Denver

The 10 Best Speakeasies in Denver

Denver's best speakeasies hide behind unmarked doors and ask you to whisper passwords. The speakeasies on this list span every neighbourhood worth a trip — the central districts all show up — and every price tier from a $5 local pour to a $25 hotel-bar tasting. Each bar earns its spot for a different reason. We have visited every one.

  1. 01

    Acreage

    THE CENTRE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Acreage sits in the heart of RiNo, Denver's most creatively charged neighbourhood, and it matches its surroundings exactly: industrial bones, raw concrete, recl. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

  2. 02

    Avanti Rooftop Denver

    THE CENTRE · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Avanti is the LoHi food-hall-and-rooftop with a covered upper deck, a wraparound view of Downtown Denver and the Rockies, and a casual all-comers cocktail progr. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

  3. 03

    Bar Dough

    LOHI · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Bar Dough draws a steady local crowd in LoHi. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

  4. 04

    Bar Helix

    RINO · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Bar Helix draws a steady local crowd in RiNo. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

  5. 05

    Cerebral Brewing

    CAPITOL HILL · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Cerebral Brewing draws a steady local crowd in Capitol Hill. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

  6. 06

    Charlie Brown's Bar & Grill

    CAPITOL HILL · $ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Charlie Brown's Bar & Grill draws a steady local crowd in Capitol Hill. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the . Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

  7. 07

    Cooper Lounge

    LODO · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Cooper Lounge draws a steady local crowd in LoDo. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

  8. 08

    Cooper Lounge Denver

    THE CENTRE · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Cooper Lounge sits inside the historic Union Station mezzanine — a wood-panelled 1914 room with a long marble bar overlooking the train hall. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

  9. 09

    Blue Moon Brewing Co at the Sandlot

    LODO · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Blue Moon Brewing Co at the Sandlot draws a steady local crowd in LoDo. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

  10. 10

    Death & Co Denver

    THE CENTRE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    When Death & Co opened its Denver outpost inside the Ramble Hotel in RiNo, the question was whether a bar so deeply rooted in New York's East Village could . Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Use this guide either as a single curated route through Denver or as a checklist to revisit over a long weekend. Reservations are flagged where they matter. Otherwise, walk in. Below: the ten speakeasies that any serious drinker in Denver would tell you to put on the list.

Acreage sits in the heart of RiNo, Denver's most creatively charged neighbourhood, and it matches its surroundings exactly: industrial bones, raw concrete, recl. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Avanti is the LoHi food-hall-and-rooftop with a covered upper deck, a wraparound view of Downtown Denver and the Rockies, and a casual all-comers cocktail progr. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Think we missed one?

Submit a bar

Keep exploring

More of Denver

Looking beyond Denver? See our guide to the best speakeasies worldwide, or compare speakeasies city by city.