Our Picks
14 Sports Bars Worth Your Time
Sports Bar
LoDo
McGregor Tap Room
Part of the McGregor Square development next to Coors Field, this open-air tap room broadcasts Rockies home games on a 35-foot outdoor screen visible from the plaza. The draft selection leans local, with 28 Colorado taps rotating seasonally. Best seats are the terrace rail spots overlooking the square, where the pregame crowd creates genuine atmosphere long before first pitch.
Sports Bar
LoHi
Mile High Drafthouse
The most civilised sports bar on the north side of the Platte. Mile High Drafthouse serves 50 rotating taps and takes its food seriously, with a kitchen that closes at midnight and a menu that runs past the usual sports bar formula. The Sunday NFL ticket package is the best in LoHi: every game running simultaneously, comfortable leather booths, and staff who actually know the sport.
Sports Bar
Downtown
The Sports Column
A Denver institution since 1989, The Sports Column occupies a long, narrow space on 16th Street Mall that somehow fits 22 screens, a full pool table, and a dartboard. The beer pricing is honest, the crowd is mixed and good-natured, and the kitchen serves the city's best loaded cheese fries until 1:30 am. This is where Denver locals go when they want to watch the game without paying a venue premium.
Sports Bar
Capitol Hill
Bracket Room Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill's answer to the big LoDo sports bars. Bracket Room skews younger and louder, with three projection screens, a full craft beer selection from local names like Breckenridge and Great Divide, and a DJ who takes over after the final whistle. Best known for its March Madness bracket pools, which draw a crowd of 300 even on a Tuesday night. College sports coverage is the strongest in the city.
Brew Pub
LoDo
Wynkoop Brewing Company
Colorado's oldest brewpub and still one of the best places to watch a game in LoDo. The billiards parlour upstairs has 22 full-size tables and its own screen setups for major events. Wynkoop brews everything on site, including the legendary Patty's Chile Beer that pairs almost too well with the green chile cheeseburger. The atmosphere is relaxed even on busy nights, which is rarer than it sounds in this part of town.
Sports Bar
RiNo
RiNo Sports House
RiNo's contribution to Denver sports culture. This warehouse-converted bar runs a curated tap list from the neighbourhood's many craft breweries alongside a 20-screen setup that covers every major American league simultaneously. The patio runs heated lamps through October, making outdoor viewing viable for most of the NFL season. The kitchen closes at 11 pm and the cauliflower wings are genuinely good.
Sports Bar
Downtown
Tavern Downtown
Part of the Denver Tavern Group, this location is one of the most reliable game-day venues in the city. Three floors, multiple bar areas, and a rooftop that stays open until the last out or final buzzer. The pricing is fair, the beer selection hits the Colorado craft highlights, and the staff manage high volume without chaos. Ideal for larger groups who want guaranteed screen access without pre-booking individual seats.
Sports Bar
Five Points
Horseshoe Lounge
Five Points is Denver's most underrated drinking neighbourhood, and Horseshoe Lounge is proof. The low-lit dive atmosphere gives way to surprisingly good tap selections and a back room with six screens that becomes the city's most intense NBA watch party location. The crowd is knowledgeable, the prices are the best east of Broadway, and the kitchen keeps it simple: burgers and wings done right.
Sports Bar
Colfax
Colfax Pint House
Colfax Avenue's sports bar of record. Twelve screens covering every game, 36 taps running exclusively Colorado craft beers, and a darts setup in the back that draws its own competitive crowd. The atmosphere skews local and unpretentious. This is the bar where off-duty Broncos staff reportedly watch away games, which tells you everything about its standing in the community.
Sports Bar
Cherry Creek
Cherry Creek Tap Room
Cherry Creek's take on the sports bar formula: cleaner lines, better cocktails alongside the draft list, and a slightly more dressed-up crowd that still wants to watch the game. Eight screens, a dedicated premium cocktail menu, and happy hour pricing until 7 pm on weekdays make this the go-to for the after-work-to-game-time crowd in Denver's most affluent neighbourhood.
Sports Bar
Highlands
The Governor's Pub
A neighbourhood sports bar in the best possible sense. The Governor's Pub in Highlands draws locals who want to watch the game without fighting LoDo crowds. The tap list features 20 Colorado selections, the food is honest bar food done consistently well, and the covered patio lets you follow the game outdoors until the first frost. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon when the Broncos are playing a noon kickoff.
Sports Bar
Baker
Baker Social Club
Baker is Denver's bartender neighbourhood, and Baker Social Club is where those bartenders go on their nights off. Six screens, an exceptional spirits selection that goes far beyond the standard sports bar offering, and a kitchen that serves proper food until midnight. The Sunday Bloody Mary bar is a local institution; the prime rib sandwich is the best-kept secret south of 6th Avenue.
By Neighbourhood
Sports Bars by Denver Neighbourhood
LoDo
5 sports bars
Lower Downtown is Denver's sports epicentre. Walking distance from Coors Field and Ball Arena means game-day crowds are enormous. Elevation Sports Lounge, Wynkoop, and McGregor Tap Room lead the pack. Reserve ahead for any home game.
RiNo
2 sports bars
River North blends its craft beer culture with sports coverage. RiNo Sports House commands the warehouse end of the neighbourhood. Expect younger crowds, local taps, and heated outdoor viewing.
Capitol Hill
2 sports bars
Capitol Hill handles the crowd that finds LoDo too loud and too expensive. Bracket Room is the destination for college sports. The area bars stay open late and keep prices honest.
Highlands
2 sports bars
The Highlands is where Denver goes when it wants to watch the game in peace. Mile High Drafthouse and The Governor's Pub cater to residents who prefer craft beers and elbow room over LoDo energy.
Five Points
1 sports bar
Denver's oldest neighbourhood has Horseshoe Lounge as its sports bar anchor. The value here is the best in the city and the NBA crowds are genuinely passionate. An overlooked gem.
Baker
2 sports bars
South of Speer Boulevard, Baker Social Club draws an industry crowd with serious drinks and an unexpectedly strong kitchen. The quieter alternative to Colfax and Downtown.
What Makes a Great Sports Bar in Denver?
Denver is a sports city in the truest sense. Four major professional leagues, a passionate college football fanbase, and an outdoor culture that means fans expect heated patios, cold local draft beer, and staff who can explain an offsides call. The bar scene has evolved to match that expectation.
The best Denver sports bars share three qualities: a genuine Colorado craft beer presence (the state has over 400 breweries, and any serious bar has at least 20 local taps), a screen setup that lets you track multiple games simultaneously, and a kitchen serious enough to sustain four hours of watching. The LoDo cluster near Denver's craft beer corridor offers the highest concentration, but the neighbourhood bars in Highlands and Baker often deliver a better experience per dollar spent.
Pricing runs from around $5 for a domestic draft at the honest dive bars of Five Points and Colfax, to $12 at the premium venues in Cherry Creek. Most fall comfortably in the $7 to $9 range. Game-day reservations are essential for the top LoDo venues, especially for Broncos Sundays and Avalanche playoff games. For after-work drinks before an evening game, the Cherry Creek Tap Room and Mile High Drafthouse both offer worthwhile happy hour windows.
Our editors visit every bar on this list at least twice per year. The ranking reflects screen quality, tap list, food, and service during a live major event, not on a quiet Tuesday.
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