License No. 1 may be the classiest place to get a drink in Boulder. I've been here twice, once to celebrate a friend's birthday when my group sat at the bar and chatted with bartenders for a couple hours and again when we stumbled into a really awesome live band called the Alcapones. These guys make drinks with great ingredients and proper technique and it's fun to watch the process unfold in front of you. I never visited the Catacombs but friends who have and have visited License 1 since then are giddily surprised by how different (for the better) License 1 is. License 1 is a Boulder gem! read more

We were looking for a cool place to shoot pool and grab a drink while in Boulder. License No 1 exceeded our expectations. The decor is warm and inviting and the pool table area, which sits off in a separate room, allowed us to do our own thing before the band started to play. Definitely worth a stop to look at the history of this place which is the basement of the swanky Boulderado Hotel. And for cost, Happy Hour prices were par with what we expected and wait staff was very helpful and attentive. Neat bar, a little something for everyone. read more

We stopped in at about 730 on a Saturday night. Even at that early hour it was packed. We found a tiny - and I mean tiny table in the bar and waited. It took maybe 5 minutes for a server to acknowledge us, which was fine. She said she'd be right back. Well, she did come back wiithin a few minutes. The problem is, she was refilling water. Which was right next to where we were sitting... and she left again without any interaction. So, we left. It is a really cool place with all kinds of nooks and crannies places to sit. But they say you never get a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression, so.... read more

When I was in college at CU I loved going to this place....then called the Catacombs and I remember it for 1) Bahama Mama night and 2) the Pasta Bar. Cheap good fun and food. It's actually really a catacomb down stairs and this latest incarnation is perfection! The small rooms and low ceilings down here really make a great mood....and now with live Jazz the place is perfect! A couple of great bars, and many small intimate rooms....it's great! You'll love it! read more

I came here for an after wedding drink with the bride and groom and some other friends and family members. The decor was awesome and I loved the setting. The venue was pretty loud for how intamate of a location it is and the beer selection is just okay. It might be because of the time we came in, but there seems to be better bars just right next door. read more

I DO NOT SUGGEST GOING TO THIS BAR! Last night my friend and I went to License No.1 for the first time. We were not allowed into the bar due to the fact that my friend did not have an American ID. The THREE government issued ID cards that she provided the bouncer with were not accepted. The bouncer then called over two managers, not only was this insulting but we were made to feel deeply I welcomed at this establishment. The managers did not look at the ID and told us we were not allowed in because the Colombian IDs (my friends country of origin) do not print expiration dates on ID cards. She is 25 years old and had three different government issued ID cards with her picture and Date of Birth listed. The city of boulder is a tourist destination and has 2 universities with international populations. The disrespect that was shown to my friend last night was disappointing and most of all hurtful. I am writing this to hopefully reach ears that are able to acknowledge the rude, racist behavior that my friend experienced is unexceptionable. As a popular bar in town you need to do better. Educate your staff. Unlearn you're racial biased to not trust black women. I WILL NOT GO BACK TO THIS BAR!! read more

Just remodeled a couple years ago, this place is already starting to revert back to the Catacombs in every way except for the cost of drinks. If you're looking for a classy drink and nice atmosphere, this is not your place. They also fraudulently charged my card for $2 extra dollars in tip even though I already generously tipped on my bill despite TERRIBLE service. read more

Four friends went there and asked if License No 1 could make a vodka martini with half vanilla vodka, and half orange vodka. 5 minutes later the waitress said they could . When the drinks arrived they were not as expected (this drink is hard to screw up, 2 ingredients/ 2 flavored vodkas). Instead it was orange juice and vodka. It tasted like a Screwdriver (sweet), shaken on ice, and served in a martini glass for $13. We left and had what we had ordered somewhere else. I was disappointed that not only were we told they could make it as we described, but when the drink arrived, we were told again that it was something that it wasn't. Vodka is clear, these weren't. If they couldn't make it they shouldn't have told us they could. read more

Best happy hour in Boulder, in my opinion! Absolutely gorgeous setting as a prohibition styled bar, and the rooms seem to go on forever. Very friendly staff as well. read more

This place was simply amazing, the food, drinks where solid from a Jack's expert knowledge and Kat's tips mad up for the fact I was stood up and left sitting by myself. They kept me company, kept the drinks going and never stopped the excellent advice Vince & Chris the managers took excellent care of me and I can't wait to go back!!! read more

Great drinks!!! Great location!!! The atmosphere is fantastic. The bartenders are friendly, helpful, and efficient. I've always had great experiences here and would highly recommend. This is the place I take all of my out of town friends when they come to Boulder, and they always love it!!! read more

Amazing speak easy tucked away in the basement of the Hotel Boulderado. Drinks were awesome, eclectic crowd, live music.

License No 1 was a great place to start a weekend! The bartenders are cool and professional. The hand made cocktails really peaked my interest and I heard about the burger and had to try one..Awesome! Then the band came on, a Nawlins Jazz trio, and the night just chilled on. I'll be back. read more

We have been looking forward to visiting this place. Unfortunately, the doorman was rude. We left.

Bad service (server completely ignored us yet was very attentive to the other guests, so we went to the bar to order instead); at the bar, encountered a potentially racist couple, who non-discreetly mocked our drink choice in front of my bf (I'm a tan gal, if you can't already tell from my profile picture - possible correlation to aforementioned bad service?); & smelly (not as important as the first 2 items). I guess you can't win them all, as we're realizing since moving to Boulder. We went to FOOLISH CRAIG'S immediately after for a bite (since we weren't offered food at this place) and had a completely opposite, pleasant experience (on Pearl St, highly recommended!!). read more

A very cool speak-easy that had me feeling like I was in the movie Swingers. We stopped in on a Monday night so we had the place to ourselves, but I can see how cool this place would be, packed on a Saturday night. Plenty of comfortable lounge chairs and couches to go around, live music, billiards and Old Fashioneds. Can't be beat. read more

License #1 bills itself as an "adult" cocktail club for music, particularly jazz, lovers. As locals who are past college age, we welcomed this change from college scene Catacombs, especially because there are few venues for live music with a polished atmosphere here in Boulder. Suffice it to say we won't be back. We went to License #1 for beverages and music. Sadly, the musicians and the patrons are forced to compete with the large screen TV that management somehow determined was necessary in an adult cocktail club. License #1 needs to decide if it is a sports bar or a music venue. It can't be both. read more

My husband and I were excited to try this place based on a recommendation and were sorely disappointed by our experience. We got there right after opening on a Saturday night and decided to sit at the bar. The ambiance and atmosphere is super cool and unique however that's where the "good" starts and stops. It must have been an off night for bartenders because our bartender didn't even greet us with a "Hi how are you guys?" which is bartending 101 (none of the staff that came behind the bar and clearly saw us even acknowledged us). The drinks were not well made and even after giving our bartender some openings to chat a little and try to brighten what was a painfully obvious bad day for him, we got one word answers and the personality of a stone wall. We observed staff starting their shifts by pouring generous alcoholic beverages for themselves and heard a conversation between the other bartender and a staff member bad mouthing a third staff member (just because you turn your back to me doesn't mean I cannot hear your conversation). We were going to order food but decided to pay our tab and leave. Who wants to pay good money and hang out at a place where the staff seems genuinely miserable and the drinks aren't good? Thankfully we found somewhere else to dine, otherwise this experience would have put a huge damper on our night. Maybe sitting at a table is a different experience but we won't be back to find out. read more

This place is the worst. If you love hipsters and patchouli you might enjoy it. The bartenders are inexperienced, slow and rude. The drinks are overpriced and honestly not that good. If you like fancy cocktails the Bitter Bar is a much better choice a few blocks away. read more

Jesus! We lost catacombs for this overpriced, generic , $9 taste the same as everywhere cocktails that are the lifeblood of San Francisco/LA/NY for people who are boring as shit trying to not be boring as shit. As a guy that grew up here I was more than catastrophically distraught that some of the only places in Boulder that...well, made it boulder are now gone. Juanita's (best Tex-Mex I have had to date-Texas included), Fatty J's (you show me another place that make pizza dumplings and I'll shut up...because I haven't found it yet in FL/TX/CO/CA/MI/MS included), and now one of the cheapest places to drink WITH fun stuff to do, is gone. All in the name of what...conversation, isn't that what outside is for while sharing a doobie? How hard is it to open up your moth hole and make air go through it, just move away form any speaker that is around you? Seriously that is why people are saying they like this place? There were tons of other places that had that going, hell the two bars upstairs in the hotel had that, and you couldn't figure that out or find it, so you chose this place, what the hell, use that thingy you are tied to and walk the 10 steps. Here is why you should be a little miffed about because if you are not, then I am outright calling you out as a boring, unimaginative person who probably moved here from another boring unimaginative place full of boring people who like to buy expensive things in order to not appear dreadfully dull. 1. It had the best air hockey tables in all of Boulder (hell I'll include up to Westminster because Dave & Busters' are terrible).They were the florescent ones (actual regulation for professional use...didn't even know they had that), and they were actually clean, so there were a minim of dead spaces, we'll just call those ones the "Fuck yea! Pickachu's." 2. They were 1 of 3 places that had Buck Hunter, and while the placement was terrible, they had it, and kept the machine in good working order, Walrus does not. 3. Great and many pool tables. Seriously, bros need that, how else can they talk about things without the need to smash each other's balls? 4. Some video games, Neo-geo even. When was the last time you saw one of those? Press play doesn't, and Cat's games even worked (everything in press play is kinda sticky and not ever 100%). 5. CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP drinks. I went there after living in Miami, was at late happy hour with some friends ordered 2 vodka tonics and a blue moon, and then proceeded to lose my mind over the fact that it was only $5, I had to call in a friend to make sure I heard correctly, as I could not believe it, we were both stunned, so like al red blooded Americans we doubled down. You are never, ever going to get that with BBBBURP No. 1. And, to top it off they spent 4 million for/on it? Seriously? I would believe 400k, and even with that I would wonder, where exactly did it go, the round booths are still there, the flooring is the same, the bar is the same, how they hell did you spend all that money, and have nothing to show for it, I know those turn of the century prints are only $175 a pop. You had something that was unique, and had little or no competition (Walrus/Scumdowners). Now, you have another forgettable upscale place that is in direct competition with Happa/Corner Bar/The Med/Shine/Walnut/Absinth/The Rio/Blackcat/biter bar/blah blah blah same ole' shit? Just a really, really bad business idea. Don't you guys watch "Bar Rescue?" The really crazy thing is that Press Play is sucking up all the extra money, and customer base and is just killing it on the Monday-Thursday night (packed...who packs it on M-Th?), which for Summer is just insane. Staff was great I guess, my drinks had alcohol in them, but I hated the place, at least the out of town bride was happy right? read more

Historical space, awesome ambiance, delicious drinks, and friendly, knowledgeable bartenders. The best bar in town!

This place is very nice and relaxing. I'm not sure what all the haters on here are talking about (I heard they're disgruntled ex employees) but I think it is a great hotel bar for a cocktail. Catacombs was rather trashy IMO although I do like the college bar vibe in small doses. I will probably be a regular here as the bar staff is very friendly and willing to accommodate. Sorry some people don't like, but there's plenty of options in Boulder....Cheers! read more

This bar, under a different name but the same owner, was once a favorite spot of graduate students and young professionals, while also attracting its share of spillover from surrounding bars later in the evening. It was popular because it was reasonably priced, staffed with friendly employees who made it a point to know your name and favorite drinks, inviting atmosphere despite its underground location, and numerous games which were kept in good order. When the redesign was announced, I was skeptical, but open to the possibilities; When it would get too crowded, loud, and college-y later in the evening, I would leave, and I would have loved a bar that discouraged college students while still remaining friendly to mid- to late-twenties patrons. The old staff were let go after being told they would keep their jobs and participating in the redesign. The prices have doubled ($4 for a Coors Light, the least expensive item on their drink menu) or more for mixed drinks, out-pricing nearly all of their former clientele. The new atmosphere is poorly lit and depressing. The new employees are plain yogurt--they get the job done, but lack any of the personality, friendliness, and familiar demeanor which kept me coming back. The games are also gone; I never played them, but I know many of my friends did, and appreciated them. The treatment of their former employees is enough to give me pause to patron this location in the future. But the other changes--prices, atmosphere, and to a lesser extent the starched collars of their new employees--is enough to never return again. I don't know who they're marketing towards--and neither do they, apparently, as it was dead when I visited--but they clearly do not want me as a patron. read more

Great place to grab a drink. Live music. Big dance area. GREAT moscow mule. Legit. Quite the scene, but you're in Boulder so what'd you expect? I'd love to come back here. We don't drink in Boulder much anymore but I'd like to make this a stop next time we go. read more

What a sweet place! Last year when we come to Boulder for our writing workshop at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, we happened upon the sign as we were exploring the environs and followed the downward pointing arrow to the sexy sprawling sub-street-level space. Our huge corner booth seemed to come with its own film noir lighting that compelled us to quietly make out until our friendly waitress mimed clearing the steam from our virtual windows. The happy hour menu was not bad at all, though I don't remember what we ate, as the Manhattan ($12) and Sazerac ($11) packed quite a punch, and the second and third rounds fairly pummeled us into a state of, well, beatitude, man. Dig it. This year for our workshop, we stayed at a great AirBnB attic studio that's an easy walking distance from License No. 1, so we returned a couple more times and decided this had to be one of our personal Boulder landmarks. On our especially magical speakeasy date, we had a swanky dinner in a sweet nook next to the room where a great old-timey band was playing. We sat in plush armchairs across from each other and drank powerfully potable Pimms cups and a Sidecar for the lady, as my husband likes to say, while the cute waitress squeezed our dinner onto the wee marble table between us. Deliciously fresh oysters on the half-shell, ahi sashimi, truffle fries, and carmelized brussels sprouts were perfect for us, but what raised the cinegasmic level of the evening to beyond the beyond: dancing! There were quite a few people on the dance floor, but we got in there and got down with unabashed jazz hands, mad quasi-swing moves, a couple of Fosse fouettés, and a jillion laughs--the best dessert! read more

Paid $11 for a sidecar that had neither triple sec nor orange liqueur. Absolutely shameful.

I only had drinks here but I think their drink menu is one of the most extensive choices I've had in a long time. It is pricey so I would most likely only have one drink here. We found a cool area to hang for that time. I say give it a go! read more

Horrible. It replaced one of the best bars in town, the Catacombs. They fired all of the old staff and replaced them with pretentious idiots. There are really rude and snobby people working here and I'm about as nice and friendly as a guy can get. The drinks here cost as much as they do in Beverly Hills but this is Boulder! The renovation looks nice but that doesn't earn any stars in my book. All of my fellow Boulder locals have made a pact to boycott this establishment. What were they thinking with this place? read more

Terrible. Don't go and if you get stuck here for some reason, just order a beer. The bar tenders don't know what they are doing. The cocktails are just cheap syrup with a splash of liquor and they are still slow af. They may be the best example of lipstick on a pig in Boulder. read more

I received the worst service by Zack I've ever received in boulder since I've lived here. We ended up taking our group to another place just to receive more cordial service. Won't be coming back. read more

Ok spot. Went for drinks after work and the prices were good. Ordered a martini, took a while but it was well made. Ordered a second (same as the first), and it tasted completely different. Ask the server and he said it was the same, which it most definitely was not. While not a huge deal, I have to stick to gluten free liquor such as Titos vodka, which is what I ordered. The second drink was something else, and I had a reaction due to second drink. Either stick with beer or wine as you may not get what you order. read more

Cool atmosphere. Very different from other places on Pearl. Good mix of beer and liquor. Very spacious as well as a good variety of people

We arrived during happy hour and enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere and getting to know the bar. This is a great place to sit, have a conversation, and listen to some jazz and old standards. We found some awesome red leather chairs and relaxed after a long drive to Boulder. The choice of cocktails is interesting and adventuresome. I tried a Japanese whiskey and an offering from a micro distillery. The single round ice cube was perfect in heavy rocks glasses. The bride chose two cocktails requiring more ingredients than nuclear fusion. She loved them both. The wait staff was attentive and knowledgeable. Just a plug from the home state: Jack Daniel's Gentleman Jack would be a great addition to your offerings. We will make this a regular stop on our Boulder retreats. read more

Really neat basement bar with a friendly feel Staff suit the place & the cocktails are amazing. You can find a quiet corner or mingle at the bar. read more

Gorgeous drink menu but not for anyone looking for $1 wells or dive bar nonsense. My favorite cocktail is the Penicillin - it's awesome! Or at least try some of the house made tonics :) Great staff & fun place if you're a regular or just someone visiting trying to get a nice taste of Boulder - the bartenders alone can give you great advice on what else to see/tour in town read more

Renovated beautifully, drinks are fantastic, friendly and professional staff as well. The new bar suits the Hotel Boulderado well. Looking forward to another visit. read more

Love the patio! Love the vibe! Great place to hang and people watch in Boulder while enjoying a warm summer's eve and sipping on a cocktail. Not a huge fan of fried appetizers, so skipped the late night bar menu. Would love to go back. read more

Great find, awesome ambiance and awesome service. Our bar tender Kat was awesome! Highly recommend this place for the experience.

It's dark and cozy... the bar tender was busy but the bar tender was super nice and I must say...the happy hour burger was the best burger I have had in Boulder!! read more

Love this place! A few little rooms, all dark and red velvet and gold tassels, like an old speakeasy. Caught a trio on Friday night, had great glass of Sauvignon Blanc, and the company was fab. Will definitely go back next time in Boulder. read more