Handle Bar and Grill

Great service. Food is surprisingly good for a bar, and it’s family friendly!

I never really liked this place back when it was the Handle Bar Grill. I went a few times and never had a bad experience, but it wasn’t great either. Now, with the new ownership I thought maybe it would be better. I wish I could say it was.
Dont’ get me wrong. The food was pretty good. However, the music was terrible. Sherri S. says it was not Lo-​Douchy. I disagree. There was a solid group of Chads at the bar. They were the ones responsible for the terrible Lady Gaga and MC Hammer on the jukebox.
I would have given it 3 stars, but the clientele unfortunately knock it down… This probably makes me a snob. I am ok with that.

GOOD INFO HERE!
So we went to the new Handlebar, DOWNING STREET CAFE AND GRILL… here is the scoop. The owner sat down with us for at least 30 minutes and told us what is going on. The owner, who owns the whole building (renting to the Abo’s pizza place) has bought parts of the HandleBar including the bar, tables, all new kitchen stuff equipment, MENU, ect. He said they wanted way too much money for the name. He stated most of the equipment in the kitchen needed to be replaced. Long story short, its the same place without the bikes. It is pretty bland in there now. However, MENU IS THE EXACT SAME! They also serve BREAKFAST ALL DAY now. So even though its a different name, the owner bought the menu. They still serve Breckenridge Bewery beer, but the brewery no longer owns it. The Food was the same, and thats the best part! The breck brewery is now moving and building a monster place in the highlands which will be known as armandos I believe, which is already there, they are just buying them and expanding. Supposed to be a big place once completed. All and all the new downing street café is good, and is the same as handlebar, without the bikes, he does need some flair in there though!

This place was great.
ARE THEY CLOSED? AHHHH

Three words: Blissful. Breakfast. Burritos!
This places serves up one of the best bb I’ve had in quite some time. I can’t vouch for the rest of the menu, since I’ve only been here twice and both times for those tasty, tasty burritos. Stuffed with scrambled eggs, potatoes, your choice of meat (I always go with ham) and smothered in green or red chile, then topped with gooey cheese. You get a nice side of spicy salsa and crispy chips, too. I’m never able to down this whole thing because it’s just gigantic, so plan on splitting it with someone.
Handle Bar is really relaxed and low-​key, and I can see how this would be a great HH spot in the afternoon.

Very straight-​forward restaurant, at least for breakfasts, I drive by this place every day; often look at their sign, filled with happy hour information and affordable breakfast specials, but never stopped to get breakfast. After helping a friend this morning, we’d decided going there for breakfast since we were at Washington Park and we did walk to and from. They had a $ 2 Off breakfast burritos, and a breakfast menu as well, most of their items are straight forward.
My friend had the burrito and it was huge, smothered in green chile, according to her, it was good.
Since I had a dim sum scheduled after the breakfast, I’ve decided going light and had hash, ham, over easy egg, and a 7 grain pancake, everything was cooked perfectly and very light on the grease.
It hit the spot!

I have thought about the nachos at The Handle Bar for many moons. I thought they were pure perfection and nowhere on this fair and delicate planet could I find food any yummier… I was wrong. The CHICKEN WINGS ARE RIDICULOUS !!! Sweet Jesus! I like to eat, I mainly go for stuff that may knock a good few years off my lifespan. The food here is the epitome of super duper awesome bar grub. The wings were unlike any I’ve EVER had… and I went to college in WYOMING… we eat A LOT of wings up there. Not only was the sauce divine, but the batter was light and crunchy and PERFECT!!! I could have devoured sooo many more. Sometimes sharing can be so hard.
The service is just peachy, the beers are super cold and the place is clean. I will be going back soon… Hear that Unilocaling friends? let’s have a UYE perhaps? For the Holidays??? I’m IN!!!

My lovely lady friends and I decided to head over to Handle Bar because our previous bar location didn’t serve food. So sad.
We had the vegetarian nachos, kick ass wings and chili fries (thanks for letting me mooch Robin). I also had a few glasses of Pinot Grigio. The place was clean and laid back and I had a wonderful time.

Went here thinking it would be a good place to watch the game. Wrong.
The bar is small and there are 2 small mounted TVs. They did have surround sound which was a plus.
There was a guy there obviously a regular who dropped the f bomb every other minute was a little distracting, but the bartender didn’t seem to mind.
Ordered spicy sausage sandwich w/​onions and BBQ sauce. The bread was delicious but everything else was a let down. You get more sauce out a packet of ketchup compared the sparse use of BBQ on my sandwich. Same for the onions. Very stash…
Fries were good but nothing to write home about. Cole slaw was very tasty and had a clear rather than creamy dressing.
A guy next to me ordered a salad that looked really good so I may consider going back for something like that., otherwise I find no reason to return. The whole time i was there I was wishing I was at the bull and bush.

I haven’t been to this place since it first opened. Met up with some of my favorite Unilocalers for a girls night and really enjoyed. Tasty munchies (nachos, wings and chili cheese fries), cheap happy hour beer, and a relaxing atmosphere. Wasn’t overly impressed with the service.

Personally, I won’t go back to this place again.
One time, the waitress dropped a full beer in my lap. Bad enough, but I didn’t even get a free one as a «sorry.» Another time, it took more than an hour to get our lunch order (after telling the waitress we were in a hurry). Couldn’t get her attention, either.
I think the reviews are highly overrated.

I’m not sure what is in the air, but it’s contagious at the Handle bar & grill. Talk about a fool-​fest.
One of the things I love about my neighborhood is that the community (in general) is my age (30’s/40’s). The demographic in the bar scene isn’t so Lo-​Douchy. You can have a beer with your neighbors and know that walking home, you aren’t going to see fights, or get accosted.
Friday night at the handle bar was like a small town (tacky) version of my biggest nghtmare. Drunken 20– somethings talking shit and clogging up an otherwise great bar.
Yechhh, F*ck me.

First of all, for a «theme» restaurant, they didn’t try very hard with the décor. It looks like they just took a boring old restaurant and threw up a bunch of bicycle stuff. Some of it is interesting, but nothing about the place feels well-​designed.
Also, since they are going with the bike theme, you would think there would be some bike racks outside, right? Nope. You might also think they would have somewhat of a healthy and organic menu. Not really.
It’s not all bad though. I did really like the bison burger I had, and the Breckenridge beers are great. The ceaser salad was pretty good. The sweet potato fries were just ok. The staff wasn’t rude, but I don’t think they smiled once.
I might go back here, but I wouldn’t go out of my way.

I have only eaten breakfast here; perhaps there will someday be an update that includes lunch and dinner.
my buddy and his bandmates were passing through town for a brief show at Dick’s for the July 4^th fireworks and a kick-​ass show at Boulder Theater.
there may have been a little bit of partying going on the night before, and I needed some hangover breakfast to settle the ‘ol nerves. we headed straight down Downing, and settled on the corner of Alameda at the Handlebar and Grille.
yes, it’s bike-​themed.
fresh squeezed OJ and grapefruit juice goes into the $ 3 screwdrivers and greyhounds. there is a do-​it-​yourself bloody mary bar. killer.
all of the usual breakfast foods are put together with love and are complimented with delicious quiche and crazy skillets with everything in them — everything.
I love hangover breakfast.

If there is indeed such a thing as heaven, and if, for some reason unknown to me, I am allowed in, I expect that every day Jesus will bring me one of Handlebar’s Washington Park Bison Burgers, served with its thin cut chili dusted onion rings and big schmear of Horseradish sauce on its house baked bun on a big silver platter.
But, they probably won’t let me in heaven if there is one. At least I can fantasize about Jesus and that burger.
Its that effin’ good.

Now I’ll be honest at the beginning here. This is my local bar and place that I take everyone to. I have gone here for many years and have seen the changes that have occurred in staff and food.
The food here is good. Great burgers, huge burritos, and enough variety on the menu to satisfy all tastes. Everything from Italian favorites, like chicken Parmesan, to a rotating specials menu that can include anything from BBQ to Ecuadorian specialties. Portions are good sized and I see many people taking leftovers home.
Breakfast/​Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday till 1 and features a build-​your-​own bloody Mary bar and $ 3 mimosa specials. Breakfast items include the classics, but they also have a variety of skillets that are a great hangover cure. My favorite being the Wash Park with spinach and mushrooms.
The staff is always friendly and service is usually prompt. A busy weekend morning usually means a few delays, but nothing that can’t be solved by another bloody.
I am happy to report that they now have PBR on tap and late night drinks specials too. $ 3 Jameson is always a nice thing after 10. They have a great selection of local beers on tap. The beers are focused on Breckenridge Brewing, as they took over the bar recently.
Overall, I always have a good time at the HBG and would heartily suggest a visit!

I have definitely had hit or miss experiences w/​this place. But, we hadn’t eaten there since they had been under new ownership, and we noticed their menu had expanded, so we decided to check it out this weekend. The food was really very good. It was exactly what I wanted — good, simple comfort food. My hubby had the meatloaf sandwich. I didn’t like the gravy (it’s stout gravy, and I HATE beer), but he loved it. I had the chicken salad sandwich. The chx salad has fantastic flavor, and it’s just the right amount of mayo (plus, I had them throw on some provolone — which makes any chx salad sammie better!). The clam chowder is fabulous!
I have noticed some other reviewers remark that the service is lackluster, and that is something I agree with. In fact, it’s why I’m giving 4 stars, not 5. We sat down in the bar (better atmosphere — no kids, etc.) and the bartender never even said «hello» to us. The waitress barely did. Took our order, brought our food, and we never heard from her again until it was time to pay (and we had to flag her down to get the check). The place feels like it would be one of those places you walk into and really feel welcomed into — but that isn’t the case. Too bad. It could be really great if they’d add better customer service.

I think it’s one of the best food/​drink options in my neighborhood. Compared to the Ogden, it deserves 5 stars!
I don’t know if they always have theme nights here, but I was able to try some delicious Brazilian appetizers. There’s a great variety here, something for everyone. Everything I’ve tasted has been solid. Great beer deals too. I think $ 2 drafts after 10pm?
One negative: I wouldn’t drink the margaritas unless you like very standard, overly sweet and weak, mixed from a jug kind. The waitress recommended them to us, but they were gross. Stick to beer!

This was the first establishment I went to in Denver. After landing at DIA at almost 11:30 at night on a Friday, just wanted to go to a local place and have a beer and relax. Our friend, who lives in the neighborhood, took us to Handle Bar. The boyfriend was over the moon about the bicycle theme.
We were back the next morning for breakfast and it was pretty good. I had the french toast and it was pretty tasty. The boyfriend had steak and eggs. He loved the steak but the eggs were a little off for him. However, we were both impressed with option of having a pancake instead of toast on the side.
Overall, I think the place had a great atmosphere — at least in the bar — and would suggest a stop in, especially if you’re a bicycle enthusiast!

I like the theme — there are not many (any) facilities dedicated to bicycles, and that’s pretty cool. The servers have always been nice enough, and the service has been fine.
Three stars though, because, after 4 visits, I am really unimpressed with the food. I’ve tried the burgers and the salads, and there is absolutely nothing special about it. In fact, the fries have been dry and tasteless, which is pure blasphemy!
I’m sure I’ll be back, because I don’t hate it, but there is just nothing too exciting to say about it.