The Hangar Bar

Stopped in for a quick drink. Super friendly staff and friends. $ 3 Thursday– not bad for a dive bar.

In from out of town and saw this place in the area. Wanted to give it a try. Mix reviews so wanted to see for ourselves. Upon arrival got confronted by a gentleman at the door saying he was «security» as we passed him he said «so you gon pass by like I ain’t shit?». Didn’t see anything to prove this to be true. He verbally cussed us out and we figured we should exit. The whole way walking back to the car still telling us off … Stunned and slightly scared for my life.

This is quite literally the ‘East Colfax’ version of Cheers. And if Cheers was set in The Hangar Bar it would still be on the air. I have bought mixed drinks for half a dozen people friends for the price of about a drink and a half downtown. If you keep an open mind you’ll have great time.

I went here after reading the reviews but would not recommend going. I was sketched out and there were a few crack heads arguing out front the entire time I was there. This was not necessarily the bars fault but still made for a very unpleasant experience.

The Hangar is the definition of a dive bar. Extremely cheap drinks, and not super clean. Be fully prepared– if you are a young, well dressed woman you will get plenty of looks as you enter-«What the heck are you doing here?» practically is written across peoples’ faces.
There is a questionable «patio» area by the parking lot. I think it’s been a couple years since the tables back there have been wiped down :). If you’re easygoing and are looking for true dive bar experience (not too many TRUE dive bars left in Denver), I’d encourage you to check this spot out.

For East Denver residents it is the easiest way to buy drugs, or pick a hooker up, just stop in the Hangar. They specialize in crazy bar tenders and there are also at least 3 – 4 lesbians waiting to make out in the ladies bathroom.

I love love love hangar bar! My favorite night is Friday karaōke night. Bartenders are great door man is great and hoe is one of the coolest people. Definetly the coolest in the bar. Besides Fridays it is pretty quiet but Fridays you know the mood is great. One time a fight broke out while I was there. Pretty nasty ending I guess but all in all the crowd is very friendly and open to everyone!

This is my all time favorite dive bar, and the fact that I can walk to it from home is just an extra bonus. I’ve had many great nights at Hangar Bar, my friends love their Friday night karaōke scene and over the summer we religiously went every week. Drinks are cheap, and I usually hate karaōke but they have this surprisingly good crowd of singers. One man sang TNT one night and it was so fantastically spot on! And Joe the manager of Hangar Bar is great as well, he’s become a neighborhood friend who we bump into out at Pete’s for breakfast or at the grocery store.
I must say, I had to subtract one star because the last few times we’ve been the crowd has been sketchier than usual. One night we were there on our usual Friday night and a fight broke out in the patio area. It’s a mixed crowd, which is what I love about Hangar Bar, but that also means that you get the good folks with the bad sometimes.

Alice fell down the rabbit hole, and this time, the rabbit hole was an aviation tiki house with cheap, stiff drinks and a lot to look at.
Having frequented bars in the Capitol Hill and SoBo areas, I am a big fan of unique and low-​key public houses nestled in areas with a diverse population. Walking in, I saw a few locals, a couple of punk rockers, young professionals, and veterans occupying the main bar area with a plane constructed of beer cans hanging overhead. Next to the main room is a makeshift tiki lounge. Slightly across lies a narrow hallway out to an outdoor patio with long benches and patio umbrellas. The entire place felt like a friend’s cozy and eccentric basement funhouse.
I was acknowledged immediately with a friendly smile from the bartender as I walked up to the bar. I sat on the first open bar stool available and ordered my usual drink — a whiskey ginger. It was perfectly crafted — about 55% whiskey, 15% ice, and 30% ginger ale. I was told that in addition to their daily drink specials, they had 3 happy hours a day on the weekdays and 2 on the weekends. Which meant my whiskey ginger was a mere $ 3! For military veterans, they offer happy hour all day every day. Outside of happy hour, their drinks are moderately and fairly priced.
I was offered to partake in a shot with a couple of locals sitting next to me. They suggested whiskey with Worcestershire sauce. Definitely odd, but hey, if there’s whiskey in it. I’ll pretty much drink it. The bartender knew exactly what they meant, apparently it’s a local favorite, and served it up quickly. It tasted pretty good, like a shot of steak?
If you’re looking for spotless counters with no remnants of spilled liquor from the generous, keep-​em-​comin’ pours, stuffy and self-​important staff, or $ 200 bar stools, this place isn’t for you. If you love a good, strong, American drink, Hangar Bar fits the bill. I live in the area and can’t believe I’ve never been in before. I will definitely be back!

Being from Seattle I have experienced many dive bars, but this one being our first in Colorado has made the list for an interesting yet fun experience. My friend (Colorado resident) suggested this to us as a good karaōke spot.
Parking: There are a handful of spots next to the bar, or street parking.
Drinks: strong & cheap (nice surprise considering the prices for drinks in Seattle)
Atmosphere: Eclectic, diverse & friendly
We were greeted outside by a woman selling roses in a halter top but we politely declined her offer to buy one and moved quickly to the bar. Mind you, it was probably 25 – 28 degrees outside, so I have absolutely no idea how she was not freezing her ass off. After we got inside through the door there was a man checking ID’s. My Military ID had been stuck next to my DL and the man at the door informed me that the Mil ID was better because they offer a special happy hour all night, score! He pointed us to the bar and said to tell the bartender.
After quickly scanning the bar we noticed a colorful assortment of all types of people and ages. There are two pool tables, drinks are super cheap, bartenders are friendly and the karaōke DJ Dan was pretty nice. There is a great selection of music you can sing to. We heard some Michael Jackson, Europe, Cindy Lauper, Eminem, Rihanna, and some really old time classics. The décor is pretty random and there are a lot of things to check out and go coconuts over, literally. The décor extended into the restrooms as well.
There was a toothless man there who loved to play his harmonica while people were singing karaōke. He was quite a character and highly boozed up. Definitely a hole in the wall type bar, but if you are looking for a place to belt out your favorite song without being judged, cheap liquor and just to be amused by interesting people to watch this is your place!

Gosh I love this place. I now take dates there just to see if they can hang. Really, it’s a perfect spot to test chemistry.
It’s a dive. On East Colfax. But it’s chock full of character. And characters.
If you can stand bangers and hookers and blue collar guys and girls looking for a fun night, here is your place. If you chill out and watch some really bad pool or listen to really bad karaōke, then come chill here.
Sometimes the bartender will go across the street on a taco run. Other times, a guy pulls up his truck and fries up whole catfish, should you be peckish. You won’t get shot, but you’ll likely end up doing a shot… and this doesn’t automatically relegate you to a life of street walking.
Unless you are a bad date :)

I love dive bars, it’s true.
This place is a dive bar.
This place is a dive bar with a war bird plane made of beer cans hanging from the smoke stained ceiling. It also has a grassy tiki bar feel which throws me for a loop. So lets recap — if you like beer can planes, bamboo tiki shit and dive bars then this place is right up your ally.
I’ll return.

Great dive bar near the old airport, Bartender was great and accommodated friends bday. Drinks are priced really well compared to capitol hill and uptown. Pool tables were decent and specialty nights including mario kart Mondays.

A rustic little haunt on who’s aviation décor dates to the time the place sat between Stapleton airport and Lowry field. Its beer can bomber (made of vintage beer cans) dominates the overhead, combined with the back corner tiki hut denotes a period of flight helmets, scarfs, and tall tales of derring-​do.
Its E. Colfax denizens are hearty and friendly and the bartenders pour good stiff drinks at a fair price.
A must stop on any Denver dive bar aficionado.

Love this little divey gem.
The interior is cool, especially the little tiki bar and the plane made from beer cans. We ordered a Captain and ginger and a Tanqueray and tonic. They were strong too! The total came out to be $ 7. Awesome!
The bartender was friendly and we had fun.

Ill Admit i Was a lil Skeptical about this bar. Being its on E Colfax. Where to start. The Bar interior definitely has a military theme. And they Cater to Vets and Active duty military with drink specials. They have pool tables. Karoake on Friday Nights. And a Little Tiki Lounge Area with Bench Style seating that looks like its from the 50’s.
They also have a futon. Weird but hey Its Colfax so it works.
The drink specials are great. The Mixed drinks are strong but hey whos complaining. They also serve food. Couldnt rate it, and they have a crockpot. Typical Bar food i presume.
Nick the Bartender is great. You will see some characters in here. Like the Old Vet who talks to himself about the war. I Swear im not making this stuff up. They do air Football thank goodness. Music plays on the Juke Box everything from Rap to Metal to Country and everything inbetween. The Patrons are friendly and just overall its a nice atmosphere. And I have found my back up bar.

Hangar is your typical Cheers, on East Colfax. That being said, it is home to the local inhabitants of East Colfax, which can be fairly scary at times.
First time I went, there was a dude blown out of his mind, looking like he hasn’t slept in four days on a bender of booze and meth of whom had a full blown conversation with himself from 9pm-1:30am… Guys coming in trying to sell you stolen packs of smokes to get bus fare, crackheads smoking on the back patio, and the rest of the local degenerates you could dredge up from your imagination. Chances are, if you’ve seen them slumming along the sidewalk during the day they come here at night not unlike something dredged out of Bram Stoker’s mind.
That being said, I would have loved to have seen Hangar in it’s heyday. Aside from some of the freakish clientele, it’s a pretty cool place to be honest. The beer can bomber hanging overhead is pretty damn spectacular, and made out of beer cans much older than I (read: most) am. The old war memorabilia is fun too. It also has a veteran’s discount, not just a military discount which is a large reason why I keep coming back. There’s always a few vets around the oak and we seem to congregate with one another each time.
One thing I greatly dislike about the place is that if there isn’t live music, you’ve gotta pay to put tunes on. It gets pretty quiet otherwise and I personally don’t like being in a seedy place like this without some music to distract me from what brought me out to an establishment like this in the first place…
Another thing I hate to continually write about in my reviews is having to enlighten barkeeps on the art of making a martini. Not having the glass chilled, not using bitters, using bad/​poorly kept vermouth… etc. One of the dirty martini’s I ordered tasted as if it was a glass of olive brine with a splash of gin and olives swimming in it. After what was said and done I felt like the drinks should have been close to free in exchange for the tuition of Staple Drinks 101 course that I taught.
All things set aside, if you’re up for adventuring at a fairly shady dive bar on the edge of No Man’s Land (read: East Colfax) and are ballin’ on a budget, come down to Hangar to get your drink on. Just keep your drink close to you is all, never know who will try to slip something in it to drag you down into their dungeon after closing time regardless of your gender…

I was overcome with curiosity upon stumbling across the Hangar Bar. There is only one window, and it’s located on the front of the building looking out towards Colfax. I found myself picturing what the inside looked like every time I passed by. When I walked in, I notice all kinds of WWII memorabilia on the walls, and a biplane hanging from the ceiling made from beer cans, some older than me.
A couple of pools tables take up most of the floor space, and I found out they have free pool all day on Thursdays. Karaōke stand is set up in back, I can’t recall which night that takes place but I think it’s Fridays or Saturdays.
There was one customer, a woman drinking at the bar, and the bartender acted like I was doing him a favor by tending to me. I later found out she had been there for quite some time and he was hoping to get rid of her. In his defense, she was obviously drunk and somewhat of a nuisance. The highlight of my visit was the pickled eggs. They’ve got these jars of pickled eggs behind the counter that looks like it houses the creature from Leviathon. I bet my friend to eat one, which to my surprise he enjoyed immensely.
I don’t really have a taste for the crowd yet, but based on the location, my single experience, and the other reviews, I would lean towards guessing locals and passersby. This dive bar is within crawling distance from my where I reside, so I can’t say I won’t return.

Convenient little bar with super nice peeps. I was there on a Wednesday night where there were 2 – 3 locals with rockin tunes on the jukebox. May have to come back for karaōke.

So… I was told to make my reviews more badass! I figured maybe a place on Colfax Ave would help.
I tried out the Hangar Bar one random afternoon. I was fully expecting a dive bar… and that’s what I got!!!
The place was actually pretty interesting and the people there at that time of day weren’t shady like i’d thought they’d be. The bartender was friendly and she had some great stories from the night before! Hiliarious!
The place is decorated with a lot of old war memoribilia, a throwback to the grand days of Lowry and Stapleton Airport I suspect. The plaque on the wall says established 1938 and the 4 engine prop plane made completely of pull tab beer cans hanging from the ceiling is pretty sweet! There are 2 pool tables if you care and they mostly serve just domestic drafts. I did see Avalanche on draft and somebody with a Fat Tire bottle.
Beer was $ 2 for drafts and they had a few drink specials (I think $ 3 shots of Jim Beam and some mixed drink specials). The place is certainly not fancy, just a place to have a few drinks and if your open minded it might be worth taking a look at.
An interesting place but you might still want to keep an eye out for some of those Colfax locals roaming in the area…