Rika M.
Yelp
If the City of Denver can boast about some unique bar which gives you the 1920's Paris era ambiance where time stands still, then you should look no further. This space used to be Deep Roots Winery & Bistro which I utilized once in the past. I didn't know what had happened to them as my memory with them fell into oblivion. Apparently, it closed back in 2020 and the space had stood empty for years before the owner started to renovate the place and turned into a beautiful bar with all sorts of vintage stuff displayed throughout.
Named after the first asylum for the mentally ill in England is a story that appears to have a deep meaning behind it, the bar's logo design is so intriguing and goes so well with the overall atmosphere of the bar.
This place may be advertised as a bar with "European comfort food". The prices for the drinks and foods are extremely reasonable for the location (on Wazee) and the elevated atmosphere.
This place, not like other places that have "closed days", is open 7 days a week from 4:30pm to 2am. People in Denver can rely on this place no matter what day of the week when they feel like a good bar food and a quick drink after work at 5pm or late into the night when you simply don't feel like going home because you just want to immerse yourself in some nostalgia.
For me and my adult daughter, it was an early Christmas family dinner on a Tuesday night. I got a glass of Izadi Rioja Reserva and she got a glass of N/A Aperol Spritz. And to go with our drinks, we got us the Smoke Trout & Onion Dip and Baked Brie. On a wooden board, they gave us plenty of crackers and pieces of bread to savor the two dishes. Did we have any complaints to talk bad about any of the stuff we ordered? Absolutely not. No matter what your drink is, these two dishes will go well with it.
A few things I would like to mention about this place:
1) This is not a place where you will expect to eat a lot of "filling" foods. After all, this is a cocktail bar with elevated bar foods. As far as we remember correctly, the menu for the food is quite small. Maybe you can eat lightly before you go here. But the drink options are plenty; it will not disappoint you.
2) Open bar seating only. I did call them ahead of time and made a (ghost) reservation but you might waste your effort by doing so. Just walk in and see if you can grab a table or a few bar seats.
3) This is more like a little suggestion to the bar staff/owner. The kind of music that was being played in the background was a bit of a mismatch to the overall ambiance. Like I said, this place is like stepping into 1920's Paris era (to me, that is how I describe it.) In my opinion, if they play the kind of music or songs used in the "Midnight In Paris" soundtrack, it would elevate the whole place to the next level (in short, some old jazz music would be great.)
Well, ever since our last night's dining experience, I've told at least one of my good friends about this cocktail bar. Word of mouth is sometimes the best way to spread the good news; the good news about this place will most likely spread. As much as I want to keep this place secret as this is my "little gem" or "little jam", I simply couldn't hold back my excitement to be expressed on Yelp. So go check this place out.