Denver has plenty of Bills fans — and they have their own bars where they gather — but the orange-and-blue faithful will be rooting for the Broncos to eat Buffalo’s lunch. What better way to do that than by eating Buffalo FOR lunch? Here are five bars in Denver that serve great wings and also offer a low-key atmosphere for a great day of football watching.

The Fainting Goat Pub

The Goat loves Buffalo sauce, which is why you’ll find Buffalo chicken wraps, Buffalo chicken flat breads, Buffalo mac n’ cheese and even a Buffalo chicken eggroll on the menu. But it’s the solid, crushable baskets of wings that this friendly spot has been serving for going on 20 years that will have you cheering out loud. Eat up in the main floor bar space or out on the rooftop patio (complete with its own bar and view), and enjoy the game on TV.

846 Broadway;

The Piper Inn

The Piper Inn is many things to many people: a biker hangout, a Chinese food restaurant, a sports bar, a lively spot for families or friends to meet and eat. The common denominator between them all is its old-school feel and its much-loved wings. Dive into a plate of them — classic Buffalo, garlic dry-rub and Chinese-style (made with oyster sauce) — and into some spirited Broncos nostalgia.

2251 S. Parker Road, Denver; 

Rocky Top Tavern

TVs, pool tables, and a neighborhood feel come together in perfect harmony at this friendly dive in the Regis neighborhood, just north of Interstate 70. And the spicy, meaty wings? Let’s just say that even a Bills fan might give them some grudging respect. You’ll leave full — and hopefully happy with a Broncos win.

4907 Lowell Blvd., Denver; 

Walter’s 303 Pizzeria & Publik House

It’s hard to go wrong at Walter’s 303, where the pizzas run the gamut, the craft beer selection is expansive and wings are baked — rather than fried — to perfection. Easygoing, likeable and consistent, Walter’s now has four cheerful, sports-friendly locations, three in Denver and one in Littleton. Its newest is the surprisingly large spot that opened last July.

300 Santa Fe Drive, and three other locations;

The Campus Lounge

The Campus Lounge is like your favorite chair. You know you spend too much time sitting there, but it sure does feel good to take a load off. Located in Washington Park, the 50-year-old sports bar is a bit of a relic to a decade or two ago in Denver — for better or for worse — when there were sticky neighborhood watering holes all over the place, when wings were cheap and beer choices were limited to Coors Light and Avalanche Ale. The wings aren’t that cheap anymore (and there are a few more beers on tap), but everything else is about the same — something that neighbors probably appreciate.

701 S. University Blvd.;

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5 can’t-miss classics

Piper Inn

has been many things over its decades at the border of Denver and Aurora, but it currently stands as a favorite gathering place for assorted crowds, ranging from bikers to post-soccer game families and everything in between. Spirited, friendly and nostalgic, you’ll want to sit down, and watch the game (and your fellow patrons) while you enjoy wings that have been on Denver’s list of favorites for years. Medium-sized, they run 10 for $16, and 20 for $32.25, and come in classic Buffalo, garlic dry-rub and Chinese-style (made with oyster sauce).

2251 S. Parker Road, Denver;

CD’s Wings

isn’t new — the Westminster shop has been around since 2003 — but it has expanded its profile recently, bringing the heat to another part of town, Aurora, in early 2024, and with plans to add a third location in Parker later this year. Which is just fine with CD’s loyalists. The most popular flavor here is traditional hot Buffalo, but CD’s also serves around 20 other flavors, including cajun, lemon peppers and a house sauce.��CD’s has won various local contests for its dry rubs and its fiery No 1 Left Standing sauce. Wings here are 5 for $8 and 10 for $14.

7685 W. 88th Ave., Westminster and 6710 S. Cornerstone Way, Aurora;

The Wing Hut

The wings at this 21-year-old fast-casual spot can run smaller, but what they sometimes lack in stature, they make up for in flavor — many, many flavors. Just for starters, there’s sweet and sour, honey lemon pepper, salt and vinegar, teriyaki, pad thai, spicy peanut, hot honey mustard, raging barbecue, chili lime ranch, pesto-parmesan, xxx hot and many, many more, for a total of 45-50 different kinds. Family-owned, is also a perfect stop before heading to Dry Dock Brewing nearby for a beer to cool down the xxx flames.

15473 Hampden Ave., Aurora;

Woody’s Wings & Things

These are the kind of wings that inspire people to log onto Yelp for the first time, just so they can give them five stars. is an Asian restaurant with a vast menu of Chinese dishes, along with many from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. But the spot is also known far and wide for its wings, which are large and often quite spicy. Flavors include Szechuan and Lemongrass peanut.

6817 Lowell Blvd., Westminster;

Fire on the Mountain

The welcoming, Grateful Dead-themed wing spot has two locations in Denver, both run by friends of the company’s founders, who operate another two in Oregon, so the business is as local as they come. ����aps vary on the size and style of the wings, but for the most part, they stand out for their consistency and flavors, which include upward of 15 choices, including spicy peanut, raspberry habanero, bourbon chipotle and Jamaican jerk. Like Walters 303 and King of Wings (both below), you also find a heady selection of craft beers on tap. And get those orders in early on Super Bowl Sunday, when is at its busiest.

3801 W. 32nd Ave. and 300 S. Logan St., Denver;

Smoked wing superstars

Split Lip: An Eat Place

was created by Ultreia chef and owner Adam Branz as “a platform for classically trained chefs to conceptualize and cook casual food through their professional lenses.” In other words, the walk-up counter, which is located inside the Number Thirty Eight bar and venue, does flavor-packed versions of things like burgers, chicken sandwiches, tater tots and wings — but in ways you’ve simply never tasted before. Split Lip’s wings follow suit. There are two versions, one made with an Alabama-style white barbecue sauce (vinegar, mayo) and one with Road Dawg hot sauce from Colorado’s own Sauce Leopard. Both versions are brined for 24 hours before being smoked and then fried over a two-day process. You can find them there anytime, but hint, hint: Split Lip has a massive outdoor LED screen (and other TVs) for watching Denver Broncos games.

3560 Chestnut Place, Denver;

G-Que Barbeque

Many barbecue restaurants make wings — sometimes as an afterthought. But the version at gets just as much attention as everything else. There are a variety of sauces available, including classic Buffalo and a sauce of the week. But it’s the dry-rubbed wings that really allow the smoked flavors to come out and shine. Five wings are $8, and 10 are $15.

7085 W. Alaska Drive, Lakewood, and multiple other locations;

Smok

Chef Bill Espiricueta has lived in both Kansas City and Austin, so he knows his barbecue. In 2018, he began selling it from , located in The Source Hotel, and last year, the restaurant was recommended in the inaugural Michelin Guide to Colorado. But beyond the brisket and the burnt ends, the pulled pork and the ribs, you’ll also find some of the most smoke-imbued hot chicken wings in town. There are two flavors, Buffa-Q sauce and Jerk dry rub.

The Source Hotel + Market Hall, 3330 Brighton Blvd., Denver;

Grilled or baked wings

King of Wings

has a ride-or-die following, and there’s a good reason for that: the wings here are really good. But they’re not fried like traditional wings. Rather they are grilled, which gives them a more rustic flavor that pairs well with the sauces, including three new ones: lemon pepper, hot agave lime buffalo, and white Alabama barbecue. Six for $12 and 10 for $18.

7741 W. 44th Ave., Wheat Ridge and 1100 Arapahoe St., Golden;

Walter’s 303 Pizzeria & Publik House

Solid, flavorful, consistent. The wings at are like an old friend. You know what to expect, and you like it. They’re not cheap; like several other spots in this story, the wings — which are baked rather than fried — run more than $2 each (8 for $16:50), but they sure are good. Flavors include Italian-style Buffalo, mango habanero, hickory and sriracha honey, along with a dry rub.

Two Denver locations (Uptown, Lowry), Littleton, Colorado Springs;

Esters

This south Denver neighborhood pizza spot has grown to three locations, and each one has a lot of fans. Some like it as a sports bar, others as a family dinner restaurant, and more still as a happy hour destination. But among ‘ virtues are its oven-baked wings. You can order Buffalo, or try one of the stellar rotating seasonal flavors such as blueberry habanero or the peanut butter and jelly wings, which are covered in green onions and peanuts.

1950 S. Holly St. and 2201 Oneida St., Denver, and 10151 W. 26th Ave., Wheat Ridge;

5 great football-day deals

Rocky Top Tavern

This is it. This is the spot where everything you want in a football bar comes together in perfect harmony: TVs, pool tables, a neighborhood feel that’s one step up from a dive, friendly staff and Buffalo wings that even a native of upstate New York might begrudgingly respect. Plus the food here, including those spicy, meaty, well-fried wings, is consistently inexpensive, so the doesn’t need to offer special deals. They already are one. Get six wings for $8; 14 for $18 in a variety of flavors. Oh, and cans of Modelo are $4.

4907 Lowell Blvd., Denver;

ShaWING at Tavern on 26th

is a Buffalo-born enterprise, and this season, the truck will post up at the Tavern on 26th in Wheat Ridge for every Buffalo Bills game. The bar offers plenty of TVs along with pool, darts and other games. ShaWING’s wings, which are crispy and come in various degrees of Buffalo, run about the middle of the price range: 4 for $8, 8 for $15, 12 for $22. But during the first two games of the season, anyone in Bills gear gets 20% off of in-house orders. P.S. ShaWING makes no bones about its feelings for Vikings fans or ranch dressing.

10040 W. 26th Ave., Lakewood;

The Post Chicken & Beer

— founded in Lafayette and now with six locations on the Front Range — is known for its fried chicken and its house-made beer, but the restaurant also offers football specials every Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Thursday when there are college or NFL games on. They include 75-cent wings (on orders of 10 or 20 with a limit of 20 per order) at all of its locations. They come in Buffalo sauce, black pepper BBQ, Nashville hot, spicy gochujang or a dry rub.

1575 Boulder St., Denver, and five other locations;

Campus Lounge

This old-school bar is going on 50 years — and you may mind some regulars who have been drinking there for all of them (even after a pair of renovations???). On Mondays, the offers all-you-can-eat wings starting at 5 p.m., which is perfect timing when it comes to Monday Night Football. The wings here are smoked, and you can get them with a dry rub or with one of several sauces, including “Everything Bagel,” which is top-notch.

701 S. University Blvd., Denver;

The Pub on Pearl

Is your team playing on Thursday Night Football? If so, then has you covered with 50-cent wings starting at 5 p.m. every Thursday. Customers need to be 21 since the deal is predicated on the purchase of a drink. It’s also in-house only. But that’s a bargain any way you look at it. The neighborhood sports bar has plenty of TVs for other sports as well.

1101 S. Pearl St., Denver;

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Genna Rae’s Wings & More

Opened in 2016 by Genn Dickerson, this spot serves everything from barbecue to burgers and sandwiches, but it’s the wings that have received the most attention, especially recently as more people order in. You’ll find a wide variety of homemade sauces, including honey hot, garlic, and BBQ, but since Dickerson is from the Virgin Islands, it’s worth your while to try the ones with jerk sauce and other island flavors, like pineapple mango habanero. Get six for 11.50 or 12 for $17.

1819 E. 28th Ave., Denver;

Taste of Philly/Famous Philly

has been putting together cheesesteaks in Colorado since 1993 and eventually merged with Famous Philly, becoming a takeout/delivery-only local chain during the pandemic. And while they specialize in sandwiches, their wings are above average when it comes to classic football food. Plus, you can get 20 for $25, which is a deal in this day and age. Flavors include Buffalo (mild, hot and not responsible), garlic parmesan, barbecue and mango habanero.

Multiple locations;

Vine Street Pub

Like a lot of things post-pandemic, the wings at aren’t the same enormous breaded masterpieces that they were beforehand. But the brewery and pub, which reopened in June after a four-year hiatus, still does a great job cooking and spicing their wings. Vine Street doesn’t have any TVs, though, so if you want to eat these wings while watching football, you’ll have to call in advance and order them to pick up.

1700 Vine St., Denver;

3 Asian wings

Ace Eat Serve

We’ve got a soft spot in our heart from Ace Eat Serve, which started up a delivery app-only side project during the pandemic — as many restaurants did — called Wing Alley. Those wings helped us get through the stay-at-home nights when we wished we were heading out. These days, Wing Alley has been folded back into the Uptown restaurant’s regular menu, but you can still find some of the flavors, including the sweet and spicy Tiger Wings and the Lucky Dragon Wings, made with spicy chili mayo and sesame seeds. They’re not cheap, at $15 for 6, but they are quite tasty.

501 E. 17th Ave., Denver;

Angry Chicken

Like many other Korean fried chicken spots, has crossed over into “Western” flavors, and even divides its menu that way. The wings here are chunky and double-fried (although you can get them baked) and come in a variety of flavors from classic Buffalo and spicy barbecue to Korean-style sweet and spicy, honey garlic and Angry sauce. They cost $10 for 6 or $26 for 20, but sauce is extra, ranging from $1 to $2.50 depending on the size of the order.

1930 S. Havana St. #13, Aurora;

The Pork.let

is an Aurora restaurant that specializes in katsu-style breaded chicken and pork cutlets and “tornado” fried rice, but like a lot of Korean restaurants, see Angry Chicken (above), it also does wings in spectacular fashion. The versions here come in a multitude of flavors, like garlic bomb, Korean sweet chili, honey butter, cheesy dust, creamy Buffalo and more. And they are huge — and perfectly fried. An order of 6-9 pieces is $14.

12201 E. Mississippi Ave., Aurora;

After two years of the pandemic, it’s a tale familiar in Denver’s historic neighborhoods: Several neighborhood institutions close, while others still hang on. In Bonnie Brae, the closing of the Bonnie Brae Tavern was a major blow for those nostalgic about the neighborhood’s past glory, though the resiliency of the Campus Lounge remains a bright spot.

Residents and employees of surrounding businesses are torn about the changes.

“I don’t like it,” said Olivia Hamblin, a front desk lead and spa coordinator at Hydrate IV Bar at 753 S. University Blvd., which opened in 2016. “Bonnie Brae is such a historical Denver neighborhood, and this little strip is what everybody’s used to.”

The Bonnie Brae Tavern, a restaurant established in 1934, served pizza and burgers for the last time at its 740 S. University Blvd. location on June 25. Originally opened by Carl and Sue Dire, the couple’s family sold the tavern and nearby property in May for $4.5 million to Alpine Investments and Revesco Properties, which plan to build an apartment project in its place.

Brightmarten also shuttered its restaurant doors at 730 S. University Blvd. earlier this year, with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic playing a strong role in the decision. Ni Tuyo, a restaurant by Nathan and Karina Ayala-Schmit, is set to take its place.

“A lot of people in this neighborhood are very upset about the changes,” said Sarah Daigle, a bartender at Campus Lounge at 701 S. University Blvd. since January 2020. Rumors floated around that the self-described “elevated dive bar” might also close, but owner Owen Olson quickly squashed them.

On the other hand, Nicole Matta, owner of Halo Salon Denver at 2322 E. Exposition Ave. and Bonnie Brae resident of over a dozen years, doesn’t consider the tavern’s closure to be significant.

“I’ve only eaten there with my kids one time in 13 years,” she said, “but I think, for die-hards, it’s probably a big deal.”

Matta pointed to her neighbor’s recent purchase of a nearby Bonnie Brae building with plans to refurbish it, adding, “I’m excited about the upgrades.”

“I just think we’re going in the right direction, honestly,” she said.

Neighborhood residents had an opportunity to safeguard the Bonnie Brae Tavern in 2019 when the property owner applied for a certificate of non-historic status, now called a certificate of demolition eligibility, said Laura Swartz, communications director  for Denver Community Planning and Development.

It triggered a landmark preservation review to determine if the restaurant could be a potential landmark, and “we said, ‘Yes, it could be a landmark.'” The next step was asking the community if it wanted to see the property preserved.

“After a month, no one had come forward, and said that they wanted to see it preserved,” Swartz said in a telephone interview. “Because there was no community interest in preserving the structure, we issued the certificate of non-historic status,” which can allow the property owner to sell and/or demolish the building.

Notably, the Bonnie Brae neighborhood actually doesn’t qualify as a historic district, unlike University Boulevard Parkway, La Alma Lincoln Park Historic Cultural District and Alamo Placita, according to a of the Mile High City’s historic landmarks and districts.

“It is an older, lovely neighborhood, but it’s not actually considered historic,” Swartz said. Denver’s historic districts are registered with the city, which “takes support from all of the residents in that area to file that application.”

Denver currently has 58 historic districts and 358 individual historic landmarks.

Still, the streets of Bonnie Brae offer glimpses of both the future and bygone times. of the neighborhood began in the 1920s and hit completion in the 1950s, according to the Bonnie Brae Neighborhood Association. Paul Baily and his wife constructed the neighborhood’s first home at 898 S. Josephine St. in 1926.

Bonnie Brae translates to “pleasant hill” in Gaelic, the association reported. A drive through the area means paying tribute to Tudor-style architecture, along with Spanish-inspired, Bauhaus-style and postmodern houses. Bonnie Brae Park sits as a community marker.

Geographically, the neighborhood is by Exposition Avenue to the north, Mississippi Avenue to the south, Colorado Boulevard to the east and University Boulevard to the west, according to Lifestyle Denver, which is run by realtor Libby Levinson-Katz.

In the late 1920s, real estate developer George Olinger pushed a racist policy to limit the neighborhood’s property owners to specific white ethnicities. However, the integration of an Italian family, who moved to 934 S. Josephine St., threw a wrench in his plan for segregation.

Andrew Mitchell, a barista at ink! Coffee Bonnie Brae at 709 S. University Blvd. for under a year, still described the make-up of the community as “affluent white people – a lot of lawyers and tech people and finance people,” adding that their customers do often tip well.

Hannah Routon, another ink! Coffee barista, described the main drag as “a good street of small businesses.” Still, she’d like to see more diversity in the community.

“I always think that supporting small businesses is great, but, again, you run into gentrification and accessibility,” she said. “There should be a balance because, if they are building condos, how great if it were affordable housing?”

Tyler Bray, director at Cushman & Wakefield, said certain small Denver communities, such as Bonnie Brae, are in “very high demand,” attracting interest from potential residents, retailers and restauranteurs. He described it as a high-profile, family-friendly area with a lot of pedestrian foot traffic.

However, “Bonnie Brae has always had very limited inventory,” he said. “There’s only so much space that you have in that Bonnie Brae submarket.”

He pointed to one hurdle that the neighborhood has faced: limited parking, which is crucial for retailers. If a family with children wants to sit down for a meal in a Bonnie Brae restaurant and runs into parking issues, “it’s going to likely deter them from going to that area.”

Alternatively, one larger market that’s performed very well during and after the COVID-19 pandemic is Cherry Creek, which has experienced a lot of traction in the food and beverage sectors.

These businesses “want to be next to other quality operators because it just drives more traffic,” he said. “They want healthy competition, and, when you have more people coming to an area, you’re more likely to see more transactions, more customers coming through your doors.”

Several staples in Bonnie Brae are standing strong. The Saucy Noodle Ristorante, established in 1964 at 727 S. University Blvd., is still churning out traditional Italian dishes, although a sign on the front door indicates the joint is only open Wednesday through Sunday because of staffing.

Campus Lounge has withstood the test of time since 1976, even as ownership has changed hands.

Bonnie Brae Ice Cream at 799 S. University Blvd. opened in the 1980s.

Pink’s Denver, a boutique at 745 S. University Blvd., got a slightly later start in 2005. On her last day as manager Wednesday, Bergen Schmidt predicted that the neighborhood will grow into a more “urban” area.

Schmidt, who grew up in Observatory Park, has heard “mixed feelings” about the changes from community members.

“My parents, for instance – they’re kind of excited about it,” she said. “But, then, I know that a lot of people are like, ‘That’s such a bummer,’ because we know that it’s not going to be little Bonnie Brae anymore.”

But that����ap what happened to the iconic Campus Lounge, which has evolved and adapted and seems to have found its footing. Maybe the fourth time’s the charm.

This newest iteration of this south Denver landmark — created by the partnership that also owns the Recess Beer Garden in LoHi — reflects the changing nature of the neighborhood. Houses that once had four people and two bathrooms have given way to ones with two people and four bathrooms. Scarce parking is more likely to be taken up by Teslas than Toyotas, and newcomers are more prevalent than natives.

While at least one of the predecessors divorced itself from the Campus’ past — it got rid of all the televisions and offered a cheeseburger garnished with grapes — the new Campus pays homage to the old one: Back are the TVs (nine of them) and a menu that still offers go-to bar food like burgers and wings, but also interesting appetizers like an artichoke green chile dip and a hardboiled egg wrapped in a sausage, breaded, fried and dressed in greens and horseradish mustard sauce. Many of the entrees it offers would be at home in any white-tablecloth restaurant.

The Campus also has expanded physically, with a “beer garden” (more beer than garden) that took up five spaces in its parking lot. It was a survival tactic born of the darkest days of COVID-19 but remains popular today. Speaking of beers, the Campus has 16 on tap, 11 in cans, and seven in bottles. The Coors Light draughts we had were chilled perfectly.

Our party sampled both the sandwich and entrée menu. The crispy chicken sandwich ($13) was good (although not as good as the excellent Garden Burger, consumed on a prior visit), but there was some concern that the bottom of the bun was too thin to accommodate maximum juice absorption.

The 10-ounce ribeye — a size that normal people can actually eat in one sitting — was nicely seasoned, though a bit stringy, but what was exceptional was a flirty sauce made from an A-1 base modified to make it memorable. The Cedar Plank Roasted Salmon ($21) has a lemon glaze that could have been less delicate, but that was a quibble more than a complaint. A side dish of mushrooms, bacon and blue cheese made for a nice, moist kick to the mouth.

One member of our party thought the French fries were too crispy; another thought them just right. (Fisticuffs ensued.)

The servers were attentive, although the Campus has experienced some of the staffing problems common in many restaurants these days. The place is noisy — 80 decibels by our measure, which makes conversations difficult — but it is a bar, after all, not a mortuary.

Reservations are a good idea, particularly on Fridays and on Wednesdays, which is when all-you-can-eat crab legs are the main attraction.

The Recess owners were interested in maintaining the character of the original Campus Lounge, and of reflecting its neighborhood. Which makes sense, since some of them — Owen Olson, William Frankland, Ryan Donizio, Dan Kirson and his brother, marketing director Sam Kirson — grew up there.

The Campus styles itself as a family-friendly place, and the kids there the night we visited seemed to be having a good time. It supports local brewers and provides food for neighborhood events. This takes on added importance when you want to draw your clientele from within walking distance.

The owners are aware of the interest in redevelopment along South University (like what has been proposed for the Bonnie Brae Tavern across the street). For now, they are focusing on their customers and the neighborhood. “We root for small business,” Sam Kirson said.

Speaking as a neighbor, we do, too.

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Campus Lounge is back in business in Bonnie Brae and pouring Coors Banquets, showing sports over 12 big-screen TVs and cooking up dishes like T-bone steaks, cheesy tots and bottomless salad bowls.

RELATED:��Campus Lounge take five: A new set of local owners will reboot the bar, but with a different name

The owners of Recess Beer Garden are the latest to take over the spot. Before them, two other sets of restaurateurs tried to reimagine the space made iconic by longtime owner and former All-American University of Denver hockey player Jim Wiste.

And this latest crew has certainly made a mark on the bar with the addition of some camp decor, including two window displays dedicated to Wes Anderson films. You’ll also find a pool table and arcade games, TVs everywhere and, of course, the $12 salad bar.

701 S. University Blvd., 720-379-5671,

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Development plans submitted to the city in December lay out of a vision a three-story apartment building that would replace the restaurant and two neighboring shops in the 700 block of South University Boulevard.

If built as proposed, the 40-foot tall building would contain 43 apartments and more than 16,000 square feet of street-level space for businesses. Rumors are already swirling in the neighborhood as to what retailers have their eyes on the south Denver commercial block that is home to other longtime businesses including Bonnie Brae Ice Cream and the Saucy Noodle Italian restaurant.

Bonnie Brae Tavern co-owner Michael Dire emphasized that nothing is certain at this point.

“It����ap possible that this might not happen,” Dire said of the mixed-use project.

The document on file with the city is a concept plan, officials say. Submitting one is the first step in the site planning review process. Such plans can change dramatically or be dropped entirely before construction takes place, as fact demonstrated by an 81-story skyscraper project proposed for the city’s central business district in 2017. The developer in that case never closed on a deal to buy the land.

Dire co-owns the Bonnie Brae Tavern with his cousin, Rick. They’re the third generation of the family to own and operate the establishment, which advertises its fine foods and cocktails in red neon letters on the front of the building. , Michael Dire’s children are now deeply involved in the family business as well.

“This wasn’t an easy decision for us,” Dire said of moving toward redevelopment, a process that would coincide with the sale of the property. “My cousin Rick and I run it. We put our hearts and souls into this place, and we’re kind of going through a grieving period.”

The decision to look for an exit was driven in part by the challenges of running a restaurant in Denver these days, Dire said. At Bonnie Brae Tavern, those challenges include that shot up by $30,000 two years ago, higher labor costs in a tight job market and fewer diners coming in to fill its turquoise vinyl booths.

The Campus Lounge, just across the street from Bonnie Brae Tavern at 701 S. University, has reopened and failed under two different ownership groups in the two years since its longtime owner and former University of Denver hockey player Jim Wiste died in January 2018.

In addition to the tavern building, the concept plan covers the retail space next door, occupied by the In & Out Cleaners dry cleaning business, and the stand-alone building on the corner of University of East Ohio Avenue. The building is home to a location of , a boutique gift shop. In total, the collection of properties add up to about three-quarters of an acre.

The Dire family took the first steps toward redevelopment last spring when they applied for nonhistoric status for the tavern building. It’s a designation that clears the way for demolition without additional review. The city awarded a certificate of demolition eligibility on May 1. That certificate expires on May 1, 2024, if no additional steps are taken, city officials say.

Another storied Denver restaurant, Tom’s Diner at 601 E. Colfax Ave., became a flashpoint in the debate between property rights vs. historic preservation last year when a collection of Denver residents moved to make it a city landmark against the wishes of its owner, Tom Messina. After 20 years of running the business, Messina was ready to sell the property to a developer who planned to raze it an build an eight-story apartment building in its place. City officials eventually sided with Messina, but last month it was announced he had changed his mind and is instead working with an Ohio real estate company that will preserve the building, now on the National Register of Historic Places.

The key difference between the Bonnie Brae Tavern and Tom’s Diner is that no one submitted a historic preservation application for the tavern building.

“Campus Lounge has closed for business,” read the home page at . “We appreciate your support along the way.”

Calls and emails to the bar were not returned Monday morning. A voicemail recording gave no indication of the closure.

The building at 701 S. University Boulevard originally housed the Bellaire Restaurant, which was bought by Vic Romer in the 1960s and renamed the Campus Lounge. Jim Wiste, a popular local athlete, took over the bar in the 1970s and ran it as a sports bar and neighborhood hangout until 2016. .

Daniel Landes, who founded the Watercourse and City O’ City vegetarian restaurants, took over in late 2017 with the promise of updating the decor and food and drink menus for a younger, hipper clientele. He did, and i later. Landes speculated he had alienated the bar’s longtime customers by failing to invoke the Campus Lounge’s sports-centric legacy.

However, the bar only sat empty for a few months, with new owner Jeff Nickless promising to return it to its sports-happy ways by honoring Wiste’s memory. Nickless installed a new, gold-hued plaque on the exterior that read “Jim Wiste: 1946-2018. A Denver Legend. Gone But Never Forgotten.”

Nickless and his father Dan Nickless, a father-son team with deep roots in the Bonnie Brae neighborhood, largely duplicated the layout of Landes’ version after they bought the 81-year-old building, even hanging onto the vintage Pac-Man machine. They also added $12 cocktails and vegetarian options to the menu.

But despite balancing that with familiar decor — including Broncos and Avalanche jerseys lining the walls around the 14 flatscreen TVs, and game-day comfort food like chili cheese fries, nachos, onion rings and hot wings from former Cap City kitchen manager Shayden Ward — the bar never regained its former glory.

“It’s unfortunate that one of the only reasons I have a job is because of those horrible statistics in the independent restaurant segment, with nearly 30 percent (of restaurants) gone in the first year, and 80 or 90 percent by year five,” , a 47-year-old restaurant consultant, last fall. “Generally, it����ap undercapitalization that will kill them. And people tend to forget the details.”

Other than social media and scattered press, the Campus Lounge did not run a targeted marketing campaign to announce its rebirth in October 2018, relying instead of word-of-mouth, social media and curious passersby, Kaulbach said at the time.

“We believe in giving the Campus Lounge back to our community,” said interim general manager Alex Kaulbach, a 47-year-old restaurant consultant who has run eateries in Spain, Austin, Texas, and, since 1997, Denver. “We’ve done as much as we can to nod to Jim Wiste, the original owner.”

Those nods to Wiste, , include a commemorative plaque next to the front door and a large, framed picture of him above the open kitchen. The public got its first chance to see them on Sunday when the bar opened its big yellow door after two nights of test runs.

But Daniel Landes, the Watercourse Foods and City O’ City founder of the Campus Lounge a couple of months after Wiste’s death, also maintains a presence of sorts at 701 S. University Blvd.

Not only did Landes invest in getting the building back up to code, Kaulbach said, but he filled it with new tables, chairs, fixtures and pricey, top-notch kitchen equipment.

“Let����ap face it: this was a dive bar for a long, long time,” Kaulbach said. “There were things that were happening in here that were inappropriate — and we’ll just leave it at that. What Dan Landes did with his team was really fundamental to helping our success and putting the building back in order.”

New owners Dan and Jeff Nickless – a father-son team with deep roots in the south Denver neighborhood — and Steve Bentley have largely duplicated the layout of Landes’ version since they bought the 80-year-old building in August. They’ve even kept his vintage Pac-Mac machine. But they also brought the decor and menu back in line with the Lounge’s longtime character, as Broncos and Avalanche jerseys now line the walls and Game Day subscription packages have been purchased for the NFL and NHL seasons that will be displayed on the bank of TVs.

“It����ap a cliché, but we want to respect the nostalgia,” Jeff Nickless told The Denver Post in September.

Kaulbach said the current management team wanted to give the bar “your living room atmosphere.” As noted, 14 flatscreen TVs now adorn the walls, including in the bathrooms, , which got rid of the TVs for hip, framed art and moody red lighting.

“It was also important that we expanded and contemporized the menu and kept some things on trend,” Kaulbach said.

Presided over by former Cap City kitchen manager Shayden Ward, the menu hints at Campus Lounge’s game-day past with chili cheese fries, nachos, onion rings, hot wings, red and green chile, and the requisite smothered burrito (most for less than $10). But it also incorporates some of Landes’ vegan aspirations with a Slammin’ Superfood salad ($11.69), a micro-greens sandwich ($14.79) and Blistered Shishito Chiles ($6.69).

The drink menu attempts to find a happy medium between recent identities: Gone are Landes’ Mezcal Penicilin and $30 (minimum) bottles of wine, but they’ve been replaced by a smoked negroni, house Yellow Door cocktail (Hendrick’s gin, Lemoncello, Chambord) and the Espresso-infused Ellipse Park — all for $12.

“The negroni comes out on a wood board, with a beautiful rocks glass and great big ice cubes — which we don’t charge $3 for — and then we cut that with a fish bowl and smoke the negroni,” Kaulbach said. “So when it comes to the table the customer lifts up the bowl and a big waft of smoke comes out and everybody goes, ‘Ooh, what����ap that?’”

The new owners are certainly anticipating bigger crowds than Landes’ iteration. While Landes only employed a dozen full-time staff members, the new Campus Lounge has nearly 50. Kaulbach describes the Oct. 21 official reopening day as a nonstop butt-kicking, with 40 people waiting outside before it opened and a 10-hour rush that followed.

“It exposed our weaknesses, so we had a debrief front- and back-of-the-house and utilized some great feedback from both places,” Kaulbach said, noting that he was only brought on a couple of weeks after the former general manager left the position due to stress that was impacting his health and family. “It����ap unfortunate that one of the only reasons I have a job is because of those horrible statistics in the independent restaurant segment, with nearly 30 percent (of restaurants) gone in the first year, and 80 or 90 percent by year five. Generally it����ap undercapitalization that will kill them. And people tend to forget the details.”

Details are what the new Campus Lounge is all about. Food that����ap mostly local (or within a 400-mile radius, anyway), “95 percent from scratch” and sourced with an eye for both profitability and customer satisfaction. An emphasis on service and healthy employee culture.

“When we were first getting to know each other I made a little questionnaire, kind of quirky, asking people questions like, ‘Cake or pie?’ ” Kaulbach said of the staff, which he plans to oversee until ownership is happy with the overall operation. “We are definitely a pie house. I asked everybody how long they’ve been in the industry and it����ap a rather young staff, 297 years plus the three weeks here — not including me. I’m really proud of them, and let����ap face it, this is not easy work and we’re competing for employees with the marijuana industry.”

The staff is also encouraged, Kaulbach said, by the community response thus far. Other than social media and scattered press, the Campus Lounge has not run a targeted marketing campaign to announce its rebirth, relying instead of word-of-mouth, social media and curious passersby.

“Every person that����ap come by over the last three weeks who peeked in the door, we let them in and walked them around,” he said. “We told them what we were doing and we asked them for stories, because they were all very interested in what was going on, and a lot of them have a history with this place.”

will reopen its storied doors at 701 S. University Blvd. in the near future, new owner Jeff Nickless confirmed Friday. When it does, it will return to the pub food menu and sports bar regalia that defined it during the 40 years it was owned and operated by founder .��

Nickless, who is partnering with his father, Dan Nickless, and Steve Bentley to revive the Lounge, doesn’t have a firm opening date yet, but he said the establishment will welcome patrons as soon as all the bar stools and Denver sports banners are in the right place.

“We need to make sure that all our ducks are in a row,” he said. “First impressions are everything in this business.”

Nickless and Co. took the news to , and celebratory comments soon followed.

“Say what?!? That’s exciting!” one poster wrote.

“Can’t wait!!” added another.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnbT-4cHbz7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The Campus Lounge has been . It folded after fewer than six months under second owner Daniel Landes, the Denver restaurateur that founded vegan mainstay Watercourse Foods and .

Wiste, a former University of Denver and NHL hockey player who , trafficked in burgers and smothered burritos and adorned his dive-y space with DU memorabilia. If sports were being played, they were on TV at the bar. Landes put his own stamp on it, removing the TVs and adding a variety of vegetarian items to the menu . When it ceased operations in the spring, Landes placed part of the “failure” on the fact he didn’t do enough to respect Wiste’s legacy, in part because he didn’t have the same affinity for sports.

With new ownership, Campus Lounge lovers are getting people who love sports — Nickless said his family has season tickets to the Broncos, Rockies and Nuggets — and know southeast Denver well.

Walker Nickless, Jeff Nickless’s grandfather, for more than 55 years operated the Esquire Market butcher shop at 723 S. University Blvd., a space now occupied by Grillin’ Wings & Things. He supplied steaks for the Campus Lounge’s T-bone Tuesdays. Jeff Nickless went to grade school in the neighborhood. He attended DU and spent his share of time at the Lounge.

The rejuvenated businesses will benefit from the time and effort Landes put into it, particularly in the form of the updated, open kitchen that will remain a part of the space, Nickless said. TVs are coming back, 20 of them to be exact, along with the sports bar decor. The smothered Campus Lounge burrito will make a return as well.

“It’s a cliché but we want to respect the nostalgia,” Nickless said.

Ownership has hired a kitchen manager, front-of-house manager and general manager — Dan Nickless’s cousin, 25-year restaurant industry veteran John Kelly — and is working now to fill another 10 to 12 positions.

“We’re excited to bring this back to the neighborhood, and we look forward to memories and friendships being shared there for generations to come,” Nickless said. “We want the Campus Lounge to be a neighborhood hangout.”

“We are honored to be given the opportunity to build on the history and tradition that Dan Landes began two decades ago,” said Roberts, now the vice president of Watercourse, City O’ City and the latter’s bakery, Make Believe, via email Wednesday.

“We believe there is so much more to these businesses beyond excellent food and authentic service,” she said. “When we think of our establishments we see community and culture. These are aspects we value most in Denver, and the ones we represent in Watercourse, City, O’ City, and Make Believe Bakery.”

Roberts formerly worked as general manager at City O’ City, a hip vegan restaurant and bar on Capitol Hill, before taking over Watercourse from Landes in 2015. Watercourse, now in the Uptown neighborhood, also began at the same spot as City O’ City.

Landes declined to comment on the sale, citing of his Campus Lounge restaurant published in The Denver Post in December.

in March after five months in business, following a pricey reboot that failed to connect with customers. At the time, Landes admitted “failure” with the concept, but denied he was experiencing financial troubles.

The only reason he commented on the Campus Lounge, Landes said Wednesday via text message, was because he needed to address a “BS” tip that The Post had received.

“There is no drama here,” he wrote. “I don’t care what people think.”

The Deer Pile art space, a DIY performance venue above City O’ City that Landes also owned, will hold a fundraiser and variety show on April 27 to transition over to becoming a for-profit enterprise.

“We need a projector, new lights and are looking at switching up the paint job so we can go in a new direction,” venue manager Johnny Morehouse said, adding that the Deer Pile transition “has very little to do with the sale and transition of (City O’ City). … We’re looking to open up the running of the Deer Pile to a few more people, kind of in the co-op sense.”

Patrons of City O’ City may not notice the change, however, since new co-owner Roberts formerly managed it and seems intent on not making any major changes immediately.

“The leadership team and staff at all locations are all very dedicated and enthusiastic about the restaurants,” Roberts said. “We are looking forward to the years to come — to uplifting voices in the community, supporting the arts, and above all else serving Denver in the way we know best, one meal at a time.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.