The Bark Bar

Great place to hang out with your pup and there is an awesome group of regulars. During the day you can get coffee or tea, and during the night you can get beer, wine, or mixed drinks. There is no food (because they allow dogs or on the patio) but there are a great selection of delivery places they provide menus for.
Also as of January 15^th it was temporarily closed due to ongoing issues with noise complaints from neighbors and the City of Denver.

A bark bar in Denver, Colorado; genius! What better place to have a bar and a dog play zone then in the city that loves dogs and beer! It’s a happily married combination.
This place gets busy on nice weather days. I like the wide selection of beers.
Although I love the concept of this place, it does make me a little nervous that patrons can get a little occupied at the bar and not watch their dog. I feel like the setup could be a little better… perhaps even have garage doors or an indoor/​outdoor bar so that patrons don’t get tied up at the bar and miss out on watching their dog play.
I also do not love that the fence is not very high and is located extremely close to the busy 38^th street. It makes it very easy for a dog with some ups to jump the fence or sprint out into the street when entering.
I’m also glad I’m not a neighbor, as it does get a little loud.

Well, I think I’ve found my new favorite place in Denver. The Bark Bar was recommended to me a while back and my only regret is that I didn’t come here sooner. This weekend my roommate and I decided to walk my puppy over here so we could check it out and it was even better than I had anticipated!
They do a really great job of implementing this concept and it’s obvious that they’ve thought things through carefully. They have a great selection of canned beer and some fairly unique options on draft. They also offer coffee and tea, as well as mixed drinks. I don’t like bourbon but the description of their hot Bourbon Chai makes me wish I did!
The space for the dogs is perfect. I read a couple reviews talking about the low fence back up to 38^th and I do agree that it’s a bit low, however, all the dogs were so distracted by one another when I was there it didn’t seem to pose much of a problem. I like how they also have a (leashed) seating area in between the bar and the off leash area. My puppy was really intimidated when he first arrived and it helped to have an area where he could acclimate. Once he got back into the main area he had a great time!
All the people that were there also helped to make it a fun experience. The bartenders were both friendly and very good natured. And I just really like the idea of a place where everyone is dog friendly. Sure, there are a lot of breweries around town that are dog friendly, but that doesn’t necessarily mean every patron at the brewery is. Every so often you’ll get a look from someone and you can tell they’re irritated that your dog is with you. This is obviously not the case at the Bark Bar! People are more than happy to say hi to you and your pup. When we were there everyone was doing a great job of keeping their dogs in check, which helps too.
This is truly an amazing neighborhood hangout if you are a dog owner. We saw a couple people hanging out in the dog yard with their books and laptops, doing homework for school. If I were still in college I would absolutely do the same! Other people brought food and sat on the other side of the yard. Some people sat inside and watched the Broncos game. Most people, like me and my roommate, just sat outside in the dog park, drinking beer and watching our dogs play.
The SADDEST part about all this is that they are being shut down this January. The city of Denver won’t let them continue in their current location. Bummer! According to the signs posted all around Bark Bar and on their website, there are a couple things you can do:
GO THERE as much as possible until 1÷15÷15
EMAIL City Councilwoman Susan Shepherd (
) and tell her you want Bark Bar in Denver
DONATE to their legal fund,
I plan on being back all the time until January and I hope that they find a way to continue this wonderful place!

Not only does my dog love this place, I do too! We have both met several friends there and the owners are very down to earth. I’m always greeted by first name when I go and love that they always have events going on. It’s too bad that the city is making them close/​move!

I. Love. This. Place.
What a wonderful place to hang out! Even if you don’t have a pet, watching all the dogs play is great therapy.
First off, they have an insane craft beer selection, 100x better than I expected for a dog bar. Top-​notch, great work. Secondly, a great big yard for the pups. Thirdly, wicked friendly staff that remembers me every time I happen to steal my roommate’s dog to go hang out here.
Some dogs are rough, but that’s luck of the draw. Keep your pup in check, be nice to everyone, and what goes around comes around. The staff does a great job of helping owners know when they need to be leashing their dog or when their dog needs some extra control.
Overall it’s just a ton of fun, but the one thing you need to remember is that most of what makes people like or dislike Bark Bar is YOU! Control yourself, control your dog, be kind, be friendly, and be understanding. We’re all in this together!
See you at Bark Bar :-)

Before moving here mid-​Sept ’13 from DFW, I searched the web for dog friendly places and found the story of this place working on getting opened…
There were soft gatherings, coffee, and a few ppl arriving… come X’Mas, they received their X’Mas gift, their liquor license and boom, its been nonstop adjustments, improvements, battles with zoning rights, and elated pups and their parents enjoying great ambiance, super friendly staff where we feel like Norm on Cheers.
And not to be outdone, the selections of craft brews is impeccable, catering to anyone’s tastes. With constantly changing and updating selections (never to be bored). Of course, there’s a fully stocked bar and coffee/​latte delights. Now that it’s fall ’14, the cold is coming, they’ll prolly be working on getting their warm spirits rolling just as swell as their craft brews…
I’m currently the duchess, even with driving 19 miles one way to get here, but with moving in 2 days :-(to Austin. :-) this place will soon have a new duke or duchess as this place is too great to not come regularly.
Kat & Mike, you’ve done this community a great service, I wish you well and success with keeping your place the amazing destination for pups and us as long as you wanna keep it going!
Cheers!!!

We brought our dog here on a Sunday night around dusk. It is such a good concept, but it was crazy crowded and it seems like they could use a bit more space. The drinks were good and the atmosphere was nice, I just think we will be coming at slower times so our dog doesn’t get trampled.

FYI… NO KIDS OF ANY AGE ALLOWED!
I had been a couple times when this place opened, and the concept is great. But now I have an infant and my husband and I went and brought our 5 month old. My husband took our dog in the dog area and I went into the bar area with the kiddo. We were, politely, told we had to leave the premises entirely for liability reasons. I get that. But what a bummer. Guess we won’t be coming back for a couple decades now! Might I suggest keeping the dogs in the dog area and allowing kids in the bar area. There should be no liability issue if the dogs are kept in one zone.

I’m surprised it took me so long to write a review about a place that contributes to my love of where I live so much!
The Bark Bar gets 5 stars in my book due to the awesome concept, atmosphere, staff, and crowd it brings. I don’t ever hesitate coming here by myself because I know I will leave having met a ton of awesome people. The craft beer selection on tap and in cans is always above par, and the prices are very fair. I have an English Bulldog and she hangs with all the big guys no problem; majority of the time the dogs are all very well behaved.
I have referred this place to tons of friends and will continue to do so!

Update from my former review:
After articulating my extremely disappointing and embarrassing experience at Bark Bar, I got a private message from the owner, basically asking me what else happened in my week contributing to my disappointment… Ew– no thank you, Sir. I did not appreciate his condescending message which took no responsibility, but instead using excuses.
I am much more grateful for my neighborhood dog park.

Love this place! The staff behind the bar are always really friendly and knowledgable about their beers, which are DELICIOUS!!! The crowd that brings their dogs are really great too. Everyone is always more than willing to engage in conversation and give you tips for your dog.
The only reason why I didn’t give five stars is becuase one of the employees there (a female with red hair) often is out in the yard with dogs trying to «keep order». It’s a great idea… except this woman has no clue about how dogs interact or play. My dog is a registered service animal and whille he was running around playing with other dogs, she said I needed to stay with him because he was too aggressive. Then when my dog went to grab a drink of water, another dog snipped at him and she yelled at my dog saying it was his fault. I’m left wondering why this woman works there since she clearly doesn’t have a dog of her own.
I suggest if you see this red hair woman in the yard to turn around and go home. However, if she’s not there go in and enjoy a yummy beer while your pup enjoys himself/​herself.

Was very excited to come here at first, will never go back.
My fiancé and I came with our 2 dogs who love to play. My one dog can be vocal when he plays and gets excited and the second he made a noise, FIVE people — employees and regular patrons, ran over and grabbed my dog and told us there was no barking allowed at the Bark Bar due to neighborhood complaints.
There were no signs saying «no barking» and I also think it’s ridiculous to put a bunch of dogs together and expect them not to make noise when they play. Also, the place is called Bark Bar which is just absurd. I’m not sure why they would build in that location without checking out the neighborhood first either.
Chugged our beers and left. It’s really too bad this place could have been really cool.

I never write reviews, but after reading through several low reviews I felt inclined to write one. It seems that several dorks have chosen to rate Bark Bar poorly because their experience with other dogs or patrons didn’t work out for them. That’s not Bark Bar’s fault, in fact it might even be yours or your dogs. Think before you review, Unilocalers. I know that’s easier said than done for some of you…
My girlfriend and I love this place. Lots of Colorado craft beer at reasonable prices. A $ 6 craft pint is super normal these days, those who think otherwise are definitely not craft beer people, which is another source of ignorant bad ratings it seems.
Most people and dogs here are awesome and friendly. Great way to get outside with your dog and throw back a couple beers at the same time. Of course you get the occasional irresponsible owner or misbehaved dog, but that’s what happens sometimes at dog parks. Bark Bar can’t control that and certainly shouldn’t be blamed.
We will keep coming (on our way now, actually) back and telling all of our friends about this place. Great concept!

I initially gave this place one star because my girlfriend and I almost ended up in a fight with another customer after he mistreated our dog. Michael, the owner, followed up with my review with a very polite and understanding email prompting me to re-​write my review.
Bark Bar is a great concept and, apparently, the owners are sincere in making sure everyone has a good experience. Good owners/​good people deserve to be supported in what is a cool idea.
So, you should check this place out if you have a pup and like a quality beer. However, do not go when the yard is too busy (e.g. on a nice, sunny, warm spring day). Go when it’s a little more chill and I bet you’ll have a good experience. And keep a VERY close eye on your dog as well as other dog owners (this is not like going to the dog park).
If you go when it’s a little quieter and keep a keen eye on your pet, you should have fun.

The Bark Bar is everything this city dwelling dog owner could ask for. A great little neighborhood bar with a great tap list, tons of interesting canned craft beer and oh wait, an attached dog park?! Awesome.
Met up with some other dog owning Unilocalers here and enjoyed a chilly afternoon with a bunch of pups. The outside area was nice and you could tell they pay attention to the upkeep of the dog area. It had been a snowy (and then melty week) and the area could have been a mud pit, but they had laid down a fresh layer of wood chips and the mud wasn’t an issue. There’s heaters outside to stand under on the patio and those were much appreciated on the cold day. It’s also great how you can watch your pup from inside the bar, too. In the summer, with the bid garage doors open, this place will be a great hangout spot.

We met some friends here before the Super Bowl yesterday in hopes of wearing out our combined four pups. Mission accomplished! It’s hard for me to find any fault with a place that offers a clean mulched outdoor area (yesterday it was somewhat snowy and wet in spots but not at all muddy or dirty) for the dogs to play, pick-​up bags, outdoor heaters, tables with seating both inside and out, garage doors, tvs and 80 beers (draft, cans and bottles). Yes, I said 80 beers. And the beers are decently priced! My plastic-​cupped (they recycle!) pint of DPA was just $ 5. While inside grabbing beers, you can easily view the playing area due to the huge windows and glass garage doors. I think it’s a bonus that kids aren’t allowed — not because I have anything against kids, but dogs and kids can often just be too hectic to handle. The doubled-​up gates and fences looked secure, though the outer fence does seem low if you have big dogs prone to jumping. This place will be incredibly popular in warmer months, if yesterday’s cold-​braving crowd was any indication. The dogs were well-​behaved and hilarious to watch and all owners were friendly. Smoking is allowed but only on a different side of the building where it can’t bother the people and pups hanging out, which I hugely appreciated (signs make this clear).
I’m pretty happy I live so close to this place. While my dogs didn’t partake in much pup socialization and seemed like they wanted to get out of the fenced area and back into our arms ASAP, I think it was more due to the cold than any kind of too-​chaotic atmosphere. The best part was that they were completely wiped out all afternoon, night and this morning. For the price of a beer or two, that is well worth it!

Had a great time here! The bar was very clean and simple. They have tons of beer as well as wine and liquor. While they do not serve food, they allow you to bring food in (might I recommend Tacos Jalisco down the street because you can walk there and the food is AMAZING). There were also several people having pizza delivered.
You are required to monitor your pet at all times (obviously the exception being when you are getting another drink :)) which is easy to do as there is a patio that runs almost the entire length of the fence and you can take your drinks into the park as well.
I absolutely plan on returning during the warm weather days. It’s just a great way to be outside with your four-​legged best friend and enjoy a drink or two! I mean, how often do we get to go out with our dogs???

I enjoy the concept of going to a place with man’s best friend & your human best friend. I think its great to have drinks in the neighborhood and at the same time having your dog mingle with others, but if your dog is a barker like mine, then beware.
I have a 6 yr old beagle who gets along great with ALL dogs, but being a hound that he is, he loves to howl and bark. He gets really excited when he meets, greets, and plays with all his new friends. With that said, one of the workers (or owner?) said that they’ve already had noise complaints from a neighbor, so I need to try and keep my dog from barking. A hard task to complete, when he is allowed to bark at all other parks he goes to.
Again, a great idea for a place to hang out with friends and dogs, but not if you have a barker.

What an awesome idea– it’s a bar & a dog park in one. The bar is really quite nice and they keep the play area clean.
This is our new favorite spot!

Worth noting: NO KIDS ALLOWED at Bark Bar.
We tried to go this afternoon, but learned that kids aren’t allowed anywhere on the premises. The website says they aren’t allowed in «the yard» but it’s actually extended to the whole business. Makes sense, but it’s unlikely I’ll be getting a babysitter to take my dog to a bar…
Looks like a cool place, but it was prettty chaotic between all the people and dogs and cars going by on 38^th.