BEST FOR Sips & A Show
Jazz sets, R&B acts, and tribute bands all sound better when you have a tasty beverage in hand. That’s particularly true if you’re in the audience at one of the following venues—long-loved spots that have been given new life over the past couple of years.
MERCURY CAFE
Five Points
This eclectic bar has been an escape for misfit music lovers since it opened its doors at its current location—a renovated printing press house in Five Points—on Halloween 1990. Inside, a twinkling canopy of fairy lights illuminates the hodgepodge of booths, chesterfield sofas, and wooden kitchen chairs, almost as if all the regulars pitched in a personal table or two, jokes owner Danny Newman. “Both physically and energy-wise, people are making their mark on it,” he says.
“It’s one of those things that just has layers of history that are visible.” A quick glance at the walls covered in a jigsaw puzzle of band posters hints at the Merc’s rich history—one that includes performances from heavy hitters on their rise to headlining stardom such as Blink-182, Foo Fighters, and Alanis Morissette. Since taking over the cafe in 2021 after it nearly closed in the wake of COVID-19, Newman has been working to reinstate the Mercury Cafe as a leader in Denver’s live music scene, digging up rising stars before they start selling out stadiums. Snag a spot in front of the stage with a dangerously smooth Mercury Margarita in hand and you just might discover the next Goo Goo Dolls before anyone else.
—Jessica Giles
OPHELIA’S ELECTRIC SOAPBOX
Ballpark
Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox is proof that there’s nothing like a good comeback. After a two-year, pandemic-induced hiatus, the former brothel turned bar, restaurant, and live music venue reopened in April 2022 with concertfriendly upgrades. Now, patrons can watch acts on a stage equipped with improved lighting and sound equipment or show off their moves at theme parties on a larger dance floor. Fuel up for an evening of entertainment with handhelds such as cheese curds, fried pickles, or roasted green chile cornbread and colorful, citrus-forward cocktails like the Airedale, a grape-fruit- and bourbon-based concoction with Aperol, or the Burlesque, which blends tequila, lime, Midori, and sage syrup. For budget-friendly fun, book a reservation during brunch, when shows are included with your meal and mimosas are bottomless.
—Visvajit Sriramrajan
