Absinthe House

This bar is not a safe place, particularly on the weekends.

Huge space. Great rooftop.

A loud dance club thats kind of boring and ugly. I didnt order any drinks because I was there for free champagne in a private room. What really got me was in this 25×10 room the DJ turned up his music more and more when nobody was dancing to his average mixing skills. Downstairs the mixing was much better. If I ever need to dance a lot I will return to the Absinthe House.

I’m going to base the 5 stars of this review on my 21 year old college self (this wasn’t too long ago, so it might still be true!). Absinthe House is one of the best places to go in Boulder on a Thursday night! As a lady, I was able to drink free and drink free I did. So many nights were spent at this bar with friends dancing and having a great time. They get huge bonus points for the rooftop when the weather permits. I could literally go on and on about how much fun I had here during those college partying days. They drinks are strong, the dance floor is huge, and the music is good 95% of the time (which for Boulder is probably as good as it gets).

This place is terrible. My brother was beat up by a bouncer there, and my understanding is that it wasn’t the first time something like this happened. Beware!

I was in CO for 6 weeks for my school rotation. My classmates and I came out here 2 – 3 times.
The first time I was here was for a Thursday ladies night. We got here around 10pm and literally like 5 ppl were here. Which was GREAT cuz that means we can get those free drinks constantly! Drinks were solid and the music was pretty good. When it got to midnight however it got super duper crowded… And I guess it’s a college campus so it was mostly college kids running around. The second and third time I came back were on a friday or saturday night. Again, super crowded and filled with college kids. But hey, free drinks all night? I’ll take it. I’d definitely come back for ladies night.
There is a dance floor and a DJ in the back area. Ppl get super weird here. Horny college kids who should prob be in a private place but somehow end up here grinding on each other… there are some older weirdos who come out to dance alone. Pretty entertaining though. There’s also an upstairs and a patio.
the bathroom line= ridiculous. Dirty and small. Well, what else would you expect though.
Overall, decent drinks & an entertaining crowd. I would prob enjoy it if I was in college still.

The only time I’m thrilled to hear someone suggest the Downer is when we’re going there instead of Absinthe house. If you enjoy obnoxiously wasted college girls, terrible top 40 music, and weak drinks with cheap liquor, definitely check out ladies night tho!

Been here twice now, once on a random Tuesday where there was literally no one else around and another time on Thursday for ladiiiesss nightttt (oh what a night).
Tuesday night, came here after dinner for a quick drink before heading back home. Nobody else here except for my dinner date and me. We ordered two absinthe drinks. Now, I’m no expert in absinthe so you can imagine how impressed and giddy I got when that diluting contraption came out. Had a lovely chat with our bartender as we sipped our potent drinks.
Came here last Thursday and had a whole different experience. Again, I became extremely giddy when I discovered women drink for free all night. Didn’t expect any top shelf liquor but those rail drinks reminded me why I now opt out of all plastic bottle liquor. Music was pretty shitty, 10PM is way too early to play 2000’s pop songs DJ. Everyone also happened to be younger than my little brother. Left the place knowing that I was going to have a killer hangover and thinking that I’m too old for this shit.
I would suggest coming here on a night other than Thursday unless you enjoy a bar overrun with college students/​recent college grads. I’ll gladly pay for my drinks if it means being around a more mature crowd and better drinks.

Absinthe House isn’t very nice. It’s actually pretty scary. I guess that is part of the charm (?). Just kidding! It isn’t charming at all. I’m sure DJ Petey is a reasonably okay person, but his music sucks so much! There was that one time he played Tupac… but it was Calfornia Love. Unfortunately, he is the only one who DJs on Thursdays, which is when well drinks are free between 9pm and midnight, if you appear female-​bodied, that is. That is the only time I go. If Absinthe House didn’t have free entrance and free alcohol, I would never come here. But free stuff is their redeeming quality. If they charged entrance and had expensive drinks, it would be a one-​star. Quality is so relative. Anyway, I recommend checking it out, especially if you appear female-​bodied and want free, semi-​generic drank. I just get gin and soda with lime and call it a night.
That is all.

White people who go here, try to act black yet they hate black people. Racist bar. The girls only dance with their girlfriends, and have no idea how to dance. No rhythm at all. Typical white girl. They do play rap here, which is cool. The people here are just so racist, man and the woman are stuck up. If you are black, the girls will look down on you here. It is a dam shame because it has some prutendial to be a decent bar.

Visited boulder for vacation and we wanted to know a good place to dance and we asked our waitress when eating dinner and she recommended absinthe. So we figured we go there and get our dance on but we were disappointed. All they music they played were old as hell and usually if they have a DJ, the DJ will try and mix up the music during the songs but he played the whole complete song. I understand throwing a couple of oldies in the music is okay but not the whole time!!! Being a college town i would expect them to be up to date with the songs. We left only 30 minutes of being there … Ready to head back to Dallas!!!

It’s so difficult to find night clubs with higher than a 3-​star rating anywhere, because inevitably, someone got too drunk, got in a tryst with the night club security/​management and got kicked out. Or some other variation of the irresponsible drinking story. I’m here to provide you with an honest-​to-​goodness, sober review.
We rolled into Absinthe around 10PM and the place was DEAD. I don’t mind this because it means easy access to the bars and plenty of space to hang out with my friends who were here celebrating a birthday.
Friday nights boast EDM and $ 0.50 well drinks starting at 8PM and increasing by $ 0.50 every half hour.
PRO TIP: Unilocal is offering a check-​in deal here, $ 55 for open bar. So if you and your friends drink a lot, it seems like a very worthwhile deal.
A full list of their weekly events is on there webisite (
)
They DO have food earlier on in the day and serve several different styles of Absinthe (French, Swiss, American, Austrian).
The dance floor is large and there are a couple sofa lounges where you can rest. As other reviewers have mentioned, his place is mainly frequently by a pretty attractive group of CU students. Just something to keep in mind if you’re looking for a certain vibe.
All-​in-​all, a great experience and a good time!

Run-​of-​the-​mill shitty bar that THINKS it’s a trendy club. It’s really just a dirty, overpriced hangout for drunken college kids. If you want to go to a real club, go to Denver.
The staff is generally rude and unhelpful, the bouncers are roided up tools, and the last time in there, I was forced to wait for approx TEN MINUTES while the bartender chatted with some friends who strolled up to the bar several minutes after me.
The music is wompy electro crap mixed by a crappy local DJ who thinks he’s halfway decent. He’s wrong.
All in all, Absinthe tries SO hard to be trendy and hip, but really, they’re no better or classier, or trendier than any other crappy boulder bar like the Walrus or the Pub.

I’m going to write two reviews for Absinthe House because I was there twice last Saturday. This has become my new favorite roof top bar. We could’ve even get into the Rio’s front door then I remembered the AH next door. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and after a hike we wanted to unwind with cool drinks in the sun.
Imagine my delight when we rounded the corner on the roof and heard wonderful house beats. I had no idea that they set up turntables and had DJs spinning up top. Even if you’re not into electronica you still might like the atmosphere, the music isn’t too loud, you can still carry a conversation.
We had wandered over from the Lazy Dog who wasn’t serving mojitos because they cannot keep fresh mint in stock. AH had a whole box full of mint.
My only complaint is that the bartenders aren’t that efficient on the roof and seem to get overwhelmed once it gets busy. It can take awhile for a drink. At one point one of the bartenders was out on the floor pouring water and busing glasses. While’s that’s good service it left the other guy solo behind the bar. Seems like they could’ve benefited from a third person helping them out.
Also, they have life sized Jenga. And two chaise lounges, perfect for relaxing in after a hike. Much more relaxing than the Rio’s roof when it’s super busy.

A big number of students at CU have started calling this bar «The A-​Hole». I’m not sure whether they’re referring to the kinds of people who hangout there, the bartenders, or the general cleanliness that the club/​dance crowd brings about. Regardless, they’re correct.
Overpriced, under poured drinks. Very poorly run business. A coworker of mine used to barback there (begrudgingly) and mentioned that often his paychecks would bounce. I avoid this place like a peanut allergy.

One of the first reviews I ever wrote for Unilocal was for The Foundry in Boulder. It’s been 5 glorious years and now occupying the same spot is a bar called «Absinthe House.»
I wish people would stop trying to reinvent a place simply by giving it a new name. They should just call this place The Foundry 2: Electric Boogaloo. If anything has changed from when it was the Foundry, I failed to notice. The beer was still overpriced and the craft beer selection was a let down. My bartender was a total sweetheart, so that’s the one good thing I can say about this place.
To be fair, I went for a startup event, so the crowd was slightly older than college kids, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the majority of the time this place is still overrun with college kids who haven’t quite learned how to hold their liquor and are slowly dancing on the stage and using the back wall to support themselves.
I’m really not sure why this place is called the Absinthe House. I didn’t see anyone here drinking Absinthe and it doesn’t really seem like a place that you would go to drink absinthe.
Eh, it is what it is and if you’re looking to mack (kids still use that word, right?) on some hottie college co-​eds, this is probably a good place to go.
And if you really can get absinthe here and enjoy it the way it’s supposed to be enjoyed, please let me know and I’ll eat my words. Or drink them.

Talk about a blast from the past. I felt so old here as it was mainly college students. It has a frat atmosphere and drinks are on the cheap. The dance floor is huge and is sunken from the rest of the place. Service is fast and friendly, mainly due to the fact that there are many bars spread out around the place.
The DJ on a Friday night was spectacular and played both current and old school hits. People were definitely coming here to meet new people. The upstairs is a chill place to hang and there is also a nice roof top above that level. No glass up there but they give you a plastic cup to poor your drink into.

this place is completely empty on wednesday nights. But then I came back Thursday night and it was completely packed! The DJ was playing typical good club dance music (hip-​hop, electronic, and R&B 80’s-2010’s).
They actually serve absinthe here!

Quite a spacious night club, with 2 levels and a VIP room.
Came here on lady’s night, and this place was simply packed with ladies. If you are looking for college girls, and they are looking for you, come here.
Came here on Saturday night, and this place was nearly empty. Go elsewhere.
They have Dig Dug in the front! Awesome old arcade game.

Boulder has a dance club and it isn’t totally vile. Woohoo!
My first couple visits to Absinthe were quite the treat. Why, you ask? Because of the DJ! I was shocked at how well house music was mixed with more contemporary hiphop-​pop music. I also enjoy that the sneak attack from the back (grinding) is going out of style! At this place I really feel like I can dance and not be groped on. I appreciate that.
Drink prices aren’t all that bad either. I got a super tasty fruity drink concoction that was only $ 4 – that’s pretty darn good for places like these! They also have a nice ladies night on Thursdays.
One star deduction for the DJ this past Friday. He had to be different from my first two times. Too much trance/​dance and not enough mixing of more familiar songs. Not everyone is drugged up enough to enjoy that stuff. Keep it cool!