Occidental

Be still my heart. Occidental is a glorious dive into the wreckage of rock n’ roll soul—like finding Lou Reed’s leather jacket in a pool of mezcal. The bartenders pour loud, fast, and just shy of illegal. It’s the kind of joint that makes you believe in the church of bad decisions and better cocktails. Don’t miss the wall signed by legends.

Fun little spot with some of the best cocktail flavor combinations in the city. The place to make you feel at home if you’re from NY or NJ! Highly suggest coming in to watch your favorite NY sports teams play, grab a chopped cheese and enjoy some laughs. The food is better than expected. This video shows the front area of the bar, but there is more seating on the back patio area. 2023: Pictured here are the Calling All Skeletons and Whatever Didi Wants. Both were mixed to perfection and came out quickly. We also got the Cold Crab Dip and DANGGG - I highly recommend you do too! The shrimp chips and cucumber are great as dipping items. Our server was really sociable and had us laughing a bunch. I wish I had room for dessert, but it’s just giving me another reason to come back

This bar is SUCH a vibe. Employees seem really chill, drinks are fantastic, and the atmosphere is great with unique decor and an awesome playlist. Definitely recommend popping in if you are in the area. Now for my standard comments. Location is clean and well kept.

went in tonight For a night cap. There were two seats open at the bar. There was no other people to occupy them. Both people next to the seats lied and said they were taken. Although there were no drinks and it was obvious no one was sitting there. I'm probably the only punk rocker that place has seen sometime, probably why this clowns lied and i would have done good for their fake punk rock theme. You can let the yuppie and square customers dictate who's allowed to drink at your place.

Horrible service. Took them 15 minutes to give me a Diet Coke. The people in the back were messing around and talking about cutting each others legs off. Horrible place. Don’t recommend. Just kidding I do recommend Occidental is super tight!

Fun little neighborhood bar in the Denver Downtown area with a New York football Giants and 70s/80s punk rock theme. Even though I was visiting during a Giants game on a Sunday afternoon it was fairly busy but not overly packed.

I enjoyed myself and think it could be a great night out with friends. I don’t believe the prices match the environment, though they do match the stellar service. Just kinda comes off as grungy and down to earth, but then charge you $23 for supposedly affordable Buffalo trace and 1 egg/ham sandwich. Food is expensive these days I guess, but $11 for Buffalo trace had me not eager to return. Praise still due to the kindness and attentiveness of the servers. Maybe it was the just the wrong night to see a strangely upscale crowd (not fancy yet expensive clothes types) in a location that looks grungy as heck with the raise fist painted out front - you know the contradiction well if you’ve seen it. Maybe I’ll drop through again but hard to say since I moved from the area, but they probably deserve a second chance.

Suuuuperfun all-NY sports pub with a really delish menu! Indian (?) Fusion, plus pork roll, egg, and cheese 💙 Full bar, including a rad selection of craft beers.

Nice little place we stubbled onto after a concert at the junkyard. Cocktails were delicious and food hit the spot. Service was on point. Highly recommend the chicken tenders as they are quite good! Turkey club sandwich is worth the order to I believe.

Fun bar in Denver's LOHI area. Get the Genesee beer for 4 bucks or try some other craft beer for a few dollars more. Good place to watch a game. They are a new York fan bar...flags of Mets rangers and other new York teams. This is a good dive bar! Food was really tasty especially at midnight!

The best dive bar in LoHi! Packed, and always a good vibe. Great music even better people!

Occidental was a fun bar in LoHi. We only got some apps which were tasty but the whole food menu looked good. Normal variety of drink/beer options. Our waiter was attentive and nice!

We ate and had drinks here. The food was way more than you would think for bar food so totally worth it. Dom and jimmy were our servers and bartenders. By far the best service I ever had ever. It was a very nj vibe which I loved. Always had my water refilled without even asking. I was there when it wasn't so busy but it is a hidden gold mine. I will be going here every time I am in Denver mainly because of jimmy our bartender. Even gave us a special ice cube that was carved specially for us. Absolutely incredible.

Got drinks and then had to leave so said to cancel the drinks and they charged us for the drinks even though they said they wouldn't.

I think Ben K. was having a bad day! Don't let the Tomfoolery persuade you otherwise! This place was a blast, if you didn't have fun maybe you're just not doing it right! Come check it out for yourself!!!!! Chopped cheese was everything I needed! Plus those delicious deviled eggs!! Rock on Occidental!!

will charge your card 30+ automatically. Bartender doesn't care and oblivious. AVOID!

We stumbled across this bar when trying to get into a nearby distillery. Couldn't have found a better place for my husband who is a North Jersey kid and huge Giants fan. The atmosphere was packed but a blast. Bartenders kept the drinks flowing even though they were slammed! We had a great time and plan to come watch a Giants game next football season. We are from the Springs and wish we could come more!

Finally got the chance to try this place on Thursday. I live so close by but I've been lowkey intimidated by the noisy and rough exterior. The servers could not be nicer and the chicken tenders are fire. LoHi needs a "grungier" bar like this. We tried the Nashville hot chicken and the hot honey BBQ. Both great accompanied by a large portion of tots. The chicken alone is enough to fill you up if you aren't super hungry so take that into account before you order. Both orders were breaded and cooked to perfection (at least for a bar). This isn't your run in the mill bar chicken tenders, it's worth making the stop for a casual dinner.

Cool bar for a casual night out or to catch a game. Being from NJ it's awesome to find a home turf for NY/NJ sports teams. Occidental is the more casual "sibling" of Williams and Graham next door (which reminds me, I still have to review them because they are AWESOME), but I digress.... Love the edgy, no fuss ambiance of Occidental and they serve up some tasty food and drinks. The chicken tenders are fire and the tots are perfectly crunchy and delicious.

Visiting from Los Angeles and was intrigued to visit this bar based on a review that it was a "punk bar". I can see how one review might have interpreted it differently because this was definitely not a punk bar. Their stickers are mirror images of the band "The Exploited", employees had shirts that mimicked the "bad brains" logo, and a Misfits artwork on the wall and did not play one punk song the entire time we were there!!?! This is definitely more of a hipster indie vibe. So me and my boyfriend were very let down in that aspect, but besides that the food was really good and so was the service. Bartenders were great! But again disappointed this was considered a "punk bar", because this was not the vibe we were going for but ultimately made lemonade out of lemons. Still a good time If you're looking for a cool dive bar.

The absolute rudest bartenders I've ever met. Completely unfriendly bar atmosphere. Don't come here if you want a fun vibe. What you need to fix? Be more friendly, welcoming, and learn some people skills.

Everyone seems lazy. Crazy even on a Sunday night. Ordered drinks & food $ service was subpar

Food, service, and the people are amazing. Such a fun bar to go to for ranger games. And it you go, try the chicken tenders there amazing

Oh hell yes! Drinks, ambience and overall experience. Great punk bar with clean bathrooms. And not on Broadway!

Punk bar, punk vibe, don't be surprised if that's what you find here. Music is great, service is good, glad to have it in the neighborhood.

Me and my dad Henry came in because we needed BURGERS for survival. It was quite a sight. We ate em up real good and real nice. But boy I'll tell ya, it was quite the spectacle. We were feeling like brand new after a few bites and suddenly we were approached by 2 women. One of them was like hey you have nice skin, and she was married, I think? The other explained to us how shitty her ex was, well you know how it goes. Well after we stopped chewing our last bites of our BACON BORGERS, there were back rubs and.. yeah the food was great ill be back, thanks.

Bouncer was really rude and asked me to get out of the walkway when there was so many people blocking everyone else :/ I probably was the shortest person in the group but apparently so in the way of the staff. Really awful and unfair treatment would never recommend this bar spent so much money on drinks and me and my group of 16 friends will never come back :)

Just moved to the area and loved this was a punk bar that supported New York teams. Unfortunately, while waiting for our drinks, in our exuberance and in an effort to talk over the loud music (with friends who are hard of hearing) the bartender thought scolding us in front of the whole bar was the best way to handle our excitement. Considering the sour looks we were getting from some of the other patrons (looking at you lady in the white shirt) and the 15 minutes it took to get us three drinks (one of which was a beer) we decided to take our business to where it would be welcome (thank you Zuni St). If you're looking for a punk or dive bar, look elsewhere. If you're easily stressed by loud unexpected noises, please take your bartending skills to a nursing home or library. Or maybe take the stick out of your where the sun do not shine. Gg Allin is working with more than this guy

First impression before walking in was that is was going to be a dump. I am so glad I was wrong! This place is awesome! I think the best thing about Occidental is the staff. Especially Myles! Myles made our time there 10 times better. Even though they offer both indoor and outdoor seating but the place is still rather small. You also seat yourself so prepare accordingly. Food here is best described as bar food that's made by a talented chef that's been drinking that night. The dishes are perfect for drinking but are delicious enough to want to eat them with your Grandma. We only got a couple side dishes because this was our pregame spot before our actual dinner reservation. But damn did I want to order more. We ordered the Crab & Artichoke dip and the Chicken Shawarma Tots. We split these 2 dishes between 5 people and I would say that these were large enough to bear enough for 5. My favorite was the dip, which was served with shrimp chips, pita, and veggies. This was so good that it made me dance while sitting. The flavors were more on the crabby side but tastes were very well balanced. No need for salt or pepper because this was perfectly seasoned. The shawarma tots were also quite delicious. Grab and fork and go to town. It may be a little rich but you just wash it down with either a beer or cocktail and you will continue to stuff your face with delight. For drinks, I got the Love Will Tear Us Apart (bourbon, lemon, rosemary, fig syrup, Amaro Nonino, egg white). To say that this was delicious is an understatement. This was a party in your but only your loved ones were invited good! Fun and flavorful, yet intimate like it was meant for you just myself. Perfectly mixed to where it was not too strong tasting, and flavorful enough that you almost forget that there was alcohol in it. I say ALMOST because it definitely got me feeling good after 2 of them. My roommate had the Bramble (gin, blackberry liqueur, lemon, simple syrup). And this too was amazing. She's not much of a drinker but she liked it so much she had a second glass. This drink was lite, and perfect for someone who doesn't drink much. And to end our time here, we had a round of shots (tequila). The only reason why I gave it 4 stars was because my drink was served with 2 different types of glass and a drink order wasn't made right the first time. But they quickly corrected it without hesitation. I am definitely looking forward to spending another night with friends here. The crab and artichoke dip has been calling my name and I saw the wings from another table and that too is on my radar.

I wish I could give this place a good review. The main bartender (wearing a guido tank top and a 15 year olds fohawk) yelled at my group of friends for being "too loud" while loud punk music was playing. Only a man of lesser intelligence would yell at a group of mainly women to be quieter at a loud punk bar. My recommendation - the bartenders need therapy to better understand that just because you have a small package, it doesn't warrant you to yell at paying customers the moment they walk in.

Great atmosphere and really knowledgeable bar tenders. Definitely recommend checking this place out!

Love this neighborhood bar. The back patio has a massive TV and a bunch of couches to watch your football games and the inside feels like a bars bar. The bartenders are always friendly and the drinks are great. Also the place is CLEAN which isn't something you can say for a place I usually don't walk into until after 10.

Pretentious pseudo-dive bar. If you go in too late they all cop an attitude because they want to go home early.

Let me paint you a picture. It's 12am, you've been bar hopping around highlands all night, you're hungry, but still want to keep the party going? GO TO OCCIDENTAL. The bar food is relatively good for a dive bar. Their chicken tenders are FUEGO. Okay? I always ask for all of the sauces on they offer on the side 'cause I'm extra like that & I'm not ashamed to say it, haha. The burger is good as well & plentiful. They have other menu items that I have yet to try just cause I'm in love with the tenders. The beer selection is perfect. I haven't tried the cocktails here. Don't think about it too much. Beer and shot me please. I'm not one to order a drink from a cocktail list at a dive bar. Stick with your jack/coke, vodka/sodas, etc here. For my industry folks this place is where you go to unwind after a very very long shift. I also love the neighborhood feel! ITS THE CHICKEN TENDERS FOR MEEE!

Great vibe, G-Men all day! Wings were decent size, I'm impressed with them. Could use more flavors for the wings though.

This is perfect for the emos highly recommend and they stay open late John the manger is actually amazing so nice and polite

Randomly found this bar looking for a cool place to go to! We actually wanted to go to Williams and Graham but they had a wait even for the bar so they suggested us to go next door and it was awesome! The drinks were excellent. We tried the bramble, diablo, and Saturn and got a few snacks. The Mac and cheese with bacon jam was amazing and so were the fries. My favorite was their brownie with salted caramel Oreo ice cream from Ice Cream Man on top! The crunch salted caramel was a 11/10! They have really cool decor that is Christmas themed now with great music.

Cool bar. Has an indoor and outdoor option. Music was super loud inside but good for a going out night. Outdoor options were cool. Legally blonde was on TV. Drinks were moderately strong :)

Dope dive bar. If you're industry, then this is your home away from home. They've got some amazing specials for those in the brotherhood. It's me favorite. If you're a tri-state transplant and a sports fan, you'll like this place too. Parking is a challenge and wait times can get high on weekends. They're still spacing tables and bar stools out but if you're fully vaxxed then leave the mask at home! Ask for Charley, she's the bomb.com Literally...

Stopped by here for Happy Hour while on vacation. 10/10 would recommend. They were relatively busy, but our server didn't miss a beat and our food and drinks came out fast. The back patio area had a great atmosphere and didn't feel crowded at all. Get the Saturn, it will be your new favorite drink.

These guys go hard in the mf paint. Food? Fire. Drinks? Fire. Service? Fire. xoxo -Alicia

Fun, inclusive bar (great waitress) with yuuuuumy drinks and some tots that were gone shortly after they came to our table. This is one of my friends local favorites and I can see why. Would 10/10 come back!

I love this bar so much, their food is excellent, and the service and drinks are good. Fantastic chicken tendies and spicy margs. But in the last few months they've shifted to playing really loud heavy metal music what seems like every night of the week, whether it's 5pm or midnight. Missing the old music/vibes like classic hip hop (that weirdly still plays on the speakers in the women's bathroom). Hope they bring some of that back, because it used to be my favorite bar in the area!

I truly don't think we've experienced such poor service at a bar. Our group of 4 was told to sit at a table and wait for service. We waited over 20 minutes and nobody came so we finally had to go to the bar and order. Finally the server came, we ordered more drinks and water, he returned to tell us he "forgot what we ordered" and never brought us waters. We asked for waters (it's now 1 hour later) he said "oh yeah waters" and never came back. Then another server came to help out, she also forgot every drink we ordered and never came back. It's almost like they didn't want to make any money at all. Our group was stunned at the lack of service or attention anybody was getting when trying to order drinks. Our bill was a total mess and we were charged incorrectly for every thing. What is going on here?!?!

Bar is cool, good vibes. Blue Mohawk guy is a total douche bag and shouldn't be serving. You make cool cocktails, it's y'all's thing. Dont get angry when I ask for one. Also making the client feel bad for ordering is laughable. Either fire him or train him to be a normal human.

Had a very bad experience here. The staff was extremely rude and did not want to serve me or the group I was with. Very disappointed as this seemed like a cool spot.

Very fun little spot. Cocktails were innovative, atmosphere was fun and inviting, and the staff was incredibly friendly! We also tried some small bites which were very tasty.

Thank God for Jon Blanco. All the best recommendations. You could tell the level of pride in the food both from the chef and the server selling the food. Music was great as was the vibe.

Food was great. Environment was fun. Reasonable prices. Cool New York fan bar in Denver area. Only critique is service could've been faster.

Good divey spot with late night kitchen for the big time W! I got the chicken schwarma tots. They were big time solid. I'm here for a wedding weekend and something tells me I'll be back here ... late night....

Great spot for a few drinks. It's a bit of a hybrid - they serve cocktails (and it's classified as a cocktail bar on here) however the vibe was a mix between a dive bar and a sports bar. There was a basketball game on when I came so it was a bit loud and crowded but I still stayed so that should say something (I hate sports). They also had PBR Tall Boys for $3.50. My kind of joint. Friendly staff. The doorman was a really nice dude (which is somewhat rare because they are often intimidating).

Dominic is the best energy! He helped us pick beers and stayed and talked with us making it super personable

Cool bro bar in Lohi. Came in on a Saturday afternoon and got a seat at the bar. Of course they were busy but the bartender was great. My friend and I came from a mexican restaurant so we wanted palomas, thought it would be weird, but they were delicious, strong and hit the spot.

Slap my face, and call me Nancy. Best damn chicken tenders in the country.... Possibly the world. Idk, I'm not a doctor.

Just came from root down and occidental drinks are at least five times better than root down's The Jus is so delicious, milky, and complex The shake me wake me is a delight with layers of pineapple and espresso that are divine Y'all wasting your time by not coming here

Thank you so much Sean, Jimmy, Melissa and the entire Occidental team for your incredible service. We had an amazing time watching the Giants football game today. The service was fabulous and the food was absolutely delicious.

Ska music, old school music videos and a well made drink. It hit the spot. I don't remember the name of the drink but it was tequila and ginger beer with other things. It was delicious.