Our PTO from Bradley international school recently hosted our auction fundraiser at The Pioneer and it was a HUGE success. Carrie the GM bent over backwards to help us make our event run smoothly. She was easy to work with and not only provided an amazing venue for us, but she even reached out to contacts of hers to facilitate donations. We have already agreed that we MUST host our event there again next year. Many thanks to Carrie and the entire staff at The Pioneer! Looking forward to next year! read more

Pio burger is basically a classic burger - cheese/lettuce/tomatoes/onions/pickles - but it's the absolute perfect version of the classic. Bun was nicely toasted and golden like Texas toast from Canes, patty was flavorful - it just did everything right. Fries were also great - crisp outside, fluffy inside. There was only a single soft fry, versus a lot of other establishments where they're all offensively soft. These ones could've maybe done with a tiny bit more salt, but no big deal at all. Server was very nice, consistently checking in with me. Also had perfect temperature outside while I was sitting upstairs. The view isn't anything crazy, but it's a nice spot to chill with friends and soak in the area. read more

Parking may be difficult to find. Only a few spots available on site. The ambiance inside is beautiful. With the music and variety of people talking, it's too loud inside for my taste. Upon arrival, the greeting was lackluster for a first timer. The customer service we experienced was below average. I was disappointed in our female server with long brown hair on this Wednesday evening. I had to wonder if she was high on marijuana. The food was enjoyable. We shared chicken nachos and buffalo wings. We also had two spicy margaritas that were enjoyable. I doubt we will be coming back for another visit. They had pool tables inside. The decor really is outstanding. I really think the disappointment in customer service is a reason to avoid any future experiences here. However, the female server that was helping the table next to us appeared to have a positive spirit. She had short hair and conducted herself like a manager. read more

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Best Chili Rellenos in town! We go fairly often and have always had good service & close parking! Although we normally go for lunch or an early dinner. Dinner after 5 and weekends you might need to park in the neighborhood behind, but it's worth it! read more

This place is a dive bar. Parking is annoying, have to park several blocks away with street parking that doesn't have resident signs. Lots of seating downstairs and upstairs. I think it was mostly outdoor seating? I don't remember. But I saw dogs on the first floor patio. Not sure if dogs are allowed on the second floor. There were pool tables on the first floor. There was a table with a firepit on the second floor. TVs for sports. I got the chile rellenos. It was extremely underwhelming with no flavor. I asked for hot sauce so they gave me their house hot sauce but it was just OK with the hot sauce. The loaded nachos were just OK too. Def would not come back for the food. read more

Service sucks! Waiter constantly skipped over my friend and I after waiting in line for over an hour... Racist employees??? read more

The Pioneer Bar - Rude Waiter - Dive Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

HIDDEN GEM! Best bang for your buck out of any spot in the area. I come weekly and grab a steak quesadilla which is genuinely THE BEST I have had. Homemade chips and homemade salsas/guacamole are 10/10. I cannot stress enough how good the food is. If you are looking for drinks they also have very cheap and quality drafts! I bring all my friends here and have heard nothing but good feedback. Give them a shot you wont regret it !!! read more

I'm conflicted about this place because service is good and when it's slow it's great to play pool there but overall the vibes aren't incredible. I don't like their offensive 'boone' mascot on the rooftop but it's alright overall, margaritas are good. read more

A fun place. I mean, the ambience is primitive, but that doesn't bother me in the least. It adds to the charm. It's Mexican bar food but with a bit more attention paid than just throwing some chips and salsa in a pile. The sauces seem homemade, the tortillas have a nice fresh texture and the meat is properly cooked and well seasoned. Look at the drizzle of crema in some other pics! Props for using crema. Don't use a 13 year old reviews of the fish tacos. One last thing--are the staff young party people? Maybe! But I am here to party so that's not a problem at all. Enjoy the funky vibe and the well made food and have a tequila for me. read more

Very cool. Vibes. I have come now on a Saturday while school is out so can't speak to a "busy day" but the ability to sit inside or outside is awesome read more

The Pioneer Bar - Alcohol menu - Dive Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

We catered The Pio for a team celebration and it exceeded our expectations. The food was fantastic, it was ready on time, and they were very helpful in the planning and pickup process. Carrie was beyond helpful with the planning of our order and we can't express enough how lovely she was to work with. Overall the food here is fantastic and the employees are a delight! read more

Had a great experience here last night, drinks and chicken nachos, friendly helpful staff and a chill atmosphere sitting at the bar!

What a horrible experience. showed up with friends to watch DU Pioneers playoff hockey game on 3/28. the Pioneer Bar was listed as a watch party bar on DU and Pioneer websites. Just to be sure I called in advance to confirm they had espn plus and would carry the game. so we show up the day of the game and are told no espn plus on their service and no game would be shown. they never posted that mistake anywhere in advance. on I told them to take out their credit card and buy espn plus right then so they could provide what they promised. response was basically tough crap. by then it was standing room only at Campus Lounge but at least they had the game as promised. Denver Pioneers need to avoid this place. despite the name they could care less about their fans. read more

This old favorite neighborhood bar keeps slipping. Instead of opening or acquiring more restaurants, maybe focus on maintaining the old ones. Since 2020 when the cook of the evening was throwing pots and pans across the kitchen (which you could see from the bar) and we had to ask the bartenders to please go talk with him because it was so violent and uncomfortable, this place has never been the same. From watery queso with a couple of nuggets of chorizo in it (which apparently doesn't even exist on the menu any more) to burnt tostada chips, to tonight's horrible presentation of the once famous, delicious, stacked chicken nachos. I mean these were the best nachos in town. I have been eating them since 2012! Each individual chip was loaded with beans and cheese and chunks of chicken. There were 4 pieces of chicken on this entire batch, unmelted cheese (not even room temp) and brown guacamole. And why is there no bottled hot sauce anymore? The bartender comped, nice, but what would have been nicer would have been those nachos from years past. You can't blame a new cook, you have to have management who cares to train and watch what's going out of the kitchen. So disappointing. read more

The Pioneer Bar - What's in this photo, Yelp asks..... well it's not chicken. - Dive Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

I'd give 10 stars if I could! I've been in town for a barbershop harmony society conference this week on the campus of DU. Campus rules stated no singing after 10 PM which is a travesty for barbershoppers but The Pioneer stepped up and committed to staying open until 2 AM every night that we were in town so that we would have a place to gather and sing together. The drinks were great and the food was amazing (definitely recommend the nachos). And even when they were completely packed with people they were able to make drinks quickly and accurately. An all around great atmosphere and a wonderful business to go out of their way to accommodate us. read more

Nice thing about the establishment around college town is... no frills value pricing and Pioneer fills in nicely. Most menu items are around $10. Also got plenty of open air seating. 2nd floor is even better with view of the sky, neighborhood and also bar and lots of seating. $5 for craft beer is awesome read more

After coming to the Denver University area for yeeears now we finally mixed up our pre/post game routine and brought it to The Pioneer. I must say: I'm not even sorry! SPACE: At The Pioneer they have a LARGE upstairs patio/deck space. There's a bar, tons of seating, a fire "pit," and a sweet statue of the infamous Denver Boone! There's pool tables, arcade games, and a covered patio space downstairs. While parking is limited; there is plenty of street parking available. DRINKS: There's a decent selection on tap including several IPAs for those who enjoy them. I will go ahead and break the news that they don't serve pitchers here due to their close proximity to DU. Boo! EATS: My bestie and I chose to nosh on a plate of chicken and steak nachos during our last visit. They were tasty! Each chip is coated with shredded cheese, meat, jalapenos, and pico! Yum! The chips are a little on the thick side too! Nice for when you get to the last few. SERVICE: Eh, about what you'd expect near any college/university area. Nothing super impressive. Perhaps it's because we're usually in late or during a Broncos game. All in all, my needs are met with little wait time - so I can't complain. Def glad we gave The Pioneer a shot! Can't wait to come back for breakfast tacos and bloody's on that fantastic upstairs patio! read more

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Nice little spot near University of Denver campus. Decent range of music. Will definitely be coming back during my visits to Denver.

While I can see that this is probably an iconic spot for the college folk to drink and carry on at night, our lunch wasn't anything special. The restaurant felt as if it wasn't even supposed to be open during the day - everything was geared towards opening that evening and we felt like we were just in the way. My husband and I both ordered tacos that were very bland and felt thrown together. They were inexpensive and filling and our service was just fine. It worked out but I wouldn't make this my regular spot or anything. read more

The Pioneer Bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Spent a week in Denver, this was the only bar we went to and they refused service to a friend because she had a vertical ID but was of age.... It's a government issued document... stay away from this place!! The ambiance is a little weird too. KEEP CLEAR read more

Good quality, variety, and affordability of drinks. The food is not authentic Mexican, and the salsa is mild. The Chile relleno is good. There are two quarter pool tables, that will eat your dollar bills without warning (not labelled broken). Neither pool table have working dollar receivers, or rather they take your dollars and then do nothing to release the balls so you can rack your game. The juke box has a huge selection of music that you can play from an app on your phone. read more

This is where the cool kids from Denver Law go after class... I've visited Pioneer Bar twice now and it's a solid choice near campus. It's gotten very popular lately because they have quite a bit of outdoor seating available and that's crucial during COVID times. I recommend the Mexican Mule with the chicken nachos. Classic, simple and comes out pretty quick. Note that customers must abide by social distancing guidelines and wear masks until they are seated. And to help out the staff, customers should bus their own tables. Nothing crazy, just common sense stuff. I'm sure we'll be heading over here again if the snow stops! read more

Some of the male bartenders seem to have one gear, regardless of how busy they are. I thinks the name of this gear is "glacial pace," which exists somewhere between neutral and first. Additionally, all of the bartenders pour some of the the weakest drinks in Denver. This seems to be a universal theme - and an odd business model. read more

This is 100% the worst bar I have ever been to. I went with a bunch of friends to the bar and they denied me with a vertical ID even though I am 21 years of age. I know that sounds suspect but yes they denied a legit 21 year old because my ID was vertical. What a waste of an establishment. It's like they don't want business. DO NOT GO HERE read more

I went here with some friends on a Friday night. The atmosphere was lovely and the staff is very friendly. But I ordered an ice water along with my food and I didn't get any water. The food was pretty good, when it did arrive. All of my friends got their food before me, even though I got the same thing as one of them. The buzzer they gave me to let me know when my food was ready went off before my food was even done. Think I waited 45 mins. was a bit ridiculous. don't think I'll come back unless its for drinks. read more

I have to be honest, I had low expectations.....it is a "dive bar" with acid rock playing too loudly and loads of kids playing pool in the bar. I couldn't hear myself think. But these are some of the best tacos and fresh dishes I've had in a long time. The chips and dip were fresh-made, my mahi-mahi taco was perfect in every way. Superior service...attentive, timely and typically Colorado-friendly. I'll be back for regular take-out orders. Thank you for a truly great meal. Candice and the other gals get cred for great service. read more

The Pioneer Bar - Chips and salsa - Dive Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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I have been incredibly disappointed by the management and slow downhill spiral of this bar. They recently fired their best bartender for "stealing" when it was abundantly clear that I had told her to adjust our check because the GM poured us the wrong drinks. The GM, who is constantly here drinking or drunk and picking fights with patrons. They have slowly phased out all of their bartenders who actually care about the establishment and knew what they were doing, and replaced them with people who continue to mess up drinks/orders. Used to be a regular here along with all of my friends, but I'll happily go elsewhere. So sad. Oh and the queso hardens into a brick. read more

The Pioneer has been a favorite for years so I was sorry to see its quality has taken a nose dive recently. They've done away with waitstaff presumably because of difficulty of finding people to work. In itself this would be tolerable but they've also shrunk the menu and service was slow even when we went to counter to order. I doubt this matters much to college kids who go to the Pioneer to drink beer but we used to go there with other patrons of Newman Center concerts. We'll probably look for somewhere else now. read more

Awesome place to hang with friends. Cheap, tasty drinks. We enjoyed the margs, Mexican mules, and boat drinks on their spectacular patio. The chicken nachos were a favorite, and I was pleased to see their vegetarian options. The cauliflower burrito was great! Our bartender / server was awesome. Super sweet, friendly, and quick. We'll definitely be back! read more

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Great neighborhood spot! Always a great experience with good company, tasty food and good drinks!

The food was great, we had 6 folks who join us. The recommendation is more chile on the Chile rellano please and the tells is we're so crispu. read more

I love that it's 100% open air and you can choose upstairs (more of a bar feel) or downstairs (more of a restaurant feel) I also love that they have a small parking lot of their own and street parking as well. They have happy hour and tasty food! (It's mostly Mexican food, but they also have pulled pork and burgers and sandwiches and salads) Where they went wrong: awful service. We came around 6pm on a Friday and we're able to find a table upstairs. My boyfriend and I both ordered drinks from the happy hour menu and we switched spots after ordering as a table opened up. They came by to refill his beer, but when my margarita went empty there was no one around. When 7:01 hit (the end of happy hour) someone was there to ask if I wanted another, how convenient. It's only a dollar difference, but I found it rude and made me feel unimportant. I also was without water for the majority of my meal until I flagged someone down. If you're ok with iffy service, but good food and a cool place to hang this is your place. If service is big to you, beware. read more

The Pioneer Bar - Pulled pork and fries, well seasoned fries at that! - Dive Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Awesome place. Michael is a great bartender. He is on it. Pool table good music. Rooftop with great view. This is the town bar and grill. Love it. I'll be back. :) read more

The Pioneer Bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

This place used to be a hidden secret for food, especially the Nachos. Sad to report their nachos suck. Small portions and very little cheese. This used to be my neighborhood go too, not anymore read more

People really gotta go renew their ID after they turn 21 just to drink here??? That's what they expect with the no Veritcal ID rule. The fact that I could get into a Vegas Nightclub with a vertical ID and not the pioneer is pretty ridiculous. Ambiance is solid, but getting kicked out when you're 21 isn't. read more

We've been coming here since it opened--our kids grew up here, and I most always order the nachos. Tonight, the food was awful. Take the nachos, burned chips, a smattering of cheese on part of the chip, super over salted guacamole that was inedible. I love this place--please fix it, or you have lost us. Soooo sad. read more

I've been coming to the pioneer for the last 3 years since I moved to the area. Never once have they disappointed. It's the perfect spot for an afternoon happy hour drink, a great taco or a night cap beer. The staff is all extremely friendly and happy to serve you. Make sure you get the chips and salsa and the chicken taco when you stop in, you won't regret it. read more

i love it! it is sooo clean. the queso is to die for. the people are amazing. pio 4 life! love, izzy + molly read more

Fun bar, always a easy place to get drink's with coworkers after a long day. We always end up eating tacos after a few drinks. read more

The Pioneer Bar - a tall glass of water with a slice of lime in it - Dive Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Can I just call this a college hangout? C'mon, it is a bit of a dive. Any place that has plastic surrounding the porch falls into that category for me. But that said - the food is fantastic! Me and crazy.sexy.cool sought this place out the other night for some later-than-usual eats and it was packed, but we managed to grab a table by the door. I was surprised by their menu selection - lots of taco selections, and we settled on tacos al pastor and the carnitas. I thought the al pastor was tastier, topped with a citrus salsa. Mmmm. The guac was ok and 2 salsas were addicting - one was spicy, the other chipotle - accompanied by ginormous tortilla chips. And yes, it's annoying to pay for chips and salsa, but it was good enough that I can't complain. And the margs? Deceptively strong. Watch out. I would def. come back to The Pioneer to try out some of their other tacos, enchiladas, and burritos. read more

The Pioneer Bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Denver, Colorado