One room, three jobs. Ace Eat Serve runs a cocktail bar, a modern Chinese kitchen, and a ping pong hall under one roof in Uptown Denver.
Ace sits at 501 East 17th Avenue, on the corner of 17th and Pennsylvania in Uptown. The building was a tennis-club garage before the conversion, and the room kept the warehouse height. The venue's own site calls it three concepts in one space, and that is an accurate read.
This is a bar you visit for the room and the games, not a quiet nightcap. The cocktails are competent, the kitchen is the draw for most tables, and the ping pong is what fills the place on a weekend.
Ace opened in 2013 and has held the corner since, which is a long run for a concept this specific. 303 Magazine has covered the kitchen through more than one chef change, and the cocktail list has stayed on the menu the whole time.
The room
The space splits into a dining room, a long bar, a covered patio, and the ping pong hall at the back. Concrete, steel, and large windows set the tone, and the tables turn over fast on weekend nights. It is loud when full and calm on a Tuesday.
The ping pong hall is the detail that separates Ace from every other Uptown bar. Tables book by the hour and the back room runs its own crowd, separate from the diners up front. Yelp reviewers through June 2026 still flag the games as the reason to come.
The patio runs along Pennsylvania Street and opens in warm months. A summer Tiki Takeover adds tropical drinks and island plates to the patio menu, which keeps the room turning over into the evening.
The drinks
The cocktail list leans on Asian pantry ingredients: soju, ginger liqueur, black walnut, and house tonics. The Gold Rush is the signature pour and the one to order first. The Eastern Standard Thyme builds Ginza soju with Canton ginger, grapefruit, cucumber, and fresh thyme, and reads cleaner than most spirit-forward options on the board.
Beer and a short wine list cover the tables that skip cocktails. The Year of the Dog has appeared on past menus with Ron Zacapa rum and Bird Dog whiskey for drinkers who want more weight. Skip the idea of a deep spirits selection; the program is built around the kitchen, not a back bar.
What to order
Order the Gold Rush and a round of dumplings to start. Move to the Eastern Standard Thyme if you want something lighter, and add the Tiger Wings, which regulars name most often. Book a ping pong table for an hour before the room fills.
Who it is for
It is for groups, for a casual date that needs an activity, and for anyone who wants food and games in one stop. It works for an after-work table or a birthday block-booking. Skip it if you want a hushed cocktail den. For that, see Denver cocktail bars and our guide to the best bars in Denver.
The crowd
The crowd is young and social, weighted toward Uptown locals and downtown workers rather than tourists. Early evenings draw diners; the ping pong hall and patio pull a louder group later. It runs busiest Friday and Saturday.
Best time to go
Go Friday from 6pm for the full room with a table booked, or midweek for a quiet dinner and an open hall. Ace runs Tuesday to Sunday and closes by midnight on weekends, so it is an evening stop rather than a late one. Pair it with Poka Lola Social Club Denver, Death and Co Denver, or Williams and Graham Denver.
Sources: Ace Eat Serve official site (2026); Yelp (updated June 2026, n=1,072); OpenTable; Tripadvisor; 303 Magazine; VisitDenver.
