Delicious chicken fajita wrap! My husband really enjoyed his enchilada however I wasn't a big fan of their chips.
(5)
Wilder B.
I went as I'd read in West Word they have the best chicken nachos in Denver. As you can see in the picture, there's 6 ingredients. Crispy house made tortilla chips, chicken, white cheese, green onions, a drizzle of sour cream and a large scoop of guacamole. No salsa. I shared them with 5 other people. One person thought they were great, two said very good, the other three of us thought they were good but too bland to be "the best" (I like them better at Baker's St Pub). But the chips and guacamole are good and when I got a side of chipotle salsa, it was delicious. The margaritas were nothing special though. Just Suazo tequila, water and margarita mix. The beer selection is small but they do have Upslope IPA and Lager from Boulder. A college crowd but also a mix. Hard to find parking as it's by the University. One pool table. When you walk in, there's picnic style benches and tables. Go upstairs and they have a nice rooftop patio with a hearth.
(3)
Jeremy L.
Me and my girlfriend go here about once a week. The staff is extremely nice and always treat us well. Everything I have tried on the menu is great too. They do not have the best beer selection, but have enough to keep you satisfied. It is labeled as a college bar, but it is never full of college students. Most of the time, the clientele is made of various people of any age, given the neighborhood it is in (DU). There is also a rooftop bar which has a really nice fire pit, but is usually filled with people on nice days. Parking is scarce so you might end up in the neighborhood, but nothing of a major walk. Also, people do tend to smoke by the entrance, but that is the only downfall. Check it out
(5)
Rose Y.
Love the pioneer. For a casual bar/restaurant, the food here is pretty darn amazing. Although I didn't get a salad this time, I have in the past and they have been delicious. Fries are always hot and fresh, and beer is always cold. Service is a toss up. At times when the pioneer isn't busy, service is pretty good and wait staff are very friendly. However, on busier days, it can be really difficult to get decent service. But hey, it's a college bar/restaurant, so expectations can't be that high. I also love the fact that there is outdoor seating.
(4)
Rachel B.
Not bad, not great. I liked it more than my boyfriend. We wanted to go to a late happy hour and this was close to home. The drinks are tall and the food is not bad. I gave it three stars, but my bf would only give it two. He did not like the atmosphere and he wasn't happy with the prices. I thought they were fair. I figure this is my review and there's no halfsy's here so we'll go with a solid 3. I'd return, but he wouldn't. Guess I'll be bringing my galpals the next time I hit up this joint and leave my man at home.
(3)
Shane T.
Great place to go for a rooftop beer and a younger crowd. Was a little disappointed in the service, this place would be much better having younger bartenders since it is near a popular university. Also they were out of 2 of their tap beers, not much selection
(3)
Tanner P.
Meh, indeed. Smokers standing on the other side of the railing from the downstairs patio.... they may have been an appropriate distance from the actual building. My partner and I were almost smoked out of the place. Service was ok. Many servers came up to the table asking us if we needed anything... almost like we were not assigned a specific server (?). I ordered the fish tacos and they were terrible.... as in awful. Little to no flavor and a bit dry. The beans and rice I ordered on the side were just above room temperature and had literally no flavor-one... nada....nunca. I had to chase a server down when I realized the beans and rice were so tasteless. Instead of complaining, I just asked for cheese and salt which seemed to fix the flavor, but not the temperature. All in all, it's nothin' fancy. New renovations to the building are nice, but it looks like the food needs it too.
(2)
Kara A.
Sorry, Pioneer, but I'm not impressed. But let me start out by saying the Pioneer Marg with agave nectar is very, very good. My tacos, on the other hand, were very, very bad. I ordered the vegetarian tacos. Not only were they a bad combination of flavors, but they were served cold. Completely and utterly cold. I'm sorry, but tacos are just supposed to be warm. I'm pretty sure cold tacos are nothing more than a wrap. This rarely happens to me, but I couldn't even finish them. I also ordered the queso. Nothing really to say here. It was standard queso. Service at our table was incredibly slow despite the fact that they weren't that busy. At no point did anyone EVER ask me about my food. We stayed for awhile drinking and talking with friends my plate was never cleared. No one ever asked why I hadn't finished more than two bites of my meal. They do, however, have two really nice patios, an upper and lower level. TLDR: Come here for margs. Possibly queso if you want to munch. But don't order dinner.
(2)
Gretchen A.
I'm so torn. The service is usually so bad because they're understaffed, and you are not given any direction when you walk in/the tables that are empty need to be bussed down. However, I just love those damn nachos. I don't know what it is.
(3)
Henry N.
Great happy hour, the 3.50 house margs are tasty, rooftop bar is great on warm days. Food is delicious I really like the nachos and carne/pollo asado burrito's. Bar tenders are all very friendly and helpful with the menu and drink options. Only downside is that you can't use a vertical id if you are from out of state and not gotten a new license.
(4)
Elyse N.
The upstairs patio is nice during the warmer months. Food is pretty great, I had a quesadilla last night and it was delicious and the happy hour specials are good (3$ Margs) However, every time I've been to the pioneer (roughly 8 times) the service has been TERRIBLE. Just be prepared to wait a long time to give them your money (busy or not). Last night we waited about 30 minutes for someone to stop by our table and eventually had to go to the bar to request our checks (twice)
(3)
Rachel S.
I took my kids here on a Sunday afternoon. The waitress, while new, was very friendly and, as a result of being new, was at a loss as to recommend something to eat but she had tried the tacos so I had those. One daughter had the pulled pork sandwich and the other had the Pollo Asada enchiladas. My son enjoyed a chicken club and one of my tacos. While all of them were good, the enchiladas were FANTASTIC! They have a house garlic hot sauce that I like quite a lot. It's a patio bar in a college neighborhood, and as you would expect, it's loud and busy. Parking is nigh impossible. The unisex bathroom was cleaner than the bathrooms in most bars but not really all that clean. All and all, if you're into the college patio bar vibe, this place has some pretty good food.
(4)
Brian H.
I have been there twice and don't ever plan on going again. The customer service is terrible. First off, they don't have any greeters to seat you, which is annoying but able to be looked past. My first time there we had a waitress who ignored us the entire time. She was more interested in socializing with her friends at another table than in serving us. I am usually a decent tipper but I refused to leave her a tip. I was willing to overlook that first trip - maybe the waitress was having a bad day - and go again but the service was still bad. We sat ourselves but after five minutes of no one approaching us we just left. During those five minutes of waiting two waiters passed our table, looked at us, but never acknowledged our presence. I won't comment on the food because I was so upset from that first trip that I forgot how the food was. This restaurant ought to be embarrassed by their terrible customer service and I encourage potential customers to forego patronizing it.
(1)
Lindsay A.
I used to love this bar. They have a great happy hour, it's not far from home, and the service used to be great. I also loved the food and was generally happy with whatever I decided to order. Our last visit was nothing special. We came in around 6:30 on a Saturday night and the place was pretty empty. We were surprised by this considering at this time last year it would have been hard to find a seat. We looked for a table and there were a ton of crumbs on every empty one we saw. We grabbed one that looked less crumby and waited for someone to come over. As we were looking around, we noticed that a lot of the staff we used to see on a regular basis were not there anymore. It was a whole bunch of new faces. People move on, whatever... We got our menus and had made it in time for a round of happy hour drinks. They do have happy hour on the weekends too, which is nice. I ordered one of their famous margaritas. It wasn't like I remembered. They seemed really watered down and the flavor it did have was that of sour mix. The marg I remembered tasted like real lime juice and you could actually taste the tequila in it. We decided to order some chips and queso to start and then we would split one of their chile rellano burritos, because we remembered them as being big enough to share. We received the queso not long after we ordered it and the texture was super thin and lacked flavor. The chips are still the same, they are tostada shells that you break apart. We got the burrito not long after and it was pretty lukewarm and definitely not as big as I remember. It was a few bites each and not a lot of rellano. We were disappointed this visit and it left a lot to be desired. We still felt hungry afterward because the portions are much smaller. I don't know what happened to one of our "go to" spots, but we will probably just head over to Illegal Pete's when we are looking for a happy hour margarita and some grub. Maybe it was a change in management or something, but it has changed for the worse....
(2)
Morgan A.
Good food besides undercooked tortillas for my tacos. Not sure who our server was, as we had at least 4 come to our table, but it kinda took awhile for the check to come. Then again, it was a busy Saturday night. I'd go back.
(3)
B I.
Eh, if you're in the mood for pretty straight forward street tacos this is the place. Nothing inventive or special about them but pretty solid none the less. Staff is friendly but the service isn't quick so expect to wait awhile.
(3)
Beki P.
Open air rooftop bar is awesome! Bloody Mary on point, yes, I'm picky and I was delighted! Food was really fabulous fresh and delicious, bartender even offered suggestions for new options. This place was great, and we would love to come back again!
(5)
Brooke N.
Bartenders are pr*cks! Deny that they are a "college bar" 2 blocks from DU. Suggested we go to 7-11 across the street for food. I'm upset I spent my money here. #86thatmanbun
(1)
s f.
Fun with cheap beer and pretty good burritos. Campus dives are run down, but this goes a little too far. Could use some cleaning.
(2)
Julie S.
We went there on a Saturday evening. It wasn't busy and we found a table right away. Someone gave us menus and took our drink order right away. It went down hill from there. After 10 - 15 , another server took our food order. After another 45 minutes, we asked about our food and were told she would check on it. She came back to say it would be another 10 minutes and that the kitchen was backed up. I believe this is server code for "I didn't put in your order," but that was never said. After another 15 minutes, we received our cold, undercooked food. I ate what I could and was still hungry. We complained when I asked for the check and they comped our food. IT was obvious that I had barely touched my plate and we were clear that waiting for an hour for inedible food was unacceptable. I was happy they comped our food, but I still had to go home and make myself something to eat. I will never go back. I can't believe they are still serving cold food after the number of Yelp reviewers who specifically mentioned it.
(1)
Katie W.
Cheap, good food and margaritas, but consistently horrific service. Sitting down is by far the worst part of the experience as its a toss up on whether its self seating or a list at the bar, and you will definitely be ignored or spoken to rudely either way. Once you sit down service generally improves as you can grab any server walking by - they aren't dedicate to specific tables. But be warned, this makes resolving any issues with your food or bill very difficult! We frequently end up getting double charged for drinks.
(3)
john A.
Literally took the change from our table before we had a chance to decide how much should be a tip. Worst service ever? I recommend you don't find out for yourself.
(1)
Richa B.
Food is atrociously flavored with minimal seasoning or salt even and has no real Mexican spin to it. You're better off going to Illegal Petes down the road.
(1)
Mila G.
They have done so much work here, and it's really paying off! They added a rooftop patio and expanded the main level patio, and it was a smart move. Food is great, I had the spinach and potato enchiladas and was thrilled. Margaritas are great too! It's a bit loud with the metal ceilings, I wish they had insulated a little so we weren't screaming at each other all night. Service was good.
(4)
Melissa E.
Last year I would've called it a college "dive bar", but the new upstairs patio really amped up the class & ambiance! I was there on $5 asada burrito night which was a great price and taste! The location is great, service was spot on and enjoyable spring night stopover.
(4)
Mitch G.
Classic college dive bar. Cheap beer (especially the PBR), solid food, and great proximity to DU. Food: I haven't been disappointed yet. The tacos are really good, especially for the price and the Monday night special (massive $5 carne asada burrito) is awesome. Drinks: The house margarita is pretty much run of the mill but decent. The beer is affordable and cold. PBR's are like $2, so y'all know what I'm drinking. Bottom Line: Favorite place around DU for a few beers and tacos. Love their outdoor seating.
(4)
Ellie G.
If you have ever "thought" you lost anything here it was more than likely stolen from the bartender and his girlfriend. I caught them stealing my jacket and scarf last week. Keep your eyes on your goods there. I am NEVER going back.
(1)
Smidgie W.
Food is good, but the service isn't the best. Don't get me wrong, the staff is super nice. But, they are just so slow and get my order wrong so often!! One of the servers looked like a deer in headlights tonight! Otherwise, love the enchiladas and nachos.
(3)
KC N.
They've got killer Mexican food-try the spinach enchiladas or a half order of the nachos. Everything is made in house. And their garlic hot sauce is now a staple in my home. I go their for a low key happy hour with friends or with the kids for dinner on the fly-this place is a great family-friendly establishment with good local vibes.
(5)
Ashley B.
Where do I begin. I wanted to like this place, but no. Just no. The service was absolutely awful--the bartenders ignored us (the only two females at the bar) and spent their time flirting with the dudes instead. As former bartenders, my roommate and I are pretty forgiving... But this place just doesn't cut it. The kitchen is right next to the bar - You can see every grill, every plate and every cook. Yikes. Add on top of this the fact that we were approached by a creepy man in the parking lot on the way in and there you have it...I have no intention of ever returning. The one redeeming factor may be that the drink prices are not bad. All we could think the whole time was that this place should be on Bar Rescue..... Jon Taffer where you at? Enjoy!
(2)
Alice M.
The food was okay, but the service was so incredibly bad! The waitress looked like she couldn't keep her eyes open, she never once smiled or used even a semi-friendly voice, she walked away while we were still talking, and was just plain rude. I will never come back!
(1)
Madeline B.
Sometimes it's a little packed and the servers can be slow to get back to you but that is my only complaint. The fish tacos are delicious! My boyfriend LOVES the al pastor tacos and has brought friends here specifically to eat them as well. The pioneer has been one of the only places where the happy hour lasts till 7pm. You cannot beat a $3 house margarita after work. They come in full size glasses as well. Their homemade garlic hot sauce is unbeatable. I definitely recommend the pioneer.
(5)
Emily P.
Good happy hour deals, just be sure you don't have a horizontal ID. They won't serve you no matter what state you're from!
(4)
Shannon V.
Disappointing - service was good but that was all. The food was mediocre at best. My husband got a burger which was fair...I got chips and guacamole and queso with chorizo. The chips were fried whole flour tortillas. First of all, corn would have been better. The chips were over cooked Nd crumbled when broken for dipping. We sat on the above balcony and there was a woman smoking next to us. She made sure she announced loudly that she was well within her right to smoke too. Next to us were four young coeds doing shots and using foul language. Just not a very nice ambiance. Needless to say we not be back, as there are many better options in Denver.
(1)
Jenna P.
Love this bar. Love the people who work here. Love the food. Love the people who cook the food. Here's a tip to everyone bitching about the crowd, smoke and noise...ITS A COLLEGE BAR.
(5)
Connor G.
This place has deliberately double charged me and some friends multiple times and judging by the comments I am not the only one. I will never come back and suggest that you dont unless you wanna pay double for your food.
(1)
Tiffany W.
Another installment from The Little Pub company, The Pioneer about lives up to all the others I've visited (except Don's Club Tavern -- that place blows goats [personal opinion]). The Pioneer's focus is Mexican food and margaritas, However, they still have a pretty standard selection of beers and a full bar, so if you're not into limey sugar with tequila, there are other options. Unfortunately, chips and salsa do not come for free here; they're $1.99 per order. Nice profit margin, y'all. That said, I get that DU students could probably eat their weight in C&S (especially when drinking and/or smoking the reefer), so it makes sense. Chips and Guac can be yours for $5.99, no salsa included (boo). This place operates the free-for-all staff model -- meaning anyone and everyone (who works there) can be your server. This works when everyone is on the same page and you need another drink and oh hey a server just happens to be walking by. It does not work, however, when you order "chips and guac to start" and they come out after the entrees do. Wahn waaahn. With that in mind, the chips are quite tasty. They're full mini-rounds of corn tortillas, fried up fresh and crispy. The guac was basic: smashed avocado, jalapeno, and cilantro with a sprinkle of pico atop. Went well with the chips I 'spose. For our entrees we got the Mushroom & Poblano Burrito and the Mushroom & Poblano enchiladas. Basically the same thing, only the ench's are corn torts (unless you request to sub flour), and strangely there are no rice and beans with the enchiladas. The vegetarian green chile had a nice kick to it; the burrito was definitely enough for two meals (chips+guac or not). During happy hour (from 3-p-7p), house margs are $3. I suspect a general (read: pre-made) margarita mix is used as the base, but they claim Hornitos as the house tequila and at $3 a pop they got the job done. Overall, for four drinks, chips+guac, and two entrees it was pretty reasonably priced. If nothing else on-par with the other Little Pub entities. I'm rarely in this area for anything but if I am and I need a marg or HH or a Mexi-food fix, I'll know where I can go for A-OK fulfillment of said need(s).
(3)
Miranda G.
This place is consistently pretty good. An okay house marg, really good tacos (and chicken nachos, guacamole, enchiladas...) and spotty, but good-enough service. They're usually pretty busy and sometimes it's overwhelming walking into a busy bar that has no greeter. I just try to let someone know I'm there so they know where I am. I keep going back, so they're doing something right! Also it's not flooded with DU kids as one may think from its location. Good mix of peeps. Don't be afraid.
(4)
Lorne H.
This place serves 14oz draft "pints" and masquerades them as full 16oz beers! Preposterous!
(1)
Kate S.
This place has stepped up their game. Now, they also have an outdoor patio (which is always busy). But, with the new renovations? They must have re-vamped something in the kitchen too. Their food has improved, even though it was already good....now it is great!It isn't "real" Mexican food, it is more comparable to the Rio. But their carnitas are so bomb. Highly recommend checking this place out :)
(5)
T S.
We frequent this place with couples only and even with our family of 2 kids. It's a great casual place to hang out and the food is always good, never a bad meal. You can even host small parties too and they do a great job at those! Love the patios too. Thanks Pioneer for being a great neighborhood addition!!!!
(5)
Ariel K.
I've had two very disappointing visits to the Pioneer recently. This place used to be my fav for steak nachos in Denver. Now, post renovation, menu items have gotten pricier, and quality has gone down substantially. Nachos looked great when they came out, presentation still rocks, but chips were stale, and the entire meal was just, meh, okay. That along with less than stellar food/drink specials during football games on Sunday means we've probably had our last meal here for a while. Hope it gets better, but not going to hold my breath. Pros: Lots of TV's w/ all the football games on, service is okay. Cons: Relatively pricey, food slow to come out, not great specials, stale chips, margs not great.
(2)
Sophie L.
I will NEVER be going back to this bar because of how incredibly rude one of the male bartenders is - specifically the one who is about 5'4, brunette and has glasses. I don't know how someone with that extreme lack of common sense for how to treat customers and someone with zero awareness of normal social conduct was hired into a customer service position. Absolutely ridiculous.
(1)
Jonathan K.
This is the go-to place if you find yourself in the DU area, and are looking for that college feel. If you are lucky enough to be in the area on a Monday or Tuesday night, the $5 smothered burrito (Beef Monday, Chicken Tuesday), is the way to go. In my experience, it tends to attract many grad students, making the crowd and ambiance a bit more mature (and intelligent). The staff are great, very friendly and efficient.
(5)
Tyler P.
Fajita wrap is the best single item around the DU campus. Booze isn't anything special but sometimes cheap. Try the fajita wrap it won't disappoint Staff is just a tad bit off.
(4)
Matthew C.
For a bar next to campus with great beers and great beer specials, great American and Mexican food, a decent dining room and patio, and cool waitstaff - you don't see it packed with college kids often. Pioneer is a great place to grab a quick lunch - the burrito specials on Monday and Tuesday are awesome at only $5. Or if you have a group of friends who want to relax and drink away the tension of the week, Pioneer has your back - but if the place starts hopping (Thursday night and weekend evenings), then you may have to wait. The servers are awesome and work their tails off, but it seems sometimes they are short staffed. Still, it is always worth a return trip.
(3)
Drue A.
In the first cold hours of 2015, with the bus returning to where we all met just outside The Pioneer hours earlier, our legion of New Year's celebrants headed inside the bar for final beers before finding a way home. What followed is a sequence that still confuses me. As some of the party bantered along the perimeter of the bar and others worked out plans for leaving, a couple employees notified, I think, Last Call and urged all inside to proceed accordingly. Moments after that, a staff member became hostile, saying indistinct remarks now demanding the crowd of perhaps a dozen to leave with alacrity. Fair but a little rude, I and others obliged and now were outside in the frigid night. I was surprised to hear additional rancorous commands at unidentified people, brining my attention back inside the bar. At this moment, I stood precisely against the door inside -- warmth was a premium -- before our driver arrived, and thought better of quickly using the restroom as clearly any kind of patronage or use of facilities was unwelcome. These guys wanted everyone out, and in haste. A final torrent of disapproving shouts, to my surprise, now was directed at me by a barkeep. I reacted by leaving, not engaging the employee and avoiding confrontation. Now for the nut paragraph of this review. The man, among his combination of disproving expressions, condescendingly instructed me, and perhaps meant this as a group-wide message, to "go write a bad Yelp review!" for all he could care, which obviously is a strange action to specify. Everyone now absolutely stood outside, approximately at 0200 hours, trying to sort just what baffling things transpired in there. During this, the bartender who hurled the combination of fierce rebukes (highlighted by the Yelp order) found me and apologized. I said I didn't know what was happening, but OK then, sir, please return inside for it's cold and you are not wearing a jacket (the last part of this I didn't say). I understand the protocol for any bar's closing time and perhaps the easily agitated psyche of a bartender at the end of a very busy night dealing with drunks wearing frilly hats and puffing noisemakers. It does not permit, far as I perceive, the kind of aggressive speech toward acquiescing millennial bar-goers that I associate between boxers at a weigh-in or Bostonian brothers at a playground basketball hoop. Thanks for being sorry, Pioneer. And thanks for explicitly recommending I compose a review about my experience*. *Which took some time because I often have plenty of more prudent issues for which to focus. However my vehicle is at the shop today, and I'm here in the waiting lounge.
(1)
Alex B.
The rooftop bar and seating is a great addition considering there's no place nearby that has the same thing. It's a great place to grab some food and some drinks. Parking can be tricky since it's near DU, but not difficult enough to deter!
(3)
Des L.
Usually when I rate a place there's usually some pros and cons!! Hopefully no cons...this place surprised me In a bad way! I didn't think you could mess up a taco until now...seriously! The corn tortillas were cold and I think there were like 6 pieces of meat in my taco. The chips come out after waiting a lifetime and they're these hard ass big tostada chips and taste like old frying oil and the queso is chunky and tastes like milk! Ugh and the service oh boy!!! Takes forever, and received the wrong plate as well as not being checked on once! Haha this place is a joke. I'm surprised they're still open!
(1)
Emilee D.
Normally, I'm not a fan of college bars. However, The Pioneer has a good mix of old/young patrons and fun bar staff. I just started coming here on Wednesdays for Geeks Who Drink trivia and haven't been disappointed yet. If you plan on playing trivia, I suggest you get here early to get a spot. The venue is small and seats fill up fast. The only thing off the menu that I've tried is their guacamole and chips. I have no complaints, the guac is better than most places and I believe their chips are made in-house. As for drinks, I stick to my basic gin & lemonades and get a good pour. Everything is moderately priced. Parking can be sort of an issue, but they do have their own parking lot. If you're lucky, there'll be an open space available. If not, you'll need to find street parking.
(4)
Charity K.
The service is pretty hit or miss. I've been there when the bar tender was a bit drunk, and was heavily flirting with the man I was there with. But I've also seen my waiter go the extra mile to make sure a real pain in the ass party (with 12 kids in tow) that were complaining about everything, left happy. Unfortunately, the negative experiences are most prevalent in my mind. Undeniably though, of all the Little Pub Company restaurant/bars in the Denver area, this one has the most consistent, and quality food. The cod fish tacos, for example- are the best I've ever had! Here's to hoping they hire less party kids and more people who actually kind of care about their jobs.
(3)
Josh L.
Awesome place! Great drinks prices, food is excellent. Recently remodeled...nice place to visit.
(5)
Heather C.
The pioneer is always a good time. Friendly staff and atmosphere, cheap happy hour drinks. Their sopapillas and $5 burrito specials are great. The best thing is the chile relleno burrito though - a chile relleno stuffed into a burrito. What! Yeah, it's amazing
(4)
Hannah M.
Chicken nachos lived up to their hype and awesome happy hour! Our server was a little ditzy but made up for it in free drinks which always makes things better :)
(4)
Amy O.
Holy chili rellanos! Man, they were so tasty, and cheesy, and crispy! And SO filling. I could only eat one. To be honest all 3 of us ordered the rellanos, so I can't speak to any of their other food (besides the chips and salsa, which were also good). I thought that for the amount of food that we got, the menu was priced right. The margs seemed a tad watered down. The service was good and they had some games in the patio area (Currently winterized), which accounted for some random fun on the way out as we decided to shoot some hoops to see who'd buy lunch next week.
(5)
Krysta W.
Won't take vertical IDs. Sorry I'm from out of state - I'm 24 and can't get a drink. There are plenty of bars in the area, I won't go out of my way to bring out my passport just to go here. My friends didn't even finish their drinks (margarita, whiskey sour) they were so watered down. I was hoping this place would be a local hangout for us but there's nothing redeeming about it.
(1)
Heather P.
Loud, crowded and bad food. Tried it three times to give it a chance. Won't go back!!
(1)
Peter M.
So close to 4 stars, except for a couple of annoying things. For one, the parking situation is mediocre at best. Also, unless you are into PBR, there's no real 'deals' here outside of the happy hour, and I'm a 'deals' kinda guy - especially on the menu. You know how sometimes your having a couple of drinks, and you look at a menu and think, "I'm hungry, but I'm not $11 bucks for tacos hungry..." It's that. Other than that, the staff is quick, friendly, and responsive. It's a college bar with a college bar feel, so that can be taken as a plus or minus, depending on your druthers.
(3)
Dayna D.
I absolutely love this place. I try to go regularly, at least once a month, if not more. The chicken nachos are SO good. Once I ordered the chicken nachos, I stopped ordering anything else. The margaritas are also very good. The staff is very friendly and attentive. Prices are very good. It's a nice break from the outrageous prices downtown.
(5)
Tiffany C.
Amazing chili rellenos! Different from your average texmex places around town but sooooo worth getting. Also, try the chile relleno burrito with carnitas in it...not on the menu but staff will know exactly what you are asking for. Its incredible and huge. Their smoked chicken wings are worth getting as well. Delicious! Great margs. Not to sweet. Huge new roof top bar.
(4)
Katie V.
I was not very pleased with The Pioneer. For a place that has a tagline "Tacos and Margaritas" their margaritas were less than average. Apparently they come from a mix. There are 2 flavor options, lime and strawberry. There's really nothing special about that in my opinion. Go down the street to Illegal Pete's where the service and food are much better.
(2)
Spencer K.
Great place for a drink and quick, tasty Mexican. Nothing fancy about it, just a neighborhood DU spirited bar but food is on point and drinks and reasonably priced. New rooftop bar/ patio makes it even better. $5 burrito special on Tuesdays is my jam
(4)
Bernard H.
Great upper deck patio, food was pretty good, and the bartender was great. The kind of bartender that's attentive, friendly, and makes you feel welcomed. He gave us a couple of beer samples a Parker Brewery rep. Was sampling. Nice bonus.
(4)
Amy F.
Wow! Chicken Tacos were fanfreakingtastic! The garlic hot sauce needs to be on the market, that stuff is Da shiznit Service was great even with how busy this place was. cheap drinks, good vibes, and saw a pool table
(4)
Cheyne M.
Fine, not great. Stopped by before a DU Hockey game and was surprised that this is definitely not a college bar, as most patrons were above 30 years of age. A decent amount of TV's to watch sports and a really well priced happy hour. The chicken tacos were not bad, but not great either. Has a small bar area, but a pretty good patio for when the weather allows. A nice neighborhood joint, but nothing special.
(3)
Katie R.
Looking for a college dive bar? this is the place to be! After hearing awesome things about The Pioneer, Anna R and I decided to check it out on a spontaneous happy hour outing and were surprised to the following things: 1. No college kids. it was happy hour, and pretty much NO one under the age of 45 was there. what's wrong with that picture? 2. Awesome happy hour specials. for 3 beers, we paid $4. epic. 3. A friendly [and attractive, i might add] wait staff. all very attentive and interesting to talk with. A place i would like to return to, maybe just not on a thursday afternoon! ha :)
(3)
Michelle P.
Excellent new renovations , super friendly staff, great food, walking distance from DU, what more could anyone want? They also have ridiculous food specials like $5 burritos on certain days. The nachos are fantastic as well. Highly recommended overall. PS - if Ryan is your server, you can expect A+ service.
(5)
Mike Z.
Went there to catch the last half of the football game, expecting to be starving and standing, but instead got descent seats...and considering it was game time, fairly fast service during happy hour
(4)
Sarah W.
We are currently preping for a move from the Cap Hill area to a house just South of DU, major life changes that will go down much easier if we know that we have a good bar within walking distance. Enter The Pioneer. I was worried that The Pioneer was just another college bar that would be packed with undergrads, so when the fiance suggested we check it out I was a little hesitant. Turns out my fears were for nothing and this place is pretty fantastic. We ended up going in on a Tuesday evening, they have a $5 burrito special and happy hour runs til 7. It is a seat yourself place, but the second we sat down we were greeted by a waitress. Turns out we must have looked new, she gave us the run down quickly and grabbed our drinks. Throughout the evening the service was great, our waitress stopped to chat with us every chance she had, telling us about the neighborhood and really selling us on the place. At one point she even offered us Rockies tickets that someone had just dropped off at the bar. The food itself was also very tasty, nothing spectacular, but delish for the price. I ended up with the $5 burrito special which is huge, I ate way more than I should have. We also got the chips and guca which were really tasty, the chips had been made fresh in the back. I was happily surprised by my experience and can't wait to go back, I am feel much better about the new neighborhood.
(4)
Dylan L.
This place has the best happy hour of any bar in the area, and really, the best of a lot of bars I've been too. Between 4-6 and 10-Midnight, draft beer is "2 for 1"...translation: you can get New Belgium, Sierra Nevada, and more great craft beer for for $2.25! The staff is very friendly and conversational...I've never had a bad experience. They have a great patio...the one issue I have (and the reason to take a star off) is that this is where smoking is allowed...so if you want to enjoy it, you enjoy it full of cigarette smoke (no offense smokers). Still, there's a pool table on the patio and it's open during the nicer months and insulated/heated during the colder ones, so even in December you can comfortably enjoy your beer on the patio and play some pool. Bottom line is, this place has great deals, great staff, and a very nice set up. Just know what if you want to hang out on the patio, it's incredibly smokey.
(4)
Zippy D.
This is my neighborhood bar, but I don't come here just because it's convenient, but because they make an awesome margarita, offer a great happy hour, and tasty food (their salsas and nachos are the bomb). Great staff, these guys are super fun and engaging. By engaging, I mean they'll never turn down a shot. :-D Try the Pioneer salad, if you're looking for a healthy treat...goat cheese, pumpkin seeds on fresh greens, topped with agave lime dressing...beats your usual bar food by far.
(4)
Natasha P.
As a whole, we found the food pretty bland. Pass on the chips and salsa.
(3)
Holly G.
Pretty Divey. Unfriendly service and expensive margs...but at least they were decent tasting. Maybe I would appreciate this place more if I was still in college? Maybe.
(2)
Michael C.
I love this place. They have the best chicken nachoes in Denver. Also if you are looking for a cheap kids meal for three dollars you get an awesome kids quasadilla and fresh squeezed orange juice. You can't beat it.
(4)
Crys A.
Cool divey place. Heard the nachos were good and so we ordered them --- tasty. Our server was fast, helpful and really cool. There is a covered deck area where people can congregate and/or smoke. I don't smoke so I avoided it, but imagine it will be nice in the summer when it's not enclosed. Down to earth, solid food and drinks, only issue was limited parking but oh well --- I'm not new to having to McGyver myself a spot somewhere.
(4)
Terry B.
I jokingly recommended stopping here and Mustard's with a friend on Super Bowl Sunday. Unfortunately, they obliged. And, we wound up there forever because other friends showed up. Anyway, this is a great, divey bar with good prices on drinks, super friendly bartenders and awesome regulars. They were running a bit short on some of the liquor, (it was a Sunday after all) but they were also able to find good quality replacements in case we cleaned them out. If I were closer, I'd stop in here quite a bit.
(4)
Andie S.
The Pioneer is an average establishment with average food. Their happy hour prices are good and they have done a lot of exciting renovations. The patio is now mostly covered, has heat lamps, and a pool table. They also have a brand new rooftop patio that I can't wait to try; in summer that will be quite the spot.
(3)
Brian W.
Great casual spot. The staff are friendly and helpful.
(4)
Taylor B.
It's good stuff. A great happy hour after class/work, and another late one. Can't beat half price drinks. I guess they make up their profit in food prices. It's delicious, but damned expensive. Avoid the turned up noses (and business students) at Jordan's, the drunks at The Stadium, the kiddies at The Border and head to The Pioneer.
(4)
Christina E.
Here's what you need to know about me. #1, I love a comfy, casual bar with cheap drinks. #2, I really love me some tacos. So when I stopped by the Pioneer this past week, well, lets just say it was love at first sight. I wouldn't categorize this as a dive bar -- it's a college bar. Nothing fancy or pretentious, the place focuses less on being trendy, and more on being comfortable. When you step inside you'll think it's been around forever, even though I think it's relatively new. We stopped in for an early weeknight dinner, trying to escape the rush hour traffic on I-25. It was happy hour which meant half-off drafts, wells and house margaritas. I had a few margaritas, which were very tasty. They were pre-mixed but still surprisingly delicious. We also got chips & salsa which were house-made and very good. For dinner I choose the pork carnitas tacos. Three tacos, with some delicious, smokey, shredded pork on soft corn tortillas. They were so good! My hubby had the carnitas pork sloppy burrito, which was made with the same pork, mixed with rice and beans in a burrito, all smothered in chili verde. Delish! I usually try a bite of his (for the sake of Yelp, of course), but this was so good I kept on nibbling! Bottom line, a surprising good Mexican joint hidden in a college bar facade. Great food and drinks will have us coming back.
(4)
Nick C.
The Pioneer has become our go to for happy hour proceeding work on Fridays. Not because it is convenient as hell, as there are tons of other bars in walking distance to the University, but because of the awesomely priced happy hour offerings. Their happy hour and food is far superior to any of the other campus bars. By no means should you be detered from this place at the idea that it is a college bar. Not that there is anything wrong with college students, as I once was one and many of my friends are current graduate students, but much of the clientele seem not to be college students. Families come for dinner and alumni meet up to watch DU hockey games. Considering the limited space around the bar, it is best that the clientele does not primarily consist of unruly college students. If that's what your looking for, I would hesitantly direct you to The Border or The Stadium. In addition to the awesome hh which consists of half off on drafts, wells, and wines, the very social and attentive servers, and decent food offerings, they have plenty of TVs and a nice front patio to accomadate for the increased crowds.
(4)
Jimmy C.
Love the Pioneer -- it's my neighborhood bar, a good place to grab a beer after work or good eats later. The food is surprisingly good, love the fish tacos, and the rest of the mexican food is above average and pretty original. Friends rate the burger and nachos highly. The atmosphere is pretty divey, and it can get way too busy when the undergrads are out in force or there's a hockey game at DU, but it's comfortable and works for me most of the time. The service is typical bar service, so sometimes you have to be a little proactive about grabbing someone, but usually it's good. Some interesting moments have happened there, so we'll always have some good stories about events at the Pio...
(4)
Rachel M.
Yes it looks like a dive college bar, yes you can routinely hear "shots, shots, shots" yelled in the background. Is that all bad? No. The food is surprisingly delicious (salads, queso dip and wings are all must-trys) and the service is so very friendly. Remember your friend from college who was always stoned, never shaved but could always be relied upon to make a killer drink? He mostly likely works here now, and all their staff routinely treat you like a good buddy. If you have little kids, you'll feel at home between 5-7, when the place seems to briefly turn into Chucky Cheese and is overrun by young families that live around DU. Before and after that, the bar seems to settle into the type you'd expect close to a college campus. If a beer and nachos are what you are looking for, this place can't be beat.
(4)
Sarah G.
Great margaritas and atmosphere! $3 marg happy hour :) Def coming back to try the food.
(5)
Laura L.
Can I just call this a college hangout? C'mon, it is a bit of a dive. Any place that has plastic surrounding the porch falls into that category for me. But that said - the food is fantastic! Me and crazy.sexy.cool sought this place out the other night for some later-than-usual eats and it was packed, but we managed to grab a table by the door. I was surprised by their menu selection - lots of taco selections, and we settled on tacos al pastor and the carnitas. I thought the al pastor was tastier, topped with a citrus salsa. Mmmm. The guac was ok and 2 salsas were addicting - one was spicy, the other chipotle - accompanied by ginormous tortilla chips. And yes, it's annoying to pay for chips and salsa, but it was good enough that I can't complain. And the margs? Deceptively strong. Watch out. I would def. come back to The Pioneer to try out some of their other tacos, enchiladas, and burritos.
(4)
Tyler M.
I just moved to town and this is already becoming one of my favorite hangouts. I haven't ordered any food, aside from the chips, which are huge! But I go there for drinks and the friendly service. Also, they have a happy hour from 10-12 PM, which is amazing.
(5)
Alex B.
The Pioneer Chopped Salad is delish, but get it without tomatoes - they don't really taste like anything at all. Otherwise, The Pioneer has a small (but good) draft beer selection, great happy hour, and is willing to change a TV to Big Ten Network for me while I'm outside of Big Ten country. So good!
(4)
Kent R.
The Pioneer is muy damn bueno. Travelled to DU to hear a bass trombone quartet. I didn't think such a thing was legal in Colorado. I assumed four bass trombones playing at once must surely mark the start of the apocalypse, so I figured I might as well see the end of all existence in person. Anyway, we heard the Pioneer had awesome burgers, so stopped in for a Last Supper. Instead, got sucked in to the Mexican food. Great chips and salsa. Chips clearly homespun... The shape's a giveaway... you'll see. Good carnitas, very good green chile. And damn good house margs. Yeah, "house" is too often code for "crap tequila and Kool-aid we can get away with selling you" but these were truly worthy. Decent selection of mexican beers too. And they were playing some seriously laid back R&B. Bonus points. In the end, the trombones didn't end the universe, though I heard a crack in the time-space continuum. Thusly surviving another day, I'll be back.
(4)
Jason J.
So the other reviews on here seem to go back and forth between calling The Pioneer a Dive Bar and Not a Dive Bar. The truth is, it's delicately situated between the two. You enter, and it feels like it should be a dive bar, but the floors aren't sticky and there's no trace of vomit to be found anywhere. You expect the service to be a bit slow, and the manner of staff-to-guest interaction to be a tad surly -- but service is prompt, and friendly. The decor screams "I'm almost a dive-bar! Almost!" and it is, almost, a dive-bar. It will be in a couple of years, but for now it's clean and tidy and it lacks the necessary dive-bar clientele of "the one guy who is always there, and always piss drunk because he's angry at something but is trying a little too had to seem happy" or TOGWIATAAPDBHAASBITALTHTSH for short. Most people are right, it's a little spendy. It's higher priced than you would expect, but the food is tasty, the drinks are okay (a little overpriced -- $7 for my ladyfriend's cucumber cooler, and The Pioneer Margarita was on the weak side.) I had a carne asada messy burrito, and the ladyfriend had the veggie one -- both are solid burritos. Tasty, enjoyable, and large. Think Chipotle + a few ounces. We missed happy hour (though I'm not sure when happy hour actually is) but it's supposedly less spendy, with half priced drinks. At half priced and 50% more liquor, I could see the value. However, just cheap is always a draw as well. It's worth noting that parking around here is horrendous. It's the DU area, after all -- finding quality parking within a 20 block radius of the DU campus is more difficult than swimming to the moon. So enjoy your three mile walk back to your car in the one non-1hour parking spot you happened to find. Good food, pleasant staff. I must mention, my favorite part about being there was that at the end of the meal, I was able to just...talk with my ladyfriend. No interruptions from the server or staff -- they wordlessly cleared our plates from the table, and just kind of sensed when we were ready for the check. They did this flawlessly, and it's hard to do! They didn't pester us with trying to get us to order dessert, just kind of knew when we were ready to go, and gave us time and space to chat and enjoy digestion (my 2nd favorite part after ingestion!!) So kudos to the staff for that. A total bill of $49 w/tip was a touch higher than I had anticipated, but it was worth it to try a new place. I'll be going back, but it's a little expensive for me to be a regular (regular eater anyway.) I'll just have to make sure next time my fat derriere graces the Pioneer with it's voluminous and soon-to-be-burrito-filled presence, I'll have to go during happy hour!
(3)
Coral E.
Loved this place! Came here for a Broncos game and watched on the enclosed and heated patio. All of the wait staff was friendly and attentive, and their suggestions were great! We had margs, the chicken nachos and the chile rellenos to split-- all were delicious! Totally reasonably priced, and a fun place to sit and eat and watch the game!
(4)
Gregg G.
Honestly.......worst experience I've ever had a restaurant. Used to be a good place. Don't know what happened. Not going back. Took 1 hour to get chips. Place was not even busy. Food wasn't what I ordered either.
(1)
Melissa H.
Damn, Pioneer, I totally underestimated you! Lots of fellow grad students I know hit up the Pioneer on a fairly regular basis (usually beginning of the quarter, before we're swamped, then in the midst of the quarter, when we're trying to dull the stress), but I haven't had the inclination or time to go yet. FINALLY... after finals, I went on a Tuesday night with my study (now drinking) group. OMG I'm so glad I don't live close enough to go on a regular basis! So good! Highlights-- the chicken nachos are INCREDIBLE. Individually covered nachos, coated in cheese, chicken, beans. There may be avocado on it too, or maybe that's on the side. Anyway, I don't eat meat, but after scraping off the chicken and listening to my friends' reviews (the friend who ordered it + our meat-eating buddy), we all agreed the $10+ was worth it for these nachos. The margaritas-- strong and cheap, just like my men (har har har...) I had the mushroom, cheese, and avocado tacos (they're not called them but that's what was in them) which were super filling and tasty as well. Everyone in our group enjoyed our meal, and while service was slower than I would have preferred, it was a Tuesday night after finals so we weren't in a rush. Plus, the place was packed, so I can understand. Friendly service and they were accommodating when we told them we needed to split the check 3 ways. Score! We walked from my friend's place, but parking here is a cinch. There's parking in the front, on the side, and behind the Pioneer, and parking on the street if it's super packed. I'll be back sooner than finals week, for sure!
(5)
Molly H.
So not only did we have a pretty poor overall experience at The Pioneer, the waiter erroneously tipped himself $50 on a $45.14 bill. REALLY!! I would suggest keeping an eye on your bank statements after going here or simply paying in cash.
(1)
David C.
Meh sounds about right, but not to the point of 2 stars, so I'll go 2.5 here. Tried it out for Monday Night Football, and it was crowded but not overly so. Food was decent, but I can do better around the DU campus. Parking is not great, since the lot is fairly small and it's right off of University Blvd., so when it's full, you have to be careful parking on the side streets with all of the campus regulations and one-hour limits. The patio is nice, but the doors were open and the smoke really drifted into the main restaurant, which shouldn't happen. Service was very laid-back, almost too much so, as I had to ask for a knife to cut my large burrito, and the people at the table next to us apparently hadn't gotten their food after a very long wait. My burrito (the Monday night carne asada special) was pretty good, no complaints there. They did, however, charge us for our second basket of chips, which wasn't made clear until the bill arrived. It's little things like that which make this place not as good as it could be. I want to like it more, but they've got to do better with some of the basics.
(2)
Jared O.
Top notch staff
(5)
Sharkey M.
Okay. Disclaimer time. At the outset, I have to say that, despite my lousy rating, I love this place. I love the chips and guac. I love the battered cod fish tacos and the carne adobada tacos. I love the potent margs and the Guinness on tap. And I ESPECIALLY love the queso dip with crispy/spicy/salty/delicious chorizo sausage. Now then...the REASON for my lousy rating.... The last time my wife and I had the hankerin' for some Pioneer yummy-ness, we didn't get to actually EAT OR DRINK anything. Yep. That's right. See, the service was so miserably bad that we found ourselves shlepping our son back across the parking lot before I could even sniff a margarita....or, the chorizo queso dip. We had wandered in at 6-ish last Friday and the place was jumping. Cool. Good for them. Lots of families with kids and a few college die-hards, getting an early start on their nightly drinking. Ahh, how I miss those days....but, I digress. Anyway. We staked out a table that had recently been vacated and proceeded to wait....and wait....and wait....and wait....and wait. No-one came to bus the table, pick up the check sitting invitingly on the edge, or take a drink order...or, an order for chorizo queso dip. Someone that, despite her server apron, I vaguely suspect wasn't actually a waitress, finally stopped by and asked if the half-slurped margarita on the table was ours, to which we responded, "no...we're just waiting for our server." So, without a word, she snatched the glass and disappeared...never to return. She didn't bring any chorizo queso dip, either. And thus we resumed the long wait... In short, after 30 minutes of waiting, we finally decided to seek our dinner elsewhere. And I didn't get any freaking chorizo queso dip, damnit!!! Now, I would normally just chalk this up to a bad night or an unexpected sick-call by a staff member and leave Yelp out of it, but I talked to a buddy of mine who told me that, two weeks ago, he walked out of The Pioneer after waiting nearly an HOUR for service. And then my sister told me that last month when SHE Pioneer-ed it for a meal, she waited 45 minutes for the check! That's three instances in less than a month...which, to me, denotes a pattern of miserable customer service. As such, The Pioneer's failings in this regard deserve to be plastered on the inter-web for all to judge. Seriously, Pioneer, your chorizo queso dip is worth putting up with a lot, but if you're THAT damn busy hire more freaking waitstaff!!!
(2)
Chris B.
Even as someone that is not close to student age anymore, this is a great little find. The drink prices are those of a college bar, great. Food is priced well and tasty too. If you go with a group, start out with the chicken nachos. Fantastic little morsels of delicious. I haven't tried many menu items yet, but the chorizo y papas tacos were good and the sweet potato fries that a friend had were tasty. $2 PBR to round things off and you have an affordable place that you actually enjoy the food at.
(4)
David M.
Great happy hour daily. Margs are cheap and strong. Chicken nachos are amazing. Very chill and fun staff!
(5)
Monica L.
Nachos are my favorite appetizer, and one of my favorite foods in general. I'm trying the places that got best nachos in "5280 Magazine." The chicken nachos at The Pioneer were okay, but I've had better nachos, and they are $11.00 and don't even come with salsa. I had to pay extra for salsa. Go elsewhere.
(2)
Curtis B.
Good: Happy hour. $3 margaritas, cheap food. The nachos are amazing. OK: Tap list has a couple of decent microbrews, but only a couple. Bad: Two people staffing the bar on a Saturday night is not enough. I get them being busy, it's Saturday. But to stand there for ten minutes and not even be acknowledged is too much. We left and went to Illegal Pete's. Extra: No menu on their website. Lame. Or, if it's there, it's hard to find. Lame.
(3)
Meghan H.
Good happy hour? Awesome staff? Killer guac and chips? Delicious enchiladas? Flexible cooks who will make you what you want and don't secretly spit in your food because you inconvenienced them? Yup, that's the Pio. It's not fancy, it's not without college "charm" but it IS a solid place to get your drink and eat on. Food prices are through the roof lately, folks, so if you're looking for cheap cheap Mexican-inspired eats(read: filler-heavy high fat nastiness), stick with Taco Bell.
(4)
Diana L.
Individually topped chicken nachos! Yum! House margaritas weren't too shabby either. This place is a good reason to come to for happy hour!
(5)
Amy G.
We just moved into the DU area a couple of months ago, and decided to give The Pioneer a try since it's about a block and a half away from our new digs, and being able to walk to the bar is great. Overall, my husband and I have been very pleased and impressed. The food is fantastic, especially the wings and the blackened fish tacos. The pozole could use a little more heat and the option to add in some raw onion or a squeeze of lemon, but I won't complain! The happy hours are great, the beers are cheap, and the wait staff has been nothing but friendly to us. One of the bartenders even remembered what we ordered to drink the week before, which was a nice touch. The service can be slow at times, and sometimes it takes quite a bit of time between ordering your food and having it brought to your table, but it's totally worth the wait. Plus, it gives you time to have another cheap beer and enjoy your surroundings. In general, we love this place and plan on making it "our" bar from now on.
(4)
Dan W.
Sambuca and Coke is disgusting. It's right next to Crown Royal and Red Bull or the Rusty Nail as far as bad drink ideas go. But it's not the Pioneer's fault, it's not like it's on their menu or anything. If you order a bad drink they're happy to pour you one just like any decent bar would. Their Margaritas were decent, I had a couple of the Originals and they were not too sweet or anything. Just Tequila, Lime, Salt, Ice and maybe just a couple of other things. That's exactly the way I like Margaritas. I really liked their Tacos. I can't believe that there's been a decent taco place so close to my house for this long and I just finally made it in there. I tried both the Carnitas and the Al Pastor but the Al Pastor was the better of the two. They make some pretty solid salsas that are not at all watery, although the spicier one tasted like it had quite a bit of dried red peppers in it giving it that distinct slightly rusty slow burning flavor. They also had a pretty good Guacamole which left little doubt that someone had been hacking away at fresh Avocados in the kitchen. Their chips were the size of small dinner plates, so you have to break them down into manageable chunks, but they're yellow corn which makes up for the inconvenience. All things considered, I'll definitely go back the next time I'm in the mood for some good tacos and a drink or several.
(4)
Sasha S.
No way Jose. In my opinion, food was a total fail. Queso dip was oddly thick, semi warm, and not at all picante. I was not imprssed at all with the tacos. But service was pretty friendly, albeit a little slow. And did the margaritas have minute maid orange juice in them? Probably a good, friendly place to get your swerve on, but skip the food.
(2)
Evan A.
I've been here once but came back when DU friend were in town. This place wasn't here when I went to school here but it's pretty awesome. Can't speak about the food but happy hour was fun. I mean, where can you get $1.50 coors lights?!?! The staff was awesome and friendly. I'll most def. be back for sure.
(4)
Eric M.
This is a cool little dive bar over by the DU area. They have great drink specials and a very long happy hour. They have nice covered out door seating with a pool table out there as well. Getting the bar tenders attention was a little hard but it was getting pretty busy so i understand. Decent beer on tap, nothing too fancy. A big tequila selection. All in all a good place to go on a saturday.
(4)
Katie L.
The wings here are the best I have tried in the DU area. They have some pretty great happy hours too. I haven't tried much else here besides wings and booze but both are pretty terrific. They must have a kids night or something because I have walked in here at like 7pm a few times and it is PACKED, wall-to-wall with chilluns which seems strange for a college bar.
(4)
Erin W.
Food looked great and the drinks looked cold, wish I could have tried something. Sat for 20min, multiple servers walked by but nothing. Pretty terrible experience!
(1)
Katherine S.
Amazing Amazing Amazing tacos. I have just returned from 2 years in Austin, Texas and thought I would never have a taco as good as I had there.... (shoutout to TacoDeli) The Pioneer's are equally as good. I went for lunch, so I don't know anything about the drinks, but I would say the reason to go to The Pioneer is the food menu. They're the caliber of tacos I just can't find anywhere else... The Al pastor, The Adobado (YUMMMMM)... I'm not surprised that people are saying the drinks are a little pricey, but the food is so good that it's worth it. Of course, parking sucks (but I had an easy time at lunch).
(5)
Randy M.
My wife, son & I had dinner here the other night ... yum! Definite college bar feel ... with great Mexican food! We both had chile rellenos that were very tasty, and the margaritas were "college perfect" ... makes me wish I could go back to school! The fact that it's literally 200 yards from my son's apartment means we'll probably visit often when we're in town! We sat at a picnic table on the patio ... perfect!
(4)
David S.
I wouldn't call this a dive bar at all. It's actually really, really fancy for being marketed as a college bar, but still doesn't come close to being a "date spot." And that basically defines the Pioneer. The food is very well done--tacos and dips have almost a fusion feel to them by blending some bizarre ingredients together, margaritas are good and varied, the place is incredibly clean (okay yeah it's new) and the wait staff is incredibly friendly. On the other hand, it's kind of out of the way, rather expensive and doesn't have a die-hard following like the rest of DU bars. It's good for a celebration, but probably not for a hangout.
(3)
Jeff S.
Great chicken nachos, good steak tacos. Very cheap prices, friendly staff, ample TVs to watch sports - a perfect place for some quick quality Mexican food. . .
(4)
Travis C.
Tacos and Margaritas! You've got my attention. Located near a university, now you've got me headed your way. Nothing I like more than cheap college food. The location is great, the atmosphere is good . The outdoor seating is always a nice attraction. They've done a nice job converting from a Chinese restaurant. This place has great potential to be the college hang out. Unfortunately, at this point, the prices are way too high for what it is. 3 tacos for $8-9 is a little pricey. Simple economics work in college towns. Sell lots for cheap, instead of less for more. Their house margaritas are decently priced however at $5.50 and half price happy hour after between 10pm and 12am on weeknights really makes the margs worthwhile. If they don't change their food prices, just hit up the Wendy's value menu, down a block before you hit up "The Pioneer" margaritas. You can see that this is the first review of "The Pioneer'. This bar is still working out some kinks but has great potential to be one of the best bars around DU. Hopefully a slight change in economics will grant this place huge success. I plan to be back after they've had a few weeks to get into the flow.
(2)
Renee K.
I'll admit to having a bit of a crush on this place. Not quite love, but definitely infatuation. It's a comfortable place to grab a drink or three and/or a casual dinner that far surpasses typical bar food. The Pioneer also hosts Geeks Who Drink pub quiz on Wednesdays and it's a lively crowd - no library vibe here! I was very pleased to find my favorite kind of chips and salsa - nice, crispy tortillas, fried up whole and ready for you to crunch into chips. They come with two kinds of flavorful salsa. The Mexican-based menu offers a vegetarian (mushrooms and poblano peppers) option for the burritos, tacos and enchiladas. I thoroughly enjoyed the tacos and will be back for more. The guac was perfect. Although the prices seem high at first ($8 for the taco plate), the quality of the food definitely justifies the price. When I think of all the mediocre, greasy, uninspired bar food that I've spent at least $8 on, I'm even more impressed. The specialty drink menu had one offering I couldn't resist and I'm glad I didn't. The Cactus Colada is a mixture of tequila, pina colada mix, and pineapple juice. All blended with ice and topped with grenadine (two out of three times - oops) it made for a delicious cocktail. I've taken off one star for a few, minor issues. Parking is tight and not very well planned. The enclosed patio is immediately adjacent to the main dining/bar area and the smoke pours in, even reaching the back of the restaurant. And our waitress was friendly but forgot us a few times and even forgot to bring some of our drinks once.
(4)
LaRocha L.
I'm really happy to have the Pioneer in the neighborhood! There aren't too many places to get food and drinks on this end of campus, and they have good food, a nice selection of margaritas, and it's a fun, casual place to hang out. I usually stick with the house margarita, and would recommend the tacos el pastor and any of the appetizers. Also! The sopapillas, little puffed-dough triangles dusted with cinnamon suger, were really, really good.
(4)
shiloh l.
Awesome food, way better than you'd expect from the "dive bar" designation. The goat cheese and mushroom quesadilla is delicious and huge and cheap, the chile rellenos are excellent, and there are plenty of vegetarian options, too. The rock shrimp tacos rock, and even the side of beans and rice are great, with organic black beans and no-chicken broth in the spanish rice. All my favorite beers are on tap, the margaritas are tasty, happy hour can't be beat, and today at lunch we found out that the bloody marys are top notch, as well. We don't have kids, but there are plenty there (during daylight hours) and they look like they are enjoying themselves... How much do we like it? We drive there from NW Denver to satisfy the craving-its that good.
(5)
Nicholas P.
Bordering on 4 stars. I need to go back and eat from the main menu before making that decision though. After a long bike ride, I stopped in yesterday for my first ever visit to the Pioneer. I live close to this establishment and have heard good things about the Nachos. I went with a friend for a couple of beers and to try these "famous nachos". The bartender was very friendly and prompt. The nachos were awesome. They had a perfect distribution of toppings/chip. They are obviously made with love as no chip was neglected during the construction. They could have been a bit spicier... but that's my only complaint. The next time I'm in the mood for Mexican (without paying the price of Hacienda) I will head back to The Pioneer to sample some of the main dishes from the menu.
(3)
Nicholas P.
I am not really sure why this place is considered a dive bar as dive bars are places where patrons do cocaine off the bar, fight and occasionally get into a knife fight which may or may not result in a stabbing. Granted The Pioneer is a bit tiny and a bit worn, however the food is in my simple opinion, very good. Also the I find the interior of The Pioneer to be comforting with its dime light and slightly cramped interior. As mentioned before the food is very good. I would recommend just about anything on the menu. The burritos are good a are the chips and queso dip, this is especially true when chorizo is added. Also as a heads up happy hour here is cheap, you can get beers and other drinks half price. Overall this place is somewhat pricey but it is overall a good place to go for some food and a beer.
(5)
Jon A.
Not much of a drinker, however have heard good things about the margaritas here. The happy hour is a good deal, and the house margaritas can be pretty strong for the price. The food here really is a surprise. I have eaten pretty much everything off of the menu here, and it is all good. It is a little overpriced for my taste, but the food is consistent and good. The carne asada here is tasty, and the sloppy burritos are gigantic. They offer vegetarian options as well, including appetizers and entree options. Overall the service here is really nice and the food is a nice change. Can be a good place to take a family and kids during the day, or a good place to go and drink/eat with buddies late at night. The kitchen is open until 11 o'clock Sunday-Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. If you are looking for some food different than Chipolte or Qudoba and want something to drink with it, I recommend The Pioneer.
(3)
Jennifer R.
I recommend this place for the staff. They have always been super friendly and willing to go that extra mile. The margaritas are great and beer specials are too. The place has always been clean whenever I have been in, including restrooms which is a big plus in my book. The food is also pretty good - I'm a fan of the goat cheese quesidilla, and the Pioneer salad. All of the salsas (there are three) are very tasty, with a wide range of flavors. Great place for game day.
(4)
Joshua D.
Great food, great service! Katrina is a sweetheart behind the bar and the food is great, especially the guacamole and homemade and bottled Pioneer Garlic Hot Sauce!
(5)
Leah H.
The Pioneer is my favorite bar....ever. While it's relaxed and unpretentious, I wouldn't classify it as a dive bar. I hang out here several times a week, and so do a lot of my friends. Happy hour rocks, tap beers and well drinks are 2 bucks. Service is great, I am friends with nearly all the bartenders. They're known to be a really good time and are very down to earth people. The food is great, despite that it's obviously not all entirely authentic. If you come in here when it's super busy and start giving the help a sour ass attitude, don't be surprised if they seem irritated with you.
(5)
Matt P.
So I finally tried the Rellenos and they are probably the best I've ever had.
(5)
Stephanie L.
Tacos and margaritas at their best! The mushroom and goat cheese tacos (or quesedilla) really rock my world. The chile rellenos are amazing. The mango margarita is so fresh and delicioso as are their regular house margs. It's a bit of dive and service leaves something to be desired, but the food is phenomenal. I'm also a little disappointed in any mexican place that makes you pay for chips and salsa- I really believe that should be standard.
(4)
Phil M.
The service always stinks, but anyone who complains about service at a cheap dive bar is stupid. This place still kicks ass. Everything is pretty delicious on the menu with a nice little beer list.
(4)
Robyn H.
This place has an awesome happy hour (everyday 3-7pm), and has really good food! I've had 2 burritos there, and they're very good. One was on the Sunday brunch menu (a chorizo, egg, and potato burrito), and the other was for lunch (a steak, bean and rice burrito w/ green chile). Their beer is good too! They have clean tap lines, which is important in enjoying good draft beer. Its also a great place to study. They have wi-fi and the bartenders are happy to plug in your computer; they did mine! Give them a try!!!
(4)
Wolf +.
this place was kinda dingy, was empty was skeptical to spend much time here. I ordered a jack and coke and had a little conversation with the bartender, if i lived in denver, or visited more frequently this would probably be a bar i'd come and hang out with friends. I can't complain, the drinks were cheap and didn't have to wait. Would come here again.
(3)
Jason S.
Went Sunday morning to get some food, beer and watch some football! Great breakfast burritos and decent happy hour, the layout made it tricky to see more than one TV so get there early and pick out a good spot. Nice and friendly staff with quick prompt service is always a bonus!!
(3)
Erin O.
Whoever decided to put a margarita joint behind a music school was a freaking genius. Their happy hour is a great deal, and they often undercharge us for our drinks, making it an even better deal. The house marg isn't fantastic, but the "Pioneer" marg is very snazzy indeed. They've got a decent beer selection including several local brews, and they change up the taps often enough that the selection doesn't get boring. The food is good, but there are limited choices for vegetarians- everything veggie has mushrooms, poblanos, and goat cheese in it. The flavor is good, but every veggie dish tastes the same. The service is always great- entertaining, fun, and laid back! :)
(4)
Ian M.
Great place for a beer & a burrito. Nothing fancy and the service is good. The green chili is fantastic.
(4)
Mitch J.
ate here tonight. good service, menu didn't have to much..more of a hangout college bar than a place for a date.
(3)
Emily G.
like a cheers, local bar knows us, queso, good guac, decent margs worth hh price
(5)
Stacey B.
it's a dive bar. the staff was friendly, the patrons eclectic. it seems decent enough. drinks were strong and i had a good time. the mushroom and poblano pepper burrito was pretty big and delicious, but a little pricey for 8 bucks. it's not in my hood but if my classmates head there after class i'll go back.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Divey Noise Level : Loud Music : Juke Box Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Thu, Fri, Sat Coat Check : No Smoking : Outdoor Area/ Patio Only Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
Stacia H.
Delicious chicken fajita wrap! My husband really enjoyed his enchilada however I wasn't a big fan of their chips.
(5)Wilder B.
I went as I'd read in West Word they have the best chicken nachos in Denver. As you can see in the picture, there's 6 ingredients. Crispy house made tortilla chips, chicken, white cheese, green onions, a drizzle of sour cream and a large scoop of guacamole. No salsa. I shared them with 5 other people. One person thought they were great, two said very good, the other three of us thought they were good but too bland to be "the best" (I like them better at Baker's St Pub). But the chips and guacamole are good and when I got a side of chipotle salsa, it was delicious. The margaritas were nothing special though. Just Suazo tequila, water and margarita mix. The beer selection is small but they do have Upslope IPA and Lager from Boulder. A college crowd but also a mix. Hard to find parking as it's by the University. One pool table. When you walk in, there's picnic style benches and tables. Go upstairs and they have a nice rooftop patio with a hearth.
(3)Jeremy L.
Me and my girlfriend go here about once a week. The staff is extremely nice and always treat us well. Everything I have tried on the menu is great too. They do not have the best beer selection, but have enough to keep you satisfied. It is labeled as a college bar, but it is never full of college students. Most of the time, the clientele is made of various people of any age, given the neighborhood it is in (DU). There is also a rooftop bar which has a really nice fire pit, but is usually filled with people on nice days. Parking is scarce so you might end up in the neighborhood, but nothing of a major walk. Also, people do tend to smoke by the entrance, but that is the only downfall. Check it out
(5)Rose Y.
Love the pioneer. For a casual bar/restaurant, the food here is pretty darn amazing. Although I didn't get a salad this time, I have in the past and they have been delicious. Fries are always hot and fresh, and beer is always cold. Service is a toss up. At times when the pioneer isn't busy, service is pretty good and wait staff are very friendly. However, on busier days, it can be really difficult to get decent service. But hey, it's a college bar/restaurant, so expectations can't be that high. I also love the fact that there is outdoor seating.
(4)Rachel B.
Not bad, not great. I liked it more than my boyfriend. We wanted to go to a late happy hour and this was close to home. The drinks are tall and the food is not bad. I gave it three stars, but my bf would only give it two. He did not like the atmosphere and he wasn't happy with the prices. I thought they were fair. I figure this is my review and there's no halfsy's here so we'll go with a solid 3. I'd return, but he wouldn't. Guess I'll be bringing my galpals the next time I hit up this joint and leave my man at home.
(3)Shane T.
Great place to go for a rooftop beer and a younger crowd. Was a little disappointed in the service, this place would be much better having younger bartenders since it is near a popular university. Also they were out of 2 of their tap beers, not much selection
(3)Tanner P.
Meh, indeed. Smokers standing on the other side of the railing from the downstairs patio.... they may have been an appropriate distance from the actual building. My partner and I were almost smoked out of the place. Service was ok. Many servers came up to the table asking us if we needed anything... almost like we were not assigned a specific server (?). I ordered the fish tacos and they were terrible.... as in awful. Little to no flavor and a bit dry. The beans and rice I ordered on the side were just above room temperature and had literally no flavor-one... nada....nunca. I had to chase a server down when I realized the beans and rice were so tasteless. Instead of complaining, I just asked for cheese and salt which seemed to fix the flavor, but not the temperature. All in all, it's nothin' fancy. New renovations to the building are nice, but it looks like the food needs it too.
(2)Kara A.
Sorry, Pioneer, but I'm not impressed. But let me start out by saying the Pioneer Marg with agave nectar is very, very good. My tacos, on the other hand, were very, very bad. I ordered the vegetarian tacos. Not only were they a bad combination of flavors, but they were served cold. Completely and utterly cold. I'm sorry, but tacos are just supposed to be warm. I'm pretty sure cold tacos are nothing more than a wrap. This rarely happens to me, but I couldn't even finish them. I also ordered the queso. Nothing really to say here. It was standard queso. Service at our table was incredibly slow despite the fact that they weren't that busy. At no point did anyone EVER ask me about my food. We stayed for awhile drinking and talking with friends my plate was never cleared. No one ever asked why I hadn't finished more than two bites of my meal. They do, however, have two really nice patios, an upper and lower level. TLDR: Come here for margs. Possibly queso if you want to munch. But don't order dinner.
(2)Gretchen A.
I'm so torn. The service is usually so bad because they're understaffed, and you are not given any direction when you walk in/the tables that are empty need to be bussed down. However, I just love those damn nachos. I don't know what it is.
(3)Henry N.
Great happy hour, the 3.50 house margs are tasty, rooftop bar is great on warm days. Food is delicious I really like the nachos and carne/pollo asado burrito's. Bar tenders are all very friendly and helpful with the menu and drink options. Only downside is that you can't use a vertical id if you are from out of state and not gotten a new license.
(4)Elyse N.
The upstairs patio is nice during the warmer months. Food is pretty great, I had a quesadilla last night and it was delicious and the happy hour specials are good (3$ Margs) However, every time I've been to the pioneer (roughly 8 times) the service has been TERRIBLE. Just be prepared to wait a long time to give them your money (busy or not). Last night we waited about 30 minutes for someone to stop by our table and eventually had to go to the bar to request our checks (twice)
(3)Rachel S.
I took my kids here on a Sunday afternoon. The waitress, while new, was very friendly and, as a result of being new, was at a loss as to recommend something to eat but she had tried the tacos so I had those. One daughter had the pulled pork sandwich and the other had the Pollo Asada enchiladas. My son enjoyed a chicken club and one of my tacos. While all of them were good, the enchiladas were FANTASTIC! They have a house garlic hot sauce that I like quite a lot. It's a patio bar in a college neighborhood, and as you would expect, it's loud and busy. Parking is nigh impossible. The unisex bathroom was cleaner than the bathrooms in most bars but not really all that clean. All and all, if you're into the college patio bar vibe, this place has some pretty good food.
(4)Brian H.
I have been there twice and don't ever plan on going again. The customer service is terrible. First off, they don't have any greeters to seat you, which is annoying but able to be looked past. My first time there we had a waitress who ignored us the entire time. She was more interested in socializing with her friends at another table than in serving us. I am usually a decent tipper but I refused to leave her a tip. I was willing to overlook that first trip - maybe the waitress was having a bad day - and go again but the service was still bad. We sat ourselves but after five minutes of no one approaching us we just left. During those five minutes of waiting two waiters passed our table, looked at us, but never acknowledged our presence. I won't comment on the food because I was so upset from that first trip that I forgot how the food was. This restaurant ought to be embarrassed by their terrible customer service and I encourage potential customers to forego patronizing it.
(1)Lindsay A.
I used to love this bar. They have a great happy hour, it's not far from home, and the service used to be great. I also loved the food and was generally happy with whatever I decided to order. Our last visit was nothing special. We came in around 6:30 on a Saturday night and the place was pretty empty. We were surprised by this considering at this time last year it would have been hard to find a seat. We looked for a table and there were a ton of crumbs on every empty one we saw. We grabbed one that looked less crumby and waited for someone to come over. As we were looking around, we noticed that a lot of the staff we used to see on a regular basis were not there anymore. It was a whole bunch of new faces. People move on, whatever... We got our menus and had made it in time for a round of happy hour drinks. They do have happy hour on the weekends too, which is nice. I ordered one of their famous margaritas. It wasn't like I remembered. They seemed really watered down and the flavor it did have was that of sour mix. The marg I remembered tasted like real lime juice and you could actually taste the tequila in it. We decided to order some chips and queso to start and then we would split one of their chile rellano burritos, because we remembered them as being big enough to share. We received the queso not long after we ordered it and the texture was super thin and lacked flavor. The chips are still the same, they are tostada shells that you break apart. We got the burrito not long after and it was pretty lukewarm and definitely not as big as I remember. It was a few bites each and not a lot of rellano. We were disappointed this visit and it left a lot to be desired. We still felt hungry afterward because the portions are much smaller. I don't know what happened to one of our "go to" spots, but we will probably just head over to Illegal Pete's when we are looking for a happy hour margarita and some grub. Maybe it was a change in management or something, but it has changed for the worse....
(2)Morgan A.
Good food besides undercooked tortillas for my tacos. Not sure who our server was, as we had at least 4 come to our table, but it kinda took awhile for the check to come. Then again, it was a busy Saturday night. I'd go back.
(3)B I.
Eh, if you're in the mood for pretty straight forward street tacos this is the place. Nothing inventive or special about them but pretty solid none the less. Staff is friendly but the service isn't quick so expect to wait awhile.
(3)Beki P.
Open air rooftop bar is awesome! Bloody Mary on point, yes, I'm picky and I was delighted! Food was really fabulous fresh and delicious, bartender even offered suggestions for new options. This place was great, and we would love to come back again!
(5)Brooke N.
Bartenders are pr*cks! Deny that they are a "college bar" 2 blocks from DU. Suggested we go to 7-11 across the street for food. I'm upset I spent my money here. #86thatmanbun
(1)s f.
Fun with cheap beer and pretty good burritos. Campus dives are run down, but this goes a little too far. Could use some cleaning.
(2)Julie S.
We went there on a Saturday evening. It wasn't busy and we found a table right away. Someone gave us menus and took our drink order right away. It went down hill from there. After 10 - 15 , another server took our food order. After another 45 minutes, we asked about our food and were told she would check on it. She came back to say it would be another 10 minutes and that the kitchen was backed up. I believe this is server code for "I didn't put in your order," but that was never said. After another 15 minutes, we received our cold, undercooked food. I ate what I could and was still hungry. We complained when I asked for the check and they comped our food. IT was obvious that I had barely touched my plate and we were clear that waiting for an hour for inedible food was unacceptable. I was happy they comped our food, but I still had to go home and make myself something to eat. I will never go back. I can't believe they are still serving cold food after the number of Yelp reviewers who specifically mentioned it.
(1)Katie W.
Cheap, good food and margaritas, but consistently horrific service. Sitting down is by far the worst part of the experience as its a toss up on whether its self seating or a list at the bar, and you will definitely be ignored or spoken to rudely either way. Once you sit down service generally improves as you can grab any server walking by - they aren't dedicate to specific tables. But be warned, this makes resolving any issues with your food or bill very difficult! We frequently end up getting double charged for drinks.
(3)john A.
Literally took the change from our table before we had a chance to decide how much should be a tip. Worst service ever? I recommend you don't find out for yourself.
(1)Richa B.
Food is atrociously flavored with minimal seasoning or salt even and has no real Mexican spin to it. You're better off going to Illegal Petes down the road.
(1)Mila G.
They have done so much work here, and it's really paying off! They added a rooftop patio and expanded the main level patio, and it was a smart move. Food is great, I had the spinach and potato enchiladas and was thrilled. Margaritas are great too! It's a bit loud with the metal ceilings, I wish they had insulated a little so we weren't screaming at each other all night. Service was good.
(4)Melissa E.
Last year I would've called it a college "dive bar", but the new upstairs patio really amped up the class & ambiance! I was there on $5 asada burrito night which was a great price and taste! The location is great, service was spot on and enjoyable spring night stopover.
(4)Mitch G.
Classic college dive bar. Cheap beer (especially the PBR), solid food, and great proximity to DU. Food: I haven't been disappointed yet. The tacos are really good, especially for the price and the Monday night special (massive $5 carne asada burrito) is awesome. Drinks: The house margarita is pretty much run of the mill but decent. The beer is affordable and cold. PBR's are like $2, so y'all know what I'm drinking. Bottom Line: Favorite place around DU for a few beers and tacos. Love their outdoor seating.
(4)Ellie G.
If you have ever "thought" you lost anything here it was more than likely stolen from the bartender and his girlfriend. I caught them stealing my jacket and scarf last week. Keep your eyes on your goods there. I am NEVER going back.
(1)Smidgie W.
Food is good, but the service isn't the best. Don't get me wrong, the staff is super nice. But, they are just so slow and get my order wrong so often!! One of the servers looked like a deer in headlights tonight! Otherwise, love the enchiladas and nachos.
(3)KC N.
They've got killer Mexican food-try the spinach enchiladas or a half order of the nachos. Everything is made in house. And their garlic hot sauce is now a staple in my home. I go their for a low key happy hour with friends or with the kids for dinner on the fly-this place is a great family-friendly establishment with good local vibes.
(5)Ashley B.
Where do I begin. I wanted to like this place, but no. Just no. The service was absolutely awful--the bartenders ignored us (the only two females at the bar) and spent their time flirting with the dudes instead. As former bartenders, my roommate and I are pretty forgiving... But this place just doesn't cut it. The kitchen is right next to the bar - You can see every grill, every plate and every cook. Yikes. Add on top of this the fact that we were approached by a creepy man in the parking lot on the way in and there you have it...I have no intention of ever returning. The one redeeming factor may be that the drink prices are not bad. All we could think the whole time was that this place should be on Bar Rescue..... Jon Taffer where you at? Enjoy!
(2)Alice M.
The food was okay, but the service was so incredibly bad! The waitress looked like she couldn't keep her eyes open, she never once smiled or used even a semi-friendly voice, she walked away while we were still talking, and was just plain rude. I will never come back!
(1)Madeline B.
Sometimes it's a little packed and the servers can be slow to get back to you but that is my only complaint. The fish tacos are delicious! My boyfriend LOVES the al pastor tacos and has brought friends here specifically to eat them as well. The pioneer has been one of the only places where the happy hour lasts till 7pm. You cannot beat a $3 house margarita after work. They come in full size glasses as well. Their homemade garlic hot sauce is unbeatable. I definitely recommend the pioneer.
(5)Emily P.
Good happy hour deals, just be sure you don't have a horizontal ID. They won't serve you no matter what state you're from!
(4)Shannon V.
Disappointing - service was good but that was all. The food was mediocre at best. My husband got a burger which was fair...I got chips and guacamole and queso with chorizo. The chips were fried whole flour tortillas. First of all, corn would have been better. The chips were over cooked Nd crumbled when broken for dipping. We sat on the above balcony and there was a woman smoking next to us. She made sure she announced loudly that she was well within her right to smoke too. Next to us were four young coeds doing shots and using foul language. Just not a very nice ambiance. Needless to say we not be back, as there are many better options in Denver.
(1)Jenna P.
Love this bar. Love the people who work here. Love the food. Love the people who cook the food. Here's a tip to everyone bitching about the crowd, smoke and noise...ITS A COLLEGE BAR.
(5)Connor G.
This place has deliberately double charged me and some friends multiple times and judging by the comments I am not the only one. I will never come back and suggest that you dont unless you wanna pay double for your food.
(1)Tiffany W.
Another installment from The Little Pub company, The Pioneer about lives up to all the others I've visited (except Don's Club Tavern -- that place blows goats [personal opinion]). The Pioneer's focus is Mexican food and margaritas, However, they still have a pretty standard selection of beers and a full bar, so if you're not into limey sugar with tequila, there are other options. Unfortunately, chips and salsa do not come for free here; they're $1.99 per order. Nice profit margin, y'all. That said, I get that DU students could probably eat their weight in C&S (especially when drinking and/or smoking the reefer), so it makes sense. Chips and Guac can be yours for $5.99, no salsa included (boo). This place operates the free-for-all staff model -- meaning anyone and everyone (who works there) can be your server. This works when everyone is on the same page and you need another drink and oh hey a server just happens to be walking by. It does not work, however, when you order "chips and guac to start" and they come out after the entrees do. Wahn waaahn. With that in mind, the chips are quite tasty. They're full mini-rounds of corn tortillas, fried up fresh and crispy. The guac was basic: smashed avocado, jalapeno, and cilantro with a sprinkle of pico atop. Went well with the chips I 'spose. For our entrees we got the Mushroom & Poblano Burrito and the Mushroom & Poblano enchiladas. Basically the same thing, only the ench's are corn torts (unless you request to sub flour), and strangely there are no rice and beans with the enchiladas. The vegetarian green chile had a nice kick to it; the burrito was definitely enough for two meals (chips+guac or not). During happy hour (from 3-p-7p), house margs are $3. I suspect a general (read: pre-made) margarita mix is used as the base, but they claim Hornitos as the house tequila and at $3 a pop they got the job done. Overall, for four drinks, chips+guac, and two entrees it was pretty reasonably priced. If nothing else on-par with the other Little Pub entities. I'm rarely in this area for anything but if I am and I need a marg or HH or a Mexi-food fix, I'll know where I can go for A-OK fulfillment of said need(s).
(3)Miranda G.
This place is consistently pretty good. An okay house marg, really good tacos (and chicken nachos, guacamole, enchiladas...) and spotty, but good-enough service. They're usually pretty busy and sometimes it's overwhelming walking into a busy bar that has no greeter. I just try to let someone know I'm there so they know where I am. I keep going back, so they're doing something right! Also it's not flooded with DU kids as one may think from its location. Good mix of peeps. Don't be afraid.
(4)Lorne H.
This place serves 14oz draft "pints" and masquerades them as full 16oz beers! Preposterous!
(1)Kate S.
This place has stepped up their game. Now, they also have an outdoor patio (which is always busy). But, with the new renovations? They must have re-vamped something in the kitchen too. Their food has improved, even though it was already good....now it is great!It isn't "real" Mexican food, it is more comparable to the Rio. But their carnitas are so bomb. Highly recommend checking this place out :)
(5)T S.
We frequent this place with couples only and even with our family of 2 kids. It's a great casual place to hang out and the food is always good, never a bad meal. You can even host small parties too and they do a great job at those! Love the patios too. Thanks Pioneer for being a great neighborhood addition!!!!
(5)Ariel K.
I've had two very disappointing visits to the Pioneer recently. This place used to be my fav for steak nachos in Denver. Now, post renovation, menu items have gotten pricier, and quality has gone down substantially. Nachos looked great when they came out, presentation still rocks, but chips were stale, and the entire meal was just, meh, okay. That along with less than stellar food/drink specials during football games on Sunday means we've probably had our last meal here for a while. Hope it gets better, but not going to hold my breath. Pros: Lots of TV's w/ all the football games on, service is okay. Cons: Relatively pricey, food slow to come out, not great specials, stale chips, margs not great.
(2)Sophie L.
I will NEVER be going back to this bar because of how incredibly rude one of the male bartenders is - specifically the one who is about 5'4, brunette and has glasses. I don't know how someone with that extreme lack of common sense for how to treat customers and someone with zero awareness of normal social conduct was hired into a customer service position. Absolutely ridiculous.
(1)Jonathan K.
This is the go-to place if you find yourself in the DU area, and are looking for that college feel. If you are lucky enough to be in the area on a Monday or Tuesday night, the $5 smothered burrito (Beef Monday, Chicken Tuesday), is the way to go. In my experience, it tends to attract many grad students, making the crowd and ambiance a bit more mature (and intelligent). The staff are great, very friendly and efficient.
(5)Tyler P.
Fajita wrap is the best single item around the DU campus. Booze isn't anything special but sometimes cheap. Try the fajita wrap it won't disappoint Staff is just a tad bit off.
(4)Matthew C.
For a bar next to campus with great beers and great beer specials, great American and Mexican food, a decent dining room and patio, and cool waitstaff - you don't see it packed with college kids often. Pioneer is a great place to grab a quick lunch - the burrito specials on Monday and Tuesday are awesome at only $5. Or if you have a group of friends who want to relax and drink away the tension of the week, Pioneer has your back - but if the place starts hopping (Thursday night and weekend evenings), then you may have to wait. The servers are awesome and work their tails off, but it seems sometimes they are short staffed. Still, it is always worth a return trip.
(3)Drue A.
In the first cold hours of 2015, with the bus returning to where we all met just outside The Pioneer hours earlier, our legion of New Year's celebrants headed inside the bar for final beers before finding a way home. What followed is a sequence that still confuses me. As some of the party bantered along the perimeter of the bar and others worked out plans for leaving, a couple employees notified, I think, Last Call and urged all inside to proceed accordingly. Moments after that, a staff member became hostile, saying indistinct remarks now demanding the crowd of perhaps a dozen to leave with alacrity. Fair but a little rude, I and others obliged and now were outside in the frigid night. I was surprised to hear additional rancorous commands at unidentified people, brining my attention back inside the bar. At this moment, I stood precisely against the door inside -- warmth was a premium -- before our driver arrived, and thought better of quickly using the restroom as clearly any kind of patronage or use of facilities was unwelcome. These guys wanted everyone out, and in haste. A final torrent of disapproving shouts, to my surprise, now was directed at me by a barkeep. I reacted by leaving, not engaging the employee and avoiding confrontation. Now for the nut paragraph of this review. The man, among his combination of disproving expressions, condescendingly instructed me, and perhaps meant this as a group-wide message, to "go write a bad Yelp review!" for all he could care, which obviously is a strange action to specify. Everyone now absolutely stood outside, approximately at 0200 hours, trying to sort just what baffling things transpired in there. During this, the bartender who hurled the combination of fierce rebukes (highlighted by the Yelp order) found me and apologized. I said I didn't know what was happening, but OK then, sir, please return inside for it's cold and you are not wearing a jacket (the last part of this I didn't say). I understand the protocol for any bar's closing time and perhaps the easily agitated psyche of a bartender at the end of a very busy night dealing with drunks wearing frilly hats and puffing noisemakers. It does not permit, far as I perceive, the kind of aggressive speech toward acquiescing millennial bar-goers that I associate between boxers at a weigh-in or Bostonian brothers at a playground basketball hoop. Thanks for being sorry, Pioneer. And thanks for explicitly recommending I compose a review about my experience*. *Which took some time because I often have plenty of more prudent issues for which to focus. However my vehicle is at the shop today, and I'm here in the waiting lounge.
(1)Alex B.
The rooftop bar and seating is a great addition considering there's no place nearby that has the same thing. It's a great place to grab some food and some drinks. Parking can be tricky since it's near DU, but not difficult enough to deter!
(3)Des L.
Usually when I rate a place there's usually some pros and cons!! Hopefully no cons...this place surprised me In a bad way! I didn't think you could mess up a taco until now...seriously! The corn tortillas were cold and I think there were like 6 pieces of meat in my taco. The chips come out after waiting a lifetime and they're these hard ass big tostada chips and taste like old frying oil and the queso is chunky and tastes like milk! Ugh and the service oh boy!!! Takes forever, and received the wrong plate as well as not being checked on once! Haha this place is a joke. I'm surprised they're still open!
(1)Emilee D.
Normally, I'm not a fan of college bars. However, The Pioneer has a good mix of old/young patrons and fun bar staff. I just started coming here on Wednesdays for Geeks Who Drink trivia and haven't been disappointed yet. If you plan on playing trivia, I suggest you get here early to get a spot. The venue is small and seats fill up fast. The only thing off the menu that I've tried is their guacamole and chips. I have no complaints, the guac is better than most places and I believe their chips are made in-house. As for drinks, I stick to my basic gin & lemonades and get a good pour. Everything is moderately priced. Parking can be sort of an issue, but they do have their own parking lot. If you're lucky, there'll be an open space available. If not, you'll need to find street parking.
(4)Charity K.
The service is pretty hit or miss. I've been there when the bar tender was a bit drunk, and was heavily flirting with the man I was there with. But I've also seen my waiter go the extra mile to make sure a real pain in the ass party (with 12 kids in tow) that were complaining about everything, left happy. Unfortunately, the negative experiences are most prevalent in my mind. Undeniably though, of all the Little Pub Company restaurant/bars in the Denver area, this one has the most consistent, and quality food. The cod fish tacos, for example- are the best I've ever had! Here's to hoping they hire less party kids and more people who actually kind of care about their jobs.
(3)Josh L.
Awesome place! Great drinks prices, food is excellent. Recently remodeled...nice place to visit.
(5)Heather C.
The pioneer is always a good time. Friendly staff and atmosphere, cheap happy hour drinks. Their sopapillas and $5 burrito specials are great. The best thing is the chile relleno burrito though - a chile relleno stuffed into a burrito. What! Yeah, it's amazing
(4)Hannah M.
Chicken nachos lived up to their hype and awesome happy hour! Our server was a little ditzy but made up for it in free drinks which always makes things better :)
(4)Amy O.
Holy chili rellanos! Man, they were so tasty, and cheesy, and crispy! And SO filling. I could only eat one. To be honest all 3 of us ordered the rellanos, so I can't speak to any of their other food (besides the chips and salsa, which were also good). I thought that for the amount of food that we got, the menu was priced right. The margs seemed a tad watered down. The service was good and they had some games in the patio area (Currently winterized), which accounted for some random fun on the way out as we decided to shoot some hoops to see who'd buy lunch next week.
(5)Krysta W.
Won't take vertical IDs. Sorry I'm from out of state - I'm 24 and can't get a drink. There are plenty of bars in the area, I won't go out of my way to bring out my passport just to go here. My friends didn't even finish their drinks (margarita, whiskey sour) they were so watered down. I was hoping this place would be a local hangout for us but there's nothing redeeming about it.
(1)Heather P.
Loud, crowded and bad food. Tried it three times to give it a chance. Won't go back!!
(1)Peter M.
So close to 4 stars, except for a couple of annoying things. For one, the parking situation is mediocre at best. Also, unless you are into PBR, there's no real 'deals' here outside of the happy hour, and I'm a 'deals' kinda guy - especially on the menu. You know how sometimes your having a couple of drinks, and you look at a menu and think, "I'm hungry, but I'm not $11 bucks for tacos hungry..." It's that. Other than that, the staff is quick, friendly, and responsive. It's a college bar with a college bar feel, so that can be taken as a plus or minus, depending on your druthers.
(3)Dayna D.
I absolutely love this place. I try to go regularly, at least once a month, if not more. The chicken nachos are SO good. Once I ordered the chicken nachos, I stopped ordering anything else. The margaritas are also very good. The staff is very friendly and attentive. Prices are very good. It's a nice break from the outrageous prices downtown.
(5)Tiffany C.
Amazing chili rellenos! Different from your average texmex places around town but sooooo worth getting. Also, try the chile relleno burrito with carnitas in it...not on the menu but staff will know exactly what you are asking for. Its incredible and huge. Their smoked chicken wings are worth getting as well. Delicious! Great margs. Not to sweet. Huge new roof top bar.
(4)Katie V.
I was not very pleased with The Pioneer. For a place that has a tagline "Tacos and Margaritas" their margaritas were less than average. Apparently they come from a mix. There are 2 flavor options, lime and strawberry. There's really nothing special about that in my opinion. Go down the street to Illegal Pete's where the service and food are much better.
(2)Spencer K.
Great place for a drink and quick, tasty Mexican. Nothing fancy about it, just a neighborhood DU spirited bar but food is on point and drinks and reasonably priced. New rooftop bar/ patio makes it even better. $5 burrito special on Tuesdays is my jam
(4)Bernard H.
Great upper deck patio, food was pretty good, and the bartender was great. The kind of bartender that's attentive, friendly, and makes you feel welcomed. He gave us a couple of beer samples a Parker Brewery rep. Was sampling. Nice bonus.
(4)Amy F.
Wow! Chicken Tacos were fanfreakingtastic! The garlic hot sauce needs to be on the market, that stuff is Da shiznit Service was great even with how busy this place was. cheap drinks, good vibes, and saw a pool table
(4)Cheyne M.
Fine, not great. Stopped by before a DU Hockey game and was surprised that this is definitely not a college bar, as most patrons were above 30 years of age. A decent amount of TV's to watch sports and a really well priced happy hour. The chicken tacos were not bad, but not great either. Has a small bar area, but a pretty good patio for when the weather allows. A nice neighborhood joint, but nothing special.
(3)Katie R.
Looking for a college dive bar? this is the place to be! After hearing awesome things about The Pioneer, Anna R and I decided to check it out on a spontaneous happy hour outing and were surprised to the following things: 1. No college kids. it was happy hour, and pretty much NO one under the age of 45 was there. what's wrong with that picture? 2. Awesome happy hour specials. for 3 beers, we paid $4. epic. 3. A friendly [and attractive, i might add] wait staff. all very attentive and interesting to talk with. A place i would like to return to, maybe just not on a thursday afternoon! ha :)
(3)Michelle P.
Excellent new renovations , super friendly staff, great food, walking distance from DU, what more could anyone want? They also have ridiculous food specials like $5 burritos on certain days. The nachos are fantastic as well. Highly recommended overall. PS - if Ryan is your server, you can expect A+ service.
(5)Mike Z.
Went there to catch the last half of the football game, expecting to be starving and standing, but instead got descent seats...and considering it was game time, fairly fast service during happy hour
(4)Sarah W.
We are currently preping for a move from the Cap Hill area to a house just South of DU, major life changes that will go down much easier if we know that we have a good bar within walking distance. Enter The Pioneer. I was worried that The Pioneer was just another college bar that would be packed with undergrads, so when the fiance suggested we check it out I was a little hesitant. Turns out my fears were for nothing and this place is pretty fantastic. We ended up going in on a Tuesday evening, they have a $5 burrito special and happy hour runs til 7. It is a seat yourself place, but the second we sat down we were greeted by a waitress. Turns out we must have looked new, she gave us the run down quickly and grabbed our drinks. Throughout the evening the service was great, our waitress stopped to chat with us every chance she had, telling us about the neighborhood and really selling us on the place. At one point she even offered us Rockies tickets that someone had just dropped off at the bar. The food itself was also very tasty, nothing spectacular, but delish for the price. I ended up with the $5 burrito special which is huge, I ate way more than I should have. We also got the chips and guca which were really tasty, the chips had been made fresh in the back. I was happily surprised by my experience and can't wait to go back, I am feel much better about the new neighborhood.
(4)Dylan L.
This place has the best happy hour of any bar in the area, and really, the best of a lot of bars I've been too. Between 4-6 and 10-Midnight, draft beer is "2 for 1"...translation: you can get New Belgium, Sierra Nevada, and more great craft beer for for $2.25! The staff is very friendly and conversational...I've never had a bad experience. They have a great patio...the one issue I have (and the reason to take a star off) is that this is where smoking is allowed...so if you want to enjoy it, you enjoy it full of cigarette smoke (no offense smokers). Still, there's a pool table on the patio and it's open during the nicer months and insulated/heated during the colder ones, so even in December you can comfortably enjoy your beer on the patio and play some pool. Bottom line is, this place has great deals, great staff, and a very nice set up. Just know what if you want to hang out on the patio, it's incredibly smokey.
(4)Zippy D.
This is my neighborhood bar, but I don't come here just because it's convenient, but because they make an awesome margarita, offer a great happy hour, and tasty food (their salsas and nachos are the bomb). Great staff, these guys are super fun and engaging. By engaging, I mean they'll never turn down a shot. :-D Try the Pioneer salad, if you're looking for a healthy treat...goat cheese, pumpkin seeds on fresh greens, topped with agave lime dressing...beats your usual bar food by far.
(4)Natasha P.
As a whole, we found the food pretty bland. Pass on the chips and salsa.
(3)Holly G.
Pretty Divey. Unfriendly service and expensive margs...but at least they were decent tasting. Maybe I would appreciate this place more if I was still in college? Maybe.
(2)Michael C.
I love this place. They have the best chicken nachoes in Denver. Also if you are looking for a cheap kids meal for three dollars you get an awesome kids quasadilla and fresh squeezed orange juice. You can't beat it.
(4)Crys A.
Cool divey place. Heard the nachos were good and so we ordered them --- tasty. Our server was fast, helpful and really cool. There is a covered deck area where people can congregate and/or smoke. I don't smoke so I avoided it, but imagine it will be nice in the summer when it's not enclosed. Down to earth, solid food and drinks, only issue was limited parking but oh well --- I'm not new to having to McGyver myself a spot somewhere.
(4)Terry B.
I jokingly recommended stopping here and Mustard's with a friend on Super Bowl Sunday. Unfortunately, they obliged. And, we wound up there forever because other friends showed up. Anyway, this is a great, divey bar with good prices on drinks, super friendly bartenders and awesome regulars. They were running a bit short on some of the liquor, (it was a Sunday after all) but they were also able to find good quality replacements in case we cleaned them out. If I were closer, I'd stop in here quite a bit.
(4)Andie S.
The Pioneer is an average establishment with average food. Their happy hour prices are good and they have done a lot of exciting renovations. The patio is now mostly covered, has heat lamps, and a pool table. They also have a brand new rooftop patio that I can't wait to try; in summer that will be quite the spot.
(3)Brian W.
Great casual spot. The staff are friendly and helpful.
(4)Taylor B.
It's good stuff. A great happy hour after class/work, and another late one. Can't beat half price drinks. I guess they make up their profit in food prices. It's delicious, but damned expensive. Avoid the turned up noses (and business students) at Jordan's, the drunks at The Stadium, the kiddies at The Border and head to The Pioneer.
(4)Christina E.
Here's what you need to know about me. #1, I love a comfy, casual bar with cheap drinks. #2, I really love me some tacos. So when I stopped by the Pioneer this past week, well, lets just say it was love at first sight. I wouldn't categorize this as a dive bar -- it's a college bar. Nothing fancy or pretentious, the place focuses less on being trendy, and more on being comfortable. When you step inside you'll think it's been around forever, even though I think it's relatively new. We stopped in for an early weeknight dinner, trying to escape the rush hour traffic on I-25. It was happy hour which meant half-off drafts, wells and house margaritas. I had a few margaritas, which were very tasty. They were pre-mixed but still surprisingly delicious. We also got chips & salsa which were house-made and very good. For dinner I choose the pork carnitas tacos. Three tacos, with some delicious, smokey, shredded pork on soft corn tortillas. They were so good! My hubby had the carnitas pork sloppy burrito, which was made with the same pork, mixed with rice and beans in a burrito, all smothered in chili verde. Delish! I usually try a bite of his (for the sake of Yelp, of course), but this was so good I kept on nibbling! Bottom line, a surprising good Mexican joint hidden in a college bar facade. Great food and drinks will have us coming back.
(4)Nick C.
The Pioneer has become our go to for happy hour proceeding work on Fridays. Not because it is convenient as hell, as there are tons of other bars in walking distance to the University, but because of the awesomely priced happy hour offerings. Their happy hour and food is far superior to any of the other campus bars. By no means should you be detered from this place at the idea that it is a college bar. Not that there is anything wrong with college students, as I once was one and many of my friends are current graduate students, but much of the clientele seem not to be college students. Families come for dinner and alumni meet up to watch DU hockey games. Considering the limited space around the bar, it is best that the clientele does not primarily consist of unruly college students. If that's what your looking for, I would hesitantly direct you to The Border or The Stadium. In addition to the awesome hh which consists of half off on drafts, wells, and wines, the very social and attentive servers, and decent food offerings, they have plenty of TVs and a nice front patio to accomadate for the increased crowds.
(4)Jimmy C.
Love the Pioneer -- it's my neighborhood bar, a good place to grab a beer after work or good eats later. The food is surprisingly good, love the fish tacos, and the rest of the mexican food is above average and pretty original. Friends rate the burger and nachos highly. The atmosphere is pretty divey, and it can get way too busy when the undergrads are out in force or there's a hockey game at DU, but it's comfortable and works for me most of the time. The service is typical bar service, so sometimes you have to be a little proactive about grabbing someone, but usually it's good. Some interesting moments have happened there, so we'll always have some good stories about events at the Pio...
(4)Rachel M.
Yes it looks like a dive college bar, yes you can routinely hear "shots, shots, shots" yelled in the background. Is that all bad? No. The food is surprisingly delicious (salads, queso dip and wings are all must-trys) and the service is so very friendly. Remember your friend from college who was always stoned, never shaved but could always be relied upon to make a killer drink? He mostly likely works here now, and all their staff routinely treat you like a good buddy. If you have little kids, you'll feel at home between 5-7, when the place seems to briefly turn into Chucky Cheese and is overrun by young families that live around DU. Before and after that, the bar seems to settle into the type you'd expect close to a college campus. If a beer and nachos are what you are looking for, this place can't be beat.
(4)Sarah G.
Great margaritas and atmosphere! $3 marg happy hour :) Def coming back to try the food.
(5)Laura L.
Can I just call this a college hangout? C'mon, it is a bit of a dive. Any place that has plastic surrounding the porch falls into that category for me. But that said - the food is fantastic! Me and crazy.sexy.cool sought this place out the other night for some later-than-usual eats and it was packed, but we managed to grab a table by the door. I was surprised by their menu selection - lots of taco selections, and we settled on tacos al pastor and the carnitas. I thought the al pastor was tastier, topped with a citrus salsa. Mmmm. The guac was ok and 2 salsas were addicting - one was spicy, the other chipotle - accompanied by ginormous tortilla chips. And yes, it's annoying to pay for chips and salsa, but it was good enough that I can't complain. And the margs? Deceptively strong. Watch out. I would def. come back to The Pioneer to try out some of their other tacos, enchiladas, and burritos.
(4)Tyler M.
I just moved to town and this is already becoming one of my favorite hangouts. I haven't ordered any food, aside from the chips, which are huge! But I go there for drinks and the friendly service. Also, they have a happy hour from 10-12 PM, which is amazing.
(5)Alex B.
The Pioneer Chopped Salad is delish, but get it without tomatoes - they don't really taste like anything at all. Otherwise, The Pioneer has a small (but good) draft beer selection, great happy hour, and is willing to change a TV to Big Ten Network for me while I'm outside of Big Ten country. So good!
(4)Kent R.
The Pioneer is muy damn bueno. Travelled to DU to hear a bass trombone quartet. I didn't think such a thing was legal in Colorado. I assumed four bass trombones playing at once must surely mark the start of the apocalypse, so I figured I might as well see the end of all existence in person. Anyway, we heard the Pioneer had awesome burgers, so stopped in for a Last Supper. Instead, got sucked in to the Mexican food. Great chips and salsa. Chips clearly homespun... The shape's a giveaway... you'll see. Good carnitas, very good green chile. And damn good house margs. Yeah, "house" is too often code for "crap tequila and Kool-aid we can get away with selling you" but these were truly worthy. Decent selection of mexican beers too. And they were playing some seriously laid back R&B. Bonus points. In the end, the trombones didn't end the universe, though I heard a crack in the time-space continuum. Thusly surviving another day, I'll be back.
(4)Jason J.
So the other reviews on here seem to go back and forth between calling The Pioneer a Dive Bar and Not a Dive Bar. The truth is, it's delicately situated between the two. You enter, and it feels like it should be a dive bar, but the floors aren't sticky and there's no trace of vomit to be found anywhere. You expect the service to be a bit slow, and the manner of staff-to-guest interaction to be a tad surly -- but service is prompt, and friendly. The decor screams "I'm almost a dive-bar! Almost!" and it is, almost, a dive-bar. It will be in a couple of years, but for now it's clean and tidy and it lacks the necessary dive-bar clientele of "the one guy who is always there, and always piss drunk because he's angry at something but is trying a little too had to seem happy" or TOGWIATAAPDBHAASBITALTHTSH for short. Most people are right, it's a little spendy. It's higher priced than you would expect, but the food is tasty, the drinks are okay (a little overpriced -- $7 for my ladyfriend's cucumber cooler, and The Pioneer Margarita was on the weak side.) I had a carne asada messy burrito, and the ladyfriend had the veggie one -- both are solid burritos. Tasty, enjoyable, and large. Think Chipotle + a few ounces. We missed happy hour (though I'm not sure when happy hour actually is) but it's supposedly less spendy, with half priced drinks. At half priced and 50% more liquor, I could see the value. However, just cheap is always a draw as well. It's worth noting that parking around here is horrendous. It's the DU area, after all -- finding quality parking within a 20 block radius of the DU campus is more difficult than swimming to the moon. So enjoy your three mile walk back to your car in the one non-1hour parking spot you happened to find. Good food, pleasant staff. I must mention, my favorite part about being there was that at the end of the meal, I was able to just...talk with my ladyfriend. No interruptions from the server or staff -- they wordlessly cleared our plates from the table, and just kind of sensed when we were ready for the check. They did this flawlessly, and it's hard to do! They didn't pester us with trying to get us to order dessert, just kind of knew when we were ready to go, and gave us time and space to chat and enjoy digestion (my 2nd favorite part after ingestion!!) So kudos to the staff for that. A total bill of $49 w/tip was a touch higher than I had anticipated, but it was worth it to try a new place. I'll be going back, but it's a little expensive for me to be a regular (regular eater anyway.) I'll just have to make sure next time my fat derriere graces the Pioneer with it's voluminous and soon-to-be-burrito-filled presence, I'll have to go during happy hour!
(3)Coral E.
Loved this place! Came here for a Broncos game and watched on the enclosed and heated patio. All of the wait staff was friendly and attentive, and their suggestions were great! We had margs, the chicken nachos and the chile rellenos to split-- all were delicious! Totally reasonably priced, and a fun place to sit and eat and watch the game!
(4)Gregg G.
Honestly.......worst experience I've ever had a restaurant. Used to be a good place. Don't know what happened. Not going back. Took 1 hour to get chips. Place was not even busy. Food wasn't what I ordered either.
(1)Melissa H.
Damn, Pioneer, I totally underestimated you! Lots of fellow grad students I know hit up the Pioneer on a fairly regular basis (usually beginning of the quarter, before we're swamped, then in the midst of the quarter, when we're trying to dull the stress), but I haven't had the inclination or time to go yet. FINALLY... after finals, I went on a Tuesday night with my study (now drinking) group. OMG I'm so glad I don't live close enough to go on a regular basis! So good! Highlights-- the chicken nachos are INCREDIBLE. Individually covered nachos, coated in cheese, chicken, beans. There may be avocado on it too, or maybe that's on the side. Anyway, I don't eat meat, but after scraping off the chicken and listening to my friends' reviews (the friend who ordered it + our meat-eating buddy), we all agreed the $10+ was worth it for these nachos. The margaritas-- strong and cheap, just like my men (har har har...) I had the mushroom, cheese, and avocado tacos (they're not called them but that's what was in them) which were super filling and tasty as well. Everyone in our group enjoyed our meal, and while service was slower than I would have preferred, it was a Tuesday night after finals so we weren't in a rush. Plus, the place was packed, so I can understand. Friendly service and they were accommodating when we told them we needed to split the check 3 ways. Score! We walked from my friend's place, but parking here is a cinch. There's parking in the front, on the side, and behind the Pioneer, and parking on the street if it's super packed. I'll be back sooner than finals week, for sure!
(5)Molly H.
So not only did we have a pretty poor overall experience at The Pioneer, the waiter erroneously tipped himself $50 on a $45.14 bill. REALLY!! I would suggest keeping an eye on your bank statements after going here or simply paying in cash.
(1)David C.
Meh sounds about right, but not to the point of 2 stars, so I'll go 2.5 here. Tried it out for Monday Night Football, and it was crowded but not overly so. Food was decent, but I can do better around the DU campus. Parking is not great, since the lot is fairly small and it's right off of University Blvd., so when it's full, you have to be careful parking on the side streets with all of the campus regulations and one-hour limits. The patio is nice, but the doors were open and the smoke really drifted into the main restaurant, which shouldn't happen. Service was very laid-back, almost too much so, as I had to ask for a knife to cut my large burrito, and the people at the table next to us apparently hadn't gotten their food after a very long wait. My burrito (the Monday night carne asada special) was pretty good, no complaints there. They did, however, charge us for our second basket of chips, which wasn't made clear until the bill arrived. It's little things like that which make this place not as good as it could be. I want to like it more, but they've got to do better with some of the basics.
(2)Jared O.
Top notch staff
(5)Sharkey M.
Okay. Disclaimer time. At the outset, I have to say that, despite my lousy rating, I love this place. I love the chips and guac. I love the battered cod fish tacos and the carne adobada tacos. I love the potent margs and the Guinness on tap. And I ESPECIALLY love the queso dip with crispy/spicy/salty/delicious chorizo sausage. Now then...the REASON for my lousy rating.... The last time my wife and I had the hankerin' for some Pioneer yummy-ness, we didn't get to actually EAT OR DRINK anything. Yep. That's right. See, the service was so miserably bad that we found ourselves shlepping our son back across the parking lot before I could even sniff a margarita....or, the chorizo queso dip. We had wandered in at 6-ish last Friday and the place was jumping. Cool. Good for them. Lots of families with kids and a few college die-hards, getting an early start on their nightly drinking. Ahh, how I miss those days....but, I digress. Anyway. We staked out a table that had recently been vacated and proceeded to wait....and wait....and wait....and wait....and wait. No-one came to bus the table, pick up the check sitting invitingly on the edge, or take a drink order...or, an order for chorizo queso dip. Someone that, despite her server apron, I vaguely suspect wasn't actually a waitress, finally stopped by and asked if the half-slurped margarita on the table was ours, to which we responded, "no...we're just waiting for our server." So, without a word, she snatched the glass and disappeared...never to return. She didn't bring any chorizo queso dip, either. And thus we resumed the long wait... In short, after 30 minutes of waiting, we finally decided to seek our dinner elsewhere. And I didn't get any freaking chorizo queso dip, damnit!!! Now, I would normally just chalk this up to a bad night or an unexpected sick-call by a staff member and leave Yelp out of it, but I talked to a buddy of mine who told me that, two weeks ago, he walked out of The Pioneer after waiting nearly an HOUR for service. And then my sister told me that last month when SHE Pioneer-ed it for a meal, she waited 45 minutes for the check! That's three instances in less than a month...which, to me, denotes a pattern of miserable customer service. As such, The Pioneer's failings in this regard deserve to be plastered on the inter-web for all to judge. Seriously, Pioneer, your chorizo queso dip is worth putting up with a lot, but if you're THAT damn busy hire more freaking waitstaff!!!
(2)Chris B.
Even as someone that is not close to student age anymore, this is a great little find. The drink prices are those of a college bar, great. Food is priced well and tasty too. If you go with a group, start out with the chicken nachos. Fantastic little morsels of delicious. I haven't tried many menu items yet, but the chorizo y papas tacos were good and the sweet potato fries that a friend had were tasty. $2 PBR to round things off and you have an affordable place that you actually enjoy the food at.
(4)David M.
Great happy hour daily. Margs are cheap and strong. Chicken nachos are amazing. Very chill and fun staff!
(5)Monica L.
Nachos are my favorite appetizer, and one of my favorite foods in general. I'm trying the places that got best nachos in "5280 Magazine." The chicken nachos at The Pioneer were okay, but I've had better nachos, and they are $11.00 and don't even come with salsa. I had to pay extra for salsa. Go elsewhere.
(2)Curtis B.
Good: Happy hour. $3 margaritas, cheap food. The nachos are amazing. OK: Tap list has a couple of decent microbrews, but only a couple. Bad: Two people staffing the bar on a Saturday night is not enough. I get them being busy, it's Saturday. But to stand there for ten minutes and not even be acknowledged is too much. We left and went to Illegal Pete's. Extra: No menu on their website. Lame. Or, if it's there, it's hard to find. Lame.
(3)Meghan H.
Good happy hour? Awesome staff? Killer guac and chips? Delicious enchiladas? Flexible cooks who will make you what you want and don't secretly spit in your food because you inconvenienced them? Yup, that's the Pio. It's not fancy, it's not without college "charm" but it IS a solid place to get your drink and eat on. Food prices are through the roof lately, folks, so if you're looking for cheap cheap Mexican-inspired eats(read: filler-heavy high fat nastiness), stick with Taco Bell.
(4)Diana L.
Individually topped chicken nachos! Yum! House margaritas weren't too shabby either. This place is a good reason to come to for happy hour!
(5)Amy G.
We just moved into the DU area a couple of months ago, and decided to give The Pioneer a try since it's about a block and a half away from our new digs, and being able to walk to the bar is great. Overall, my husband and I have been very pleased and impressed. The food is fantastic, especially the wings and the blackened fish tacos. The pozole could use a little more heat and the option to add in some raw onion or a squeeze of lemon, but I won't complain! The happy hours are great, the beers are cheap, and the wait staff has been nothing but friendly to us. One of the bartenders even remembered what we ordered to drink the week before, which was a nice touch. The service can be slow at times, and sometimes it takes quite a bit of time between ordering your food and having it brought to your table, but it's totally worth the wait. Plus, it gives you time to have another cheap beer and enjoy your surroundings. In general, we love this place and plan on making it "our" bar from now on.
(4)Dan W.
Sambuca and Coke is disgusting. It's right next to Crown Royal and Red Bull or the Rusty Nail as far as bad drink ideas go. But it's not the Pioneer's fault, it's not like it's on their menu or anything. If you order a bad drink they're happy to pour you one just like any decent bar would. Their Margaritas were decent, I had a couple of the Originals and they were not too sweet or anything. Just Tequila, Lime, Salt, Ice and maybe just a couple of other things. That's exactly the way I like Margaritas. I really liked their Tacos. I can't believe that there's been a decent taco place so close to my house for this long and I just finally made it in there. I tried both the Carnitas and the Al Pastor but the Al Pastor was the better of the two. They make some pretty solid salsas that are not at all watery, although the spicier one tasted like it had quite a bit of dried red peppers in it giving it that distinct slightly rusty slow burning flavor. They also had a pretty good Guacamole which left little doubt that someone had been hacking away at fresh Avocados in the kitchen. Their chips were the size of small dinner plates, so you have to break them down into manageable chunks, but they're yellow corn which makes up for the inconvenience. All things considered, I'll definitely go back the next time I'm in the mood for some good tacos and a drink or several.
(4)Sasha S.
No way Jose. In my opinion, food was a total fail. Queso dip was oddly thick, semi warm, and not at all picante. I was not imprssed at all with the tacos. But service was pretty friendly, albeit a little slow. And did the margaritas have minute maid orange juice in them? Probably a good, friendly place to get your swerve on, but skip the food.
(2)Evan A.
I've been here once but came back when DU friend were in town. This place wasn't here when I went to school here but it's pretty awesome. Can't speak about the food but happy hour was fun. I mean, where can you get $1.50 coors lights?!?! The staff was awesome and friendly. I'll most def. be back for sure.
(4)Eric M.
This is a cool little dive bar over by the DU area. They have great drink specials and a very long happy hour. They have nice covered out door seating with a pool table out there as well. Getting the bar tenders attention was a little hard but it was getting pretty busy so i understand. Decent beer on tap, nothing too fancy. A big tequila selection. All in all a good place to go on a saturday.
(4)Katie L.
The wings here are the best I have tried in the DU area. They have some pretty great happy hours too. I haven't tried much else here besides wings and booze but both are pretty terrific. They must have a kids night or something because I have walked in here at like 7pm a few times and it is PACKED, wall-to-wall with chilluns which seems strange for a college bar.
(4)Erin W.
Food looked great and the drinks looked cold, wish I could have tried something. Sat for 20min, multiple servers walked by but nothing. Pretty terrible experience!
(1)Katherine S.
Amazing Amazing Amazing tacos. I have just returned from 2 years in Austin, Texas and thought I would never have a taco as good as I had there.... (shoutout to TacoDeli) The Pioneer's are equally as good. I went for lunch, so I don't know anything about the drinks, but I would say the reason to go to The Pioneer is the food menu. They're the caliber of tacos I just can't find anywhere else... The Al pastor, The Adobado (YUMMMMM)... I'm not surprised that people are saying the drinks are a little pricey, but the food is so good that it's worth it. Of course, parking sucks (but I had an easy time at lunch).
(5)Randy M.
My wife, son & I had dinner here the other night ... yum! Definite college bar feel ... with great Mexican food! We both had chile rellenos that were very tasty, and the margaritas were "college perfect" ... makes me wish I could go back to school! The fact that it's literally 200 yards from my son's apartment means we'll probably visit often when we're in town! We sat at a picnic table on the patio ... perfect!
(4)David S.
I wouldn't call this a dive bar at all. It's actually really, really fancy for being marketed as a college bar, but still doesn't come close to being a "date spot." And that basically defines the Pioneer. The food is very well done--tacos and dips have almost a fusion feel to them by blending some bizarre ingredients together, margaritas are good and varied, the place is incredibly clean (okay yeah it's new) and the wait staff is incredibly friendly. On the other hand, it's kind of out of the way, rather expensive and doesn't have a die-hard following like the rest of DU bars. It's good for a celebration, but probably not for a hangout.
(3)Jeff S.
Great chicken nachos, good steak tacos. Very cheap prices, friendly staff, ample TVs to watch sports - a perfect place for some quick quality Mexican food. . .
(4)Travis C.
Tacos and Margaritas! You've got my attention. Located near a university, now you've got me headed your way. Nothing I like more than cheap college food. The location is great, the atmosphere is good . The outdoor seating is always a nice attraction. They've done a nice job converting from a Chinese restaurant. This place has great potential to be the college hang out. Unfortunately, at this point, the prices are way too high for what it is. 3 tacos for $8-9 is a little pricey. Simple economics work in college towns. Sell lots for cheap, instead of less for more. Their house margaritas are decently priced however at $5.50 and half price happy hour after between 10pm and 12am on weeknights really makes the margs worthwhile. If they don't change their food prices, just hit up the Wendy's value menu, down a block before you hit up "The Pioneer" margaritas. You can see that this is the first review of "The Pioneer'. This bar is still working out some kinks but has great potential to be one of the best bars around DU. Hopefully a slight change in economics will grant this place huge success. I plan to be back after they've had a few weeks to get into the flow.
(2)Renee K.
I'll admit to having a bit of a crush on this place. Not quite love, but definitely infatuation. It's a comfortable place to grab a drink or three and/or a casual dinner that far surpasses typical bar food. The Pioneer also hosts Geeks Who Drink pub quiz on Wednesdays and it's a lively crowd - no library vibe here! I was very pleased to find my favorite kind of chips and salsa - nice, crispy tortillas, fried up whole and ready for you to crunch into chips. They come with two kinds of flavorful salsa. The Mexican-based menu offers a vegetarian (mushrooms and poblano peppers) option for the burritos, tacos and enchiladas. I thoroughly enjoyed the tacos and will be back for more. The guac was perfect. Although the prices seem high at first ($8 for the taco plate), the quality of the food definitely justifies the price. When I think of all the mediocre, greasy, uninspired bar food that I've spent at least $8 on, I'm even more impressed. The specialty drink menu had one offering I couldn't resist and I'm glad I didn't. The Cactus Colada is a mixture of tequila, pina colada mix, and pineapple juice. All blended with ice and topped with grenadine (two out of three times - oops) it made for a delicious cocktail. I've taken off one star for a few, minor issues. Parking is tight and not very well planned. The enclosed patio is immediately adjacent to the main dining/bar area and the smoke pours in, even reaching the back of the restaurant. And our waitress was friendly but forgot us a few times and even forgot to bring some of our drinks once.
(4)LaRocha L.
I'm really happy to have the Pioneer in the neighborhood! There aren't too many places to get food and drinks on this end of campus, and they have good food, a nice selection of margaritas, and it's a fun, casual place to hang out. I usually stick with the house margarita, and would recommend the tacos el pastor and any of the appetizers. Also! The sopapillas, little puffed-dough triangles dusted with cinnamon suger, were really, really good.
(4)shiloh l.
Awesome food, way better than you'd expect from the "dive bar" designation. The goat cheese and mushroom quesadilla is delicious and huge and cheap, the chile rellenos are excellent, and there are plenty of vegetarian options, too. The rock shrimp tacos rock, and even the side of beans and rice are great, with organic black beans and no-chicken broth in the spanish rice. All my favorite beers are on tap, the margaritas are tasty, happy hour can't be beat, and today at lunch we found out that the bloody marys are top notch, as well. We don't have kids, but there are plenty there (during daylight hours) and they look like they are enjoying themselves... How much do we like it? We drive there from NW Denver to satisfy the craving-its that good.
(5)Nicholas P.
Bordering on 4 stars. I need to go back and eat from the main menu before making that decision though. After a long bike ride, I stopped in yesterday for my first ever visit to the Pioneer. I live close to this establishment and have heard good things about the Nachos. I went with a friend for a couple of beers and to try these "famous nachos". The bartender was very friendly and prompt. The nachos were awesome. They had a perfect distribution of toppings/chip. They are obviously made with love as no chip was neglected during the construction. They could have been a bit spicier... but that's my only complaint. The next time I'm in the mood for Mexican (without paying the price of Hacienda) I will head back to The Pioneer to sample some of the main dishes from the menu.
(3)Nicholas P.
I am not really sure why this place is considered a dive bar as dive bars are places where patrons do cocaine off the bar, fight and occasionally get into a knife fight which may or may not result in a stabbing. Granted The Pioneer is a bit tiny and a bit worn, however the food is in my simple opinion, very good. Also the I find the interior of The Pioneer to be comforting with its dime light and slightly cramped interior. As mentioned before the food is very good. I would recommend just about anything on the menu. The burritos are good a are the chips and queso dip, this is especially true when chorizo is added. Also as a heads up happy hour here is cheap, you can get beers and other drinks half price. Overall this place is somewhat pricey but it is overall a good place to go for some food and a beer.
(5)Jon A.
Not much of a drinker, however have heard good things about the margaritas here. The happy hour is a good deal, and the house margaritas can be pretty strong for the price. The food here really is a surprise. I have eaten pretty much everything off of the menu here, and it is all good. It is a little overpriced for my taste, but the food is consistent and good. The carne asada here is tasty, and the sloppy burritos are gigantic. They offer vegetarian options as well, including appetizers and entree options. Overall the service here is really nice and the food is a nice change. Can be a good place to take a family and kids during the day, or a good place to go and drink/eat with buddies late at night. The kitchen is open until 11 o'clock Sunday-Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. If you are looking for some food different than Chipolte or Qudoba and want something to drink with it, I recommend The Pioneer.
(3)Jennifer R.
I recommend this place for the staff. They have always been super friendly and willing to go that extra mile. The margaritas are great and beer specials are too. The place has always been clean whenever I have been in, including restrooms which is a big plus in my book. The food is also pretty good - I'm a fan of the goat cheese quesidilla, and the Pioneer salad. All of the salsas (there are three) are very tasty, with a wide range of flavors. Great place for game day.
(4)Joshua D.
Great food, great service! Katrina is a sweetheart behind the bar and the food is great, especially the guacamole and homemade and bottled Pioneer Garlic Hot Sauce!
(5)Leah H.
The Pioneer is my favorite bar....ever. While it's relaxed and unpretentious, I wouldn't classify it as a dive bar. I hang out here several times a week, and so do a lot of my friends. Happy hour rocks, tap beers and well drinks are 2 bucks. Service is great, I am friends with nearly all the bartenders. They're known to be a really good time and are very down to earth people. The food is great, despite that it's obviously not all entirely authentic. If you come in here when it's super busy and start giving the help a sour ass attitude, don't be surprised if they seem irritated with you.
(5)Matt P.
So I finally tried the Rellenos and they are probably the best I've ever had.
(5)Stephanie L.
Tacos and margaritas at their best! The mushroom and goat cheese tacos (or quesedilla) really rock my world. The chile rellenos are amazing. The mango margarita is so fresh and delicioso as are their regular house margs. It's a bit of dive and service leaves something to be desired, but the food is phenomenal. I'm also a little disappointed in any mexican place that makes you pay for chips and salsa- I really believe that should be standard.
(4)Phil M.
The service always stinks, but anyone who complains about service at a cheap dive bar is stupid. This place still kicks ass. Everything is pretty delicious on the menu with a nice little beer list.
(4)Robyn H.
This place has an awesome happy hour (everyday 3-7pm), and has really good food! I've had 2 burritos there, and they're very good. One was on the Sunday brunch menu (a chorizo, egg, and potato burrito), and the other was for lunch (a steak, bean and rice burrito w/ green chile). Their beer is good too! They have clean tap lines, which is important in enjoying good draft beer. Its also a great place to study. They have wi-fi and the bartenders are happy to plug in your computer; they did mine! Give them a try!!!
(4)Wolf +.
this place was kinda dingy, was empty was skeptical to spend much time here. I ordered a jack and coke and had a little conversation with the bartender, if i lived in denver, or visited more frequently this would probably be a bar i'd come and hang out with friends. I can't complain, the drinks were cheap and didn't have to wait. Would come here again.
(3)Jason S.
Went Sunday morning to get some food, beer and watch some football! Great breakfast burritos and decent happy hour, the layout made it tricky to see more than one TV so get there early and pick out a good spot. Nice and friendly staff with quick prompt service is always a bonus!!
(3)Erin O.
Whoever decided to put a margarita joint behind a music school was a freaking genius. Their happy hour is a great deal, and they often undercharge us for our drinks, making it an even better deal. The house marg isn't fantastic, but the "Pioneer" marg is very snazzy indeed. They've got a decent beer selection including several local brews, and they change up the taps often enough that the selection doesn't get boring. The food is good, but there are limited choices for vegetarians- everything veggie has mushrooms, poblanos, and goat cheese in it. The flavor is good, but every veggie dish tastes the same. The service is always great- entertaining, fun, and laid back! :)
(4)Ian M.
Great place for a beer & a burrito. Nothing fancy and the service is good. The green chili is fantastic.
(4)Mitch J.
ate here tonight. good service, menu didn't have to much..more of a hangout college bar than a place for a date.
(3)Emily G.
like a cheers, local bar knows us, queso, good guac, decent margs worth hh price
(5)Stacey B.
it's a dive bar. the staff was friendly, the patrons eclectic. it seems decent enough. drinks were strong and i had a good time. the mushroom and poblano pepper burrito was pretty big and delicious, but a little pricey for 8 bucks. it's not in my hood but if my classmates head there after class i'll go back.
(3)