The Punch Bowl Social is a bold new dropped pin in Denver’s popular Baker neighborhood.
The new bar, restaurant and gaming parlor has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to having a good time. There’s food and drink, sure — with a happy hour worth edging out of work early for. But the key ingredient here, the thing setting the Punch Bowl apart from any other establishment in the state, is the gaming element.
There’s bowling — eight lanes of it — and darts. There’s pingpong and foosball. There’s Trivial Pursuit (and other board games) and marbles tables, pinball and arcade games and billiards and shuffleboard. And there’s also deck shuffleboard — yes, that of seniors-on-cruise-ships fame.
Uptown’s Ace specializes in pingpong and does it beautifully. The 1Up and 2Up work the vintage arcade games properly. And Moe’s BBQ & Bowling in Englewood rocks the titular sport among rock shows and brisket. But the Punch Bowl bravely brings all of that together under one roof, making for an experience that is thoroughly unique — insane, even — in the Rocky Mountain West.
Does the mania of the Punch Bowl always work? No, it doesn’t. But with the proper planning, your experience in the immaculately designed space can make for a legendary, if expensive, night of revelry.
Our first recommendation: Plan it out. Check out the bar’s website, punchbowlsocial.com, and click the entertainment tab — giving you a decent overview of what to plan for. Many have experienced sticker shock over the bowling prices, which run $15-$35 per hour plus $3.50 to rent shoes.
Yeah, it adds up quickly — pingpong and billiards are both $13 per hour, and you can purchase a bag of marbles for $4 — but such is the price of a trendy game hall in the middle of Denver’s most desirable, walkable neighborhood.
Secondly, you will shave more than a few dollars off that final bill by taking advantage of the room’s killer happy hour from 2-6 p.m. daily — including $2 cans of beer, $4 well drinks, certain discounted games and a bewildering $2 basket of popcorn (loaded with a shocking jolt of sea salt and vinegar).
Lastly, have realistic expectations. The Punch Bowl has everybody talking — and the behemoth, 24,000-square-foot space has become something of a lightning rod in a neighborhood known for its niche craft stores, local rock clubs and indie eateries. If you show up on Friday or Saturday night without reservations, good luck. But if you pop in at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday, you’ll nearly have the run of the place — and it’s then you realize that the Punch Bowl is a truly poignant addition to nightlife in the Mile High.
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394, rbaca@denverpost.com or twitter.com/bruvs
PUNCH BOWL SOCIAL. The games-with-drinks emporium is open until 2 a.m. daily. Check the website for prices and information on bowling, billiards, pingpong, marbles, shuffleboard, darts, video games and more. 65 Broadway, punchbowlsocial.com, 303-765-2695.