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With summer fast approaching and temperatures heating up, there’s really only one thing you need: a killer patio. Okay, maybe two: a killer patio with an equally killer drink. We rounded up 20 of the best patios and rooftops where you’ll want to be sipping on something scrumptious, slathering on the SPF, and cheers-ing the Rocky Mountain sunset all summer long.
Looking for patios that are dog-friendly? We’ve rounded up 10 of our favorites.
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Wonderyard Garden & Table
Ballpark
The new Wonderyard may have been designed specifically for social media—you can sit in giant pink teacups on the patio and pose on carousel horses in front of a bedazzled photo wall—but that doesn’t mean it’s all style over substance. The fruity cocktails and handmade flatbreads taste great even if you don’t have a TikTok account.
Drink this: Drink well and do good with the One of a Kind, a rum, coconut water, and passionfruit sipper whose proceeds go to a quarterly rotating charity.
Two Moons Music Hall
RiNo
Most music venues aren’t exactly known for their great drinks, but Two Moons is as much a destination for its cocktails as its concerts. Floor-to-ceiling windows open up to the Larimer Street patio, so you won’t miss a beat of the nightly live music in genres spanning psychedelic jazz to honky-tonk.
Drink this: For a boozy bev, try the mango and tequila-infused Easy Lover; for nonalcoholic patio sipping, you can’t beat the Shiso Spritz with Strongwater grapefruit soda.
BurnDown
Washington Park West
Since it opened last spring, gastropub BurnDown has attracted scores of sun seekers to its rooftop, which provides views of both the mountains and downtown. Part restaurant, part music venue, the predominantly open-air spot features a courtyard, a sundeck, and three bars at which to fill your glass.
Drink this: You can’t go wrong with a draft BurnDown margarita on a sunny day.
Room for Milly
LoHi
You probably already know that Room for Milly is one of the snazziest cocktail bars in town, but even the most glam interiors can’t compete with a sunny Colorado afternoon. Step outside to the patio, which is open through Labor Day for spritzes—and plenty of Platte Street people perusing.
Drink this: What could be better than a patio Aperol spritz?
FlyteCo Tower
Central Park
This aviation-themed brewery’s patio is fully decked out—ping pong, lawn games, and an 18-hole mini golf course. (Not to mention the arcade and six bowling lanes inside its former Stapleton air traffic control tower home.) So yeah, there’s plenty to do if the dozen or so beers—plus a healthy roster of house cocktails and wines—aren’t enough entertainment for you.
Drink this: Skip the hard decisions and grab a Flyte (a beer flight, get it?) of four five-ounce pours.
Rare Bird
Cherry Creek
You don’t need to be a tourist to head to the top of the Halcyon hotel; locals know that Rare Bird is one of the poshest spots in town for rooftop sips. Snag a private cabana and have your own Kardashian moment.
Drink this: Live the vibe and order a bottle of bubbly.
The Marigold
Five Points
If you like your cocktails with a side of plants, then pull up a stool to the Marigold for bromeliads and booze galore. After shopping for greenery at the plant shop/bar hybrid, post up on its second-floor deck overlooking Welton Street.
Drink this: Try the sparkling, gin-based Chai Alai to stick with the botanical theme.
Farow
Niwot
For a fancy al fresco feast, head up to Niwot’s Farow for a hyperlocal meal. With a goal of sourcing 90 percent of its ingredients from within 10 miles of the restaurant, you know your dinner on the restaurant’s spacious patio is going to be fresh.
Drink this: Get tropical with the Strike 2 cocktail, a mix of rums, pomegranate liqueur, and pineapple.
54thirty
Downtown
Denver’s highest open-air rooftop bar, 54thirty is perched atop the Le Meridien hotel on the 20th floor. Named for its altitude at 5,430 feet, this bar is popular—how could the city’s highest al fresco rooftop bar not be?—so get there early or be ready to wait. It offers oodles of sun during the day, fire pits during chilly nights, and Instagram cred during, well, always.
Drink this: The guava daiquiri with pineapple and mint sounds like summer liquified.
Improper City
RiNo
The best part of Improper City’s humongous patio? It’s dog-friendly, which means you get a side of puppy adorableness with your beer. And with a rotating lineup of food trucks setting up shop at IC, you and little Luna will never go hungry.
Drink this: The Club Paradise cocktail, made with rum, tropical Chinola, and orange bitters, if you’re in the mood for something spiked, or a Phony Negroni if you’re not.
Forest Room 5
Highland
Forest Room 5’s patio is a Denver treasure. With tree stump seats, an almost-jungle setting, a bridge crossing a brook, and even a teepee, this hidden oasis should be on every Denverite’s must-visit list.
Drink this: The frozen Jack Torrance’s Maze, a mix of rum, nectarines, peaches, and lime.
Corrida
Boulder
There is no bad seat at Boulder’s Corrida. The upscale Spanish restaurant is built inside the glassed-in fourth floor of the former Daily Camera building, and its views of the Flatirons are jaw dropping. Whether you’re toasting from the expansive patio or the elegant dining room, the mountains are right there, providing the perfect backdrop for selfies or staring, depending on how you roll.
Drink this: Good rule of thumb for life, if a gin-tonic cart stops at your table, you should probably drink something from it.
Reynard Social
LoDo
Reynard Social, the bar on the sixth floor of the Thompson Denver, isn’t technically a rooftop. But you’ll most definitely want to enjoy this stunner of a space that leads to an inviting patio overlooking 16th Street. When the summer breeze blows in, you’re not going to care about technicalities.
Drink this: Watch the sunset with a passionfruit- and orgeat-spiked Put a Ring On It in hand.
Tamayo
Larimer Square
Overlooking Larimer Square, the second-story patio at Tamayo by Chef Richard Sandoval is a prime perch for people watching. And it’s comfy to boot; the spacious terrace is dotted with couches, lounges, and wicker chairs from which you can sip one of the bar’s more than 100 tequilas.
Drink this: A fresh fruit margarita, preferably made with something tropical, like mango or pineapple.
The Golden Mill
Golden
When the Golden Mill opened in 2021, it didn’t just bring west siders more food options; it also added a great rooftop to the Front Range’s already stellar lineup. Boasting views of Table Mountain and the equally iconic Coors brewery, the rooftop is the best seat in, or should we say on, the house. Besides the very on-trend food (Hot chicken sandwiches! Birria gorditas! Poke!), there’s a huge self-pour tap wall serving 50 local craft beers.
Drink this: Come on, you know you’ve got to try something off that tap wall.
The Fainting Goat Pub
Capitol Hill
The Fainting Goat Pub proves that sometimes the best rooftops aren’t always new and flashy. The 15-year-old Irish pub features a cozy rooftop patio overlooking the mountains and South Broadway—which makes for excellent people-watching. The beer list is pretty solid, but the grub is worth checking out, too (try the Spicy-aki wings).
Drink this: You’re on a rooftop on Broadway—opt for a pickle shot.
Acreage
Lafayette
There may be no better place to catch the sunset than at Lafayette’s Acreage by Stem Ciders. Its wraparound deck and patio offer panoramic views of the mountains, and with a solid food menu—plus all those ciders and cider slushies (yes, we said cider slushies)—there’s really no reason to be anywhere else.
Drink this: A cider flight, so you can pit Stem Cider’s chile guava flavor against the salted cucumber.
The Red Barber
RiNo
Yard games? Check. Amazing views from a rooftop? Definitely. Fire pits for chilly summer evenings? The Red Barber’s got three. Frozé on the menu? You know it. This rooftop patio atop the Catbird Hotel meets even the highest patio standards, making all your al fresco drinking dreams come true.
Drink this: Pick your sign off the Red Barber’s astrologically inspired cocktail menu, like bold Leo’s passionfruit, pineapple, and rum concoction.
Postino
Various locations
It seems like it’s a core part of Postino’s business model to have a killer patio, and the three Denver locations—LoHi, Broadway, and 9&CO—are no exception. You’ll find plenty of outdoor seating at all three, but the Broadway Postino is especially charming with its indoor/outdoor bar, foliage-covered pergola, and cozy fireplace.
Drink this: The Sherry Mary, Postino’s take on the Bloody Mary, for weekend brunch.
Forget Me Not
Cherry Creek
Whether you’re a part of Cherry Creek’s see-and-be-seen crowd or you just appreciate a really well-made cocktail, Forget Me Not is your place. Sip on one of mixology wizard Nicole Lebedevitch’s stunning creations on the hot spot’s chic, black-and-white patio, and take a mental victory lap for your day’s choices.
Drink this: Go with a group and get one of the mega-size (and mega-garnished) large-batch cocktails.
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