Bar: Badger’s Pub
Location: 76 S Broadway, Denver CO 80209
Score: 8.0/10
Located on the heart of Broadway Street in Denver, CO lies the Badger’s Pub. Immediately from the outside of the bar you can tell that it is named after the Wisconsin Badgers and it is a Wisconsin bar. When I first visited this pub, it was on a Thursday night and the Packers happened to be playing. I should have known this from the name of the bar, but it completely went over my head, at the time. Being a lifelong Bears fan, I was dreading going inside after I saw the Wisconsin Badger on the sign outside of the bar.
When I walked in my biggest fear came to life, it was in fact a Packers backer bar. Fortunately, the Packers were not playing the Bears so I was able to go incognito during my visit and fit right in. After my second beer I quickly realized, damn I like this bar. While I still despise the Packers, the people of Wisconsin are the definition of Midwest friendly. All the patrons were as nice as can be and welcoming. It provided a very ”home like” feeling which is the foundation of a good dive bar.
After settling in at the bar, I went to order some food, to my surprise they did not serve food, but welcome you bringing some inside from other restaurants. I got a sandwich at halftime from a nearby restaurant and was content.
The inside of the bar at Badger’s Pub offers a lot of wood and brick, behind the bar. One unique thing about the Badger Pub is the ceiling is lined with coasters. We have seen money hanging from the ceilings at many bars, but coasters were a first. It offered a unique appearance and had me gazing at the ceiling from time to time, to spot out some bad ass vintage coasters.
The service during the few experiences I have had at the Badger’s Pub has been great. The one time I went when the Packers were playing, the place was slammed. Still, I got my beers delivered promptly. The second time I went was during off hours and the bartender and I were talking the whole time I was there. He actually gave me a lead to a great bar in Florida, which I actually visited and reviewed (Siesta Key Oyster Bar).
Overall, I could not suggest the Badger‘s Pub more if you happen to be on Broadway. This is a fun street with many bars. Can easily make a nice crawl from this street and the Badger Pub needs to be one of the stops.
As mentioned in previous posts about Denver bars, the dive bar scene is scarce compared to other cities. All bars take a modern approach making the bars aesthetic all the same shit. It is important to keep bars like the Badger Pub around, because of the atmosphere that they have and the great hospitality they provide.
Decor: Left some to be desired in this category. I felt that they could have had more decorations on the walls and more signage.
Price: Fair prices in an expensive city. They had a good mix of lower end domestics and cheap draft beer.
Service: Killer service, nice bartenders.
Atmosphere: Great atmosphere for games or if you just want to stop in for a quick beer during the week.
Cleanliness: Clean bar, nothing out of the ordinary.
Bonus Points: No bonus points.