The kitschy, divey, curmudgeonly Gabor’s announced last week that it’s shutting down to make way for the Marion Street Tavern, which will be, according to its owner, a “really cool old-style neighborhood saloon.”

Of course, that is a pretty apt description of Gabor’s, minus the “old-style” modifier. Gabor’s is old and oozes style, but the minute you link those two adjectives with a hyphen, authenticity vanishes.

Look, the Marion Street Tavern will probably be fine. Its owner says the menu will be similar to his other joint, Edgewater’s Providence Tavern. Which means it’ll be similar to the menus at Highland Tap & Burger, Washington Park Grille, the Uptown/Downtown/Lowry/Tech Center Tavern cabal, and basically any hangout—there are dozens in Denver—that emphasizes pub food, draft beer, and flat-screen TVs. We’ll go for a meal or a game, we’ll have a decent enough time, and we’ll forget the entire experience the minute we walk out the door.

But we’ll never forget Gabor’s.