17th Avenue in Denver has slowly but surely inched its way onto the radars of Denver’s hip-happening residents, with locations like Steuben’s, Ace Restaurant, D Bar Desserts and Watercourse Foods.
Among the trendy eateries sits Vine Street Pub, located at 1700 Vine St. in the northern-most region of Capitol Hill in Denver, just north of Colfax. In Vine Street Pub, you’ll find a restaurant so comfortable and inviting that it’s reminiscent of a tapestry strewn dorm room (oh wait, they banned those) only instead of tapestries the walls are covered in hand-painted murals depicting outdoorsy and spiritual imagery that is repainted intermittently with equally earthy images.
The typical Vine Street Pub patron is not so typical, with visitors ranging from dread-locked heavily tattooed maidens wearing flowing skirts to highfalutin craft beer connoisseurs to families grabbing a bite to eat in a location that doesn’t frown heavily on the presence of children. The mellow tap-house brings together the entire spectrum of Denverites to enjoy pub food at its healthiest and hippie-est.
Vine Street Pub is one of a number of similar pubs in select locations throughout Colorado including Mountain Sun, Southern Sun and Under the Sun, each of which are located in Boulder. According to recent articles, the Boulder based craft brewer will open Longs Peak Pub and Taphouse in Longmont.
Vine Street Pub is perfect for the sustainably-minded foodie and the Mountain Sun chain of restaurants are devoted to carrying as much sustainable and locally sourced food as possible. Vine Street gets food from a number of predominantly Boulder-based businesses including Rudi’s Organic Bakery, Steele’s Meat and Growing Gardens, a locally sourced local and seasonal produce provider. This local-mindedness will leave any good Colorado hippie guilt free in their satiety.
The huge selection of beers at Vine Street Pub leaves nothing to be desired. Options range from the best-selling and beautifully pink-tinted Blackberry Wheat to the coffee lover’s favorite, the Isadore Java Porter, which actually contains caffeine. The selection is almost overwhelming with endless choices of house, seasonal, Belgian-inspired, wheat and dark ales. Taps are constantly rotating, and part of Vine Street Pub’s appeal is its ability to provide any regular a new taste experience for each visit.
Vine Street Pub has an extensive menu, with an array of hearty meat and vegan options, which will likely satisfy the well-versed taste buds of any Capitol Hill foodie and certainly please the average working, modern-income, socially conscious Colorado hippie. The pub offers any burger imaginable, house specialties of the Mexican persuasion, a variety of salads, sandwiches and appetizers as well as particularly noteworthy grilled cheeses. And it would be simply criminal to go to Vine Street Pub and forgo the fries. Meals range in the $7 – $10 range.
In keeping with its grassroots image, Vine Street Pub only accepts payment in the form of cash. While this may strike the newbie patron as inconvenient, it’s just part of the drill, so best to get used to it.
Hipsters with a penchant for beards, man-buns, Birkenstocks and impeccably toned hula-hoopers should visit Vine Street Pub, if only to drink good beer, eat inexplicably tasty fries (this Grinder is still suspicious that they contain a certain Colorado approved ingredient) and possibly glean some knowledge about the healing power of crystals from the nearby table of essential oil-exuding patrons.
