Denver accomplishments include: drinking a cocktail with an entire egg in it, winning a round of Bingo, drinking rosé in front of NSFW museum artwork, and eating donuts four (4) separate times in the span of three (3) hours — THE DREAM.
The weather was sunny and the food was amazing: what more could two 26-year-old man-boys ever want. Not a question. We couldn’t want anything more. Except maybe to have also won the lottery.
We really, really, really want to win the lottery.
Regardless! Hotel Indigo invited us out to Denver to experience their Downtown property last weekend (one week prior to Denver Pride), with the crème de la crème being their restaurant and bar, Hearth & Dram. Hands down, one of the best food and cocktail experiences we’ve had this year — case in point, our bartender reinvented a Last Word with a whole egg in it which BLEW OUR MINDS while we ate 100-day, dry-aged prime rib.
If we’re speaking about the property a little more, though, we’ll mention the following:
- we slept on the most comfortable bed (perfect for watching RuPaul’s Drag Race on a Saturday, which we did) with a plush pillow top,
- in a room with 180-degree views of Coors Field (perfect for gazing at baseball players, which we did), and
- exposed cement ceilings and industrial touches that gave the whole room a ‘loft-like’ feeling, no doubt inspired from the history of coal mining in the area.
Cut to the chase: for a total of 48 hours, we ran around Downtown Denver and collected a few insights to impart 🙂
Here’s our complete Downtown Denver City Guide, including that cocktail with a whole egg in it (literally the THIRD time we’ve mentioned it in this post, LOL).
FOOD
Hearth & Dram: star players include the steamed Hawaiian rolls and crab beignet. Huge 100-foot ceilings (we didn’t measure, so don’t quote us, but they’re HUGE), with an exposed kitchen so you can see the chefs at work. Not to mention, they’re pretty good amazing with their meat 😉
Avelina: indoor-outdoor brunch spot with a Bloody Mary bar that rivals none. It’s enormous.
ChoLon Bistro: THE SOUP DUMPLINGS. Literally all we need to say in order to encourage anyone to try this spot. ‘French Onion Soup Dumplings.’ Our lives have been forever improved.
The Squeaky Bean: THE BURGER. As blasphemous as it is to say, the burger is akin to In N’ Out, and to us, slightly better. Seriously a must-have. Make sure to make a reservation for after 12:30pm on Saturdays + Sundays to play BINGO!
DRINK
Hearth & Dram (again!): One of the largest selections of Whiskey we’ve seen ourselves. If you’re around for Pride month, order the Pride March 🙂 for all other cocktails, star players include the Cherry Bobomb and Paper Plane (both Bourbon cocktails).
Margs Taco Bistro: SO MANY MARGARITAS. Our favorite was the Strawbanero — v spicy.
Wynkoop Brewing Company: the first brew pub in downtown Denver since Prohibition. A HUGE space with a restaurant on the second level, and a pool hall on the third level.
Blake Street Vault: considered Downtown Denver’s most historic pub. Make sure to order one of their famous Mules 😉
Mario’s Double Daughter’s Salotto: PIZZA PIZZA PIZZA. Need we say more? Basically a lounge with a colorful, circus feel, situated next door to Two-Fisted Mario’s, where pizza is always served.
DANCE
Tracks Denver: SO. MANY. DANCE. FLOORS. Crowded on a Saturday night, peak hours at midnight 😉
The Compound Basix: considered Denver’s oldest nightclub, but who’s counting the years? Diverse crowds with a TON of energy. We were so exhausted… omg.
ACTIVITIES
Union Station: there’s a farmer’s market on Saturday, an enormous bar right in the middle of the station, and Milkbox Ice Creamery — one of our favorite destinations throughout the entire trip. Favorite flavors included Space Junk and Salted Oreo Cookie.
Cheesman Park + Botanical Gardens: maybe not Dolores Park, but beautiful and sprawling.
Museum of Contemporary Art: go before August 20th and see all 3 exhibitions — the most notable and our favorite being Ryan McGinley’s. We sipped on rosé from the rooftop bar and took selfies in front of the NSFW artwork 😉 very meta, very millennial.
<3 B+C
In partnership with Hotel Indigo.