First Look: The Post Chicken & Beer Is Now Open in LoHi

What: The Post Chicken & Beer — LoHi

Where: 1575 Boulder Street

When: Open 3:30 to 9 p.m. daily, with weekend brunch and daily lunch coming soon.

For more info: Visit postchickenandbeer.com/lohi
What we saw: This location is not unfamiliar; we were regulars at Lola Coastal Seafood, which moved into the corner spot in the old Olinger's Mortuary complex from its original home on South Pearl Street back in 2006, long before the LoHi moniker took hold. But despite a makeover a few years back, the market for Lola began drying up in this rapidly changing part of Denver; in September, the Big Red F restaurant group closed the ambitious Mexican seafood restaurant, with plans to turn the place into a Post Chicken & Beer. That's a concept with legs — drumsticks! — that originally debuted in an actual VFW post in Lafayette and has since rolled out to other locations in Boulder, Denver, Longmont and even Estes Park.

After several months of renovations, including a complete kitchen overhaul and a reversal of the stairs so that customers heading to the basement bathrooms no longer walk through private parties, the Post LoHi opened its doors on February 8. Much of the layout remains the same: The big enclosed deck has added a few booths, but it still has seats along the bar, which has many more seats — comfy ones, too — inside.

The community table introduced during the last makeover is still here, and the rest of the table setup is largely unchanged. But there are barn wood accents, the color scheme is orange and brown — and there are now actual TVs over the bar, which continues to offer margaritas, but also has Post beers on tap, including Howdy and Top Rope.
What surprised us: Besides the TVs, gluten-free chicken! When he decided he wanted to open a fried chicken spot, chef/Big Red F founder Dave Query traveled around the country with some of his colleagues, testing recipes and perfecting their own — which happens to be gluten-free. We've enjoyed the Post's fried chicken before, and early in the pandemic, when chicken really took off, even Lola offered chicken at its walk-up window.

For us, the crunch over that juicy bird is a major attraction. For our gluten-avoiding friends, it's a real find. So are the happy-hour deals from 3:30 to 5 p.m. daily, when you can get three tenders for $10 (it's a little extra for Nashville hot) or try the crispy thigh fries or the Brussels sprouts in slightly smaller portions for much smaller prices. We weren't brave enough to go for a gravy shot, but that's on our list for next time.

So is another round of beets & sweets (beets, sweet potatoes, pesto and feta), a "Post Original Cheeseburger," and more chicken. Always more chicken.

But we've got time: The Post has landed in LoHi, and it looks like it's here to stay.