Meadowlark Bar

This review is for their OPEN MIC (Tuesday’s at 9pm)
It’ll be pretty empty at 8:30pm but I would suggest arriving around that time if you want to have first pick for your time-​slot. People started coming in closer to 9pm. They put out the list at 8:40pm and have you sign up for the time-​slot you want starting at 9pm with 15 mins intervals (amount of time for your set). The organizer is very adamant about the time and pretty punctual when each set starts/​ends.
I’d say by 9:30pm there were around 35 people. That’s when I decided to play. I stayed until 10pm so can’t say how crowded it got after that. Apparently later is when more people show up.
The bartenders are super nice and attentive.

First time was great. The staff was very fun and nice, and the drinks were on point! I’ll definitely be back to try the food.

Went there this past Friday night. It was definitely a hipster spot, a lot of different people I didn’t expect to see there. The DJ was spinning ol school hip hop I grew up on which was pretty cool. Place did get packed quick, but upstairs is a lot bigger. I’d go again, I had fun and the drinks weren’t too expensive.

This was my first time here 10÷29÷15. I am a regular of the spot across the street, Cold Crush, good energy, people who are original locals! My girlfriend and I were hanging out there again as our love for Cold Crush, the staff, atmosphere, customer service is phenomenal. I’ve lived here 2 years, and hate everything but Cold Crush!!!
Tonight, a coworker of my gf had us head over to Meadowlark across the street, the bouncer, humorous but professional. We ordered some drinks then went and hung out. Eventually my girlfriend wanted to order another around and sent me to get them.
I get to the waiting line for drinks, lots of people trying to cut in line (typical self entitlement here in Denver). There was a short girl who was definitely there before me. I stuck my arms out in typical manner to note I’m next up, but of course the short girl could barely be seen so I looked out for her first.
I see a tall girl, w/​an Afro taller than me, and I’m 6’3″. She was waiting behind us but saw an opening and cut right in front of us. After 20 minutes of not even a glance, I double check w/​the short girl and her man, almost thirty minutes for them waiting. Of coarse, the bartender jumped on the group of ladies to the left who weren’t there for long. This was no mistake, the bartender knew for sure how long we’d been there, probably ignored us cause he thought he wouldn’t get tipped.
I see the line cutters get served and shouted at a separate bartender and said hey we’ve been waiting way longer than them, he ignored me. The main guy long dark hair, tall with a ponytail orange earplugs approaches us, but still won’t make eye contact. I explained how he ignored us (not even together) for almost a half hour. His response, looked at me and said and I quote «I don’t give a fuck, you want a fucking drink go somewhere else you piece of shit!» I responded «Fuck you and your shitty bar, I recommend we all go somewhere else, the rest of the line applauded and we left!!!
If you manage this horrible establishment and read this, I recommend you switch your staff ASAP!!! (the attitude of your bartender (s) kills the vibe. Not only will I refuse to offer you any business, I work in the area, and would happily recommend not even considering this place as an option. That is that, but if you inform me the long haired ponytail guy has been fired, I may consider a silent attitude!!!

I’ve been debating whether or not to bite my tongue or join in on the culture war in full swing in these MLB reviews.
To put the culture politics aside for a hot second: jazz night is great.
Band goes on usually around 10pm, plays until 11 (great classic standards; no ez-​listenin’ or elevator music here), takes a break, and then anyone can jump in on the drums or keys. John sometimes even shares his upright.
There are vocalists and guitarists and horn players that occasionally jump in, too. If you’re an emcee, they’ll lay down a little beat for you so you can go buck wil’ (both femme and male rappers have graced the stage).
The crowd by this time is super drunk and gregarious and supportive. It’s glorious.
The patio in back is magical and cozy.
The bar doesn’t serve any food but the Meadowlark Kitchen is open super late and is right next door. Plus you can get tacos across the street at Cold Crush.
The bartenders are awesome — this is not the place to get a fancy cocktail but they do have some mid-​shelf stuff like Bulleit if you want something neat. And they have Fernett. And strongbow in cans.
Come soak in the best thing to do on a Monday.
So now I’m gonna get on my little soapbox for one minute/​review. Because I love me my jazz nights in stone-​walled lairs. And I’m growing weary of intruders mucking it all up.
/​/​begin rant (plea)
Look, it’s not that I’m going to fall on my sword defending ‘hipsters’ because they/​we are a special brand of evil. But the truth is, although we may have been the first wave of re-​territorialization, the second wave is here and viciously consuming… well… ALL OF DENVER. Goodbye, Baker. Goodbye, Cap Hill. And now, goodbye, fair five points.
Do you remember high school? Yea, some of us grew up from our anti-​social, shat-​on selves and formed places of refuge with likeminded artsy fartsy musical nerdom lovers in nicely dark enclaves of bars and cafes. We sought this away from our history of dealing with jocks and frat boys and those who care little about anything but their klan and how to exploit others. Unfortunately, the new Denver yuppies, lo-do’ites, high maintenance self-​entitled women and men of white mid-​to-​upper class’ness no longer fear to tread… well… ANYWHERE. And then when they come in, they complain… about the smell, about the looks they get, about the service, about EVERYTHING not catering to their standards.
I’m not saying don’t come here if you have a well-​paying job or if you don’t dress in all black with tattoos. I’m not saying you can’t smile and have a good time. I really don’t care what you look like. I care about how you treat others. Don’t come in here with a huge crew, talking/​screaming over the music, and ordering absurd drinks. This is not your world. For once, everyone does not revolve you, oh princes and princesses of Denver.
Come in and respect what has been a tradition for 5+ years. There are so many different kinds of people in here from different countries and backgrounds and age groups. There are a LOT of regulars here and it’s a tight-​knit community. More than likely, if you are respectful, people will reach out to you and welcome you. However, if you’re an arse or don’t like what you see, please, please, just exit politely WITHOUT your nose in the air and your wallet up your ass.
/​/​end rant (plea)
Thanks, all. Had to get that out of the ol’ system.

Don’t come here for the open mic. The drawing system is ridiculous. You’ll end up spending the whole night there not knowing if you’ll get to play or not. They just want to keep people there to spend money on drinks the whole night. The crowd is loud and obnoxious and doesn’t care about what’s going on on stage. Don’t waste your money and time on this «open mic»!

Best priced drinks on Larimer and they have so many good musicians that come through. The Lumineers honed their sound here long before they became an international sensation. Try and talk with the owner if he’s around because he has amazing stories of the neighborhood. (Talking about the underground bar, not the upstairs kitchen, fyi)

This place has the best jazz jam session in town on Monday nights, hands down. (I spent a year writing a journalistic piece about a famous jazz joint in Philly and hanging out with the musicians, and play the jazz flute, so I know.) The primary band is full of virtuosos, and the guys who join later on are top notch, too. (F-​ing up a solo here would be like f-​ing up at the Apollo.) I could say more: There’s a lovely outdoor space in the back, the round bar is intimate and quiet early in the evening, the liquor selection is quite decent. But really, I just go for the jazz (every week, because its that good) and the amazing mystery cocktails that the bartender provides me upon request («I can’t decide, just make me something delicious involving bourbon or gin or that green bottle up there») all of which have been fantastic.
For serious. Go. Mondays. Jazz.

I love the Meadowlark Bar. I’ve been a handful of times to see friends bands play and other random occasions. However, my last experience left a sour taste in my mouth. On July 3^rd, I ordered 2 shots of well tequila for a friend and I. When I went to close out, I was told the computers were down so I had to close out with the patio bar. Which is totally cool, I understood the situation. I tipped generously on my small $ 10 tab. But when I checked my bank statement today, the Meadowlark bar charged my card $ 40. I’ve been trying to get ahold of them for 2 days and it’s starting to get irritating. I wish this could be fixed!

I’ve heard a lot of great things about this place so I thought I’d finally try it. Everyone was right, this place is awesome! I sat at the bar with a friend and the service was very fast and everyone behind the bar was friendly and accommodating. I had a hard time deciding what to order because everything sounded so good. I finally chose the smoked brisket and DAMN! That was delicious! My friend ordered the burger and although it was a little messy, she claims it was one of the best burgers she’s had. The portions were just right and I still had room for desert. I was pleasantly blown away. I really like this place and I will definitely be back for more!

This bar rocks. Great venue, cool music, and nice people. The staff are all really friendly (shout out to Morris the bartender– he’s awesome!). Highly recommend for a fun night out!

This place stinks! The staff is very rude and if you aren’t drinking pbr, drinks can be expensive. Crowd is lukewarm. 2 stars instead of 1 since I feel this place is doing a service by keeping people like this out of more enjoyable drinking establishments.

One of the coolest venues and dive bars in town. They also have a huge patio, smoking area. Space is small, no beer on tap. They do have some pretty good happy hour specials, which I think go to 8. Jazz jam mondays, open mic tuesdays, I love to play it, the sound is great in this tiny space.

Came here for a girls night out a couple Fridays back and had an awesome time! One of the girls was struggling to get down the sketchy steps in her very tall heels, don’t wear heels here. It is kind of odd how this place is in a basement, I question if it is up to fire code.
Anywho, based on the other reviews I was pretty worried about getting bad service but lucked out. It was packed but we always got served pretty quick.
Prices aren’t bad! Everyone here drinks PBR, ICK! I went with my usual vodka diet ($ 4.50) and hit the dance floor to get down.
The music here is great! The dance floor gets packed. It is such a fun environment. Lots of hipsters/​bohemian types here. Great crowd overall. Awesome funky beats.
We went upstairs to grab some air (which was completely filled with smoke, as it is an enclosure where all these hipsters suck down their nicotine). I bet this outside area is cool in the summer. We managed to snag a spot to sit and chill for a few, a friend grabbed some drinks up here (upstairs bar takes much longer than downstairs bar) and we headed back down for more dancing.
Great spot. I definately will be back the next time I am in the area.

This Meadowlark has become my favorite new spot to shake my booty. The music is always good; the crowd is into the DJs; the outdoor patio in the back is great for a quick smoke break or to get away from the sometimes crowded dance floor. What more do you need?

Me gusta meadowlark bar
Although it’s kinda far
Great for ladies night
Or showing a tourist a site.
Music is bumpin
Drinks are somethin
Me gusta.

Good drinks CHEAP compared to others we ordered in the area. Seemed a bit sketchy walking down in, but we enjoyed it!

went to this place on a Tuesday eve, it was open mic night, and wanted to see this really talented piano playing kid, with autism, and donate to his college fund.
everything started out great, the place is cool the vibe was good. He comes on stage, and I was sitting at the bar, attempting to order 2 beers, wich took over 2 songs, because the bartender was not present for some reason.
I ordered my two drinks, then she proceeds to tell me that she needs to be tipped better and that it was bullshit we didn’t tip her better on our first round. (which I dint even buy)
And this is alarming, because I’ve never been told by a waitress that they need to be tipped better. Tipping and gratuity, are earned and not to be expected.
She proceeds to lay into me about this, to which words are exchanged, and she takes my beers back, and decides to kick us out.
During the musician that I was there to see. So our group of 4 had to leave because we didn’t tip better.
The bartender was a tattooed female, that was not that nice to begin with.
So our night was ruined by a greedy non hard working female.
I will NEVER SET FOOT IN THIS PLACE AGAIN.
With so many new cool places around this area, there is no need to even go down those steps.

James F and I headed over to the Meadowlark over this past weekend to support his brother’s band. Now, I had a vague recollection of the place, but never knew where it was. Well, it makes sense that I’d only heard of it because it’s a basement bar, cleverly hidden save for the twinkling lights to light your way. Or rather, so that you don’t fall down face first on to the rocks and break your teeth.
Okay, that’s a bit harsh, but man, those steps are steep!
After braving the adventure downstairs, the Meadowlark is actually pretty cool. It has an intense rustic feel to it as if you’d stepped into a stand-​alone bar somewhere in the woods. Or someone’s old basement. Either or. But in any case, I liked the feel. The bartenders were lovely and kept the drinks pouring. And thankfully, there was enough Crown in my drink for me to actually taste it. Woo hoo!
As a bar, I dig the Meadowlark. As a music venue? Not so much. It has stone walls which causes the voices to fade and the music to become a bit too jumbled. But I liked being up close and getting to see the bands play and rock their hearts out.
In short, the Meadowlark is a cool place for a drink and to listen to some local bands, even if the acoustics aren’t optimal. But we’ve all got to start somewhere, right? And I’m always a fan of any place supporting local music!

Really liked this underground bar/​music venue down the stairs at the corner of 27^th and Larimer. Comfortable, intimate setting in the basement above the hipster clothing store where I came oh so close to buying a t-​shirt that had a silk screened faded image of the about-​to-​be-​described «star» saying «Hey bro, don’t Hasselhoff me.»
Neat jammin’ band. Laid back bartender-​ess. Still not the liquor I like, but they did have some Wild Turkey 81 and were proud to be able to offer it. Would I return? Absolutely, especially to hear the rockin sax/​keyboard player and his back-​up bass/​drums and try to meet the lady at the bar reading the «Collection of Modern Erotica» book. (What an easy pick-​up line that would be, huh?) (Prolly should get permission from my honey, first, though. .. :)