Everything about Pigeon, the new vinyl bar in Capitol Hill, is analog. Turntables spin a rotating collection of records, tables light up to reveal chess boards (with chess pieces available behind the bar), and old-fashioned sodas are stirred by hand with house-made syrups. There aren’t any screens, just a sleek, brutalist bar against the soft crackle of vinyl.
Even finding the space is a word-of-mouth affair, as the owners — the same people behind Pon Pon Bar in River North — have foregone any advertising or social media pushes. “We started Pon Pon the same way … and it kind of grew,” recalled Andy Rauworth, the mastermind behind Pigeon. “I think that’s the beauty of it, there’s a little mystery to it.”
Rauworth, who owns Pigeon, 1431 N. Ogden St., with Eric and Alison Corrigan, was previously part-owner and general manager at Pon Pon, but is now solely invested in his new space. Nearly everything inside Pigeon was handmade by the team – like the bar’s concrete backsplash that Rauworth poured himself, and the light-up chess board tabletops he created in his garage.
“We’re not trying to do a flash in the pan kind of vibe here,” he shared. “It’s why it’s all built out of concrete – everything’s here to stay. We’re very set in this environment.”
Rauworth began visualizing Pigeon in 2017, hoping the concept would be somewhat healing after many years of working in the bar scene. “I’m at an age where I want to get away from the party life,” shared the 30-something.
“We saw this location as kind of a hole in the community. There’s our classic stretch of dive bars, and I love them, but there’s a void for cocktails and something a little bit less anxiety-inducing,” he added.
The business arrives amid a wave of new vinyl-focused “listening” bars in Denver, including Peach Crease Club near the Mission Ballroom and Malinche Audiobar on Platte Street. However, Rauworth is quick to distinguish Pigeon from other vinyl joints.
“There’s definitely a hi-fi listening bar trend…it seems like these things are popping up every week,” Rauworth shared. “[Pigeon] isn’t a hi-fi bar, even though this system is incredible. But we’re not setting out for it to be anything like a Japanese listening bar. We’re not trying to catch the wave on that.”
Instead, the focus is on “getting people off their phones and socializing,” Rauworth said, referring to the chess boards and screen-less nature of the space. “Even the seating is set up this way to kind of squish people together. The bar is brought closer in to squeeze the space … when you’re sitting this close to someone, you’re probably going to engage.”
While Pigeon leans laidback, don’t get the wrong idea. Rauworth insisted it gets more lively after hours, just not in the way that you need to scream over people to have a conversation.
“We’re in it for the long haul, we’re not trying to fire it up and blow doors off this thing,” Rauworth expressed. “It’s not set up to be a cash cow; it’s a passion project, so I hope people see that.”
The cocktail menu is inspired by everything from Greek herbal remedies to Chinese white tea.
But there are also non-alcoholic beverages in the form of old-fashioned sodas mixed by hand with house-made syrups. Flavors include lemon lime, a cola based on a 1955 recipe, and a Belfast-style ginger ale dating back to the 1870s. There are also rotating seasonal flavors, think grapefruit for palomas and pine needle soda in the winter.
Pigeon assistant manager Travis Rice, who is the man behind the sodas, got the idea from his first job working at a soda fountain in Broken Bow, Neb., while in high school.
“I was just thinking of that concept, and realized I haven’t ever seen a bar do the handmade soda thing. So that kind of opened a can of worms,” he said. “It’s just a fun way to explore American soda fountain history and offer something a little bit more unique.”
Eventually, they will also venture into coffee, with plans to launch “study hall” hours, akin to happy hour but designed for focus, where guests can write, work, or just plug in and settle in.
Tucked away in the back of the space is a food counter simply named Toad. Run by Elliott Delka, this is the chef’s first solo project. Inspired by Japanese techniques and regional sourcing, the small menu is rooted in Colorado ingredients, from locally milled grains to heritage-breed pork raised on small family farms, and items like gyoza and tofu katsu.
Delka leases the counter space from Pigeon, and it operates like a hidden extension rather than a traditional restaurant.
“We’re even more of a hole in the wall than Pigeon,” said Delka. “The people who are called to the more warm lights in the back find his other special thing that’s happening. And itap a cool service to offer a bar concept – you’re not a sit-down restaurant, you’re not going and being hosted at the door, it’s more free-flying.”
Pigeon is located at 1431 N. Ogden St. Its hours of operation are 4 p.m. to midnight Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday-Saturday, and closed on Tuesday. Toad is open from 4 a.m. to midnight Wednesday-Saturday, 4-10 p.m. on Monday, and is closed on Sunday and Tuesday.
