The Best Places to Drink and Do in Five Points & around

A cocktail bar that calls itself a nerdy cocktail bar, a natural wine bar, and your favorite dive bar, and then has the audacity to be all three. The Old Bay Martini landed it on Esquire's radar and the Spirited Awards named it the top U.S. cocktail bar, but the room itself is the tell: hot dogs share menu space with wine you've never heard of, and nobody in here seems to think that's unusual.

1. Spirited Awards 2024 · Winner · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar
2. The 50 #67 · North America's 50 Best Bars
3. Esquire Old Bay Martini · The Best Martinis in America

The martini here gets shaken with both vodka and gin, which is either a provocation or a correction depending on your religion. Death & Co is a cocktail bar that started in New York and landed in RiNo, bringing the same intricate, unhurried approach to drinking. The room is loungey and deliberate, the kind of place where settling in for three rounds feels like the obvious move rather than a guilty one.

1. Esquire The Telegraph · The Best Martinis in America
2. Thrillist The Best Bars in Denver
3. The Infatuation The Best Bars In Denver

1. Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star

1. Punch The Who’s Who of Beer Cool
2. Westword 2023 · Best Beer Service · Best of Denver
3. Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now

A wine bar in RiNo that keeps fried chicken and tinned fish on the menu alongside Khikhvi, Nerello Mascalese, and a Mencía from Oregon that has no business being that good. The list leans hard into natural, biodynamic, and small-production bottles, and the staff can talk you through all of it without making you feel like a student. Grape nerds and people who just want a glass with snacks coexist peacefully here.

1. Thrillist The Best Bars in Denver
2. Eater The Best Bars in Denver
3. The Infatuation The Best Bars In Denver

1. Eater The Best Bars in Denver
2. The Infatuation The Best Bars In Denver
3. Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now

A portrait of an imperial bulldog greets you at the door, which is a fair warning. Pony Up is a cocktail bar in LoDo that earns its personality through drinks like a tequila-shochu-sherry situation spiked with Korean chili paste, and shots of George Dickel chased with roast-beef jus. That jus comes from the kitchen, which runs French dips as its signature, an odd pairing that somehow makes complete sense by the second round.

1. Thrillist The Best Bars in Denver
2. Eater The Best Bars in Denver
3. Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now

Tucked below the Dairy Block, this cocktail bar serves its menu on a deck of playing cards, which tells you everything about the room before you've ordered. Plush banquettes, leather chairs, patterned wallpaper, and cabinets of rare vintage bottles conspire to make it feel like a speakeasy that never quite left. The martini section alone could occupy an evening, and the reserve cocktails lean into vintage spirits for those feeling loose with their wallet.

1. The Infatuation The Best Bars In Denver
2. Eater The Best Bars in Denver
3. Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now

The menu at this Uptown Mexican restaurant isn't fully translated into English, which the staff treat as a feature rather than a bug. Chef Erasmo Casiano's cooking runs from dry-aged hamachi crudo to duck carnitas tacos, and the cocktails lean on prickly pear, tomatillo, and jicama. Esquire named the Martini Cochinero among the best martinis in the country, which tells you something about where the bar program sits.

1. Esquire Martini Cochinero · The Best Martinis in America
2. Westword 2025 · Best New Restaurant · Best of Denver
3. 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver

Southern cooking and a cocktail program that pours buttermilk and benne seed into the glass share equal billing at this casual Five Points restaurant and bar. The chef runs with heirloom grits and collard greens but also hot-and-sour catfish and sorghum-tamarind pork shoulder, so the kitchen respects the tradition without being hostage to it. The team behind the preeminent cocktail bar Yacht Club runs the drinks side, which explains the ambition in a room that looks relaxed about the whole thing.

1. 5280 The 13 Best New Places to Eat and Drink in Denver
2. Eater The Best New Restaurants in Denver
3. Westword 2026 · Best New Bar · Best of Denver

1. Eater The Best Bars in Denver
2. Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now

1. Thrillist The Best Bars in Denver
2. 5280 Best for a Big Night Out · The 23 Best Bars in Denver
3. Westword 2023 · Best Use of a Leopard Speedo · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2026 · Best Art Museum Collaboration · Best of Denver
2. Westword 2025 · Best Museum If You Only Have an Hour · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2026 · Best Piece of the Denver Pavilions · Best of Denver
2. Westword 2025 · Best Reason to Go to the 16th Street Mall · Best of Denver
3. Westword 2023 · Best Movie Theater — First Run · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2026 · Best Shop for Mid-Century and Modern Home Decor · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2026 · Best Bar With a Mechanical Bull · Best of Denver

1. The Pinnacle Guide 1 Pin
2. Sunset Better Bars · Where to Eat and Drink

1. Westword 2026 · Best Place to Find Reading Material, Unlike Anything You’ve Ever Seen · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2026 · Best Colorado History Lesson · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2026 · Best Place to Eat Pizza and Watch a Show · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2026 · Best Asian Market · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2026 · Best Dog Manicure · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2026 · Best Bar for Watching Sports · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2026 · Best Fancy Gym Experience · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2026 · Best Venue to Sit Back, Relax and Enjoy · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2026 · Best Place to Buy Your First Guitar · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2026 · Best Sign of Life on 16th Street · Best of Denver

1. Thrillist The Best Bars in Denver

1. Thrillist The Best Bars in Denver

The entrance is a walk-in freezer door at the back of an ice cream shop, which sets the tone perfectly. Behind it is a sci-fi cocktail lounge with a glowing backbar and B movies running on the wall, where the drinks are named after cult films and built with ingredients that require a moment to process. The kind of bar that rewards people who ask questions.

1. Eater The Best Bars in Denver

The 12th-floor balcony of this penthouse lounge looks out over RiNo, and the room inside, all emerald banquettes and moon-like pendant lights, is doing its level best to compete with the view. Cocktails lean botanical and a little precious, saffron gin and rose water that kind of thing, which fits the vibe perfectly. The snacks are luxe and unapologetic. Eater named it among Denver's best bars, and the crowd tends to dress for the occasion.

1. Eater The Best Bars in Denver

1. Eater The Best Bars in Denver

A wristband taps to your credit card at check-in so you never fish out your wallet again, which is either clever hospitality or a mild threat depending on your willpower. Number Thirty Eight is a vast indoor-outdoor beer hall where stalls run by Colorado breweries, cideries, wineries, and distilleries line the walls, the patio is dog-friendly, and Split Lip handles the burgers. Westword named it the city's best free entertainment.

1. 5280 Top Patio · Top of the Town
2. Westword 2023 · Best Free Entertainment · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best Place to Propose · Best of Denver
2. Westword 2025 · Best Art Experience for Neurodiverse Kids: Sensory-Friendly Mornings · Best of Denver
3. Westword 2024 · Best Museum to Make You Think · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2025 · Best Free Recording Studio · Best of Denver
2. Westword 2023 · Best Resurrection · Best of Denver

A historic tavern on Larimer that's been a dive, a cougar bar, and a live-music dance hall, sometimes all in one night. The drinks are stiff and cheap, a band usually occupies the small stage, and the whole place functions as a pressure valve for anyone who's had enough of the polished LoDo scene just outside. The occasional Phi Alpha Whatever will wander in, but the regulars absorb them without incident.

1. Westword 2023 · Best Unpretentious Yet Legendary Venue · Best of Denver
2. Westword 2025 · Best Bar in LoDo to Pretend You’re on Colfax · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best Supper Club · Best of Denver
2. Westword 2023 · Best Jazz Club · Best of Denver
3. Westword 2025 · Best Dinner and a Show · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2025 · Best Place for a Spiritual Reset · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2025 · Best New Neighborhood Bar · Best of Denver
2. Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now

1. Westword 2023 · Best Beer to Drink Ringside: Helles · Best of Denver
2. Westword 2024 · Best Brewery to Take Visitors · Best of Denver
3. Westword 2026 · Best Brewery Upgrade · Best of Denver

1. Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now

1. Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now

1. Westword 2025 · Best New Bar Where Everything Is $5 · Best of Denver
2. Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now

1. Westword 2025 · Best Distillery for Cocktails, With or Without Booze · Best of Denver
2. Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now

1. Westword 2026 · Best Bar Programming · Best of Denver
2. Westword The Top 50 Bars in Denver Right Now

The acoustically treated walls mean the sound hits you right no matter where you sit, which matters when the names on stage have included Esperanza Spalding and Bill Frisell. Dazzle is Denver's long-running jazz club, the kind that draws serious talent week after week and keeps the bar busy with martinis and a four-cheese mac that regulars order without looking up. DownBeat placed it among the top 100 jazz clubs in the world.

1. Westword 2024 · Best Late-Night Jazz · Best of Denver
2. 5280 Best for Sips and a Show · The 23 Best Bars in Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best Darts Club · Best of Denver
2. 5280 Best for Fun and Games · The 23 Best Bars in Denver

The building was a brothel, a flophouse, and a peep-show parlor before it became this. Now it's a bar and live-music venue dressed in 70s swank, vintage soft-core art, and low-slung lounges surrounding a sunken stage. The team calls it a "gastro-brothel," which is not a word you forget. Small plates and cocktails run alongside whatever's on stage, and the whole thing is loud, garish, and extremely committed to the bit.

1. Westword 2023 · Best Venue With a Sexy History · Best of Denver
2. 5280 Best for Sips and a Show · The 23 Best Bars in Denver

A geodesic dome built to look like a beehive sits inside this late-night dance bar and immersive art venue in RiNo. The team behind it took Tulum and Burning Man as their starting points, then handed the space to a crew of local artists, so you get vine-covered bars and a garden courtyard that somehow make sense together. It draws the kind of crowd that dresses for the art as much as the dancing.

1. Westword 2024 · Best Club to Dance, See Art and Feel Safe · Best of Denver
2. Westword 2023 · Best Dance Club · Best of Denver

Duke Ellington played this Five Points room when it was still the Casino Cabaret, which tells you something about the bones. It's a live music venue now running a wide-open booking policy: dubstep, hip-hop, bluegrass, and jam bands share the calendar without obvious contradiction. The main floor was rebuilt and the stage expanded, so the sound holds up. Crowds skew toward people who track setlists, but the room pulls in anyone chasing a late night.

1. Westword 2024 · Best Place to Find the Jams · Best of Denver
2. Westword 2023 · Best Indoor-Outdoor Venue · Best of Denver

Tucked below Larimer Square, this standup club has the kind of acoustics that make a room feel like it's laughing with one throat. Dave Attell recorded a live album here, and Dave Chappelle has a habit of showing up unannounced. New Talent Nights have been launching local comics toward television for years, which keeps the room feeling like something might actually happen on any given night.

1. Westword 2024 · Best Comedy Club for Local and National Talent · Best of Denver
2. Westword 2023 · Best Comedy Night: New Talent Night · Best of Denver

The low-slung stage here puts you close enough to the band that you'll question whether you're supposed to be back there. Larimer Lounge is a dive-ish live music venue in RiNo that has hosted acts like Arcade Fire and Bat for Lashes before they stopped fitting in rooms this size. The bar up front runs on beer, shots, and what appears to be structural duct tape. Westword named it Denver's top venue for both rock bands and DJs in 2024.

1. Westword 2024 · Best Venue for Both Rock Bands and DJs · Best of Denver
2. Westword 2023 · Best Indie-Rock Venue · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best Artist Residency · Best of Denver
2. Westword 2023 · Best Nonprofit Gallery · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best Comedy Club Owned by a Comic · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best Affordable, High- Quality Comedy Club · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best Time Saver · Best of Denver

The sushi menu here is organized by skill level, from "Beginner Rolls" up through "Intermediate" and into house specials, most of which are named after something you wouldn't say at a work lunch. Hapa is a casual fusion sushi bar that also does sliders, nachos, and a Fuji apple salad for anyone dragged there under protest. The kitchen is more capable than the cheeky menu suggests, and somehow a DJ fits into the whole equation too.

1. Westword 2024 · Best Place to Hear a Surprisingly Good DJ While Eating Sushi · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best Future Home · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best Variety Comedy Club · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best Neighborhood Concert Series: Summer Sessions · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best Longstanding Gallery With Museum-Worthy Exhibits · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best DIY Gallery and Event Space · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best Venue for High School Nostalgia · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best Theater Adaptation · Best of Denver

1. 5280 Best for Slow Sipping · The 23 Best Bars in Denver

1. Westword 2024 · Best Coffee Shop for Conversations · Best of Denver
2. 5280 Best for Catching Multiple Buzzes · The 23 Best Bars in Denver

The name comes from David Bowie's "Space Oddity," and the kitchen leans into the theme without going full theme-restaurant about it. This New American bar and restaurant on Larimer keeps things approachable, with a concise menu that rotates through tight, careful cooking. It shares a block with the tasting-menu sibling next door, so the crowd tends to know what they're doing, which keeps the energy easy without feeling sleepy.

1. 5280 Best for Filling Bellies · The 23 Best Bars in Denver
2. 5280 The 25 Best Restaurants in Denver
3. Westword 2023 · Best Pork Chop · Best of Denver

1. 5280 Best for Day Drinking · The 23 Best Bars in Denver

1. Westword 2023 · Best Store on the 16th Street Mall · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2023 · Best Karaoke Bar · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2023 · Best Art Museum · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2023 · Best Arts Program for Youth · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2023 · Best Place to Find Murals · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2023 · Best Place to Buy Flowers · Best of Denver

Tucked under the historic Daniels & Fisher Clock Tower, this variety nightclub runs the full spectrum from burlesque and drag to stand-up and live music, sometimes in the same week. The European-style room is dim and intimate enough for a date, loud and loose enough for a bachelorette party, which about covers the range of people you'll find there. A full bar keeps things moving. Shows run Wednesday through Saturday.

1. Westword 2023 · Best Cabaret Shows · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2023 · Best Museum of Iconic Colorado Artists · Best of Denver

1. Westword 2023 · Best Growth Spurt · Best of Denver