The Lure Lounge

The Lure is closed, and is now an upscale sports bar called the Sports Book.
UPDATE: The Sports Book closed quickly due to nonpayment of some taxes, it is believed, and there is a new Sports Bar located at this spot. Haven’t tried it. Don’t plan to.

Operating a successful LoDo lounge is no cakewalk. The competition’s fierce. The Lure has never had a problem distinguishing itself from its peers, though. Consider a few of their most stunning décor elements: a «Rain Wood» bar top imported from Bali, cowhide upholstery imported from Italy and chandeliers composed of faux antlers. The overall effect alludes to an upscale mountain lodge. This is Colorado, after all. Why imitate Miami or New York when we’ve got so much natural mojo to go around? The most significant difference between The Lure and an actual mountain lodge is width. Lodges are normally large, while The Lure is one of those «hallway» bars. Fear not, though, closet claustrophobes, as their recently opened upstairs is spacious enough for all.
Assisted by Denver2Night and Image Magazine, The Lure premiered its upstairs last March. Office space was its primary previous function. The offices have since been shifted back to accommodate a bar, a modest dance floor and a private VIP party room. The place is akin to a lavish living room. Resident DJs include Rex Buchanan, Matt Johnson and Alex Khadiwala. Keyed liquor cabinets for VIP bottle service tables are easily the upstairs’ most unique feature. Think mini-​bars. After all, what if everyone at your table gets the urge to groove simultaneously? At The Lure, you can be sure your drinks are secure from hovering mooches.
Although it will rarely be available on the second level, The Lure’s menu is no joke. What once consisted exclusively of small plates was recently expanded by Chef Vittorio Sbrocca to include a handful of full-​on entrées. Sbrocca honed his skills at Sketch, Aix and Black Pearl, before accepting his first head position at The Lure. Longtime staples such Lobster Mac & Cheese were significantly reinterpreted, whereas others are bona fide Sbrocca originals. I personally vouch for the deliciousness of the Arugula Salad (manchego cheese, prosciutto, toasted almonds, sherry vinaigrette), Lamb Lollypops (pomegranate glaze, shaved fennel salad), Braised Pork Belly BLTs (smoked tomato, micro arugula, whole grain mustard sauce) and Pan Roasted Flatiron Steak (mashed potatoes, caramelized onions, roaring 40s blue cheese, red wine sauce). Call it a hunch, but their Sunday Brunch, featuring Lobster Benedict and the Dr. Seuss-​inspired Green Eggs & Ham, seems worth giving the time of day too.
Get Lured.

Well — this place seems like a hit or miss. I have been here three times and you never know when there will be z people here. I stopped by on Saturday and it was far from crowded.
Nice crowd, good drinks, and decent ambiance. It’s definitely worth a visit, but it’s hard to know when there will be people here.

Lure has been one of my fav places to have drinks at for a long time. The atmosphere is cool and classy. They make up some srong drinks. The music is always «whats hot right now» and they have a good dj on Saturdays. The bartenders are nice and everyone always seems to be having a good time.

Let me say off the bat I think this place might deserve a second chance. My review is based on a company Christmas party we had here. It was pretty damn bad.
We were promised all the appetizers but two. We only got two before our meals we coming out. They left out all the meat appetizers. Convenient.
It took an hour to get two rounds of caprese and crostini’s out. Bad form. And its not like the place was busy. We constituted 75% of the clientele.
The party menu was limited to three or four choices, and we ordered them in advance, but they still couldn’t manage to get things out in a timely fashion. The vegetarian risotto was AWFUL and took longer than the steaks and chicken.
I felt bad for the owner because one of the ladies I work with gave him the business in a bad way. It service and experience was bad, but actually shouting at someone is rarely an appropriate tactic.
I’ll go back again to try it on a smaller scale, but I will go with low expectations.

Nothing special here. Just a wannabe trendy place, slow service, so so drinks. I’d probably give 3 stars, had it not been for the following:
While there with friends, I went to the upstairs bar, and ordered a double Whiskey /​Red Bull. He served me 2 drinks, and I told him it was wrong. He gave them to someone else, and then neglected to make my drink, and went on to serve others. When I realized that my drink was not being made, I reminded him and he seemed shocked that he had forgotten, pointed at me, and grabbed a Redbull can. I was happy, albeit briefly. He did the same thing AGAIN. Do the bartender schools not teach what the word «double» means? It’s ONE drink, supposedly twice as strong, not 2 separate drinks. I can understand mistakes happening in a busy bar, but it wasn’t very busy, and he made the same mistake a second time even after having it explained to him. Is it safe to assume he’s not working his way through med school?

My experiences at this place are akin to wearing a wedding dress to Denny’s. Nobody’s gonna kick you out for it, but they’re gonna give you funny looks the entire time you’re there.
I’ve been here three times. I’ve never eaten the food. I’ve never seen more than 6 people in here at one time. The reason is because I always seem to go to this place before Avalanche or Mammoth games. My first time in was between games during the NCAA Western Regionals at the Pepsi Center. The Can wasn’t serving booze and since we were thirsty we got hooked by the Lure. GET IT!!! haaaaaa!
Anyway, they were just opening, staff was super friendly, and all that with me sitting there in jeans with my hockey sweater on. Good time, decent priced (and decent strength) drinks, that got the job done between games. Stopped in likewise prior to a Mammoth game and an Avs game, and received the same treatment and same quality of service. Due to some other good reviews I will probably make it back at some point for some later night, higher crowd volume action.

Went there yesterday (Saturday), place was not crowded, maybe 30% of capacity, no lines to get in. Their downstairs is cool, cozy place to hang out and meet new people; upstairs bar area looks good, floor still feels wobbly and shaky, but it looks nice.
Service was really slow. They had 2 bartenders but it was taking about 5 minutes to order a Corona.
Recommendation: don’t leave your credit card with them, it took me about 20 minutes arguing with the bartender that I had given my card to her and she wasn’t recalling me or that I have given the card.

I know this place has some great reviews, but I just don’t get it! Yes, it’s very trendy hipster sheik (if that’s even possible) but I just feel old when I go here. And not only that but I feel under dressed and that *never* happens. It is well designed but the people there are just… fake! I mean… I haven’t seen this many fake boobs and new noses since I lived in Newport Beach! Really?! Seriously?! Not that there is anything wrong with fake boobs and plastic noses because a lot of my friends in CA have already been *upgraded* to version 2.0…but I JUST DON’T GET IT! I mean, I have been here several times and each time, I just like it less and less.
It seems that I’m missing out on the dining experience so I’ll have to go back and check it out but this will always be the last place I end up for a night of drinking. Besides, I know a certain DB who likes to hang out here along with all of his douchie friends. Yuck.

Took a walk around downtown with my lady friend, and ended up in this very well designed little hipster bar. We were the only customers (besides the promoters for the upcoming «opening» of the upstairs lounge on Oct. 17^th– but you didn’t hear it from me) and we had a very nice time. We ordered the Truffle Mac and Cheese– fantastic — along with some Duck confit dumplings and the Popcorn (parm and truffle oil popcorn) and were very happy with all of them.
The bartender (his first day) Cody, was very friendly and attentive. While we were the only people in the bar (TOTALLY time to sort of slack off), he still did a terrific job.
The place is beautiful. A lot of attention to detail, great lighting, fun music and not too much pretension.
Oh you can bet your ass I’ll be back. I want to see it busy.
Check out November the 17^th! The promoters seemed excited and competent.

The Lure has quickly become my favorite place for something to eat after everywhere else closes. The menu is fantastic and reasonably priced, and the food always impresses me (although, having a lot to drink might lower my standards!)
The staff compliments the food with great service and a friendly attitude. I have not been for Dinner, but have been told by several friends that it is terrific as well. The crowd is also very friendly and unpretentious, and the atmosphere lends itself equally well to a night out on the town with friends or for a romantic spot for drinks and appetizers.

Ohh, i just love this place. :) Lots of love. Wonderful drinks, amazing and friendly staff, perfect ambiance for the people looking to have a good time but not be surrounded by drunk, obnoxious and primitive beings. The food is delicious, wait times for ordering (outside drinks) can be a little long but that doesn’t matter when you’re enjoying yourself anyway!

I am in love with The Lure. The first time I went was in August of 2007 and have been back many times since. The food is absolutely incredible! They used to offer a five course meal and wine pairing with each. The chef at the time came out to explain each which I thought was very cool.
Apparently the chef/​meals have changed in the last couple months and are still coming into their own… hence why I gave it 4 stars. The lighting, décor and the big half circle couches are all part of the sexy appeal. I’ve been there with dates, cousins, and everything in between… as well as my where I had dinner on my birthday last year… so you’ll always have a special place in my life as one of my favorite places in Denver. Thanks Lure!

I’ve been here twice. The second time I took some of my lady friends to try out their sampling menu. The service wasn’t very lovely. Super slow and I don’t know if the bartended was too thin but she didn’t have a heavy hand that is for sure.
Saying that the bar is pretty sexy.

I was there for the Denver Social event. Nice place. Good décor. Very loungey bar which is what I like. If you are looking for a dive bar, this is not for you. It’s a bit more up scale so you are looking at maybe dress shirt and jeans. Then again, a lot of people rolled in after work so most of them were in work attire. So I can’t say what the place is like on any other night. That night, they were having $ 3 well drinks and $ 5 Lure specialty drinks. Didn’t order any food but from watching the waitress walking around, the food look fancy but in very small portions.

Although the name of the place isn’t easy to say via cellphone («Allure? Demure? Huh?»), The Lure is my favorite loungy restaurant/​bar in the city right now.
All low lights and dim alcoves, with an exceptional staff (I’m in love with Shelly the bartender, Steve knows how to make the perfect dirty martini, Eric can serve two dozen thirsty customers without breaking a sweat) and a veteran industry owner, The Lure is the kind of place where you:
1. Take a date for dinner at 8pm
2. Feign exhaustion when you realize she’s vapid and boring (and isn’t going to invite you back to her place)
3. Make your way back to the bar at 11, any night of the week, when things pick up for real, and the eye candy is so sweet your teeth hurt.
Make sure you order the lamb lollipops, and don’t miss the stuffed avocado. If you’re low on cash, the popcorn with truffle oil and parm is like crack.
Sunday night is the best night to drop by– discount cocktails and sex toy bingo will help you start the week off happy and hung over.
Oh, and tell Shelly I say «hi.»

I’ve had a couple fun nights at Lure and even more fun when it was Andrews (I kissed and danced with a cute little blonde on the bar on St. Patty’s Day one year — oh the memories).
Recently at the Lure we did a whole row of tequila shots and a taste test. Of course we all picked the top shelf tequila as the best.
The Lure is one of the few restaurant/​bar morphs in LoDo that truly delivers a unique experience. The food (mostly small plates) is vibrant and well-​priced. I was pleasantly surprised at the level of quality in both the food and ambiance at The Lure. I would recommend this venue to anyone looking for a great date spot, client/​business dinner, or just a relaxing-​hip atmosphere to enjoy drinks and tapas with friends. Oh yes, and they serve food till 1am!

The Lure Lounge or Lure as everyone calls it is a pretty darn hip place. It’s a great place if you like to dress up a little bit (that’s right, you strut in those black heels you) and hang out with a group of friends. With booths and tables on one side and the bar on the other, you would think that Lure’s a bowling alley – but, you’d be silly!
A great place to hang out, eat some food (so good and fancy!), and relax before you really start to party! But, really, who are we kidding, we all know my favorite part is the super cute bar tender ;)
Oh, and here’s a great tip: every Tuesday night, Lure, Tryst, and Slim 7 team up in the «Lost Tuesdays» tour. You start at Lure right around 10, hang out for a couple of hours, stop by Tryst super quick and then head to Slim 7 around 12.