Charlie Brown’s Bar & Grill pulses with personality, from its piano-centric sign atop a canopied entrance to its square wooden bar and huge stone patio that overlooks one of the busiest stretches of Capitol Hill.

Charlie Brown’s first opened in 1928, according to longtime owner George Andrianakos, but didn’t secure a liquor license until 1947. The fact that it’s survived all this time speaks to its bustling-yet-homey atmosphere. Like many historic neighborhood eateries, it also invokes the sights, sounds and aromas of a Mile High City that no longer exists.

Connected to the towering Colburn Hotel, you’re as likely to catch retirees scratching lottery tickets over shrimp dinners as you are 20-somethings popping in for late-night pizza and cocktails. The one-story space is packed with handsome features, but its draw has for decades been the nightly piano singalongs, as well as happy hour 2-for-1 drinks and — on the second Friday of every June, July and August — a pig roast that’s free for all.

It’s easy to imagine Beat legend Jack Kerouac hunkering down at a corner banquette, or Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe strutting through, as all have done. A few of the liquor bottles and toy cars above the bar date back six decades, although Charlie Brown’s — formerly known for its huge, smoking-friendly patio — has updated the most yellowed aspects of its décor (including, thank goodness, its highly absorbent carpets).

Charlie Brown’s is at 980 Grant St. in Denver; 303-860-1655 or charliebrownsbarandgrill.com.

Here are more Denver old-timers preserving the city’s culinary and cultural past while inching toward the future, in alphabetical order.

Bagel Deli

This 58-year-old, family-owned deli sells toothsome bagels and Jewish deli classics like brisket, corned beef, lox, matzo ball soup and kosher treats. Its modest storefront conceals a deep history, from its 1967 founding by Holocaust survivors Lola and Paul Weiner to a national fan base thanks to shows such as “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” New, as of April: A Denver International Airport outpost. 6439 E. Hampden Ave. in Denver; 303-756-6667 or

Bastien’s

Whether or not you’ve tried the famous sugar steak — and you should — you’ll be transported by the and mid-century modern aesthetics of this East Colfax Avenue fixture, which opened in 1958. Big groups often dine under the dim lights while toasting martinis and Manhattans, but there’s a romantic air throughout (and a spartan little bar in the back). 3503 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver. 303-322-0363 or

Brewery Bar II

This working-class slice of old-school Denver won The Denver Post’s Best Green Chile bracket in April against tough competition from Los Dos Potrillos, Tamales Moreno, El Toro, Santiago’s and a few other exemplary makers. All are worthy, but the 69-year-old Brewery Bar II shows many of them up with its face-meltingly hot variety of the traditional stew, available in cups, bowls, take-out containers and atop Mexican dishes and combos — including its unbeatable crispy rellenos. 150 Kalamath St. in Denver; 303-893-0971 or

Buckhorn Exchange

Featuring hundreds of taxidermied animals as well as Colorado’s first liquor license granted after Prohibition, Buckhorn Exchange dates to 1893 when it opened as the Rio Grande Exchange. The city’s original steakhouse, as it rightly calls itself, has red-and-white checkered tablecloths and all the Old West flavors to match: Rocky Mountain Oysters, rattlesnake, elk, quail, alligator and, for a mere $263, a 4-pound steak that feeds up to five people. Bibs not included. 1000 Osage St. in Denver; 303-534-9505 or

Bull & Bush Brewery

This British pub has stayed cozy despite its sprawling layout and long copper bar, which has welcomed diners and tipplers since 1971. Twin brothers and founders Dean and Dale Peterson stocked it with British antiques and pop-culture curios while building one of the tastiest menus in Glendale, with favorites such as fish and chips but also Mexican fare and — as of the 1990s — some of Colorado’s first commercial craft brews. Brunch is highly recommended. 4700 E. Cherry Creek South Drive in Glendale; 303-759-0333 or

Casa Bonita

As overexposed as its recent renovation has been, this 51-year-old “eater-tainment” concept remains a Colorado icon. Kids remember the carnival-style games and interactive environments such as Black Bart’s Cave, and new owners Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of “South Park,” have preserved them with love. The unmistakable pink building still features cliff diving, roaming mariachi performers, and lovingly over-the-top decor, but now the food isn’t too bad, either. Be sure to book early, given the newly revived demand. ��6715 W Colfax Ave. in Lakewood;

The Cherry Cricket

As Denver’s most-awarded burger spot, Cherry Cricket’s original location recalls neighborhood pals gathering for cheap lagers and watching the Broncos sack (or get sacked by) their rivals. It first opened as Zimmerman’s in 1945, but turned into The Cherry Cricket five years later, with a rotating “Duffy’s” sign coming and going over the years. It offers a full sports-bar menu, including wild burger toppings such as peanut butter and mac-and-cheese, with a pair of other locations in LoDo and Littleton. 2641 E. Second Ave. in Denver; 303-322-7666 or

The Original Chubby’s

With a colorful family history that occasionally included legal disputes, this late-night Colo-Mex standby offers a burger- and burrito-driven menu of tested family recipes. Owner Stella Cordova, who bought the place in 1967 for $2,500, was a common sight there until she died at age 100 in 2006. Her legacy endures with the scarf-worthy burritos, burgers, smothered fries and tamales, most of them available with savory green chile stew ladled on top. And it’s a must-visit for late-night partiers. 1231 W. 38th Ave.; 303-455-9311 or

Columbine Steakhouse & Lounge

The fast-changing face of Federal Boulevard has a constant feature in the 64-year-old, cash-only Columbine Steakhouse, where visitors can watch their porterhouses, T-bones and sirloins sizzle on line, then hunker down with them over a baked potato, salad and slice of toast (or a cocktail from the attached bar next door). Working-class, family-friendly and proud of it. 300 Federal Blvd. in Denver; (303) 936-9110 or

Domo

This Japanese stalwart founded in 1996 revived itself in 2023 after a year off, following a 40-second, viral TikTok video of the restaurant’s elaborate gardens, prompting hundreds to wait in lines that snaked around the building (and overwhelming owner Gaku Homma and his staff, as The Denver Post reported). Thank goodness it’s quietly returned to serving its signature Japanese country cuisine, featuring soba, ramen and tsukemen dipping noodles; curries and soups; donburi rice bowls; and all manner of savory, traditional apps. 1365 Osage St. in Denver; 303-595-3666 or

El Taco de Mexico

Founded in 1985 by Felipe Juarez and MaLuisa Zanabria, this incredibly consistent, no-frills taqueria is always stuffed with devoted customers, thanks to a tireless, Spanish-speaking staff that keeps things moving briskly. Grab an ice-cold bottle of Mexican soda while you select your mouth-watering tacos, burritos, tamales, enchiladas and sides (with haste, it should be added). If you’ve had a better taco — or green chile, for that matter — in Denver, you’re a lucky diner. (Do yourself a favor and grab breakfast on the airy, people-watching patio, too.) 714 Santa Fe Drive in Denver; 303-623-3926 or

The Fort

Great steaks are not hard to find in Denver, given our cattle-producing state. But at The Fort in Morrison, you’ll get that plus themed dinners (murder mysteries, or dining in the dark), live performances, cultural events that appreciate the region’s Indigenous culture, and a distinctly Southwestern mood in its adobe castle, which dates to 1961. The Fort opened two years after that, and it remains one of the region’s most culturally- and geographically-rooted dining experiences. 19192 CO-8 in Morrison. 303-697-4771 or

Gaetano’s

Denver’s Northside neighborhood, now known as Highland, was once an Italian-food paradise, and businesses like Gaetano’s are some of the only reminders. The tidy red-sauce joint opened in 1947, with a secretive gambling room upstairs, and has changed hands a few times since then. The vibe leans into its actual mob-boss past pretty hard, but there’s no need to puff up the sausage and peppers with cavatelli, or the lasagna with ground beef and sausage. 3760 Tejon St. in Denver; 303-455-9852 or

La Popular

Tamales are the word at this family bakery and tortilleria in central Denver. For the last six decades, they’ve churned out thousands of traditional, red-and-green Mexican tamales every week, but also to-go breakfast burritos, Denver’s best hard-shell tacos, giant bags of hearty tortilla chips, gallons of spicy salsa, and a rainbow’s-worth of immaculately crafted Mexican cookies, brownies and fresh breads — most for 75 cents apiece. 2033 Lawrence St. in Denver; 303-296-1687 or

La Fiesta

The historic building is arguably just as notable as the food, but both hearken to a time of neon-lit streets and wood-grain interiors. Family-owned in Curtis Park since it was founded by Michael W. Herrera in 1963, La Fiesta offers cheap beer, Mexican specialties — they’ve long touted their green chile and chile rellenos — and a well-preserved interior that feels like stepping back in time. 2340 Champa St. in Denver; 303-292-2800 or

Lechuga’s

This humble Italian restaurant, mere blocks from other institutions such as Chubby’s and the prolific tamale-legend La Casita, is known best for its sausage cannolis. Wrapped in puffy dough and a recipe that hasn’t changed since 1961, according to owners, they’re perfect for dipping in marinara and pairing with pizza, spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread and other fresh, made-daily delights. (See also the charming, nearby Carl’s Pizza, which opened in 1953; .) 3609 Tejon St. in Denver; 303-455-1502 or

Mexico City Restaurant and Lounge

Most of the original Mexican restaurants in the area are gone, but Mexico City has held down its spot in what’s now the Ballpark neighborhood in downtown Denver for more than 65 years. The family recipes, set in motion by founders Grandpa Willie and Grandma Esther (as they’re affectionately known), are dominated by the irresistible fried tacos — an office-worker lunch favorite. “For the 8% of you that need a break from Fried Tacos from time to time, we also serve menudo, chili verde, enchiladas, elotes and more,” they write online. We couldn’t have said it better. 2115 Larimer St. in Denver; 303-296-0563 or

My Brother’s Bar

Along with The Buckhorn Exchange, this endearingly named slab of brick-and-wood is the oldest continually operating bar in the city, having stayed open under various names since 1873 (it received its current one in 1970). It’s long been known for burgers, fries, onion rings and other crispy delights served in plastic baskets with waxed paper. Ice-cold bottles of beer and a surprisingly secluded patio make for perfect summer nights. 2376 15th St. in Denver; 303-455-9991 or

Pete’s Kitchen

Colfax Avenue just wouldn’t be Colfax Avenue without Pete’s Kitchen, which has beckoned all manner of diners since opening in 1962. It offers a wide array of breakfast, lunch and dinner items, and is famous for its hefty breakfast burrito, which you can smother in green chile and top with gobs of shredded cheddar and various perks. Other must-tries include the Greek specialties, cemented by founder and late entrepreneur Pete Contos, as well as a seat at the classic diner counter that hums with an energy like no other. 1962 E Colfax Ave. in Denver; 303-321-3139 or

Peter’s Chinese Cafe

This Congress Park neighborhood favorite — one of just a few solid Chinese restaurants in Denver’s immediate southeast — has been mostly a takeout spot since opening in 1985, with loyal customers cycling through the tiny main room and offering warm smiles to familiar staff. Originally from Hong Kong, founder Peter Chan earlier this year completed the sale of the restaurant to employees, which hopefully means we’ll get many more years of savory chicken, pork, beef and shrimp specials, along with soups, rice dishes, egg rolls and other Chinese-American menu fixtures. 2609 E. 12th Ave. in Denver; 303-377-3218 or

Pho Duy Denver

The metro area’s surprising bevy of pho restaurants, situated up and down Federal Boulevard and sprinkled heavily across Aurora, would be forgiven for being jealous of the constant attention, awards and business that flows through this peerless Vietnamese beef-broth soup factory. Along with a dozen-plus varieties of traditional pho, it has for more than 30 years (in different locations, it should be noted) peddled best-in-class boba teas, spring rolls, rice-noodle bowls, stir fries and more. 925 S. Federal Blvd. in Denver; (303) 937-1609 or

Poppies Restaurant & Lounge

Humble yet lively, Poppies serves dinner and bar favorites of the mid-to-late 20th century with a wide-ranging flair sorely missing in many restaurants. Think steaks and red wine, but also mussels du jour, salmon salad, prime rib, chicken parmesan, seafood, Mexican fare and indulgent desserts. A great place to sample the flavor of Denver — and the restaurant industry’s — upscale culinary past, circa its 1985 opening. 2334 S. Colorado Blvd.; 303-756-1268 or

Sam’s No. 3

Few Denver restaurants are better known or loved than this be-all, end-all downtown institution, with more than 100 menu items that span the entire day’s meals, and then some. Its signature green chile has for years given other locals a run for their money — they sell 60 gallons of the stuff daily — and its red-and-white awning has happily welcomed locals and tourists since 1927, with another location in Glendale. If you see a line outside on weekends, don’t worry: It’s worth the wait. 1500 Curtis St. in Denver; 303-534-1927 or

Wynkoop Brewing Company

A group of friends and business partners built Colorado’s first-ever brewpub in 1988 in the red-brick J.S. Brown Mercantile Building, just across the street from Union Station, and it had the bonus effect of helping turn around an ailing downtown Denver. Plucky geologist-turned-entrepreneur John Hickenlooper, who went on to become mayor of Denver, governor of Colorado and a U.S. senator, was famously one of those founders. But truly, Wynkoop has long stood on its own with a playful and attention-getting tap list (chile beer, a prickly-pear puree beer, an oyster stout and many more traditional flavors) and, oh yeah, it has a solid bar burger, pizza and dinner menu to boot. 1634 18th St. in Denver; 303-297-2700 or

For this list of Denver’s 30 required restaurants, we considered all of those variables and more. This list might have been different if we’d written it a year ago, and it might be different in a year’s time. But for now, these are the restaurants that feel like required eating in the Mile High City.

A5 Steakhouse

A5 Steakhouse is a far cry from the stuffy velvet booth and white tablecloth trend that defined steakhouses for decades. The funky ’70s-style space serves Japanese A5 wagyu with a side of bacon kimchi rice for the adventurous, while still reserving a classic New York strip with whipped potatoes for the traditional. Restaurateur and owner Juan Padro received a Michelin recommendation in the inaugural Colorado guide for this take on steak.

1600 15th St.;

Annette

Annette’s been serving made-from-scratch comfort food so good that you’ll want to peek into the kitchen to see if your grandmother’s doing the cooking. Inside the Stanley Marketplace, chef Caroline Glover’s laid-back take on fine dining earned her a 2022 James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Mountain Region, and guests will reserve a spot months in advance just for the signature grilled beef tongue with bone marrow toast or the wagyu burger.

2501 Dallas St., Aurora;

Bakery Four

Bakery Four garnered a cult following for its naturally leavened sourdough and laminated croissants when it opened in 2020. But constant demand — people sometimes line up at 6 a.m. — has helped it grow from owner Shawn Bergin’s basement during the pandemic to a sprawling space on Tennyson Street. Get there early to secure some monkey bread made from croissant scraps, cinnamon-dusted morning buns and chocolate croissants made with European butter.

4150 Tennyson St.;

Barolo Grill

Barolo Grill has almost as many regulars as it does bottles of wine, in part because the fine-dining restaurant has kept things consistent since it opened in 1992. Owner Ryan Fletter, who received the 2023 Colorado Sommelier Award from Michelin, considers it to be part of Denver’s old guard. Barolo Grill serves northern Italian cuisine inspired by the staff’s annual trip to Barolo, Italy, and boasts a wine collection of 15,000 bottles, ranging from $40 to $7,000.

3030 E. 6th Ave.;

Beckon

When Beckon opened in 2018, it was the first modern, tasting-only restaurant in Denver (meaning each day’s menu is selected by the chef rather than the patron). Now, there are several. The move paid off when Beckon won one of the first Michelin stars ever awarded in Colorado in 2023. Chef Duncan Holmes runs the intimate, $195 experience, during which 18 diners sample ever-changing seasonal dishes at a U-shaped walnut counter.

2843 Larimer St.;

Bistro Vendome

They say the classics never go out of style, and it doesn’t get any more classic than Bistro Vendome. This 21-year-old French restaurant, founded by Denver dining innovators Jennifer Jasinski and Beth Gruitch, serves dishes that would make the critic in Ratatouille weep with joy, from Duck à l’Orange to steak frites to escargot in garlic butter sauce. For most of its life, Bistro Vendome held down a charming space in Larimer Square, but moved to Park Hill in 2023.

2267 Kearney St.;

Cart-Driver

No one can deny Denver’s love for Cart-Driver. After all, there’s nothing better than a pillowy, slightly blackened Neapolitan-style pizza crust topped with littleneck clams and a side of a dozen oysters. Noted also for its tinned sardines, Italian-style spritzes and location inside a shipping container, it was one of the River North Art District’s earliest and hippest hangouts when it opened in 2014, and it remains a first stop on many people’s lists.

2500 Larimer St. and 2239 W. 30th Ave.;

The Cherry Cricket

Denver claims to be the birthplace of the cheeseburger, and The Cherry Cricket loves to keep that legacy alive. The beloved institution, once owned by now-Sen. John Hickenlooper, has been stacking as many ingredients as it can fit on top of a beef patty since 1945 — and stacking up awards and contest wins nearly as fast. But the Cricket has expanded, and you can now find its burgers downtown and in Littleton, with another location on the way north of Denver.

2641 E. 2nd Ave., and other locations;

ChoLon Modern Asian

Like many chefs, Lon Symensma fell in love with the cuisine of Southeast Asia after a trip to Vietnam, and as a result decided to open a restaurant in Denver that re-wrapped the flavors and food he’d eaten with his own experience as a fine-dining chef. The move paid off. ChoLon earned immediate attention nationwide in 2010 for his interpretation, and in particular his French onion soup dumplings, which were a novelty in Denver at the time. Today, Cholon, now with two locations, remains an elevated dining experience, both because of its food and its service.

1555 Blake St. and 1691 Raleigh St.;

The Original Chubby’s Burger Drive-in

Green chile is one of Colorado’s most famous dishes, and its history is rooted in Denver’s north side where the late Stella Cordova founded The Original Chubby’s Burger Drive-In in 1967. Today, the restaurant, which expanded in 2016 and is a melting pot of communities and local culture, continues to dish out burgers, fries and Mexican food covered in that oh-so-spicy green stuff.

1231 W. 38th Ave.;

Denver Biscuit Co.

Denver Biscuit Co. makes a lasting impression. Founded as a food truck in 2009, and now encompassing seven Colorado storefronts, the breakfast spot wows customers with massive buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches – like Nashville hot, Korean-style, ham-and-Swiss, and sausage-and-gravy – served on scratch-made biscuits. And although you’ll be very full, don’t skip the head-sized cinnamon buns, either.

Multiple locations.

El Taco de Mexico

One part colorful diner, one part old-school taqueria and 100% the soul of the city, El Taco de Mexico has been serving Mexican food classics – like its cheese-dripping chile relleno burrito and green chile – since 1985. Unfussy and unfettered by changing times, this Denver pillar became an American classic in 2020 when the James Beard Foundation included El Taco de Mexico in its America’s Classics category.

714 Santa Fe Dr.;

Hop Alley

Set against a soundtrack of old-school hip hop, this lively, Michelin-recommended hotspot — which takes its name for the bigoted term for Denver’s former Chinatown — specializes in cheffed-up and flavor-packed versions of Chinese classics, like bone marrow fried rice, Beijing duck roll, la zi ji Sichuan chicken thigh, and the stunning sirloin steak bavette with egg yolk. Order a cocktail, drink wine from a porron and dig into a unique marriage of Denver history and modern magic.

3500 Larimer St.;

La Loma

The Mendoza family built La Loma’s beloved reputation out of a small brick house beginning in 1973. Even though the green chile wonderland has since changed hands and locations, the recipes from Grandma Savina Mendoza and fluffy homemade tortillas have remained the same. La Loma, now in the heart of downtown with a second location in Castle Rock, embodies the true spirit of Denver’s original Mexican food scene with an upscale touch.

1801 Broadway and other locations;

La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal

Chef Jose Avila has created a rollicking, vibrant atmosphere with exquisitely crafted Mexican-style street tacos served on tortillas made with corn that has been nixtamalized — an ancient way of grinding that preserves flavor and a piece of culture. Avila is part of a wave of chefs who are harkening back to their Mexican heritage in Denver. Take things further with one of a rainbow of posoles or street taco specials. And if you’re lucky, you’ll be there for one of La Diabla’s special nights involving mole, cricket tacos or chocolate-covered scorpions.

2233 Larimer St.;

Leven Deli Co.

Known for its 12-day cured pastrami, house-baked breads, pastries, and weekend lines that snake out the door, Leven Deli is worth the lunch rush wait. The Reuben is the standard bearer at this Jewish deli from owner Anthony Lygizos, but you’ll also find offerings like chicken shawarma on flatbread, smoked beets on toasted rye, smoked ham with caramelized onion jam on a baguette. Luckily for Denver, Leven recently added a dedicated bread-baking facility so that it can begin an expansion plan involving a new store and possibly a new restaurant.

123 W. 12th Ave.;

MAKfam

Kenneth Wan and Doris Yuen wrote a “love letter to ABCs (American Born Chinese),” as they termed it, by opening MAKfam, a restaurant serving Chinese dishes like dumplings, scallion pancakes, bao buns and spicy noodles. Taking their ethos and aesthetic from “neon-lit Hong Kong noodle parlors” and New York City’s Chinatown, their menu is addictive, and not just because it gleefully employs MSG, but because of Wan’s skill in the kitchen. MAKfam added to its renown by winning a Michelin Bib Gourmand award in 2024.

39 W. 1st Ave.;

Mercantile Dining & Provision

When Alex Seidel opened Mercantile inside Union Station in 2014, he aimed to help people connect. An upscale grab-and-go market and deli during the day, Mercantile turned into a fine-dining restaurant at night, serving meat, pasta and vegetable-based dishes good enough to land him a James Beard award for best chef in the Southwest region. But with his own farm and ranch, he also connected diners to the places where their food comes from in a way that hadn’t been done before. Today, you’ll find that ethos (and former Mercantile chefs) throughout Colorado, although the restaurant itself is now owned by Sage Hospitality.

1701 Wynkoop St.;

My Brother’s Bar

Everyone’s got a brother in Denver in this 150-year-old building, which has been a bar during all of that time — and the past 55 or so as My Brother’s bar. But My Brother’s, which has seen it all from the corner of 15th and Platte streets, is also one of your best bets for burgers in Denver. They come grilled, wrapped in parchment paper, and served with a condiment caddy so that customers can build them the way they like them. Dark on the inside, with an English pub feel, but with an oasis of a patio out back, this is the kind of place we hope will never close.

2376 15th St.;

Pete’s Kitchen

Pete’s Kitchen is many things to many people. A hangover-breakfast spot, a lunchtime diner, an after-hours, after-show, after-party hangout where you can soak up the booze with a patty melt, breakfast burrito or a gyro with fries. But it’s also a vestige of Colfax Avenue’s neon-lit past when all-are-welcome Greek restaurants dominated this section of the street. Open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays, Pete’s is a tradition for multiple generations in Denver.

1962 E. Colfax Ave.;

Odie B’s

Odie B’s (formerly called Bodega) whips up some of Denver’s tastiest breakfast burritos, sandwiches and cheeseburgers to the tune of Wu-Tang Clan. The Dirty Denver, for instance, is green chile braised short ribs with cheese curds and crispy onions on a hoagie. The neighborhood hotspot — frenzied but friendly — also elicits lines of early birds craving a playful take on anything you can dream of ordering at a corner bodega. Owner Cliff Blauvelt is planning to spread the love with a second location opening in the River North Art District this winter.

2651 W. 38th Ave.;

Osaka Ramen

Jeff Osaka was already a respected chef and restaurateur when he opened Osaka Ramen as part of a new wave of sleek, noodle-centric ramen bars in Denver. Mixing tradition with his own take on cooking, Osaka serves classic dishes like tonkotsu and spicy miso along with bowls featuring green chile and chorizo or Thai coconut green curry. There are now dozens of ramen shops in the metro area, but Osaka’s still stands out as a benchmark for comparison.

2611 Walnut St.;

Restaurant Olivia

Restaurant Olivia has “one of the city’s hottest tables,” according to Colorado’s inaugural Michelin guide. Chef/owner Ty Leon’s specialty is his modern take on classic pasta dishes, like the French onion ravioli, which tastes just like a warm bowl of French onion soup. Every ingredient is well thought out and sourced, like the burrata shipped two days after it����ap made on a farm in Italy, or venison from a conservation organization in Maui that����ap only served at two other U.S. restaurants.

290 S. Downing St.;

Safta

For most Safta diners, it’s love a first bite when it comes to the Israeli restaurant����ap woodfired pita bread. Chef Alon Shaya and his wife, Emily, opened their first restaurant outside of Louisiana in The Source Hotel in 2018. The setting is perfect for groups or just a couple of empty stomachs looking to dip into a table full of hummus, labneh, baba ganoush or tabbouleh — all inspired by Shaya’s grandmother’s recipes.

3330 Brighton Blvd., #201;

Sap Sua

Sap Sua is an homage to chef/owner Anthony (Ni) Nguyen’s experience as a first-generation Vietnamese American, and it features family recipes with a twist, such as bắp cải luộc, a charred cabbage dish with anchovy breadcrumbs and an egg yolk sauce, inspired by his mom’s humble boiled cabbage and rice recipe. His goal is to give every first-generation kid the chance to see the recipes they also grew up with in a more upscale setting.

2550 E. Colfax Ave.;

Steuben’s Uptown

This upscale diner always welcomes you with open arms, leather booths and heaping portions of comfort food — and when Steuben’s opened in 2006, it made waves by redoing many American classics with a chef-forward spin. But the nostalgia you’ll get when ordering a milkshake (which comes with the leftover ice cream in a mixing cup) or digging into an ooey-gooey cheese pull after a bite of a patty melt, comes straight from the collective heart of Americana.

523 E. 17th Ave.;

Sushi Den

Sushi Den and its sister restaurants are sure to impress even the most well-traveled sashimi and nigiri lovers. That����ap because the restaurants ship in heaps of fresh tuna, mackerel and scallops from the Nagahama fish market in Japan every day. Brothers Toshi and Yasu Kizaki started “Den Corner,” as their block is sometimes called, in 1984 with the opening of Sushi Den. They added Izakaya Den, a Japanese gastro pub, and followed with Ototo, which serves up Japanese robata-style tapas. (And keep an eye out for their fourth, Denchu, an omakase spot opening next year).

1487 S. Pearl St.;

Tamales by La Casita

This mainstay has been serving some of Denver’s favorite tamales for nearly 50 years. Every day, Tamales by La Casita makes 18,000 tamales from scratch with corn husks directly sourced from Mexico. People travel near and far to stock up on green chile and cheese or classic red chile and pork tamales. That����ap why it����ap one of the first (or last) stops for Denver visitors, who can also get Las Casita’s tamales in Denver International Airport����ap Concourse C.

3561 Tejon St.;

The Wolf’s Tailor

Like many Michelin-starred restaurants, Wolf’s Tailor has a multi-course tasting menu curated by its chefs, a cadre of attentive servers, each assigned to a specific dish, and an approachable vibe that is elegant but casual. But Kelly Whitaker’s flagship takes its food to another level, not just with creative recipes and gorgeous presentation, but with its commitment to sustainable sourcing, zero-waste practices, and an ethos that prioritizes a connection to the land and the seasons.

4058 Tejon St.,

Yuan Wonton

Penelope Wong has chased her dream over the past five years in full view of everyone in the city. With her heart on her sleeve — and her hands buried in dumplings — she’s detailed the hard work and experience on social media that she and co-owner Rob Jenks have handled, building Yuan Wonton from a pop-up to a food truck to a restaurant. And the city has followed her every step of the way, as her dumplings and other dishes became ever more sought after. This year, Wong was a James Beard award finalist, but it’s unlikely she will stop there. Stay tuned.

2878 Fairfax St.;

But not all watering holes are created equal. While there are plenty of amazing places to tip back a bevvie, we rounded up a few of the most legendary spots in Colorado to have a drink.

Columbine Cafe, Golden

A lot has changed in Golden over the past century. For starters, Prohibition ended in 1933, meaning that Coors Brewing got back into the business of making beer. But there’s also now a highway where the Arapaho tribe used to camp and fish, and there are houses and offices and restaurants and gyms where there used to be nothing but open space and elk.

Things have changed at the Columbine Cafe as well, but not by much. Founded as a restaurant by Mike Hatzis, who emigrated from Greece to the U.S., it became a bar in 1934, and a hangout for Coors employees, who would come down after work to trade rumors, tell stories and drink the beer they made — because for most of its existence, the Columbine only served Coors. And since some of those employees worked the third shift, typically 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., the bar opened at 7 a.m. to make sure that everyone could get a pint at the end of the “day.” In 1976, Hatzis gave the bar over to his nephew, Harry Artemis, who’d worked at — where else? — Coors since 1962. Harry continued the run the place past his retirement from the brewery in 1992 and into the 2000s.

It’s now owned by Harry’s kids, Chris, Steve and Tina. Today, the Columbine serves a few beers that aren’t Coors — Longmont’s Left Hand Brewing was on tap recently — and it showcases bluegrass music on Thursday nights in a park-like patio out back; Chris even runs a ski tuning shop in the basement. And it hasn’t opened at 7 a.m. for a decade or so. But the Columbine is still the place to come to trade rumors and tell stories about Coors Brewing, among other things, and it’s still the place to find someone to talk to at the bar, or behind it.

15630 S. Golden Road, Golden;

The Cruise Room, Denver

With an aura that jumps straight off of the silver screen, the Cruise Room looks like the kind of place where you might run into Humphrey Bogart drinking a gin martini or Bette Davis swilling an Old Fashioned. Opened the day after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the Art Deco bar is in the historic Oxford Hotel and it features a long and narrow layout — like a train or a ship — with slick booths on one side and a gleaming, neon-lit bar on the other. While the dress code here should be elegant if possible, you’ll likely find all kinds drinking at the bar.

1600 17th St., Denver;

Flagstaff House, Boulder

There are plenty of rooftop patios in Colorado. And they’re all fantastic. But in Boulder, there’s a patio that feels as if it’s on the roof of the world. Perched on Flagstaff Mountain, just to the west of Boulder, Flagstaff House — owned and run by the Monette family since 1971 — is a fine-dining destination known for elevated food, an award-winning wine list and breathtaking views. While dinner reservations book up far in advance, you can also visit the newly renovated bar and lounge area for a cocktail, a canape, or a dessert. It is seated on a first-come-first-served basis. There’s even a cozy fireplace on colder days where you can watch the sun set with, say, a glass of Caviar Dreams, made with prosecco, lemon, grapefruit, bitters, caper liquor and a bump of caviar.

1138 Flagstaff Road, Boulder;

Gray’s Coors Tavern, Pueblo

Sit at the bar on in one of the booths at Gray’s Coors Tavern for just a few minutes, and you’ll feel as though you’ve lived your entire life in Colorado. Not only does this timeless Pueblo bar and restaurant mostly serve Coors beer (history tells us that the brewery worked with bar owners after Prohibition ended to put the family name above the doors at a few saloons), but the walls are covered in Denver Broncos memorabilia from at least seven different decades and photos of Gray’s beginnings in 1934. But back to the menu, where you’ll find the perfect pairing for your Coors beer: an open-faced, double cheeseburger smothered in green chile (Pueblo-grown, of course, rather than Hatch), known affectionately as a Slopper.

515 W. 4th St., Pueblo;

Minturn Saloon, Minturn

Holed up alongside the Eagle River, the Minturn Saloon — and its predecessor bars at the same address — have been serving drinks in the Vail Valley since 1901. The beautiful backbar itself was built in the 1830s and spent time in Leadville before being hauled down the mountain. But the saloon is perhaps best known as being the end destination for the Minturn Mile, an experts-only backcountry route down Vail Mountain. Recently renovated, the saloon has upgraded its menu and become quite the tourist draw. But it will always welcome locals with a discount.

146 Main St., Minturn;

My Brother’s Bar, Denver

If you’ve been around for 150 years, you don’t need a sign to announce your presence. Such is the case on 15th and Platte streets in Denver. A watering hole since the 1870s, the building at 2375 15th St. has been home to My Brother’s Bar since 1970, when the Karagas brothers moved to town and took it over. It’s now owned by local preservationist Danny Newman, who has kept the legacy alive. Laid out like a darkened English pub — but with an unexpected oasis of a patio out back, My Brother’s is known for burgers and beer. And you can get that burger however you want it because it comes with a tray full of possible condiments. (We recommend the Jalapeño Cream Cheese Burger.) The bar is also one of several where Beat Generation writer Neal Cassady spent time while he lived in Denver. Visit, and you might feel enlightened as well.

2375 15th St., Denver;

Oskar Blues Grill & Brew, Lyons

Beer has a long history in Colorado and there are plenty of storied places where that heady liquid has been brewed. One of the most unexpected, though, was a raucous Cajun restaurant founded in 1997 in Lyons by a homebrew-loving Alabaman. But Dale Katechis was also bold, and in 2002, he did something no one could believe: he started canning craft beer. Sure, the big guys — Coors, Bud, Miller — all canned their beer, but microbreweries were supposed to be better and more refined. Katechis was laughed at, but it didn’t stop him from building his business into one of the 10 largest craft breweries in the country. Katechis eventually sold the brewery, but he kept the restaurants, including the original in Lyons, which has hosted renowned blues musicians and jam bands going back in time to a more innocent era in this little town.

303 Main St., Lyons;

Silver Dollar Saloon, Leadville

In case you forget that the town of Leadville is 10,120 feet above sea level, a short and breathy walk down Harrison Avenue, to the front door of the Silver Dollar Saloon, will remind you. Once inside, though, it’s hard to forget the building’s 150-year history (it has been a bar for nearly that long), its antique fixtures and its many guests, like the 10th Mountain Division soldiers (who trained just down the road at Camp Hale), gunslinger Doc Holliday, and the miners, prospectors and Prohibition-era lawbreakers who enjoyed a drink here. Join them by choosing from an extensive list of Colorado-made whiskey, beer and wine, and revel in the fact that this is one of the highest-elevation bars in the United States.

315 Harrison Ave., Leadville;

Woody Creek Tavern, Aspen

For nearly as long as college students have been absorbing the satirical chaos of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” it has been a Colorado rite of passage to visit the bar and restaurant in Woody Creek, just outside of Aspen, where the book’s author, Hunter S. Thompson, hung out — until his death by suicide in 2005. The rabble-rousing journalist would likely laugh at the Woody Creek Tavern’s legendary status today, not to mention the ritzy feel of Aspen. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop in to peruse the celebrity photos and memorabilia on the walls, drink a bloody Mary and offer up a toast to Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo.

2858 Upper River Road, Woody Creek;

Wynkoop Brewing, Denver

When Wynkoop Brewing opened in 1988 — serving 25-cent beers that day to draw people to the then-desolate neighborhood — it was the first time a beer had been commercially brewed in Denver since Tivoli Brewing closed nearly 20 years earlier. Since then, the brewpub’s booths and bars have been many things: a gathering place for civic leaders, journalists and pot-stirrers; the launchpad for the career of former co-owner John Hickenlooper (now a U.S. Senator), the site of live pig races and pool tournaments and the catalyst for a neighborhood that would go on to become one of the hottest party spots in town. Across from Union Station and down the street from Coors Field, the Wynkoop is now a courtly grandfather among rowdy teenagers, but it’s also the only place you can find a beer made from Rocky Mountain oysters.

1634 18th St, Denver;

“People have reached out with requests like, ‘We can’t let this go! We need to save it!’ ” said Newman, 42, over a video call from his renovated-church home in Governor’s Park. “And I just don’t have it in me right now. Part of that is exhaustion, and part of that is the newborn.”

Danny and wife/business partner first child is only 6 months old and they’ve been hiding out from humanity to protect little Niko from COVID. It’s a well-deserved rest for the family that has been responsible for preserving some of Denver’s most iconic, and endangered, cultural icons in recent years.

Last summer, they bought the 32-year-old bohemian hangout the Mercury Cafe, a focal point of Denver’s jazzy, poetic arts scene that existed long before its current boom. That was after buying My Brother’s Bar in 2017, the hometown legend that hosted Beat poets and countless others. Newman’s mother started working there when he was 4 years old — as did he, summers between college — and his love for it means the paper-wrapped bison burgers, classical music and garden-patio seating at Denver’s oldest continuously operating bar has stayed more or less the same.

“I have pictures of my very pregnant mom there,” he said with a laugh. Fittingly, his parents were part of the deal in buying it.

Requests he has turned down over the past year include saving the teetering Denver Diner and Breakfast King, or rescuing the former jazz club El Chapultepec.

“We obviously did a big push for Casa Bonita,” he said, referring to a save-our-sopapillas drive that ended with “South Park” creators/Colorado natives Trey Parker and Matt Stone buying the Mexican restaurant in Lakewood. “I’m pretty happy with where that one ended up.”

Newman, who recently joined the board of Historic Denver Inc., is passionate but picky about preservation. He and Kruzick, a producer for HGTV’s “Good Bones” and other TV projects, know every building or business cannot be helped. But Newman is hoping to bring younger members in for different perspectives on what’s ultimately worth saving.

“Not just architecturally important or 1800s historic buildings, but culturally important things that need to stick around to make Denver not just a generic city,” said Newman, who also paid $2.5 million to buy the top five floors of downtown Denver’s D&F Clocktower in 2020.

Newman made his money with business partner Austin Mayer by creating and building up and selling tech companies, such as the location-based advertising platform Roximity. He’s also known for founding the Denver Zombie Crawl in 2005, and throwing a number of fun, ridiculous parties around town.

The Zombie Crawl is on hiatus due to the 16th Street Mall’s massive construction project but will return in 2023. Newman sold the event to the haunted house company Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group about seven years ago but is still heavily involved.

Amid other start-ups and investments, he also launched Switchboard, a phone-managing system that was inspired by the near-unmanageable flood of calls at My Brother’s Bar. He’s also working on other slowly developing projects, such as Colfax Country Club on West Colfax Avenue (“silly and fun,” he said, but with no opening date due to zoning), and a conceptual new building near Denver Rock Drill for artists that’s still on (or potentially off) the drawing board.

“I do think calling yourself an arts district and not having any artists anymore is tough,” he said of the nearby River North Art District, which has been criticized for being too expensive for working artists. He’s feeling a bit tapped out by the churn, and would love to have a team on hand to help save things.

“In a lot of cases I feel really alone doing it,” he said. “Not in an ‘Oh, pity me’ way, but more like ‘If I didn’t do it, it was not going to get saved.’ ”

Despite his exhaustion from the Mercury Cafe in particular — he said the beloved business doesn’t need to make a profit to continue, but it does need to break even — he’s dutifully resisted mainstream programming and other upgrades that would change its character. But it’s a fine balance.

“Everyone has their version of what it should look like,” he said, “and that’s thousands and thousands of people being served there.”

The same could be said of Denver, where transplants making their mark is just part of the deal. Newman knows that, but as someone who grew up and still lives here, he worries about the fate of downtown, and the city in general.

“I don’t feel like these (social habits) are coming back,” he said. “I would love to keep My Brother’s Bar open until 2 a.m. and serve industry folks until all hours, but the entire neighborhood is just dead after 11 p.m. There’s no late-night chiller vibes that exist anymore because people are going back to their nests.”

He readily admits he’s one of them, holing up in his converted Greek Orthodox church home and conducting business from there. A lifelong and passionate traveler, he’s canceled long-planned trips for his birthday (he just turned 42 on Saturday, Oct. 22) and other celebrations. He used to visit New York City several times a year, and hasn’t lately.

But he’s still capable of the seemingly impossible.

“Christy said I was allowed to go to Burning Man (an arts festival in the Nevada desert) this year if Niko was sleeping through the night, so I took that as an actual, real challenge. And it worked.”

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A couple of dozen people waved signs and shouted out to drivers passing by on busy West Colfax Avenue. Drivers honked horns in response and some passersby stopped to inquire as the gathering spread the message: “Save Casa Bonita.”

“There is nothing else like it in the world,” said Merhia Wiese, 47, of Denver, one of the organizers of the rally. “Where else can you go into a restaurant and find a waterfall with people diving off of it?”

Wiese started going to Casa Bonita as a child, taken there by her parents. She has taken her children to the Mexican-themed entertainment spot and hopes to share a meal and have some thrills with grandchildren there in the future.

“This is a cultural icon,” Wiese said of the multigenerational family attraction. “New Denver needs old Denver.”

Opened in Lakewood, at 6715 West Colfax Ave., in 1974, the restaurant could seat more than 1,000 customers. Strolling Mariachi bands performed along with jugglers and other entertainers. A highlight of a visit was indoor, waterfall cliff diving, with daredevils performing an assortment of dives from a 30-foot cliff into a pool of water at the base of a waterfall. The entertainment also featured puppet shows, a magic theater, arcade games and a “haunted tunnel” named Black Bart’s Cave. In 2015, Casa Bonita was designated a historical landmark by the Lakewood Historical Society.

On April 6, the eatery’s owner, Summit Family Restaurants, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Arizona after the Lakewood location had been closed for more than a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.��While closed, the restaurant has been losing about $40,000 monthly, according to court documents.

A GoFundMe site, independent of the ownership group, has been started to “.” As of Saturday afternoon the group had raised almost $47,000 of a $100,000 goal.

Danny Newman, 40, of Denver, like Wiese, also grew up with multiple family visits to Casa Bonita.

“We went all the time,” Newman said. “It was the craziest, most magical place ever.��I thought kids all over the country had experiences like this.”

Newman’s dad, David, applied to be a cliff diver in 1974, the opening year, and was accepted but then had to turn down the job because he was attending the University of Colorado and was competing in gymnastics. School officials at the time told him that if he made money cliff diving he couldn’t be considered a student-athlete.”

While David bowed out of Casa Bonita, Newman’s mother, Paula, went to work there as a waitress. Paula later went to work for My Brother’s Bar, the oldest bar in Denver, in 2016. Newman said that his family has been looking into purchasing Casa Bonita.

Organizers of the Save Casa Bonita movement are hoping that community support will help the business to reopen and to continue with its entertainment tradition.

“We’re hoping to find a way to make it locally owned and operated,” Wiese said. “Everything is up in the air.”

��

The street, in the Lower Highland neighborhood, hosted its latest grand opening event Thursday when BP unveiled its Lower 48 U.S. headquarters there.

Occupying the top three floors and 160,000-square-feet of the Riverview building, 1700 Platte St., the space features 240 glass-enclosed private offices, a three-story, X-shaped staircase and a 52-foot-long table made from a lighting-felled pine tree, among dozens of eye-popping features. Stantec was the architect for the space.

For BP, it’s what’s outside the counts.

“We wanted our employees to have access to a fantastic work-life balance,” CEO Dave Lawler said. “We’re on, I think, 500 miles of walking and biking trails right here on the Platte River. A lot of employees can walk to work from (Lower Highland) over here.”

The space is a 10-minute walk from the Union Station light rail stop, easily reachable from Interstate 25 and close to dining options like .��The street is also home to a collection of 19th and early 20th century buildings that add some historic authenticity, though some of those have not survived its rebirth.

BP touted a lot of the things real estate pros say has made Platte Street attractive to companies like tech-educator Galvanize (which has a space atop the Nichols Building at��1644 Platte St.) and Xero (an online accounting business that opened its Americas headquarters��in the Circa Building at 1615 Platte St. last week).��

“Platte Street really is the hottest sub-market that we have in Denver right now,” David Hart, a director with said. “It’s got a unique energy. I think it’s the fact that there are local retailers, not big national chain types. It’s very walkable. You’ve got not only office users down there but you have residential users who are frequenting the retail.”

Hart is working with ��on its , a five-story office building with ground floor retail set to open on the corner of Platte and 15th streets next September. The building is just one parcel the company owns in the area. It also holds the Riverpoint Building at 2300 15th St. and a neighboring parking lot. It could develop a 350,000-square-foot campus in the area if the right tenant came along, Hart said.

Crescent started working to cobble together a Platte Street portfolio in 2013, senior vice president Steve Eaton said.��WeWork’s lease in The Lab building and other tenant announcements confirmed to company officials the area was worth the effort.

“We view the river as really the best amenity that you can have for an office user,” Eaton said.��

For Charlie Woolley, the growth is a bit surreal. A developer with 25 years of experience, . is based in the Boathouse building at 1850 Platte St. Out the office windows, Woolley has views of the Union Station neighborhood, an area that itself was more or less built over the last decade.

“I was on the committee in 1988 for the downtown area plan,” Woolley recalled. “We looked at all these rail yards we knew were going to be sold, and there were all these pictures of these tall buildings where the rail yards were and I said, ‘Never gonna happen.’ And sure enough, it����ap really like this. It’s phenomenal.”

Platte Street isn’t done yet. A few hundred feet from the Boathouse lies a parking lot, one of the last open parcels on the street. The Nichols Partnership, owner/developer of the Nichols Building, is designing a 250,000-square-foot office building there, said Jamie Gard, the Newmark Knight Frank director advising the company on the project.

The street’s transformation from old industrial corridor to mixed-use hotbed is a primer for what’s��to come. CEO Rhys Duggan gave a presentation at a Downtown Denver Partnership forum Thursday covering plans for the��62-acre River Mile project. It could produce 15 million square feet of new development along the South Platte River when it’s done. If things move quickly, the first work there could begin in 2020, Duggan said.

The small Eastern Plains town that forms the backdrop of the great Kent Haruf’s “Plainsong,” “Eventide,” “Benediction” and “Our Souls at Night” is fictional.

And James Michener’s Colorado epic didn’t take place in the suburb south of Denver. That “Centennial” is fictional, too.

But the state is home to plenty of real-life literary destinations worth a stop on your next trip.

Get the list of stops at .

Karagas died on Father’s Day, June 17. He was 87.

One of four boys, Karagas was born in 1930 in Detroit, Mich. Growing up, the Karagas brothers took marching orders from their father, helping to maintain and run the family bar and restaurant.

Seating guests and busing tables through high school gave Karagas a knack for the business. After graduating from McKinley High School and working odd jobs in the restaurant industry, Karagas took the family business to Colorado —��along with his brother Angelo, or Auggie as he was known by friends and family — buying one of the oldest saloons in Denver in 1970.

“Jim drove over the pass into Denver and told Angelo ‘I’ve got to live here,'” said Karagas’ wife of 30 years Linda.

After buying out the iconic establishment, where legends like Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac had wracked up a tab decades before, the brothers never got around to naming it. Rather, the bar named itself. When a creditor would come calling to collect, one of the brother’s would always refer them to the other — saying, “Oh, that’s my brother’s bar.Talk to him.”

The name stuck — so well that it remains sign-less to this day — and the landmark watering hole began its new era on the corner of 15th and Platte Street.

For the next 47 years, Karagas poured his heart and soul into My Brother’s Bar. At one point or another he and Angelo wore every hat in the house, greeting and serving guests while keeping the grill hot and the burgers coming.

In 1974, the brothers retired the namesake excuse, and Angelo moved 10 blocks closer to downtown to manage the Karagas’ second establishment, the Wazee Supper Club.

The brothers had a pair of operations, but Jim stayed by at My Brother’s.

“He was the owner, but that wasn’t important” Linda said. “He was at the door greeting people. That was one of his happiest places.”

Everyday Karagas would commute from Boulder and his beloved mountains — at one point commuting twice a day so he could still enjoy family dinners with his daughter before the late shift.

My Brother’s Bar became known as a family place that welcomed both locals and newcomers and served some of the best food in town. During Girl Scout cookies season, the famous colorful boxes could be seen stacked along the bar — at first in support of Karagas’ daughter Demi and later local Girl Scouts — available for wholesale purchase at the end of every meal.

As the sports-bar scene took root in Denver, Karagas kept My Brother’s true to its roots, failing to install TVs and keeping the classical music playing year-round. My Brother’s was a place for enjoying a strong drink, good food and great company.

But as much joy as My Brother’s brought to Platte Street, the bar also brought Karagas the other joy of his life, family.��In 1985, Linda walked into My Brother’s looking for a bite to eat. Two years later, Linda and Jim were married.

Yet for Karagas, family didn’t stop with blood or marriage licenses; it also extended to his staff. When Karagas decided to sell the restaurant in early 2017, My Brother’s head waitress and manager Paula Newman bought the bar along with her son Danny. More than 30 years beforehand, in 1984, Newman had brought Danny along during an interview for a waitress job at My Brother’s, and the rest was history.

“The Newmans are about as close as we can get without truly being family,”��Karagas said when the sale was finalized.

In the summer of 2017, Karagas and his late brother Angelo were inducted into the Colorado Restaurant Association’s Hall of Fame for five decades of serving Denver. And for the remainder of his life, he and Linda ate out every night so he could continue to people-watch.

Kargas is survived by wife Linda, daughter Demi, stepdaughters Tracey and Paige, brother Al, and five grandchildren.

A service will be held 3 p.m. Monday, June 25, at First Methodist Church in Boulder. The family asks that instead of sending flowers, friends consider donating to the Alzheimer’s Association or Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

“It has been part of my family for most of my life,” said Newman,��who worked there during his summer breaks in high school.

It is about to become an even bigger part of his family’s life.

Newman, together with his mother, who has managed the location the past two years, and his father, David, an optometrist, and��related property from long-time owner Jim Karagas on Tuesday.

When it comes to cutting-edge tech entrepreneurs, Newman, 36, fits the bill. He co-founded Roximity, a tech company that developed a platform to target messages to the smartphones of visitors to stores and other establishments.

He and his business partner sold that venture��to, this summer.��He also started the and co-hosts a��technology-focused podcast called .

Newman also has a love of the classics, and hopes to attract a new generation of patrons, including entrepreneurs��from nearby Galvanize, to the bar. He and his parents plan to preserve the old-school touches at 2376 15th St., which has served patrons under a variety of names since 1873.

“It is the longest continuously running bar in Denver,” said Linda Karagas, wife of Jim Karagas, who launched the current incarnation of what was previously known as Paul’s Place, the Platte Bar and originally the Highland House.

Among the location’s claims to fame was serving as a haunt of Neal Cassady, the inspiration for Jack Kerouac’s Dean Moriarty character in “On the Road,” the Beat Generation anthem.

Jim and his brother Angelo, the sons of Greek immigrants who ran a tavern in Detroit, moved to Denver to chart their own course. In 1970, they found the run-down saloon��on the southwest corner of 15th Street and Platte River Drive.

“We found this old place. The whole neighborhood was worn out,” Karagas said. The criticism was constant: Why did they pick a place��in that part of Denver?

Although he would like to say he had a vision of what was coming, Karagas said it came down to money. They could afford it. Between pouring beers, the brothers made repairs, quietly hoping they hadn’t doomed themselves.

Jim and Angelo removed��the TVs��so customers could more easily talk. A few years in they added a kitchen, whose hamburgers attracted��a steady lunch crowd. They introduced classical music��to set themselves apart.

As to the name, it came from a phrase the brothers used with vendors to stall them when cash was tight. One or the other would tell collectors it’s��“my brother’s bar.”

The pair couldn’t even afford a sign, so they went without one, Karagas said. Word of mouth has kept��a steady flow of customers for 46 years, as the once dilapidated LoHi neighborhood transformed around them.

Perhaps the strongest selling point was the steady presence of Jim or Angelo, and later Paula Newman and other long-tenured staff.��None of the things that made the bar special will go away, Danny Newman promises.

He would like to introduce technology to help with accounting and product ordering, but nothing customers will notice. The game plan doesn’t include redeveloping the prime lot into “My Brother’s Condos,” as lucrative as that might be.

Developers are pouring $90 million into the block across the street to create��and the neighboring Natural Grocers store will be scraped to make room for a five-story office and retail building costing $60 million.

When the developer of that second project came knocking this summer, the Newmans realized they had to act fast if they wanted to preserve a Denver institution.

A couple of years ago, Karagas, 86, cut back on his management duties and health problems have made it more difficult for him to pay regular visits to the bar.

“I sure miss that place,” he said.

Angelo died in 1994 and the next generation wasn’t around to take over. Karagas’ daughter lives in Copenhagen, while Linda’s daughters live in Texas. Angelo’s two sons have also have moved out of state.

Granted, the Newmans aren’t family, but they are as close as you can get, Karagas said.

“It has been part of my family for most of my life,” said Newman,��who worked there during his summer breaks in high school.

It is about to become an even bigger part of his family’s life.

Newman, together with his mother, who has managed the location the past two years, and his father, David, an optometrist, purchased the business and��related property from long-time owner Jim Karagas on Tuesday.

When it comes to cutting-edge tech entrepreneurs, Newman, 36, fits the bill. He co-founded Roximity, a tech company that developed a platform to target messages to the smartphones of visitors to stores and other establishments.

He and his business partner sold that venture��to Verve, a New York competitor, this summer.��He also started the Denver Zombie Crawl and co-hosts a��technology-focused podcast called Turnpikers.

Newman also has a love of the classics, and hopes to attract a new generation of patrons, including entrepreneurs��from nearby Galvanize, to the bar. He and his parents plan to preserve the old-school touches at 2376 15th St., which has served patrons under a variety of names since 1873.

“It is the longest continuously running bar in Denver,” said Linda Karagas, wife of Jim Karagas, who launched the current incarnation of what was previously known as Paul’s Place, the Platte Bar and originally the Highland House.

Among the location’s claims to fame was serving as a haunt of Neal Cassady, the inspiration for Jack Kerouac’s Dean Moriarty character in “On the Road,” the Beat Generation anthem.

Jim and his brother Angelo, the sons of Greek immigrants who ran a tavern in Detroit, moved to Denver to chart their own course. In 1970, they found the run-down saloon��on the southwest corner of 15th Street and Platte River Drive.

“We found this old place. The whole neighborhood was worn out,” Karagas said. The criticism was constant: Why did they pick a place��in that part of Denver?

Although he would like to say he had a vision of what was coming, Karagas said it came down to money. They could afford it. Between pouring beers, the brothers made repairs, quietly hoping they hadn’t doomed themselves.

Jim and Angelo removed��the TVs��so customers could more easily talk. A few years in they added a kitchen, whose hamburgers attracted��a steady lunch crowd. They introduced classical music��to set themselves apart.

As to the name, it came from a phrase the brothers used with vendors to stall them when cash was tight. One or the other would tell collectors it’s��“my brother’s bar.”

The pair couldn’t even afford a sign, so they went without one, Karagas said. Word of mouth has kept��a steady flow of customers for 46 years, as the once dilapidated LoHi neighborhood transformed around them.

Perhaps the strongest selling point was the steady presence of Jim or Angelo, and later Paula Newman and other long-tenured staff.��None of the things that made the bar special will go away, Danny Newman promises.

He would like to introduce technology to help with accounting and product ordering, but nothing customers will notice. The game plan doesn’t include redeveloping the prime lot into “My Brother’s Condos,” as lucrative as that might be.

Developers are pouring $90 million into the block across the street to create��Riverview at 1700 Platte��and the neighboring Natural Grocers store will be scraped to make room for a five-story office and retail building costing $60 million.

When the developer of that second project came knocking this summer, the Newmans realized they had to act fast if they wanted to preserve a Denver institution.

A couple of years ago, Karagas, 86, cut back on his management duties and health problems have made it more difficult for him to pay regular visits to the bar.

“I sure miss that place,” he said.

Angelo died in 1994 and the next generation wasn’t around to take over. Karagas’ daughter lives in Copenhagen, while Linda’s daughters live in Texas. Angelo’s two sons have also have moved out of state.

Granted, the Newmans aren’t family, but they are as close as you can get, Karagas said.