There are so many places that are new to eat in highlands but why not go to one that has been there when Highlands was only a neighborhood? It is a quaint restaurant. It was a Monday night and not busy. It was a great place to meet friends and talk and hangout. There was a happy hour which had discounted alcohol. Not a bad deal. I like places with happy hour. We had the buffalo wings, tater tots and edamame. They were all very good and a nice amount of each. I had a special. It was chicken, chilies and onions. It was delicious. I have to talk about our waitress Karen. She was amazing! Try Highland Tavern you won't be disappointed and your supporting a long standing restaurant verse a "pop-up" restaurant. read more

Torts are better than most places! I got the guapo burger, yummy spicy My wife got the bombshell, which was a nice spin on a Reuben. Kinda loud bar type environment. Overall, pretty good read more

Highland Tavern - Upstairs - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Just ok. Not sure what all the hype is about. Maybe just the idea of a neighborhood tavern? Nothing special about it. Had the French dip. Kinda boring. Yes the tots are homemade and yes they taste like tots from anywhere else. Maybe a little carnival taste? 3 stars read more

Highland Tavern - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Horrible customer service. We sat for 15 minutes without any acknowledgement from any of the staff. Made eye contact with the waitress multiple times but she never came over or said anything to us. They weren't even busy maybe 6 people in the bar. Heard the food was good but didn't get a chance to try. read more

Great burger, cooked just the way I like it. I got the fries but my wife got the tots and I stole a couple. They were perfection. Service was great and we sat right on the side with a view of downtown. They're right down the street from the Bug and we like to go to a couple shows a year here, so Highland Tavern is staying in the rotation. The only problem we had was that the service was SO fast, our food came out within like 15 minutes. We'd planned on killing well over an hour here, but had to compensate by sipping our beers and drinking more than we'd planned to :) read more

My fiancé and I originally ventured here while waiting for a show at Bug Theater. We had a couple beers and that was it. We are big Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives fans and recently saw an episode featuring Highland Tavern. Guy raved about the Bombshell and tater tots, both if which we tried. The Bombshell was great, but I would have preferred less mustard. Don't get me wrong, we are both big mustard fans, but it just overpowered pastrami. By the end if the sandwich I was picking out the meat to eat it on it's own. We also shared the chicken wings, buffalo style. They were pretty good, and you can't beat the price. About 15 for $9. My fiancé's favorite part was the tater tots. Overall the atmosphere is great, the customer service is friendly and natural, and the food is worth going back for. For the bombshell, 5 beers, and an order if wings, we paid $41. My critiques: the wings need more sauce and the Bombshell needs less mustard. That's all! read more

Highland Tavern - Bombshell with tater tots - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Being new transplants from Florida, my wife and I are going through the process of discovering some cool spots with great food. I saw an episode where the restaurant was featured on the Food Network and decided to give it a try. We ordered the pork rinds as an appetizer and WOW!! The portion was great and they tasted amazing. I would go back again just to eat the pork rinds Next came our main order: I had a tavern burger and my wife had the Bobshell. I'm a big burger guy and I was impressed, it tasted great. I'd imagine the Bombshell was just as good because my wife scarfed it all down and she normally tends to leave some food on the plate. We're just getting our feet wet as far as dining in Denver but we are definitely coming back to Highland Tavern. read more

Highland Tavern - Tavern Burger. - Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Had a fun vibe and falafel was quite tasty. Would like to come back to watch a sports came and give their pastrami a try.

This place is awesome! No frills bar that serves great food! I had the Bombshell sandwich and the Tavern Tots! Seriously, I could have eaten a million of those tots! They were scratch made!! The sandwich was also amazing! Highly recommend this place! read more

Gave this place a try for the 2nd time. I want to like it so bad, but I just don't care that much for the food. I love the atmosphere and the staff so maybe I'll be back for an app and drinks sometime, but not for a meal. Everything is just okay. We had the tavern dip, the cubano, with fries, and an order of tots. The tots are more like hashbrowns and taste good alone but didn't like them with the ranch. The sandwiches were good, not great. The fries were the best part of the meal! Kind of pricey for things just being okay. The restaurant was on Diners Drive-ins & Dives though so it's always fun to check those places out! read more

This place has changed a bit, but still worth going. They used to have the most killer, best ever, handmade Tater Tots that were a lot bigger, but they are still good, just smaller. The pork rinds were the killer the night I went! Fresh, made to order and delicious! Nice and friendly, attentive wait staff, and huge selection from the bar. The menu is quit navigable, as it isn't loaded with 8 pages of 'fluff'. Just good, honest bar food, and the burgers are really good. I had the 'Cowboy', and it was delicious! Bacon and BBQ sauce is never a bad combo! read more

I wanted to be blown away by this place after seeing the reviews and of course watching the DDD episode buuuuuut can't say I was. The view (like many have talked about) easily gets a 5 star in itself, but the food a good 3. I had the Chicken Confit wings with the K-town sauce. The wings were cooked perfectly, super crispy, and drenched in sauce just how i like them. The flavor just didn't hit the right spot. I love asian sauces but wasn't blown away by this one. Same goes for the tater tots. Tater tots needed more seasoning or salt, but they were cooked perfectly! And even the ranch was on the subtle flavor end of the scale. Quality of cooking=A+. The flavor was lacking that day unfortunately. read more

We were on our to Red Rocks and decided to try a Triple D place. What a find!!! The food and even more the hospitality was exceptional. The bartender told us the best way to get there and when we should leave. The food was amazing and love that they make everything in house. Will definitely return. read more

Not much to crave here besides the tots, food is pretty good, but not even close to being show worthy. Just another spot Guy from DDD over exaggerating how good the food is. read more

This is a great place for bar food in a chill, laid back environment. I originally heard about Highland Tavern on DDD years ago. I've come back several times during brunch, lunch, and dinner. Some of my favorite go-to dishes to try are the tater tots and the crispy confit chicken wings. The taters are all made in house and are perfectly crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. The crispy confit wings are just how they sound. They, too, are fried to perfection and doused with your sauce of choice! I personally love the k-town sauce - it is sweet, tangy, and spicy all in one bite. I've tried the pork rinds as well. These are all made in house and are not like any pork rinds I've tried before (like the ones you get from the gas station). They come out freshly fried and are still crackling when they come to the table. They are seasoned with a chili lime salt which is a great complement to the pork rind. I've seen many people order the burgers and sandwiches, which will definitely be on my list to try next! read more

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Despite not being a big DDD/ fan, we went here on a recent Friday night. Its a pretty cool neighborhood bar and like others have said, the view of the city is pretty nice. I especially like the overhead glass doors that open the place up in the warmer temperatures of the Denver climate. However, this being January, that was not the case. We shared some tots, I had the Philly and the wife had a burger....basic pub fare.... Sorry, but neither of our meals were over the top. The tots were a good starter and were tasty. But the burger and Philly were just OK. This seems like it would be a fun place to hang and watch a game in the summer or fall- if we lived in the hood, but certainly not a destination restaurant. read more

Highland Tavern is a small sports bar with all of your typical bar foods. The tater tots are unreal - those are definite must try! Highland Tavern is a great place to watch any game as they have a ton of TV's and are always willing to put whatever game on. The food is actually really good here given it's bar food and they always have a great selection of reasonably priced beers. The atmosphere is great and the service is always on point. read more

Very good food & atmosphere! Would go again. I love local taverns and pubs. 5 stars! Our group was impressed.

This place has the best tater tots I've ever had! I enjoy the pop of chili lime on the pork rinds. If I were to go back I'd skip the burger and order snacks. The burger was one step above frozen Patti. This is reason Igave it four stars in lieu of five. The service was prompt and staff friendly. read more

I hear you have the best tator tots! Why can I not click on the appetizers to look at your menu?? A little frustrating. Might want to check your website out from a consumer stand point read more

Great food; management actually was interested in what I had to say after I complained about the cole slaw. We had a nice chat about the restaurant itself, and the neighborhood. It's in a charming location and we had no problem with finding parking on the street. read more

We live very close to this place with out knowing it was there. I found it on yelp and saw all the nice food pics. I suspected the food was made from scratch and it is! I got the pastrami dip and tots. They were amazing. read more

I'm basically there every weekend and is my go to. Leslie is basically a friend now and the staff and food are always perfect

Fantastic bartenders! Food is always amazing. It is truly one of the few neighborhood establishments left worth going to

Their Tavern Tots were delicious. The sweet potato fries were great with a yummy dipping sauce. We also enjoyed the ambiance. Would recommend. read more

Not having been there at night, I can safely say that Highland Tavern is a pretty chill place to spend a Sunday Brunch. $3 Bloody Marys with cucumber-jalapeno-infused vodka? Yes, please! The food there is really, really good. Big ups for serving Grateful Bread. That stuff is delicious... some of the best out there! And, coming from a girl who never met a carb she didn't like, that's saying something. My only complaint is-- if you're going to charge me $1.50 extra to substitute tots instead of fries with my sandwich-- I want more than six of them on my plate. Those things are Too. Freakin. Good. Don't be stingy! Share the wealth! The bartenders there are super-nice and accommodating. The garage-door patio is perfect for a breezy almost-fall afternoon. Like I said, I can't speak to the night crowd at Highlands, but I'll definitely cruise back for some happy daytime hangs! read more

5 Stars for 5 Awesome Things. 1. El Guapo burger. To eat it is to love it. 2. Great service. We've had the same chill waitress every time, and we wouldn't want it any other way. 3. Local food. Bread from the Grateful Bread Company, Sausage from Clyde's and house pickled veggies . 4. Ping Pong! 5. Porkstravaganza, Pierogi and a late night menu which serves PBR waffles and fried chicken (okay that's three things, but I can't give Highland Tavern 8 stars, now can I?). read more

I wanted to rustle up a posse for a drinky drink throw-down. Boy was choosing Highland Tavern a mistake. The location leaves a lot to desired. If you take Kirby's advice and head next door to the Arabian, you may be stabbed. I have many rules about bars, but number one is "Don't go into bars without windows". But I digress. The clientele leaves a lot to be desired at this bar. It's full of knuckleheads and smokers. The "patio" has no tables, instead it has iron drink slabs welded onto a steel tubed fence which makes you feel like you're a dog that's been let out into the sun. The place has no food which means that unless you live close enough to walk home that you are stuck with getting hammered without food to cut your drunkenness. I asked about food and was given a stack of menus of places that delivered. Even had I chosen to partake in the awful delivery that the Highlands offers (Wanted: Good NY Style pizza, good chinese food. Apply within), I would have had to hold it in the air since the drink slabs were no more than 6 inches deep. Other than the lovely females that I rounded up for my drinking posse, there was one female at the bar the entire 2.5 hours we were there, and she was with her boyfriend. This means that any guys hoping to meet their future ex-wives should probably stay away from this place. Their beer selection is OK but uninspired. They serve PBR which loses them 4 stars. This isn't a dive bar, obviously a lot of money was spent to open it up (Just based on location, one of the cushions of the bar stools fell off while we were moving it outside), so you don't get any dive-bar cred for serving PBR. It's not good beer, stop serving it. There are far cooler beers to serve. All in all, even if you live close to this place, you are better off taking a cab to the million other bars that are way cooler than this place, that actually serve food, and that have a good vibe. read more

I would leave negative 2772816284926 stars if I could. Basically there is a nasty door man named "jimmy" who was very obviously intoxicated and physically refused me and my group of entering because we didn't want to ride his cardboard down the sidewalk AKA "genitals" (which he also gestured towards). I even humored him enough to show him my ID as we were hungry and cold in 10 degree snowing weather he then forced his body against the door as I tried to open it. I have never been so insulted since my visits to colorado I am utterly disgusted. I then called the tavern requesting a manager to which a lady replied "we do not have a manager" and whatever the door man says goes. I won't be back. BEWARE LADIES! read more

Completely based on service!!!! Waited at the front for over 5 min waiting to be acknowledged and nothing, there were 3 open tables so we decided to sit down and see if we got service a really nice server came up and she said she would be right back with menus. Then a guy came up and said "I did not seat you, you can not sit here. I am going to seat this table with other people." In a completely rude tone and he was not nice about it at all. I walked out and won't be back I can get good tator tots somewhere else. Very upset. read more

Lame. Way lame. I really don't expect all that much from a bar, but I do expect to get a drink fairly quickly, and the place to not be full of total douche-bags. It was a Friday night, and maybe that accounts for the heightened ratio of idiots, but really? Wall to wall yuppies who play Pearl Jam song after Pearl Jam song on the jukebox, bogart the bartender's attention for unnecessary amounts of time, and hit on anything that moves simply because it's 1:30 and they're about to go home alone. Lame. Half of the bartenders were awesome (which is why they get two stars and not one), and the other half were more concerned with chatting up the drunk assholes than actually serving drinks. And possibly the most heinous crime of all is their jukebox. Worst one I've ever seen, and unfortunately had to suffer through the wretchedness. No thank you Highland Tavern, I'll pass. read more

Stopped by on a busy Friday night and it was busy. Had trouble trying to figure out the seating (first come first serve? put a name in? stand by a table until the people are so creeped out at you staring at them they leave?) that we almost went elsewhere. Luckily, the very friendly, very nice owner came to our rescue. We ended up sitting at the bar. I was very impressed when the owner came back to offer us a table when one was available, even though we were comfortable. The taps available are typical Colorado local stuff, nothing too interesting, but decent choices. The bartenders are great at listening to what you want and following through. The food. The food is great, dare I say close to amazing. Housemade, delicious, good portions, just good. Tater tots. Do it. Don't regret not getting the tots. The buzz was all about how Guy Fieri and "Diners Drive-Ins and Dives" had been filming there the days before, so I suggest you get your butt in here before the place explodes even more! read more

It's like a dive bar dressed up as a yuppie hang-out. Just like the neighborhood it resides in. The LoHi neighborhood is a mix of nice, fancy houses right next to some real ghetto shacks. Who doesn't love this 'hood and envy those who live here? So what about the bar? A good place to get a Czechvar in a real fancy glass or a Hamms (fucking Hamms?) in a can. They have ping-pong (what other bar has ping-pong?). The atmosphere is very hip. Cool, relaxing colors and great booths I've seen some reviewers mention the lack of food. Well no longer do you have to order delivery when at the Highlands Tavern because they are now serving food. And what tasty food it is. Little Fatties (basically, sliders) are pretty unique. They've got some awesome looking Sammies as well as very unique snacks (house made Tots, Perogies, and Mixed Nuts). Plus a late-night menu that includes waffles. read more

18JUL2015 -- Drove to the tavern and spoke with a manager. "Our system automatically adds a 20% tip, but the final charge will be correct. We get 10 complaints a day about this." And, you have not fixed it??? 17JUL2015 @ 2230 -- just got my Amex pending charge. $85.54 instead of the $71.28 that I signed for. The 18% tip was paid in cash. 17JUL2015 @ 1308 3.5 Stars. It is A-OK. Not exciting. I would recommend it for a burger/sandwich lunch. + Wi-Fi + Wine at the lower end of the price scale. + Good burger and fries. Slightly over cooked. Was not medium rare. - Overly solicitous manager. We obviously wanted to be left alone. Stop, leave us alone and don't bother us. - Thin paper napkins. read more

Updated because they now serve delicious amazing bar food. I recommend their burgers. You can really customize the burgers how you want, and I chose to get a cheeseburger with EGG. Why not make my already unhealthy burger even MORE unhealthy by added fried egg? Don't mind if I do!!! Bf got the tots, and since they had just started serving food here, they were still figuring out the deep fryer settings and ended up giving him a free batch since the first came out a little well-done. He also got the philly cheesesteak sandwich-it was just okay, a bit greasy. The bartenders are so friendly and down to earth. You'll usually see the owner tending bar nearly every night. This is definitely tops on my list of highland bars. Check it out if you're in the area. read more

Highland Tavern is a restaurant / bar that is known for its appearance on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives, which displayed their socalled famous tots. Here are the untold Hollywood story's cold hard facts about this place: 1. The tots are way too salty and that depletes the quality of them. 2. The quality of the pastrami does not taste fresh. 3. You can more than likely make a better turkey sandwich at your own house than the highland taverns sandwich. 4. Do not order the pastrami sandwich that includes the egg and cheese unless you prefer extremely soggy bread and non-fresh pastrami meat, as mentioned above. The quality of the food here in no way, shape or form justifies the price. The bottom line is: don't believe everything you see on TV, since fiction is often made to seem like fact and reality. And the real reality is: this is a subpar below average restaurant bar. P.S., just a thought question for myself - what is that smell you often find in taverns / restaurant bars when you first walk in? Is that beer mixed with pastrami or corn beef? WTH is that welcome to restaurant bar / tavern smell????? read more

The boyfriend is a bit of a ping pong fan (I believe he thinks he's a little more skilled at it than he actually is, but I'd never tell him that to his face) so when we heard there was a bar 2 blocks away from where we just moved that had a ping pong table we had to check it out! Now let me say we've only been here on weeknights so its always been quiet and calm (the way I like bars to be). We've made some friends and met a lot of our neighbors through this bar, so I really can't complain. The decor is so unoriginal and probably purchased at a store called "Generic Bar Crap" but whatever, I don't go to bars to get ideas on how to redecorate my house or anything. They've got the typical entertainment devices; jukebox, pool table, Buck Hunter (I ALWAYS accidentally shoot the freakin' doe!) but the ping pong is definitely a unique addition! Will I ever go on a weekend night? Probably not, to me the Highland Tavern is more of a "relax after work" kinda bar and being only two blocks away from us makes it so convenient. minus one star for no food...I'm not asking for five-star cuisine or anything but dammit greasy food and beer must be consumed together! read more

Contrary to what the business's name and my well established frequenting of drinking establishments might lead you to think, I've never visited this locale at night. Instead, this review touts Highland Tavern as Basically the Best Brunch Place Ever. It's pretty divey so you don't have to dress up (but not so much so that you can't take your mom or kidlet you picked up from the babysitter last night), it's pretty cheap so you don't have to be rich, and it's pretty delicious so you don't have to eat garbage and pretend to be grateful. As others have mentioned (and will do again), the tots are delish. My personal favorite, however, is the breakfast sammy. Although the dish contains only the most basic breakfast building blocks of english muffin, cheese, egg, and meat (baaaaaacon), it somehow is kind of the most amazing thing I've ever consumed . I don't know if they secretly include crack or just magic and love, but it is seriously amazing. Don't make my boyfriend's mistake of ordering it deconstructed - have it the way God and the dudes in the kitchen intended. Also, $10 for bottomless mimosas is distinctly awesome, but the fact that each (totally reasonably sized) mimosa is only $3 to begin with may be even more so. Service is prompt and friendly-with-personality, and a curiously bizarre array of velvet paintings adds a touch of je ne sais quoi to the bar area (if not my house, thanks to my boyfriend's flat out refusal to include them in our decorative scheme). Highland Tavern, I heart you. read more

PROS: - Excellent food; Lively atmosphere; Interesting crowd; Good beer selection CONS: - Parking can be tough; More of a dive than it should be THE VERDICT: This is a great restaurant with an identity crisis. For reasons that aren't immediately obvious to me, this place seems to think it's a sports bar. As a sports bar, the experience is decidedly mediocre. Not a lot of room for drinking with friends. TVs pale in comparison to a "real" sports establishment. Servers are a little less attentive than you'd like, etc. If this place was a bar only, it would be a disappointment. Yet as a *restaurant*, this place is top shelf. The tater tots are amazing (the texture is tremendous), the pork rinds are an interesting and hard to find treat, the burgers, the BBQ, the pastrami...all excellent. The menu offers variety AND quality. If this was "just" a restaurant, it would be hard to get a table. Yet because it tries to be a sports bar, it's very popular with the local neighborhood riff-raff...and that's a negative. Instead of enjoying your meal, you're being jostled by drunken locals stumbling by your table while screaming "HELLLOOO!" to another local drunkard standing 30' away. Still, the Highland Tavern is absolutely worth a visit. If you can, come at a time when the drinking crowd is still mustering and not quite arrived...that will allow you to enjoy the incredible food. read more

Awesome food and drink selection. Great service. I'll most certainly be returning here again.