I’ve been a regular at Jax for more than 10 years now. The atmosphere here is fantastic — driven by the bar dominating the length of the entire downtown restaurant. The bartenders are my favorite in town: knowledgable and friendly, happy to chat (or not chat if you prefer), and with almost no turnover in the 10 years I’ve been coming here. If I’m not checking out a new spot downtown, I’ll usually post up at the bar at Jax and order a refreshing Cucumber Lemon Press and some oysters. They have $2 oysters during happy hour, as well as some of the best gumbo in town (or gumbo fries).
Hours: 3:30-5pm every day
The deals: $6 cocktails, $8 wine, $1 off draft beers, $4 Odell Colorado Lager, $2 oysters, $5 cup of gumbo, and lots of other bites under $14
It’s pretty hard to beat the extensiveness of the menu and the prices of Blue Sushi. The happy hour menu itself is longer than most restaurants’ regular menus. Plus, it’s a really cool vibe in the sake bomber’s lounge — complete with enormous fish tank, neon lights, retro Japanese ads lighting up the walls, etc. Some thing I love on the HH menu include: blue kani, itchy salmon, chicken lettuce wraps, ceviche-style hirame, yellowtail serrano.
Hours: Monday-Saturday 2-5:30pm, Sunday all day
The deals: too long to list everything, but there is $3 sake, $4 beers or sake bombs, $6 margaritas, $8 cocktails, and an entire menu of food between $3 and $14.
If you ask me for my top must-try “bites” in Denver, there’s one that always comes to mind: the French onion soup dumplings at ChoLon which I’m pretty sure have been on the menu since I moved here 10 years ago. Today, you can also get “General Cho’s” soup dumplings with chicken, which showcase more typical Asian flavors. Both are on the HH menu, as well as pork belly bao buns and and wagyu beef skewers — both of which I also highly recommend. A little more background: ChoLon has been a downtown Denver institution since it opened in 2010. Chef Lon was a James Beard finalist for Best New Restaurant in America the following year — and before this, he spent a decade in NYC, working as Executive Chef at New York’s famous Buddakan and opening Jean-Georges’ Spice Market.
Hours: Mon 4-5:30pm, Tue–Sat 2-5:30pm
The deals: $5 beers, $6 wines, $6 wells, $3 off cocktails, $4-12 bites
Right next door to ChoLon (mentioned above), is its French sister restaurant called LeRoux. While I recommend ChoLon just for happy hour, I’d recommend LeRoux for HH and/or dinner any day. The atmosphere is trendy, but classy — and the food is top-notch and consists of both French classics, as well as more modern dishes. They recently brought back HH, and the options are pretty fantastic! Everything listed below is something I’ve had and recommend.
Hours: Wed-Sun 4-5:30pm
The deals: $5 draft wines/beers, $6 wells, $11 cocktails; a charcuterie board and a bottle of white, red, or rosé for $25; a half dozen oysters and a bottle of cava for $22; $5 french onion soup; $5 mussels with sausage, $5 steak tartar; $5 chicken liver mousse a variety of other small plates for $3-5.
Located right on the side of Union Station, this is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Denver — and I’m also a fan of their happy hour. Come sit at the bar or in the lounge and grab some wine and delicious little bites. The gluten-free focaccia bread is amazing, by the way. Stay for dinner and try their gluten-free pasta.
Hours: Daily 4-6pm
The deals: $6 select beers, $7 wines, $7 select cocktails, $5 olives or almonds, $10 arancino, $8 select cheeses or meats, $15 cacio e pepe, $16 burrata, and more.
Citizen Rail (and Panzano) used to have a pretty epic happy hours that started at 2pm, but that’s pre-COVID. Now it lasts just an hour, but it’s still got some great food and drink options. Personally, I’m a fan of the wine.
Hours: Daily 4-5pm
The deals: $4 select beers, $5 wines, $7 select cocktails, $7 drink and a shot, $11 snack board, $7 flatbread and hummus, $14 burger, $7 flaming hot cracklin’s, and more.
La Loma has been in Denver for over 40 years, and I imagine its food tastes just as homey and delicious now, as it did when it first opened. The cocktails here are always top-notch, so get one of those house margaritas. Another must-try is the mini rellenos, which are perfectly crispy and cheesy and come with a bowl of pork green chile to dip into.
Hours: M-F 3-6pm
The deals: $8 house margaritas, $4 pacificos, $7 wells, $6 chile con queso, $8 tacos dorados, $8 mini rellenos, $7 mini flautas
Guard & Grace is probably my favorite steakhouse in Denver — but it’s definitely a pricy establishment. If you’re looking for that more upscale vibe on the financial district side of downtown though, this is the perfect spot. They don’t have a very extensive food selection during happy hour, but they do have some great drinks. Be careful, though, it’s super tempting to overstay happy hour and roll straight into steak dinner here!
Hours: Tue-Fri 3-6pm
The deals: $5-6 beers, $6 wells, $7 wines, $8 featured cocktail, $1.75 oysters, $3.50 sliders, $4 wagyu tacos, $8 green chili queso, $9 chorizo queso, $18 lobster queso, and more.
It’s hard to beat Woodie Fisher in terms of atmosphere. The refurbished historic fire station has been beautifully decorated in a retro-modern feel. With large garage doors and a glass ceiling, it’s always bright and full of light. And the olive tree in the middle of the room adds a great outdoors-while-indoors feel. The happy hour menu doesn’t offer much in terms of small bites, but it does have discounted entrees.
Hours: Daily 4-6pm
The deals: $2 off drafts, $2 off signature cocktails, $6 house wines, $11-$16 full dishes
This is another spot on the financial district side of downtown (closer South) — which has fewer and fewer options these days. I love the fun, Day of the Dead vibe here (and the occasional DJ), as well as all the Mexican bites on happy hour. However, the star is the $15 bottomless margaritas during happy hour!
Hours: Mon-Fri 4-6:30pm; Sun-Thu 10pm-close; Taco Tuesday 4pm-close ($1 off street tacos, $5 margaritas, $3 tequila shots)
The deals: $4 wells and wines, $4 select drafts, $6 margaritas, $15 bottomless margaritas, $3 chef’s street taco, $5 chicharrones, $6 queso dip, $7 taquitos, and more.