Loved it! Unique food, causal dining. My group felt welcome, and I was easily able to reserve using Yelp.

School House is a nice little spot for meeting up with friends for drinks &/or a meal in Arvada -- if 3.5 stars was an option for this review, I'd absolutely select it. My friends and I stopped by on a Saturday and got a few drinks and food during the early part of the evening, and the restaurant was mostly empty, but I'd expect that it gets pretty packed during the peak times. One thing to note about this part of Arvada is that parking is mostly limited to street parking (free 2 hour parking around the restaurant). The overall vibe of the restaurant is fantastic, and I love the reuse of old school components (bus seats for the booths, school chairs for the chairs, basketball court wood used for various items, rulers in in the bay windows as decor, beakers as cocktail glasses, etc). It's such a fun spin on items and it's really cool to see it all come together. The drink menu is expansive (and the bar looking like a library is awesome too), there's plenty of room to explore various cocktails and there's something for every palate. I got a couple of Bourbon based drinks (spins on Old Fashioneds), and they were both solid. I'll say that the food menu is kind of limited -- maybe for the best as the food isn't really anything to write home about. My poutine was overcooked and just not very tasty, and it seemed like most folks in my group mentioned the food was "ok" -- it's not bad, it's just not great. Overall, I'd say School House is definitely worth checking out as a spot for drinks, and if you need food, there are certainly options here, but you may want to save dinner for somewhere else. read more

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A very yummy brunch! I went with my girlfriends and we had a blast. We are all teachers so the theme was on point. The bar area was really cool to look at! read more

I've frequented this restaurant many times and have enjoyed my experience each time. Great vibes, decent food and my drinks were strong, in a very good way. read more

This was such a fun visit. I met a friend here for dinner and drinks and we had such a good time. We sat in the library bar and when it's a little warmer, I def want to return and sit on the rooftop bar. But... the library bar is literary awesome. So many small and large touches to create a really cool space. Our waitress was super friendly and discovered that my friend was pregnant as they chatted while I found parking. When we ordered drinks, she made my friend a mock tail to enjoy. We both ordered the sausage and onions, mine with Mac and cheese and hers with fries. We are the whole things, lol. Tasty. I can't wait to come back and explore more of this place and the menu! read more

School House Kitchen & Libations - Strawberry lemonade cocktail and mocktail. - New American Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

Schoolhouse has a great vibe and serves as a memorable night out for dinner. I love the attention to detail in the decor...using pencils, file folders, bus seats, globes, etc to bring the school theme to life. Service was great and the food was good as well. The menu has fun flashbacks to school times, continuing the theme. The food does the trick, but isn't the highlight of the experience for me. read more

It's a unique concept turning an old school house into a restaurant. It doesn't feel like a typical restaurant and I think that's part of its charm. We sat in the dining room upstairs. The comfy chairs we sat in made us feel like we were so low to the table. But it made our mouths closer to our food which was helpful. There seemed to be a lot of options for large parties, but it's always helpful to make reservations if you're planning on bringing in a crowd. The two of us got in immediately without a res. The servers were helpful and always there when we needed them. One of the servers recommended the Grüvi Rosé because I couldn't find the N/A bevs. I think it's awesome how establishments are offering non-alcoholic beers, wines, and mocktails. Grüvi makes some pretty awesome N/A options. The food was OK. Nothing fancy, but it came out quick and fresh. You'll find typical American cuisine on this menu. The French Onion Soup was good, but it's hard to mess up French Onion Soup. The Blackened Salmon Sandwich wasn't bursting with flavor but it was good enough. If we return, I'll probably ask the server for a recommendation. Always trust in the people that work in restaurants because they are surrounded by the food constantly. Lesson learned. If you go on the second Saturday during the summer months, there's live music and vendors on South Wadsworth, which is pretty fun if you want to make an evening of it! The parking is horrendous on second Saturday. The only pointer I have here is to park in the residential areas a couple of blocks from the event. The closer you get, the more difficult it will be to find parking, even in the lots. read more

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Love me some School House. What a fun concept in general, like who knew they wanted to have a cocktail while sitting at bus seats or staring at the periodic table and are we talking about thousands of whiskeys plus??? I come here every few weeks for brunch or drinks. The Naptime chicken and waffles is no joke and thank God I live close because I usually need a nap after. the servers are always prompt and friendly. Also like here's some photos of my dogs on the patio....who doesn't love dogs??? read more

School House Kitchen & Libations - Doggo on a patio - New American Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

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I met up with some friends for dinner here and we sat outside so I didn't get too good of look inside, but at a quick glance at the bar area, they have expansive shelves of liquor. There is a school bus right out front that is used for dining that I thought was cute. The menu had a lot of tasty options. I went with the three piece fried chicken with mashed potatoes and greens. The chicken was very crispy. The white meat was a little dry. I just dipped it in gravy. My friends enjoyed their meal as well. read more

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To the owners, I've been coming here throughout the years as an Arvada resident. I love the concept of this place and the food. However, the service has room for improvement. My recent visit was during happy hour with potential for dinner. A group of five us had drinks and food. No one was out front to great us. I eventually grabbed a seat at the library bar since my group wasn't there. It was so hot! I mean April, 65 degrees and it was so hot inside. The bar tenders/servers never introduced themselves. We always had to wave down for more drinks or ordered food. Money was lost that evening because we ended up elsewhere for more drinks and food. I really love the space and concepts but if the service was a bit better people would stay longer and order more and come back! Drinks are light for the price too, apps were good though. read more

Disclaimer - this review is based solely on drinks. We came here for an after dinner drink so I can't speak to the food, but will update when we go back. The atmosphere here is really fun with all of the decor paying homage to being back in school. The bar has #2 pencils adorning the bar top which immediately brought me back to standardized testing and the cocktails are served in little mixing beakers. Our group ordered a few different cocktails and they were all on point! We tried a few different old fashioned's but my favorite was the field day one with lavender. Really cool, comfortable bar with delicious drinks for a reasonable price. The service was also great - the bartenders were on top of their stuff and checked in at exactly the right times. Will absolutely be back. read more

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The service was fast and correct! The food was very tasty! It needs a bit of repair in some areas but the whole it's ok, after all it's an old school house. JG read more

Wayyy awesome!!!! We enjoyed (several) fruit punches and we don't even LIKE fruit punch! Super fun and trendy atmosphere with lots of space. Not too dark. Not too bright. The bar is beautiful. Tons of beer on tap - not that we we tried any because we were busy drinking fruit punch! We started off with French onion soup. Meh. I'll leave it at that. We also had beef stroganoff - verrrrrry good! I had a Rueben .... Excellent! Toasted to perfection. Also - the sauerkraut was very unique in that it wasn't wet and soggy. Kind of a curated sauerkraut. A little went a long way - tasty. We will be going back! Can't wait! read more

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Had some awesome appetizers and drinks. Service was really good. Always filling up waters and asking if we need anything. Ambiance was my favorite part about this place. You walk in and you're just amazed with the scene. read more

Holy cannoli I've never seen a restaurant with this many whiskey selections. You literally will get lost in the list of selections. The atmosphere is cool. The upstairs is more intimate and the downstairs gives me a Harry potty hogwarts kinda vibe. Makes me wanna buy a wizard cape and drink bourbon while twirling a magic wand in the air. Just me? Okay, maybe it's just me. The food is pretty good. Eggplant parm was decent. I've had better but I'm a snotty about eggplant parm. Weird comment I know. The burgers looks legitimately delicious. I recommend trying those for sure. Oh parking sucked around there. Just in my opinion lol okay byeeee. read more

School House Kitchen & Libations - New American Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

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Food was fantastic and so is the atmosphere!! Going back with out of town family! Service was fantastic as well!! read more

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We went there and had drinks the waitress was very kind and recommended a drink for my husband. The atmosphere was very nice and the decor was on point. Bathrooms were clean. I would recommend this place read more

3 of us went for dinner. I ordered a French dip and asked for crispy fries. Got the order, fries were barely cooked, a different server comes by and asks if we need anything, I ask can you get me some crispy fries to replace these with? They were great. The only really good thing of all the food. The meat on the French dip was rubbery, no flavor at all and I ate less than half of it. My friends said their food was just ok, but they wouldn't come back. I had sold this as a great place, which it used to be. Our waitress was rude, very inattentive and apparently a germaphobe. Never got closer than 2.5ft from the table. When she brought us water she sat all 3 glasses down together on the outer edge of the table, not in front of us. Just before our food came she brings the silver ware and same thing, sets all three stacked together on the very edge of the table. When she left the water, she didn't come back for drink orders for more than 10 mins (they were not that busy as we were upstairs and it doesn't seat many), so I went to the bar to ask if they had dark cherries for the old fashioneds. She had her back to me, I touched her on the shoulder with one finger, she turns toward me with an angry look and takes her hand and wipes it down her shoulder twice where my finger had touched her and says "can I help you?" I said please tell me you have dark cherries for old fashioneds. She said "yes we do, if you must have one". Got our drinks and they were all good, 2 kinds of old fashioneds. When the checks came I had an extra $4 charge for fries. The guy that had gotten me the crispy fries comes by and I ask "what's this charge?" "That's for the extra fries you ordered". I said "I did not order extra fries, I asked you to replace the undercooked ones with crispy ones as I ordered". He tersely says "fine, I'll take them off". Then the rude waitress comes over with the revised bill and hands it to me and snarky says "you ate all the fries on your plate". I said "yeah after I switched them with the ones that were properly cooked and did you not notice that the extra plate was full of the undercooked ones?" She just turned and huffily walked away. I told the manager about this on the way out, she doesn't stop wiping off a table and nonchalantly says "sorry about that, but thanks for telling me". ZERO score on customer service, 1 of 5 on food and 4 of 5 on the drinks. Definitely explains why they weren't very busy on a Friday night. We won't be back and with that kind of service and food and numerous recent and similar reviews, they won't be in business much longer. read more

After putting our name down as a group of four, and asking to add another person, we were greeted by confusion and a touch of annoyance at our mistake. We asked to add a chair, and instead they put us in a back room of the restaurant. Consequently, we were forgotten by our waitress for much of the evening, longing for a few drinks that never arrived. Nevertheless, the drinks that did show up were delicious and came in fun glasses (though notably not the flasks I remember from my last visit). Most of the food was delicious. The burgers, salmon sandwich, and fries were all terrific. A friend got the green chili ravioli, which was not only a tiny portion but also (as one can imagine) not super tasty. All in all, as a local favorite, we were disappointed by this most recent visit, but will still be sure to return and give the Schoolhouse another chance. read more

Another wonderful restaurant in Arvada in the middle of the city. Service was great and the food was very good. Plenty of seating and an amazing bar! Ambiance was not as quiet as I typically like but it was a very nice place. read more

The decor here is so fun! As a pair of teachers out on the town, my friend and I really enjoyed coming here for brunch. The little card catalogs, the desks, the school bus seating- even a school bus named Otto out front that you could sit in if you had the urge. Loved it. I had the breakfast tacos (based on our servers recommendation) and my friend had the since cap meaty scramble. Both meals were good, but nothing to write home about. The green chili sauce had a little bit of a bite, but that was basically where all the flavor came from. I would definetly go back, but maybe I would try a burger or something a little more unique next time. Their drinks looked really good, and I would absolutely go back for drinks and maybe dinner. I don't think I would do brunch again. The service was great, but I could probably get decent breakfast tacos somewhere else, cheaper. read more

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There's really no denying the incredible whisky selection here. The converted bookshelf/whisky shelf is outstanding and creates a great atmosphere. As expected, it is very loud here, so it's maybe not the place for serious conversation. The good was solid bar food. I got the Reuben and had zero complaints. But it's relatively expensive. Overall, this is a wonderful bar/restaurant if you are looking for good food and great whisky selection. read more

Been out a few places since places started to open up and this place is by far the best food I've had in a long time. Every single thing I ate was incredibly delicious even things I normally don't like! We ordered tons of food to celebrate my boyfriends birthday and we ordered the bacon wrapped dates since that was their most popular appetizer (according to yelp) and it was not bad! And this is coming from someone who dislikes bacon, so it's an absolute miracle! They also had really good poutine where the gravy wasn't cheap and overly salty. I ordered the French dip sandwich (I saw a yelp buddy's review about how tasty it is!) with the Mac and cheese on the side and the sandwich was indeed spectacular in taste. Definitely the best French dip I ever had!! The Mac and cheese was delicious as well. Also the drinks were great everyone seems to really enjoy the banana bread beer. read more

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Was in town for the weekend with friends, and this place was recommended by a resident. The restaurant is themed after a school, complete with science tables and other nostalgic items. To eat, we tried a number of items as a group: The Brussel sprouts were good, crispy, and fresh. The queso was very good, nicely blended and the chips were good. The chicken & waffle skewers were a nicely prepared as well. I ordered the French dip sandwich. It was very was very good! The meat was tender and the jus was seasoned well. Fries were crispy. I also ordered a side Caesar salad (which was exceptional). All in all, I would definitely recommend this restaurant to someone in the area read more

School House Kitchen & Libations - French Dip Sandwich - New American Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

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The good: this might literally be the largest whisky collection in all of Colorado, and the prices are reasonable across the board. If you're a whisky fan, as I am, this will be your heaven. The bad: I've been here probably 5 times and it seems like this bar is always understaffed. Yesterday it took almost 25 minutes to get a bartenders attention for another drink. In addition to that, it seems most bartenders don't like or know anything about whisky, which is disappointing for a whisky Mecca destination like this. The staff is also generally unfriendly, but I'm sure this is just because of the understaffed issue and not criticizing anyone's personality! read more

The ambiance at School House Kitchen & Libations is super fun. The tables are made up of periodic table sections. And the drinks are poured in beakers. I love a good theme! I got the pulled pork sandwich. It was good, but could have been better on the flavor. I would like to go back to try something else to see if the other menu items had more flair to them. read more

School House Kitchen & Libations - Pulled pork sandwich - New American Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

We always have a fine time here. The staff is helpful, the cocktails and liquor list delightful, and the good checks every box in the comfort category. We had a couple of poutines for the table (one with the standard brown gravy, the other with the white chicken fried steak sauce). I had that chicken fried steak as well, with mashed potatoes and collard greens. Triffic stuff. Always willing to visit here. read more

School House Kitchen & Libations - The remains of the splendid Poutine, within mere moments. - New American Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

Great drink selection but as most have said, not great service. The bartender/ server was cocky and rude. And please don't tell me you can do this job "blackout drunk" !!! Cool vibe, terrible staff read more

Incredible food menu... I had the chicken and waffle skewers, it wasn't what i expected, but they were very tasty! They were similar to corndogs... chicken pieces covered with waffle/funnel cake type of batter. Served with a maple syrup and some sorta mustard/sweet sauce that i didn't care for. In any case, the meal was terrific! I also had a paloma (but asked for it w/out vanilla... they add that ingredient, but i just twisted it without). I also had a small house salad w shrimp and it was delicious! Hubs had buffalo wings, which he loved, and the kiddos had a kids meal of a hot dog and fries. I will definitely come again next time I'm in town. The ambience is sooo cute! Love all the school decor. Our server, Trucker, was super sweet and attentive! She even educated us a little on the background of the place, explaining that some of the tables were made from the gymnasium floor, and the walls had wood planks made from the bleachers. It was an incredible experience! read more

School House Kitchen & Libations - Interior - New American Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

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LOVE this place however, $17 for Macaroni and Cheese (for lunch to boot) is too much!!! I will never order mac and cheese again. No reason to charge so much! Yes, $15 for the basic and $1 for each added ingredient. I will be back but rethink some of your prices! read more

Very nice staff, the setting is such a cool theme, and the drink selection is fantastic! Both indoor and outdoor seating. I love the Kung Fu Girl Riesling and the Whiskeys we tried were great! For sure recommend a visit! read more

School House Kitchen & Libations - New American Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

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We have been coming here for years. They like to swap back and forth in policy. I have used my digital ID here more than 10 times I come for Sundays and family lunch dinner times. This time I was turned away. For the first time I also spoke to the manager kindly spoke with my I situation and expressed opportunity within their establishment in flip flopping rules all of a sudden after years including me using my form of identification two weeks ago here and a week before that. I just want to educate this establishment. It felt almost discriminative. On top of that I wasn't even going to be ID'ed I was just being kind so my bad for being an honest human but here's an executive order from Governor Polis. Cops Liquor stores Dispensaries Bars TSA/airports Take this for of identity. And so does School house all days except today. I'm pretty offended I brought a group of 6 to enjoy an adult dinner. Really disappointing. read more

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Someone asked, "why the low reviews?" If my first 2 minutes is any indication of what their overall service is like, I can 1000% understand why. Perhaps this establishment and its employees ought to brush up on laws surrounding the ADA, or even just basic hospitality courtesies in general. My friend and I attempted to patronize School House Kitchen during happy hour on a Monday afternoon. I have a disability, use a mobility aid, and have great difficulty getting up into bar stools and high chairs. The bar area was the only area open during HH and I noticed there were no low seats available except for inside the main restaurant. We asked an employee if they had any low chairs/tables we could sit at and he told us no, they only have the bar area open with high seats. My friend explained I had a disability and needed a low seat and the employee just said, "Oh, sorry." and offered no accommodation. Really, not cool. Try a quick Google search for "restaurants ADA disability accommodations" and spend just 2 minutes looking into whether or not that scenario was appropriate. From the web: "Running a restaurant is about providing guests with hospitality. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides enforceable restaurant accessibility guidelines to ensure food service establishments and other businesses are offering a hospitable environment to all customers. The ADA is a win-win for the disabled and restaurant communities. It helps you serve guests of all abilities in the same way so that they keep coming back again and again. After all, the more accessible your restaurant, the more people you can serve. While these are the perks to adhering to ADA guidelines for restaurants, there are also serious consequences to disregarding these federal regulations. Your first ADA violation could result in a fine of up to $75,000. You'll owe up to $150,000 for additional violations." read more

3 1/2 stars. Fun atmosphere in the original Arvada one-room school house built in 1886.  It's worth walking around to look at the clever decorations made from old school stuff and there is even a school bus in front of the restaurant also open to diners! On the top floor is the "Teachers Lounge" with a second bar and a small rooftop patio, both very pleasant. They have a nice selection of whiskeys (they claim to offer one of the largest in the country with more than 1,800 different kinds!), unfortunately I don't drink whiskey but I tried one of their cocktails, The bleachers, and it was refreshing although too sweet for me (it seems that most of they cocktails are quite sugary according to a friend and our waitress). Foodwise, there is a little bit of everything from soups, flatbreads, sandwiches and various entrees including built your own Poutine.  Portions are generous and a few of us had different salads we all really liked.  Some rave about the Mac n Cheese but others think it's no better than the stuff out of a box (house made sauce though) so I decided to stay away from it. It's a worth a visit for the atmosphere; it's the only time I got my food served a big plastic tray instead of a plate and my cocktail in a beaker! read more

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Well, my first time there and pretty disappointed. The dining room w as so uninviting! There was nothing in that room except tables and chairs. Nothing on the tables- no salt, pepper, just nothing. They could make it a bit more inviting to want to dine there. I ordered a cobb salad. Looked like a good salad, but on my 2nd bite, there was a big strand of hair. Ugh!! read more

Very cool place. Portion sizes are huge. Bring your appetite! Food was delicious. Wait staff was very attentive and friendly.

Food: 3/5 | Service: 1/5 | Atmosphere: 4/5 Update 8/30/23: The closing manager, Kay, and GM, Jason, have been apologetic and kind while helping to resolve the issues I previously posted. I understand how flipping a tip (from 12 to 21) could be an honest mistake. I still caution guests to keep their receipts and check their bank statements. I also stand by my original review of the service we received on Sunday evening and will leave that information below. Original review from 8/27/23: As a former server/bartender it takes a LOT for me to leave anything less than a 25% tip and I have never left a bad review [for a restaurant] because I know how hard it can get. Tonight, I found myself compelled to do both. The service in the bar was absolutely terrible. Our table was blatantly ignored throughout our meal, every person who came to our table was rude --we felt like an inconvenience just for being there, and we had to ask for the check three times. School House used to be a go-to for drinks and the mac & cheese, but after this experience we will not be back. read more

Love this place! The food is awesome and the drinks are off the charts! The bourbon selection will blow your mind! read more

School House Kitchen & Libations - We love our visits to Arvada and The School House! - New American Near Me - Arvada, Colorado

Hamburger was delicious, I love the school style of the restaurant and the employees always paying attention if we needed something

Somehow wound up here on trivia night. Let me just tell you.... Liberal use of the word trivia haha resembles no sort of trivia I am familiar with. But, that's beside the point. The point is, this cute place does the "school" theme right. There are books and old school props and the dining area is made from school bus seats and sections of the periodic table. The chandeliers that hang over head are made of desks and chairs and are really, quite extra. The menu itself was sizeable and diverse. We got the bacon wrapped dates which came with some kind of spicy sauce in addition to the typical basalmic glaze. Delicious. I ordered the bacon wrapped hot dog with slaw on a hoagie and it was pretty tasty. The slaw was a bit dry but the dog itself was huge and good quality meat. The homemade ranch that came with my fries was literally the best ranch I have ever had. I would buy ten bottles if they would bottle it up. And, the drinks are served in beakers! How clever! Overall, good experience with attentive staff and an awesome vibe. I'll come back. read more

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