As so much of old Denver dries up, the neon sign of Sam's shines like a beacon. You won't find any Wi-Fi, either as one message on the bar's chalkboard urges, "Talk to each other and get drunk." That's not hard, especially if you sit at the big, four-sided bar - there are a few comfy booths, too - and chat it up with the bartender, who pours stiff, inexpensive drinks. Well, we're betting you won't find a single hipster at Sam's Bar & Lounge, a watering hole that opened on Leetsdale Drive 62 years ago. Other longtime dives have been renovated into shiny shadows of their former selves, often transformed into hangouts for hipsters. Several of Denver's best dive bars disappeared this year: The Rocky Flats Lounge suffered a devastating fire the owner of the Rustic Tavern sold the spot, which is now a bakery and breakfast joint the Filling Station will soon be wiped off the map by a big RiNo development. But at a true dive, you don't need more than good company and good drinks for a winning hand - and Ace Hi deals plenty of both. You can sink into a cushy booth if you don't feel perky enough to perch on a bar stool, and the tavern has plenty of distractions for drinkers who need to rev up for another round, including a pool table. The place is Western-themed and Colorado-proud, with maps of the state and "Native" signs adorning the walls, and old-fashioned steer horns fancied up with Mardi Gras beads stationed above the cash register. Today it's run by Leo's grandson, Sid Stillman, and it's still a place where workers getting off their shifts at Coors plop themselves next to Colorado School of Mines students preparing for a tough day of class. Bar fans have been living it up at the Ace Hi Tavern since Leo Stillman purchased the old Opera House restaurant on historic Washington Avenue and opened the bar back in 1961. Since alcohol put Golden on the map, it's not surprising that metro Denver's best dive bar is in this once-sleepy foothills town. And if those gestures aren't enough to win you over, the down-home atmosphere that draws hipsters and Colfax creatures alike is sure to seal the deal. But Pete, the bar's owner, will also send you a round (or two) of Alabama Slammers, a sweet, Day-Glo-orange concoction made of sloe gin, SoCo and orange juice that tastes more like Tang, just to show his appreciation for your patronage, and he'll give the ladies in your group each a red rose. The place has its quirks: the cash-only establishment won't let you keep a running tab, for instance, and you'll have to walk down the street if you need an ATM. But at night, the Lounge commands a special place in our dive-loving hearts. Like most dive bars in this town, the PS Lounge is a place we'd never want to see in the daylight we're guessing the old sports paraphernalia and playbills lining the walls would look a lot more grimy and a lot less charming. The last incarnation, Rory's, dried up two years ago. Sadly, Jerry Feld sold Club 404, which he'd bought when he wasn't even old enough to have a beer in his place, soon after it won the Best Dive Bar award, and after that it underwent extensive remodeling even as it changed hands several times.
There isn't a single item on the wide-ranging, greasy spoon/steakhouse menu that'll run you north of fifteen bucks, and if you plan your meals around the specials, you can easily enjoy a big dinner for less than a ten-spot. But if your idea of atmosphere is cheap beers at 10 a.m., 365-days-a-year Christmas lights and a seasoned waitress who could tell you firsthand what Methuselah was like in the sack, Club 404 is where it's at. If you're looking for wasabi mashed potatoes and tenderloins with mango chutney, this is not the place for you.
But we mean that in only the sweetest, most endearing way.