Two Denver Bars Are Among the Best in America

For the nineteenth year, Esquire has unveiled its list of the Best Bars in America, and two Colorado watering holes are among the 42 spots that made the cut.

“Bars have always been that third place, the spot where you hang outside work and home. But as we’ve discovered crisscrossing the country over the past twelve months to visit the new bars, they’re doing that in more nuanced and varied ways than they have in a long time,” Esquire culture and lifestyle director Kevin Sintumuang shares in a press release. “It’s not just about the drinks. Then again, it’s never just about the drinks.”

Denver has a thriving bar scene, and the two on Esquire's list come from award-winning hospitality pros.

James Beard award-winning chef Caroline Glover, owner of Annette, opened cocktail and oyster bar Traveling Mercies on the third level of Stanley Marketplace in December. "The space has sentimental value for us," Glover told Westword at the time, noting that it's where she and her husband, Nelson Harvey, had a baby shower for their daughter, Franny. Glover and Harvey had been searching for the ideal spot to open a second concept, and were purposely looking for something small. "This popped up, and it just feels really good to us. It's the perfect, tiny hideaway spot."

Esquire agrees, writing, "Sometimes the best bars are in the most unexpected places. Exhibit A: Traveling Mercies, a cocktail and oyster bar tucked away on the top floor of a food hall/marketplace in Aurora, a suburb twenty minutes east of Denver. On one side of the low-ceilinged room is a row of barstools looking out on the expanse (the room was once an observation deck for an airport runway); on the opposite side is the back bar, where bar manager Matt Baczor is stirring bone-dry martinis in one hand while shaking up potent daiquiris in the other; to his right, oysters are being shucked, swiftly and deftly. You may debate whether daiquiris or martinis go better with oysters. There are no losers in this argument."
The other local bar that landed on the list is Sunday Vinyl, the buzzy wine bar at Union Station that the Frasca restaurant group opened in 2019. Our 2024 Best of Denver pick for Best Wine Bar for Non-Wine Experts, this spot specializes in vino but also offers high-end cocktails and a recently revamped food menu from Cody Cheetham, the James Beard-nominated chef of its sister restaurant, Tavernetta.

"The glowing blue McIntosh turntables at the bar are a clear sign that this place is serious about music," Esquire says of Sunday Vinyl. "Overlooking the tracks of Union Station, Sunday Vinyl is the chiller cousin of Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder and Tavernetta next door. The food and eclectic wine list are both so great that you could easily make this your only stop of the evening, but you could also just pop in for some tuna tartare and a pét-nat or a martini with a little bump of caviar."

Last year, Yacht Club was the only Colorado bar on Esquire's list, and it remains one of our favorites. It's also currently a Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards top-ten nominee in three categories: Best U.S. Cocktail Bar, Best U.S. Bar Team and U.S. Bartender of the Year for co-owner McLain Hedges.

Sounds to us like a celebratory bar crawl is in order. Cheers!