From a charming French restaurant sure to stir up amour among the patio’s twinkling lights to a bar that blends bougie cowboy hats with budget drinks, Denver offers plenty of reasons to stay out late. The city’s creative scene is thriving, too: a celebrated dance company is expanding, and Andrea Gibson’s powerful legacy reached new audiences through the Oscar-nominated documentary Come See Me in the Good Light. The common thread? A city brimming with talent, ambition, and imagination.

Read More: Top of the Town 2026

5280 July 2026
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Jump Ahead:

Toast the 2026 Top of the Town Editors’ and Readers’ Choice winners at our annual 5280 Top of the Town bash, presented by Kaiser Permanente. Join us on Thursday, July 16, at Cherry Creek North for an evening of delicious bites and drinks, live entertainment, giveaways, and more.

Artist

Kristopher Wright in front of his art
Photo courtesy of Kristopher Wright

Readers’ Choice: Kristopher Wright

Kristopher Wright lives on a ranch with his family in the San Luis Valley, where he creates colorful, layered works that blend painting, printmaking, and collaging into depictions of community. You can see his work in the permanent collection of the Denver Art Museum and at K Contemporary. —Malia Logan 

Author: Andrea Gibson

Two people and two dogs laughing on the floor
Photo courtesy of Apple TV

Colorado writers put a lot of good words into the world last year. David Baron’s The Martians was named a best book by the New Yorker and Time. Erika J. Simpson published her debut memoir, This Is Your Mother. Bestselling author Sandra Dallas added to her canon with Tough Luck.

Andrea Gibson (pictured, left, with partner Megan Falley), meanwhile, didn’t publish a word in 2025. But anyone who saw Come See Me in the Good Light, an Oscar-nominated documentary about the Colorado poet laureate and spoken-word artist’s battle with cancer, will likely never shake Gibson’s prose—or the person who created it.

Those of us not fortunate enough to have attended one of Gibson’s shows were introduced to the deceptive simplicity of their poems. In the doc, they joke about knowing only five words. No matter: Gibson has an uncanny ability to find endless depth in that shallow pool, like in their bucket-list style poem “Little Things”: “To thank the nurse too many times/To feel a spider walk the tightrope of my lifelines while I carry her outside/To sleep on a canopy bed under the stars and invent new constellations.”

But, as rendered in the film, Gibson’s life was even more affecting than their poetry. They make fixing a continually falling mailbox a mission. They embrace contradictions, grasping at every experimental treatment possible to buy more time while simultaneously seeming to find peaceful resolution in the incurability of their disease.

Gibson died in July 2025, but not before leaving us one last line to live by. “I think what matters most,” they say, while tussling with the mailbox, “is the trying.” —Spencer Campbell

Read More: How a Film About Andrea Gibson Became an Oscar-Nominated Love Story

Readers’ Choice: Matt Query

Boulder native Matt Query is a bestselling author, screenwriter, and former environmental attorney who draws literary inspiration from his outdoor stewardship. Known for novels such as Old Country, he has built a following through his suspenseful, adventurous, and thrilling storytelling. —ML

Bar: American Lore

Two people sitting on the barstools at American Lore
Photo by Sarah Banks
  • Address: 3965 Tennyson St., Denver (Berkeley)

Much has been written (and Instagrammed) about American Lore, a ballyhooed, Western-chic hat shop that recently opened in Berkeley advertising: “Sip a spirit. Shape a hat. Stay a while.” And we get it—the shtick is fun. But more needs to be said about the bar inside the boutique, specifically that it hawks pints of Coors Banquet, New Belgium Brewing Mountain Time Lager, Shiner Bock, and Breckenridge Brewery Juice Drop IPA for $4. (Not a typo.)

In a place where custom hats start at $225, that accessibility feels intentional. The bar has the bones of a neighborhood watering hole: low lighting, TVs tuned to local sports, rotating specials, and enough room to show off your new lid. Of course, you don’t have to buy a hat to settle in. The full bar is stacked with whiskey, from approachable pours to harder-to-find bottles, plus a thoughtful tequila selection. House cocktails are $14. On weekends and during big games, the place fills with a mix of hat shoppers, regulars, and sports fans camped under the flatscreens with frosty mugs. This is probably American Lore’s greatest trick: Beneath the carefully cultivated frontier aesthetic, it’s just a very good bar. —Maren Horjus

Readers’ Choice: Retrograde

  • Address: 530 E. 19th Ave., Denver

Someone told you that Uptown’s Sweet Action ice cream shop has a bar in the back, but all you see is a freezer door. Hit the button and wait for the signal, then head through that door into Retrograde, one of Denver’s coolest—but not coldest—speakeasies. —Mark Antonation

Brewery

Three beers and a Philly cheesesteak
Photo by Lucy Beaugard, courtesy of Barquentine Brewery

Readers’ Choice: Barquentine Brewing Company

  • Address: 5505 W. 20th Ave., Edgewater

Barquentine, located in one of Denver’s smallest suburbs, offers some of the biggest beer flavors around. The Edgewater brewery’s Belgian specialty ales and crisp lagers are a sudsy way to top off your shopping excursion to the town’s eponymous public market. —MA

Readers’ Choice: Westbound & Down Brewing Company

  • Address: Multiple locations

A decade ago, Denverites had to drive to Idaho Springs to get a freshly pulled pint of this brewery’s Great American Beer Fest–winning suds. Thankfully, it’s expanded down the hill, with taprooms in Lafayette and LoDo serving favorites like the Juice Caboose hazy IPA and Don’t Hassle the Hef wheat beer. —Jessica LaRusso

Cocktail Menu: The Peach Crease Club

A sparkly cocktail
Photo courtesy of Shawn Campbell
  • Address: 4180 Wynkoop St., Denver (Elyria-Swansea)

At this eight-month-old Elyria-Swansea watering hole, husband-and-wife bar veterans Alex Jump and Stuart Jensen (Curio Bar, Roger’s Liquid Oasis) deliver a fresh take on the liquid diet. The drink menu (13 pages long) takes inspiration from global dishes, including a fattoush salad and borscht soup. The Cranberry Sauce puts a twist on the already nuanced Negroni, with sherry, shochu, candy cap mushrooms, cranberries, and maple each making a distinct impact on the taste buds before fading into a luscious sip with a sweet aftertaste and velvety mouthfeel.

And the atmosphere is just as considered as the cocktails. The bar was designed as a listening room, with high-end sound equipment spinning a deep vinyl library—and nothing competes with the music. You won’t even hear the usual clatter of mixology in motion; cocktails are pre-batched and served ice-cold, a quieter trick that controls dilution and sharpens flavor. That focus pairs nicely with next-door neighbor Mission Ballroom and a to-go window that serves cocktails in the outdoor common consumption area. —Sahale Greenwood

Read More: Denver Bartending Power Couple Launches Peach Crease Club

Readers’ Choice: Meatball Eatery & Libations

  • Address: 9220 E. Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village

What are you eating at Meatball Eatery & Libations? The Greenwood Village bar and grill’s classic Italian meatballs, of course, or its unique shrimp version. Mix and match them with a choice of four sauces and six bases—pasta or otherwise—for customized satisfaction. —MA

Date Spot: Bon Ami Bistro & Creperie

  • Address: 295 S. Pennsylvania St., Denver (Speer)

Paris is always a good idea, but if you can’t get on a plane, this classic French eatery is the next best thing. Beloved for its expansive crêpe menu (18 sweet and savory varieties), Bon Ami is a popular brunch choice often overlooked as a destination for dinner, when strands of tea lights twinkle over the patio, couples sip Cabernet, and Edith Piaf warbles over the speakers. The atmosphere doesn’t feel manufactured, though—no oversize, made-for-the-Gram dishes here, just a welcoming, unpretentious ambience that lives up to the “good friend” name. (If sports are your love language, they’ve got the Rockies game on mute over the bar, too.)

Start with the saumon gravlax: little rosettes of rolled up, house-cured salmon sprinkled with shallots and capers, ready to place on crostini with crème fraîche. Continue with the steak frites, a classic whose rosemary-forward flavor brings back memories of strolling through the herb gardens in Paris’ Jardin des Plantes. Finish with the opera cake layered with chocolate ganache, almond sponge, espresso syrup, and French buttercream. More, si’l vous plait. —Rose Cahalan

Readers’ Choice: Nocturne Jazz & Supper Club

  • Address: 1330 27th St., Denver (RiNo)

Classic cocktails and an enticing menu—either prix-fixe or as á la carte “sound bites”—make this RiNo venue a stalwart date destination. And that’s even before the best live jazz lineup in town. —MA

Dispensary

Readers’ Choice: Native Roots Cannabis Co.

  • Address: Multiple locations

With 11 locations across Denver and Boulder—and even more in the mountains—you’re never far from friendly budtenders ready to help you find your ideal buzz. And with delivery available throughout the Denver metro area, the only thing you’ll have to lift at Native Roots is your mood. —SG

Distillery

Liquor and three glasses
Photo courtesy of Talnua Distillery

Readers’ Choice: Talnua Distillery

  • Address: 5405 W. 56th Ave., Unit C, Arvada

If the phrase “single pot still” doesn’t mean much to you, think Irish-style whiskey. That’s the specialty at Arvada’s Talnua Distillery, where you can sip flights, enjoy house cocktails, and grab a bottle for your home bar. —MA

Happy Hour

Readers’ Choice: Zig Zag Smokin’ Burger

  • Address: 9220 E. Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village

Greenwood Village’s Zig Zag Smokin’ Burger shares a menu with its next-door sibling, Meatball Eatery & Libations, inside the former home of Gunther Toody’s. Creative burgers and cocktails are the draw. —MA

Kid-Focused Entertainment

Readers’ Choice: Four Mile Historic Park

  • Address: 715 S. Forest St.

This 12-acre slice of the Old West lets you step straight into Denver’s frontier days, complete with a working farm and the city’s oldest surviving building, the Four Mile House Museum. While generations of school kids have explored its grounds on pioneered-themed field trips, the park also knows how to throw a party. From August through November, its popular Bright Nights event transforms the historic property into a colorful illumination for families, couples, and anyone who enjoys festive evenings—without the bone-chilling temperatures that usually come with holiday light displays. —ML

Patio

Readers’ Choice: Rook

  • Address: 3770 Walnut St., Denver

Catbird Hotel’s rooftop hangout at the edge of RiNo combines craft cocktails, board games, pool tables, and skyline views in a playful, social atmosphere. —ML

Place To See a Show That’s Not Red Rocks

Readers’ Choice: Mission Ballroom

  • Address: 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver (Elyria-Swansea)

Since opening its doors in 2019, Mission Ballroom has kept the energy high year-round, attracting top-tier artists and passionate fans who fill its expansive general admission dance floor. Meanwhile, its elevated seating sections provide a comfortable alternative where you still get to feel part of the party. —Alex Gribb

Place To See Art: Cleo Parker Robinson Dance

A bunch of dancers in colorful outfits
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance’s ensemble. Photo courtesy of Martha Wirth
  • Address: 2025 N. Washington St., Denver (Five Points)

Practically speaking, this luminous addition to the Shorter AME Church in Five Points that Cleo Parker Robinson Dance has called home since 1988 gave the revered modern dance company more room to grow. Its three ensembles now have three new studios and a 240-seat theater.

The facade of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance
Photo courtesy of Mortensen

But focusing on the square feet (25,000) misses the point—the $25 million Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Center for the Healing Arts has far grander designs. The eastern exterior wall transcribes the movements of “Mary Don’t Weep,” a dance choreographed by the group’s 78-year-old namesake founder and artistic director and performed at the first national celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday in 1986. The main second-floor studio features soaring walls that reflect light from 226 glass fins of 55 different colors (one for every year of the company’s existence) outside floor-to-ceiling windows. Bright orange lobby walls are lined with African pieces courtesy of local art collector Dr. George Hegarty, including a grand boubou (traditional formal robe) from West Africa and a yellow kente cloth from Ghana. The building radiates inspiration, and not just for artistic ends.

The center will focus on healing—former offices in the AME building will be converted into spaces for massage therapists and counselors—but the main attraction remains Parker Robinson’s performers, whom you can see on their new stage during the Mile High Dance Festival on August 1. —SC

Read More: This Massive Denver Dance Studio is About Way More Than Just Dance

Readers’ Choice: Art Students League of Denver

People painting on canvases
Photo courtesy of Art Students League of Denver
  • Address: 200 N. Grant St., Denver (Speer)

While many galleries simply display art, the Art Students League invites visitors to become creators themselves, offering public classes that transform passive appreciation into active participation. —AG

Sports Bar

Readers’ Choice: Sportsbook Bar & Grill

  • Address: Multiple locations

With locations across the Denver metro area, Sportsbook Bar & Grill is your neighborhood sports bar with wall-to-wall TVs, constant game-day energy, and crowd-pleasing menu of burgers, wings, and Colorado craft beers. —ML

Theater Company: Curious Theatre Company

  • Address: 1080 Acoma St.; 119 Park Ave. West, Denver (Golden Triangle)

Curious recently had its own behind-the-scenes drama—one with a happy ending. In 2024, the theater company announced it would need to sell its historical Acoma Street home due to financial troubles. Enter David Spira, a real estate executive and local philanthropist who purchased the building. After renovations, he’ll lease the space back to Curious. (Before the hammers start swinging, the group will host the return of the 24 Hour Plays Denver on July 10, staging six world premieres in a single day.)

While Spira refreshes Acoma, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance will host Curious for its 29th season. Expect the same unflinching storytelling that doesn’t dodge the hard stuff, like last season’s Downstate, which followed convicted child sex offenders living in a group home. Curious’ stage is less escape, more mirror: a heightened reality where the messiness of life comes into focus. —SG

Readers’ Choice: Vintage Theatre

  • Address: 1468 Dayton St., Aurora

Vintage Theatre became a permanent member of the Aurora Arts Cultural District in 2012 and will open its 2026–’27 season with its 200th production. Its versatility will be on display with headlining productions like Rent and Sense & Sensibility. —AG

Wine List

Readers’ Choice: Barolo Grill

Bottles of wine on a shelf
Photo by Casey Wilson, courtesy of Barolo Grill
  • Address: 3030 E. Sixth Ave., Denver (Cherry Creek)

Owner-sommelier Ryan Fletter keeps the cellar at Cherry Creek’s venerable Barolo Grill stocked with hundreds of wines spanning decades of vintages—a commitment that has earned the restaurant multiple Wine Spectator Grand Award nods over the years and Fletter a finalist spot for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service at the 2026 James Beard Awards. —MA