They take brussels sprouts...and they pull off the leaves. Then they fry the leaves and add salt and shichimi. Ummm....end of review. Just kidding. But I really could have ended it there, couldn't I have? If you've ever tasted the above, you know what I mean. NOM-tastic. Really, this has to be one of the better happy hours in town. The food's great, and the drinks are reasonably-priced. $6 for a shot of Michael Collins and an 8-oz pour of pilsner? I'll have two, please. I'm seeing a few 1-star reviews, but when you serve a snobby clientele...well, it doesn't take much... So it's that kind of place, granted. But there's absolutely no reason why a down-to-earth group of friends can't enjoy a nice meal and some finely-crafted cocktails here. And for those who are turned off by the egotistical bartenders*...you obviously don't understand hipster culture. Or maybe you're so deeply ingrained in hipsterdom that you can't see the forest for the trees. Perhaps try NOT inserting your nose deeply into a brandy snifter filled with the bartender's farts. OK, gross. Sorry. But you get the point. A healthy dose of "I-don't-give-a-crap-just-pour-me-a-damn-drink" goes a long way with snobby bartenders. Just bring your friends here and enjoy each others' company. Let the waitstaff bring you something to eat and drink. Don't get too caught up in the venue. You'll have a great time! *Note: I didn't find the bartender egotistical at all, but some other reviewers seem to have that impression. read more

Excellent cocktail bar, fun atmosphere. Try the Boulevardier. Make sure to ask for a bourbon list they have an excellent selection of rare finds. Nice indoor and porch seating are available. read more

With new ownership comes a new Bitter Bar review. Bitter Bar has put the kibosh on the kitchen and is doubling down on the drinks (for now at least). I've been to Bitter Bar thrice since the transition and remodel, and appreciate the complimentary popcorn along with the cocktails worthy of compliments. After several trips to old Bitter Bar, I found the happy hour drinks to be uninspiring (a whiskey and ginger by another [albeit fancy] name is still a whiskey and ginger). The new list of happy hour cocktails struck my fancy significantly more. Happy hour cocktails are still $5. Draft beers are $3. My favorite on that list was the Blue Velvet. I'm forgetting everything that went into it right now, but there was creme de violette and a lot of deliciousness. Non-happy hour cocktails have also been revamped. They are cheaper across the board (all single digit prices now), and in many ways better. I'm not sure if they were doing this before, but they are making a slew of in-house syrups. Their tonic is delicious (a little light on the quinine-bitter-ness) and Dustin (God bless him) introduced me to a rye and tonic that I intend to try again. They also make their own root beer, ginger ale, grapefruit soda, and I'm sure others. Best drink I've had there so far is the Momo & Rye, which combines the whiskey with peach, and that's all I have to say about that. I urge everyone to stop by the new Bitter Bar. There are currently 5 hours until they open today, and after writing this review, I'll be eagerly counting down those hours. read more

This place is a must. It use to be a restaurant, but now they specialize in cocktails, wine and beer, oh my. It's a small place, and they specialize in thirst quenching cocktails. Love the atmosphere and the staff. Very knowledgeable and very attentive. When you are in the area, please pay them a visit. This place will not disappoint. read more

New ownership. Drinks are no better than a standard bar and the bites are not as interesting. Disappointing but not decent standard bar fare. Saddest update I've given. read more

Try this bar! Wife and I had 4 different cocktails and ever one was amazing and unique. Great service and environment!

This is still my favorite bar in Boulder and I love going here for their happy hour and late night. An added bonus on top of an already fantastic bar is a taco truck! Tacos Del Norte sits in their back parking lot Thursday through Saturday evening. At great prices, who wouldn't want tacos, burritos and quesadillas?! I recommend their vegetarian burrito. I could go to The Bitter Bar daily, but my liver might not agree ;-) read more

The Bitter Bar - Vegetarian burrito, chicken taco and the Kiss the Sky cocktail (one of my favs) - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Made it to Bitter Bar last week after an unexplained gap. I got to experience three of my favorite things: Thing 1: I got to sit on the curvy, sexy red couch. I even liked writing that sentence. Thing 2: I got to ask our quite solicitous waiter (tall with a retro-chic tweedy vest) to see if he could magically deliver me a drink that was tart, punchy, a tad sweet, with bubbles, and some cucumber. He LOVED this order. He captured every element. He asked clarifying questions about alcohol type, and he delivered. Awesome. Did I mention it was delivered to me on a red couch? Oh, did. Right. Thing 3: I got to eat their DElicious brussels sprouts. So...really great. Can't wait to go back and see what my next cocktail tastes like. read more

I've had some odd tipping experiences here but I think the second experience far outweights the first. First time (right after switching from Happy Noodle): My group has a nice time in a booth, have a few cocktails, split the bill. Totally normal. However, on our way out, the waitress looks at the tip and asks "I'm sorry but I'm just wondering if I did anything wrong ... because of the tip" She said she just wanted to make sure they were doing everything right as a new bar... Thing is, I'm pretty sure we tipped around 15+% so this really pissed me off. Dont' ask about your tip... EVER. Unless I gave you zero... Well so I like this bar anyway so I've been coming back. Last time I came here there was a communikey event going on w/ a DJ and the whole bar was crazy packed. I asked for the check and the waitress gives me the bill, crosses out the tip part and apologizes about how busy the place has been and tells me to please not tip her. It felt weird not to tip so I left a few dollars on my card anyways... I check my credit card bill today and... She didn't add the tip! That's what I call honest and good service! read more

Wow! Looks like a dive bar, then you enter and it's really awesome. Fantastic well balanced, crafted cocktails. Amazing bartenders. The type of place I seek in every city. In this sense, I'm halfway through my cocktail and feel totally at home. read more

Had a fun time here, the music they were playing was awesome! Our bartender was Charles & he is amazing! I've had every cocktail on the menu & Charles is always able to come up with something new for me to try. I would highly recommend to anyone looking for something a little different to try. read more

Great bar and lovely owner. Very cool, chill space, intellectual owner who is nice without being stuck up. Really a perfect balance. Have a drink here you won't regret it! He is South Korean which is really cool. As an English guy I really respect the south Koreans for being a very cool, fair, and civilized fellow country. read more

Very classy spot, but not too fancy haha it was pretty dead on a Thursday night and service was pretty slow. I loved their signature cocktail drinks. One I got with gin was delicious! read more

I've never eaten here (except back when it was Hapi) so this is a review of Bitter Bar as a bar. That said, I saw some good looking food come out while I was there so I'm looking forward to trying it out. As a bar in Boulder, this was what I always hoped I'd find. After living here for about a year, I wanted to find a place with great drinks, a relaxed atmosphere, a low hippy contingent, a low tech crowd contingent, 30-something friendly and preferably an open door until last call. Luckily for me, Bitter Bar is all those things. I had a bunch of different drinks but I remember all the bourbon cocktails were great. This isn't another Boulder microbrew bar so it's probably not the place to go if you want a local beer sampler (luckily, every other Boulder bar will fit the bill for you). Boulder people will probably say that it's "too hipster" but that's just how they describe anyone not in fleece. It's a good crowd, good drinks, good music...easily my favorite spot to grab a drink in Boulder. read more

Horrid experience. Claims to be a nicer bar with a speakeasy vibe. When we entered it, way too crowded with no staff to greet you or keep the crowd down to just the tables to be staffed. Never going to return until they get better service. read more

We there on a Tuesday night. The music was great. Our server was also really attentive and friendly. The food was pretty yummy. We shared the special, a meat and cheese plate and that was my favorite thing, steamed mussels, smoky corn broth, lobster toast also yummy, and the short rib lasagna, which was ok. I did not have any of the specialty drinks but they made a very good dirty martini. If anyone reading this was a fan of Trios downtown, you would love the look and feel of The Bitter Bar. read more

Best Manhattan ever! Yes, the best. If you want a great drink, and don't mind paying a bit more for something overwhelmingly better than everywhere else, this is the place for you! Yes, they make THE BEST MANHATTAN EVER. James will make the perfect drink for whatever your taste buds desire! P.S. Sit at the bar for the best experience! read more

I've been hearing about this place and it's ups and downs for a while. I wasn't willing to give it a try until tonight when my friend expressed interest. "What Ev's I'll go" I say. I have to give the atmosphere, staff, and food 5 stars! (At least during Happy Hour, I can't attest to it's busy late nights!) The food is where I get really picky, but we gladly made our way thru their delicious muscles ( with chunks of vegetables and sausage that make it closer to a paella, oh- AND get your bread ready the broth is amazing!) a fighting for first place caesar salad, and the meatballs and risotto made me smile. Happy me! (and that's saying A LOT!) Kudos for being on the upswing Bitter Bar! I will return. a few seconds ago Like read more

Really liked the vibe. Happy hour was great. It gave me nostalgia for some of my favorite hang bars in LA.

Some of the worst service I have ever experienced at a bar. First off, my friend and I each ordered a drink and it took over 20 minutes to get it even though others (who had ordered after us) had already gotten theirs. We asked two or three times where our drinks were and the staff was rude and didn't offer any explanation or apology. Next, we each ordered a beer. This time we decided to time it to see how long it would take. 15 minutes! For a beer! It wasn't even very busy. I got a Nitro Milk Stout and about quarter of the beer was foam. For how expensive the drinks are I was expecting better quality. Safe to say I will not be returning. read more

Classy joint in Boulder with a sophisticated list of beers on tap. The waiter knew the drink menu like the back of his hand and could make a personalized cocktail based on what you wanted, except there wasn't a single wheat/light beer in the place. Which is what I wanted. Sad face. We stopped by for live jazz music on a Tuesday night and it was hard to find a place to sit. Dim lighting could make this a good spot to take a date. It's an older scene than what I typically go for, although I should stop complaining about places making me feel young! :) read more

Nom, nom. Hands down, my favorite place in Boulder so far. The ambiance was perfect- great lighting, music, and overall vibe. We had great service this past Saturday night, despite the place being really busy. I started with the Shrubberry- very refreshing, not too sweet or strong. The fried brussel sprouts are like kale chips, but better- just try them. My husband had the burger with egg & bacon (amazing), and I had the beet salad with steak. I'm a relatively picky steak eater and they did medium rare perfectly! I also had a glass of a red blend with my meal that was delicious! We were going to order dessert, but the table next to us got the peach/nectarine cobbler and said it was mehhh and offered it to us. We passed on the offer, but maybe if a more tempting dessert were available I'd give it a whirl. I'll be back to try the gnocchi- it looked amazing (yes, I was table surfacing and watching what everyone around me ordered). Last note- my husband drinks bourbon and their selection was solid if you're a bourbon kinda guy/gal. read more

A true standard in the classic bar business. I have been a fan since day one, and now with James Lee at the helm it has only gotten better! Kudos to the classic bar, to the bartender, and to the cocktail culture! read more

I typically don't write reviews unless my experience is really great or really bad. Unfortunately, this review falls in to the really bad category. I was very excited to check out The Bitter Bar because I have heard positive reviews. We had to up our reservation, so the host we were speaking with over the phone was very helpful and accommodating. We were promptly seated when we arrived and then the terrible service began. Our server had zero energy and he seemed annoyed to be there. He let us know they were short staffed, which lowered our expectations a little bit. We ordered a round of drinks, which took about 20 minutes to arrive and then we ordered a second round of drinks since it was still happy hour. Everyone received their drinks but me, so 20 minutes later with a completely empty glass I asked the server when my drink would be delivered. He got very defensive and told me I didn't order a drink. I let him know that I did order a drink and he walked away annoyed letting me know he would put it in. Our first round of small plates were ordered and they actually came out pretty quikcly however, our corn bread was missing. We asked the server about it and again he said we never ordered corn bread and that he would put it in. The second round of small plates was ordered along with our dinner entrees and again they came out pretty quickly, but our duck sopes was missing and still no corn bread. The server came back 20 minutes later to announce that our dinners would be out, so I asked him about the corn bread and the duck sopes. He said he forgot the corn bread (AGAIN!) and that we never ordered the duck sopes but he would try to get them out before the entrees arrived. The corn bread and duck came to the table with our entrees but guess what? My entree was missing from the order! I asked the server where my steak was and once again, in a very combative said..."you didn't order a steak". At this point the entire table let him know that I did in fact order a steak and that they all heard the order. He said he would put it in now since I didn't actually order it and it came out 20 minutes later after everyone finished eating. As he cleared away the dirty dishes from everyone else's' entrees, he slammed a dirty plate in to my arm and left a nice streak of food across my shirt. At this point I was beyond annoyed and ready to walk out. I wish I would have because we ordered the smores dessert for the final act of what turned out to be a disastrous dinner and on my last bite of marshmallow I pulled a hair out of my mouth. I became instantly nauseous and couldn't wait to get the bill, leave and never return. It's definitely a shame that the service was so unbelievably poor, because the food (aside from the hairy marshmallow) was actually very delicious. My steak was cooked perfectly and the Wok Charred Escarole was amazing. I also enjoyed the Shrubbery drink very much. Overall, the food was great but the service was horrendous and reason enough to never go back. read more

Dropped into this spot with some friends on a Monday evening. The atmosphere is dark and relaxed with eclectic decor for conversation. Plush couches and a fireplace make for a chill environment. The cocktails were very creative and featured unusual ingredients, but we all had the impression that the execution of them wasn't as good as most of them sounded on paper. Would definitely recommend for a relaxed night. read more

WOW. I probably had the worst service I have ever had at this bar last night. It took 25 mins to get are first round of drinks... I had to ask 3 different times if they could them to us... Second we ordered some beers.. took another 15 minutes. The place was not even busy... The bartenders and waitstaff were rude and unapologetic for the horrible service. I will not go here again, there are far better bars where it doest take 25 mins to get an average drink!! read more

I'd been meaning to come here for years and somehow always forgot when going out. That won't happen again - good bar with good bar tenders and staff who actually know what they are talking about without being pretentious or self-righteous. They have a good range of specialty cocktails, but can make the standard (or exotic) ones you ask for, too. Check them out. read more

Great tasting drinks. Not super generous poor of alcohol. Over priced. Maybe worth paying a little bit more for the ambiance I suppose. Not super stoked on this place. read more

Great atmosphere , nice drinks on tap just a little pricey and happy hour deals aren't the best! Other than that great service

Great bar. Really tasty and interesting drinks, a nice and unpretentious staff, and a cool atmosphere. I'd recommend going earlier or on a weekday, otherwise all the seats may be taken, and often there's not even much standing room. The drinks aren't cheap, but they are high quality and not unreasonable for what is in them. All in all a great place to check out! read more

Great bar! I've never had something I didn't like and all the bartenders are masters of their craft. The owner, James, really sells the experience. Seeing someone so involved in their business is truly a joy and makes this place that much more special. I can't begin to recommend the Bitter Bar highly enough! read more

Hmmm.. Whatever happened to "the customer is always right"? Received multiple lovely PMs from the owner of this establishment about how I am a "princess," don't read my own reviews (?), and containing some fun explorations deep into sexism territory about how we were all dumb broads without a good cocktail tastebud in our bodies. How fun. Would have given it another shot without the rampant disrespect. read more

Great variety of rare drinks & mixes as well as the only place in Boulder where you can jam out to some great House musicFriendly & compassionate bar tenders as well. read more

The Very Sweet and not so kind...Bitter Bar Heard this was a great place for drinks. Can you say sweet!!! Not "sweet" as in good, sweet as in a long list of candy drinks. Not a shock, the place has a youthful crowd that looks as though they just weaned themselves off of soda pop and have transformed their sugar addiction to include alcohol. My wife said she wanted something from the drink list but nothing sweet. They recommended something, and guess what? It was sweet. I just wanted a dry martini, up with three olives, which seemed way to complicated to them. Boodles... nope, Sapphire... nope, they offered something local and fruity... what ever. It came a little sweet and with only two olives; which is just bad form. I explained that a martini should always come with a odd number of olives, and three would be nice, like I asked. Then comes the eye roll, shocker! This guy was obviously full of himself, it was his show, his way and has nothing to do with the guest. That's typical these days, a bunch of kids who know nothing working in restaurants because they can't think of a better way to make a living. I get that much, it's the arrogance I can do without.. We ate there at the bar, and the food was... you guessed it SWEET. The veggies had a sweet sauce, the lamb chops were sweet. Yikes, nothing savory in this place. Ordered glasses of wine, Côte du Rhone for me which came from the end of a bottle... the wine was flat. (Should have known better for ordering dry French BTG in a place like this). My wife ordered a glass of Malbec which I ended up sharing with her as my wine was flat and we couldn't possibly get the attention of the bartender socializing with his friends. In the end he forgot to put the wine on the check (this is where the owners pay attention to my rant here) so we considered it even. As we were getting up he cleared and dumped my full glass of wine down the sink without any inquiry why I didn't drink it. The mentality and indifference of employees like this begs the question, who do they work for? Obviously it's for themselves and not in the best interest of the business or the guest. read more

Get there right at 5 for happy hour and prime seating on the outdoor patio. Cocktails are super tasty and happy hour prices are reasonable. Tin Man is my favorite - highly recommend. read more

I love the drinks here! They're not the overly sugary, chemical-laden kind. Everything's made with high quality ingredients and tastes amazing. They rotate through their drink menu, so you can always find something new and exciting. Just a warning - don't come here for a simple beer. Go down the street to Walnut Brewery for that. read more

The re-vamped Bitter Bar puts you back into a rec room from Mad Men. Hipster staff, the best drinks in Boulder, appropriate and double-take decor and a refurbished food menu...this place is always full of a crowd full of famous climbers, LMFAO stalkers and "that guy" all drinking next to the brightest entrepreneurs Boulder can offer. Oh yeah, and the table of 12 college trust-funders next to us spent all night taking turns visiting the restroom to snort lines off of the Bitter Bar toilet seats at 9p with doors open. So there that is. read more

Fantastic cocktails, nice ambience, good tunes. I love this spot. The couches are comfy and the main area very cozy. Almost too cozy, I could've fallen asleep. Lovely hand crafted cocktails, can't wait to return to try others. read more

Solid vodka martini. Great cocktails. Standard hipster service.

The Bitter Bar for sure has to be the most hip neighborhood bar in Boulder! It's stylish, artistic, classy, and they play good music. Some music days are better than others however-tonight they played a bit out dated songs so my friends wanted to leave-That's the only reason why I'm rating this 4 out of 5 stars. The drinks are well made, they have some tasty snacks, the environment has a nice vibe and if you're looking for "hip" this is the place! read more