Fizz’s Top 5 Dive Bars In Denver
Apr 23, 2026, 9:50 AM
In a city increasingly dominated by $18 artisanal cocktails and craft breweries that welcome more goldendoodles than human beings, I’m all about the dive bar.
The criteria is simple…a great dive bar should lack natural light, must have a jukebox, and contain a lingering aroma of stale beer and faded aspirations.
I give you my top 5 dive bars in Denver:
No. 1: Candlelight Tavern Located just blocks from the pristine jogging paths of Washington Park, the Candlelight serves as a necessary counterbalance to the neighborhood’s aggressive health consciousness. They serve great burgers and have a shuffleboard table that has ruined more friendships than a game of Monopoly. A true Denver treasure.
No. 2: Campus Lounge A Bonnie Brae neighborhood institution where former University of Denver students go to pretend they don’t have mortgages. Despite surviving an ill-fated gentrification attempt a few years ago, the bar has triumphantly returned to its roots: pouring heavy drinks in a room that feels like a 1980s rec room.
No. 3: PS Lounge Located on East Colfax Avenue, this is an establishment so committed to the 1970s that credit cards are still viewed as dark magic. Every female patron is handed a rose upon entry, and everyone receives a complimentary house shot that tastes vaguely of cherry cough syrup and impending poor choices.
No. 4: Don’s Club Tavern A paradox wrapped in faux-wood paneling. Don’s is arguably Cap Hill’s finest dive. With affordable well drinks, it’s a fantastic place to meet your future ex-spouse while actively getting your shoes permanently glued to the floor by spilled PBR.
No. 5: The Squire Lounge No dive bar list is complete without a deep dive into the grit of Colfax Avenue. The Squire offers a reliable, eclectic mix of off-duty line cooks, aging hipsters, and patrons who communicate exclusively through aggressive jukebox selections. You will see things at The Squire at 1 a.m. on a Tuesday that will make you question the fabric of reality. Highly recommend.
