Tarantula Billiards Bar & Grill

Ordered a beer to a dude at the bar, he called me handsome and with a beautiful heart and told my girlfriend that she has a good man. Would be delighted again

This is literally my go-to spot in Denver—if you’re a pool player that is! You get free pool as long as you’re buying drinks ( I drink pineapple juice 🍍), so it’s a win/win. Unlike other places that charge $1.50 per game, here you get to enjoy a laid-back, slightly grungy atmosphere that feels like a perfect throwback to the ’90s—think Nirvana, punk rock, and that effortlessly cool dive bar energy. The music is a mix of everything, from hip-hop to country, but it leans mostly toward alternative rock, which fits the vibe perfectly. The downtown location is unbeatable, the staff is fantastic, and the crowd is always friendly. Whether you’re here for the pool tables or just the atmosphere, this spot is a 10/10 must-visit for anyone in Denver looking for a great night out!

Jena is a phenomenal bartender. The GBTA conference ended at 4:00 and a massive portion of 5,200 attendees came in and she handled everything solo. I never waited more than 2 minutes for my next drink. She deserves a raise and promotion.

Good food, great service, fun pool with friends or even if you come alone you'll have a good time here. The place always has a great atmosphere. Came multiple times and also on St Patrick's Day weekend, the entire bar staff was super attentive and friendly, I had the pleasure of meeting Neely and Brian, both wonderful people.

Writing this comment as a regular If you’re looking for a place to grab a drink, play pool and make new friends, this is a place to go. The staff is friendly and nice, prices are fair. For a place where people drink, never faced any fighting. Always nice, friendly and safe vibe. The food selection is nice and the food is tasty, but don't expect a restaurant menu, it is a local bar after all. They replace tables clothes regularly as well (even tho, as any other public place, you’ll see here or there someone spilling a drink on the table), but the tables are still in a very good condition, and you’ll definitely enjoy playing. Highly recommended 🎱🥃

We came as a party of 8 and there was a lot of space for us. Good place for billiards. Huge with a lot of tables and still packed. Good variety of craft beers and ciders on tap. Most of the tables were taken when we came in, so there may be a short wait to play. In the mean time you can play foosball or watch some sports on the big screens Pitchers worked out well for our group. We were able to share and finish off a couple of pitchers. The restroom in this place is god awful and the only reason this place received 3 starts instead of 5. Please maintain clean working restrooms for your customers! The music, people, vibe, pretty much everything else was great.

I believe this establishment could become more diligent in the area of pool table maintenance regarding the table cloth. Insure all lights above each pool table are in good working order. Implement a requirement of a charge for alcohol being spilled in the pool tabl. Last but not least, do not allow employees to take photos of a patrons ID on their personal phone for an unpaid bar/table tab!. An establishment can possibly be held reliable for a breach of personal information leading to identify theft which can become a legal matter.

My favorite billards bar in denver. Right next to the convention center and many hotels. Theres always a crowd in here. Always good music. Very hot lady bar tenders. Fair prices. And surprisingly good bar food. I like to sit on the patio and drink.

It's hard to find a good dive bar in a downtown area, so this place was a great find! It has everything you'd want from a classic dive: cheap drinks, pool tables, and bartenders who know how to keep the vibe going. It's laid-back, unpretentious, and just a solid spot to hang out with friends or meet some locals. Nothing fancy, nothing trying too hard - just a dive bar done right. Five stars for keeping it divey!

If you're looking for a late night bar to hang out, have a couple drinks and pay some pool, this is your spot.

Pool is not free. And the old bag attenders wouldn't know a good drink from a dictionary. The service is bad, the tenders don't tend, and the tables and cues are slick with sweat, human juice, and STDs.

Great bar to hang out and have a good time. Loved the music played here with a mix of new and old school jams from the 90's to 2000's. Lots of pool tables and I think dart boards too? Security is at the door checking Id's so be sure to be of age! Drinks were great and reasonably priced and Service was quick and friendly too!

This is my go to Pool Hall because it's FREE and drinks are cheap! Happy Hour is really tough to beat. We usually go earlier in the evening to snag a spot and usually the crowds aren't as busy (but I also usually play on the weekdays). It does get packed later in the night the usual weekends. Its divey, dark and loud but they cater to a wide range of individuals. My gf have had some great nights here and met some new friends. They have a lot of available tables and the bar service can be slow at times, I don't mind waiting for cheap drinks. They do get a star taken down just because while cheap, it was pretty bad. The beer on tap was rather flat. Overall fun times playing pool, I highly recommend...even though the drinks are ok!

Tarantula is always an absolute vibe. Me and my buddy rock up on our Harley's all the time and have a great time. The bartenders rock. Trista helped us out last time. And I was so indecisive I told her to just whip something up and she killed it on all 3 of my drinks. Trista is a total vibe and a great tender! Got some wings to go with my drink and they were perfect as usual. Used to come here all the time and now I come but not as often. Can never complain. PS- the people watching is 10/10.

This is a pretty cool divey spot for playing some FREE pool! Well, looking at their website they charge for the pool on Friday and Saturday nights after 7pm. They have happy hour, too but it's drinks only, no HH food. Although their menu is pretty basic bar food like burgers and a few sides. It's good they have a little something to eat as options. Check it out if you wanted to play some pool games!

Tons of pool tables! Good drinks! Great place to go if you are looking to play some pool or air hockey while getting a bite or drink right down town! Service was pretty good for how packed the place was!

Def a dive bar! Inside was nice and we got our drinks that were what we ordered. The bartender was nice. There was a bar fight outside on the patio while we were there but security got it under control quickly. While we were out on the patio, we were approached by a lot of homeless people passing by for a lighter or some change and whatever else. Was entertaining on the patio, but I wouldn't go there solo.

Free (!!!) pool and super cheap drinks! Amazing spot on downtown Denver! We will be back!

Great for a group hangout! The punching strength machine was a huge hit, and pool is always a classic. Sadly, the air hockey has apparently been broken for "like two years" according to a regular; and the shuffleboard deck was being used as a coatrack/coaster for a lot of drinks, so we couldn't use that either. First place we found in the area that could comfortably accommodate eight of us, so I'd definitely go back if I was with a group again.

Wings were nice and crispy. Plenty of space to make myself comfortable. Nice touch of adding hot sauce on side.

Went here last night to get a few drinks and relax. The service that followed was egregious and discriminatory. The bartender (blonde, I believe her name is trista) came over and asked what we wanted to drink. We hesitated for literally half a second and she scoffed at us and went to the next people. She took my check before I had signed it, etc. she then proceeded to vape and take shots with 2 guys, keep in mind she did this on the clock behind the bar after complaining she was too busy to help actual customers. Where does the discrimination come in you may ask? As a joke we wrote "MAGA" on the receipt (keep in mind we knew nothing of her political affiliation so this was not with malevolent intent). When she saw the receipt she cussed us out, said we were engaging in hate speech, told us to "effing get out her bar you effing nazi", told me I should leave my boyfriend bc he's a piece of sh*t, etc. calling people nazis I'm public is very inflammatory and could be grounds for potential defamation or slander of one's reputation when yelled in front of multiple witnesses. This bar is disgusting and unclean as well. Beware if you're looking for a place to go out in Denver. If there was an option for negative stars, that's what I would give this establishment.

The best place to play pool you have so many tables, great place to have a fun night. Our bartender was Eva she was so full of joy and I could tell she was very busy but she made me feel like I was the only person there. If she's there ask her to make you something awesome. She's a gem.

I usually love this place but today they allowed children in this place. Like 5 or more. I'm talking about infants and the like in strollers. WTF?!

The service was bad . A waitress spilled beer on me an said not to use napkins . I DO NOT RECOMMEND

I want to start off with the positives, they have an unbeatable happy hour! $4 well singles and $6 doubles. The well Tequila is nice and smooth too, perfect for a pregame. My first problem was with the service, I came in around 4pm, on a Friday, before it got busy and it took the bartender about 20 mins to appear. I have no idea what she was doing or where she was at but once she got there she was good. My second problem is with the food. After a night out, my date and I were hungry, there was a snow storm coming in and not too many places around us that were readily open and convenient, so I suggested we grab a bite here since I had saw people eating good looking food earlier. I ordered us two Tex Mex burgers which came out to $30. Everything looked and smelled good on the surface so we went to our hotel lobby to eat since the place was crowded. The buns on the burgers were burnt to a crisp, almost too crunchy to eat, the tomatoes tasted like they heated them up and were mushy, lettuce was the same. They put a small slather of guacamole on the burger which was probably best because the flavor was terrible, like a cheap store bought guacamole that had sat out for a while. And the patty was the worst! I don't know if it was prepackaged or what but it tasted like something they would give you in the middle school cafeteria. I couldn't even get past two bites and I was really hungry! The fries were good but my appetite was pretty much spoiled and my date's was as well. I ended up tossing both meals and further wasted my $30. If I hadn't experienced that good happy hour I would have given them one star, but they're definitely worth it for the drinks, stay away from the burger though.

Do not order the Long Island. Not even sure what's in it but wow . Drinks are $$$$$$$ Dive bar could have better dive bar prices in my opinion ‍a Otherwise great place to play pool.

This billards hall is alright but their sticks are complete trash. Bald. Cracked. All retipped. To add to this they only have two sticks per table with no extra sticks. Everyone basically steals other people's sticks. It wouldn't cost much to add a few to a wall mount. If you don't have your own stick don't go.

We were visiting Denver, and luckily this place was open late on a weeknight because so many places were closed. They have 15 billiard tables, foosball, four person air hockey, shuffle board and video games. They offer free pool on weekdays, but be aware that even on these days there was a waitlist for a table even at 11 pm. They have 20 beers on tap, serve food and cocktails, and this place was in walking distance of our hotel.

This is just a good place to play pool. Usually pretty busy in the evenings when I go. Very spacious and in a great location if you want to do something downtown after

I would give this place a 0 star it has become such trash! Tonight was my first time back in awhile (Sunday night should have been chill) and 2 fights happen. Both incidents occurred from the patrons being over served! And the second fight was favored for the guy that started the fight. Apparently he was known by the bartenders and staff and was never kicked out and started fighting multiple times, and the cops never showed up. That dude should have been locked up and the bar should be fined for over serving these people! Trash.... Just plain trash!

Fun place to play pool. It can get pretty busy which makes landing a table difficult at times. Drinks aren't unreasonably priced and it's a laid back vibe. Not bad

Seeking a place for a couple late night drinks after bar hopping in downtown Denver my friends and I made our way to Tarantula Billiards for one last round... Things I need in a dive bar: 1) Great location/space! Tarantula's location is fantastic! On the corner of 15th and Stout it makes a great stop after any event near the Convention Center. 2) Cheap drinks/eats! With Happy Hour from 11 am to 7 pm, plus various daily specials - Tarantula's is very easy on the wallet! 3) Friendly servers! Servers were quite friendly. Def patient with our moderate sized group as we chose our various libations. 4) Entertainment! There's a variety of pool and shuffleboard tables about the space. Several tvs too so you can stay caught up on the days sporting events. Tarantula's def fits the necessary requirements for my divey needs! Next time I'm in the area I'll be back in for more of my boozy needs.

Great place to shoot some pool, and awesome $6 Long Island iced teas. Staff is friendly, kind, makes stiff drinks, and always happy to give you as much water as you need. Weekdays are the best days to come for free pool, but it's a reasonable price for weekend play. Want a solid drink? A friendly face? Stop here. You won't be disappointed.

Decent place to play free billiards (pool) during week days, small menu of drinks, but bartenders are willing to make what u want, regular small bar food menu, decent ambiance

I came here for a private event. That said, it was really busy and also likely not representative of how the place typically operates. I enjoyed being here, though. Big place, bartenders were sweet and working hard to fill drink orders. Neat place, a little dicey. I could see myself coming here pretty often if I lived in the area.

Be careful. I was just here at midnight. I didn't drink before I got here and they tried to charge me for five drinks when I only had three. Then I was told I was a rude asshole when I called them out.

Quick to making drinks and nice energy. Unfortunately, doesn't feel like anyone here is following COVID protocol (the staff is fine, but there are so many people inside playing pool and none of them wear masks!!) I wouldn't come here until covid is over, to be honest

Nasty staff. Nasty owner. Nasty customers. Good idea in bad hands. Go home and shower.

No MEXICAN flag!!! Makes me feel disrespected and uncomfortable to be in here quite frankly

This is a good spot if you need a drink downtown and your hotel bar is closed. It's slightly sad, I couldn't drag any co-workers with me, as one of them said.. That place looks scary... Well trust me it's not scary. Just a bunch of folks, ordering drinks, bar food, and shooting some pool! The bartenders were nice and the prices were better than right for a downtown drink! I don't think I would make this my go to bar by any means if I lived downtown Denver.. But I also don't see anything wrong with it! Met a nice dude from Sioux City, Iowa who was in Denver for concert and talked to a sales guy who was in Denver from Indiana.. So maybe it's just a place where solo dudes who are from out of town go to buy some Coors Lights on a Tuesday night!

Great place to waste time. Have a few drinks play Some pool. 18+ in this business. You must by drinks but are able to play pool for free.

Super cool place to hangout. The bar tender was really nice and recommended some good drinks. It's a good and affordable place to get some wings, something to drink, and to play some pool. I highly recommend it if you are visiting Denver

I went to Tarantula for the first time two weeks ago and have already been back twice. I love this place! Free pool on weekdays is amazing and the drinks are strong and super good - i had a cosmo that was amazing. The bartender is always nice and the vibes are always good. I've never had to wait for a table to open up and only later in the night did anyone play close enough to us to risk bumpin elbows. Anyway yeah. Love it here.

Seriously impressive bartenders! Thank you Trista and Eva. They were literally working so hard, and doing a great job. Super fun dive in Denver and I'd def come back next trip.

Terrible staff, especially the doorman this particular night.... Was nothing but a complete jerk. Followed by other Insufficiencies...I wish I would have enough time to list

Friendly staff ,easy going laidback ballad ...close by 16th street & other restaurant & other places

Staying in the downtown Denver area for a couple days and stumbled upon the Tarantula. So glad we did !! our bartender Brian was absolutely the BEST! Super fun "dive" bar. We made a point to stop in and have a couple beers every day!

I wish I could give this place no stars, I just moved to downtown and was hoping this was a cool bar for the weekend and was terribly mistaken. We had all just moved here and the bouncer bent my friends ID who has lived here longer than I have and graduated college with me. They offered no reasonable explanation for why they took the ID or bent it in half. Bar tender and security were terribly rude. 7/9/22 between 3-4. My friend now has to get a new ID because of this. Will never come back or recommend it to anyone that lives near me.

Asked for a coors banquet and this bartender went off on me. I already gave 35% tip. I'm disappointed in her sass. I liked this place until the. I'm from the Midwest and try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt but haven't faced someone this standoffish since 2019 in South Dakota. It was the waitress with the bull ring btw.

At first glance this place looked chill, kitschy, and pretty welcoming. The music was not bad, there was decent space between the tables and we were so happy to see such a great shuffleboard table! In good shape to boot! Those are oddly hard to find. The paintings on the wall imitating the originals are overall good (except Venus, it was done horribly). ;) the ambience is what you would expect and a bit better than I imagined it would be. The drinks weren't horrible and the bartender was ok. Overall it's exactly what you expect in a dive bar trying to appeal to hipsters. It was fine for what we wanted and no real complaints. Nothing special but certainly not bad. That is until........ I looked down to find the puck for our shuffleboard game on the side of the board and saw tons of mice droppings! A lot!!!!!!!!!!!! I was horrified. The only thing that I could think of was that I just touched something that was literally on top of mouse feces and that hand has touched the glass I am putting into my mouth! Needless to say we shoved the drinks away, paid the bill quicker than I've ever paid any tab in my life, left to delouse our bodies and never looked back. If there are mouse turds on the shuffleboard table, just imagine other places those mice have been........ sad too because otherwise it would've been an ok place. I uploaded a picture just in case someone that works there would prefer to have a place that isn't a health hazard. Seriously.

Cheap drinks, pool, and other types of games to play. Pool is paid by the hour. For drinks, I recall drinking $6 Long Islands and $3 PBR. A solid place to grab a drink with friend while hanging out Downtown.

Pool shark So tarantulas use to be off of 15th and Curtis back in the day- I didn't make the connection till I was there tonight with an friend who is also a Denver native- Well (whatever) I like the open space of the new location and the wraparound outside patio- Some other features like the drink specials' and of course the free pool during the week is a plus for a pool shark that's been out of practice for a while (As myself)- They do have drink specials and food to go along with - The long island tea was a recommendation from a regular here and I was not last done- Good staff topped off the night made it at the top of my list for shooting pool and hanging with friends-

Came here three times in two days while we stayed downtown at Aloft. Each time the bartenders were friendly and prompt. They had daily specials and one of the times we came here the billiards were free. I think it was Friday afternoon. They have a large selection of beers in bottles, cans and on draft. There were a lot of people in there each time we stopped in. We sat on the patio and had a beer in the sun until someone came by and put our umbrella up for us. That was nice. Good place for people watching.

This place was 4/5 stars however then they allowed people to smoke right outside of the garage door. This made the experience horrible and dropped it down to 2/5

Good option if you're looking for food late at night. It takes a while but there aren't too many choices from what I could find in the area past midnight on a Friday night.

Our party of three headed over here for some Friday night beers and it was close to our hotel. Easy to find, large neon sign out front. When entering you instantly see pool table after pool table. Since it was still rather early in the evening, most people appeared to have just gotten off work. We didn't come for pool, but came for the shuffleboard. After ordering a few beers, we gave our ID to the bartender for the shuffleboard pucks. She told us they didn't have any extra sand, so whatever on it was what we had. Also, one of the lights on the table was busted, so we were shooting in the dark on one end of the table. And the scoreboard was broken too, so we didn't even keep score, just decided to shoot for fun and have beers. While the service was good, the shuffleboard was in a bad spot- we were constantly having to move around for staff pushing trashcans, waitstaff coming by with new glasses, people heading to the bar. It was just very tight, but I guess this place is known for the pool tables and could care less about the shuffleboard table. After finally deciding to just give up, we grabbed a booth by the front and finished our beers. Stop by and grab a brew, and play some pool, but don't visit here if you are looking to kick ass at shuffleboard.

Went to Tarantula on New Year's Day as it was one of the few businesses open in Denver for the holiday. They had probably 10+ pool tables that are free with drink purchase. When we got there in the late morning, we had our pick with only a few others at the bar. It's a little dive-y as to be expected from a pool hall but has nice big windows toward the front of the bar. Our friends ordered wings that took a long minute but otherwise all was good. Would happily trek back to this part of town when looking for a fun activity as long as there aren't too many people on the waiting list to play.