicken. Stop in before a game or for live music on the patio, hosted at 6 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Cherry Cricket
2220 Blake Street │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $$
Photo: Cherry Cricket Facebook
Burger bar Cherry Cricket is a local institution dating back to 1945. It’s loved for its build-your-own burgers and award-winning pork green chile, which we sample on our Downtown Food Tour. Many entrées pair deliciously with its wide selection of Front Range beers, as well as its boozy milkshakes. Visit its Ballpark location just outside of Coors Field, which features arcade games, air hockey, and a spacious patio — plus one of the best happy hours in Denver.
Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row
1946 Market Street │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $$
Photo: Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row Facebook
Experience Nashville in Denver at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, a national country bar chain that offers way more than just whiskey. Signature cocktails and Southern fare make up the menu, which includes golden barbecue wings, Tennessee hot chicken sliders, and a ten-hour brisket sandwich served with sweet potato fries. This spot also acts as a music venue on select nights and hosts rooftop parties — but keep its weekend upscale casual dress code in mind.
Viewhouse
2015 Market Street │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $$
Photo: Viewhouse Facebook
Viewhouse is just a stone’s throw from Coors Field and is one of our favorite rooftop restaurants in Denver, especially when there’s a Rockies home game. The crowd is energetic and entertained by several activities — many of which are designed to facilitate your drinking. Monitor the score on several flatscreens, play a game of cornhole or volleyball, and head to the dance floor with a local craft beer in hand. An elevated pub grub menu keeps the party going.
The 1up Arcade Bar
1925 Blake Street │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $
Photo: The 1up Arcade Bar website
Bring a bag of quarters to this basement-level arcade bar, which lies just a block from the stadium. 1up features more than thirty-five retro video games and fifteen pinball machines. Games cost between fifty cents and a dollar per, and drinks are also highly affordable compared to most other bars near the ballpark. Enjoy daily specials like $2 Coors Light on Wednesdays and happy hour deals available all day on Sundays, as well as weekdays from 3 to 7 pm.
Great Divide Brewing Co
2201 Arapahoe Street │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $$
Photo: Great Divide Brewing Co Facebook
If you’re a fan of craft beer, few bars near the ballpark are better suited than Great Divide Brewing Co. It makes its Yeti imperial stout, Hazy IPA, and several other varieties from this original outpost, which hosts behind-the-scenes tours at 3 and 4 pm daily. Though, pretty much every table in the taproom has a view of its busy production floor. Seating is somewhat limited so if you have a large group, consider visiting its Barrel Bar, one of our favorite RiNo attractions.
Tom’s Watch Bar
1601 19th Street Unit 100 │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $$
Photo: Tom’s Watch Bar Facebook
If you don’t have tickets into the stadium, Tom’s Watch Bar is the next best spot to cheer on the Rockies. This McGregor Square mainstay has more screens than you can believe with sports from around the world broadcasted day and night. A Top Golf Swing Suite with virtual multiplayer games adds to the entertainment. When visiting, order one of several beers, which appear in glasses as large as 40 ounces, along with its famous prime rib dip and garlic fries.
Milepost Zero
1601 19th Street Suite 150 │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $$
Photo: Milepost Zero website
Upgrade your tailgating party at Milepost Zero, a McGregor Square food hall that features six restaurant concepts, a 35-tap beer wall, and a full bar with craft cocktails. We visit this high-energy venue on our Market and Food Hall Tour and especially recommend the pork belly buns from Tora Sushi + Ramen. Also, don’t miss the street tacos from TaCo paired with a house margarita — which costs just $6 during its weekday happy hour, available from 2 to 5 pm.
The Original
1600 20th Street │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $$
Photo: The Original Facebook
Looking for a boozy brunch before your 1 pm Rockies game? Don’t sleep on The Original, one of our favorite brunch spots in Denver. It takes cues from the classic American diner with retro-inspired furnishings and a familiar, yet elevated menu. Savor buttermilk pancakes and country fried steak alongside signatures like its sugar-dusted churro bites. Mimosas by the bottle and a wide selection of Bloody Marys guarantee a buzz before heading into the stadium.
Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox
1215 20th Street │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $$
Photo: Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox website
Ophelia’s is one of the best bars near the ballpark for live music. It hosts shows every Thursday through Sunday with local performers covering a wide range of genres. Get down on the dance floor morning and night, as this “gastro-brothel” offers a fantastic weekend brunch (complete with bottomless mimosas), along with New American dinner plates and craft cocktails. Its sister concepts, including El Five and Linger, are some of our other favorite restaurants in Denver.
Wonderyard Garden + Table
2200 Larimer Street │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $$
Photo: Wonderyard Garden + Table Facebook
Known for its Instagrammable aesthetic, Wonderyard is one of our new favorite bars in LoDo. It’s the neighborhood’s hottest summer hangout, offering a spacious outdoor garden with plenty of spots to snap selfies with your crew. Take a seat in a teacup-shaped booth or within an oversized birdcage to enjoy globally-inspired bites and colorful cocktails, like its blue curaçao-based Supernova and vodka-spiked pink lemonade adorned with a cotton candy cloud.
La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal
2233 Larimer Street │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $$
Photo: La Diabla Facebook
La Diabla is the first restaurant in Denver to specialize in pozole, a traditional Mexican stew made with hominy — which chef Jose Avila sources from Mexico and processes in-house. This dedication to culture and craft earned the eatery a place on the city’s most recent Michelin guide. Along with its pozole, we recommend the $4 happy hour street tacos, available Thursday through Sunday from 2 to 6 pm, as well as its lengthy selection of mezcals and craft cocktails.
Icehouse Tavern
1801 Wynkoop Street Suite 150 │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $
Photo: Icehouse Tavern Instagram
Set just a block from Coors Field, Icehouse Tavern gets packed before and after every Rockies game. Party with the locals or pop in when the team is away, as this bar has several flatscreens and a pool table for laid-back entertainment. The patio is the perfect spot to post up with pub grub and cheap drinks, like Montucky Cold Snacks always priced at $2.75 per. More specials are available during its daily happy hours, hosted from 4 to 7 pm and 10 pm to close.
Seven Grand
1855 Blake Street Suite 160 │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $$
Photo: Seven Grand Facebook
Dried out and sunburned from your upper deck seats? Few bars near the ballpark are as dark and cool as Seven Grand, a stylish whiskey bar stocked with more than seven hundred labels. Order a flight to sample a few or opt for a craft cocktail, like its refreshing mint julep or classic whiskey sour. Decorated with taxidermy mounts, leather seating, and billiards tables, there’s a Wild West feel to this Dairy Block saloon. Live bluegrass on Wednesdays adds to the ambiance.
Attimo Wine
2246 Larimer Street │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $$
Photo: Attimo Wine Facebook
After much success with the now-national brunch chain Snooze, local restaurateur Jon Schlegel relocated to Italy to learn the art of winemaking. His skills and vineyard connections brought about Attimo Wine, one of the top urban wineries in Denver. Using imported grapes, it produces DOC and DOCG varieties which you can sample in its inviting tasting room. Though, we especially love the ambiance of its sunny patio located just two blocks east of Coors Field.
Giggling Grizzly
1320 20th Street │ Bar Website │ Menu │ Price: $
Photo: Giggling Grizzly Instagram
The Griz has been around since 1996 and compared to other bars near the ballpark, its prices are hard to beat. Take advantage of bargains like $2 PBR drafts and $6 eight-piece wing baskets on Thursdays, and don’t miss Monday night karaoke starting at 9 pm. This dive is known for its party atmosphere, especially on game days given its one-block proximity to Coors Field. Come ready for a rowdy time!
