The High Lonesome — Restaurant in Denver

EDIT: I received the below (inaccurate) reply from the business. My friend had two forms of ID, neither of which were expired (just Colombian).

“Response from the owner We are sorry for any inconvenience, however we do only accept legal identification. Unfortunately one of the guests you were with had an expired i.d. We legally cannot serve anyone with an expired i.d.”

So on top of everything, they finally get around to responding six weeks later and can’t even bother remember the right customer.

Their response to my review appears to be a boiler plate answer they give to unfavorable reviews, because the exact language appears on others. It seems they show the same disregard for understanding ID laws as they do for responding to their Google reviews.

—-Original Review Below—-

I recently visited this bar with high expectations, given its glowing reviews. Unfortunately, our experience was utterly disappointing and marred by blatant discrimination.

Upon arrival, our group was excited to enjoy an evening out. However, when our friend presented his Colombian ID, the staff refused him entry, claiming it was not a valid form of identification. This is not only incorrect but also a disgraceful display of ignorance and bias. Foreign IDs are legally accepted forms of identification, and the staff's lack of knowledge on this matter is inexcusable.

The dismissive and unwelcoming attitude we faced was appalling. It’s 2024, and this kind of treatment towards foreigners is unacceptable. Instead of acknowledging their mistake, the staff insisted on their misguided policy, leaving us frustrated and excluded.

The High Lonesome needs to educate its staff on legal identification policies and foster a more inclusive environment, lest it indeed become lonesome. Until then, I urge others to avoid this place. There are plenty of other bars in town that respect and welcome all guests, regardless of their...

Update: I was glad to see the owners’ response below and I emailed them several weeks back. Unfortunately I haven’t heard a peep since then, so I’m not sure what’s up with that.

Thought about being very detailed here but I will keep it simple. Though I've been a fan of this place for a while now, I recently had an experience where a good friend and I were treated shamefully by one of the bartenders here. I don't know how many bars I've been to in my life and I've truly never seen a bartender pick a fight and create an altercation out of nowhere, so much that even some of the other staff looked shocked.

There are some great staff here, they make good drinks, the vibes are nice. But what good is that if you've got hostile personnel itching for confrontation?

Will not be coming back here in the near future and wouldn't recommend it...

Stopped in on a Saturday night after dinner and sat at the bar. The bartender let us know that he would need to see our IDs, then immediately walked away. After helping a few other patrons he came back, checked our IDs, then immediately walked away. We eventually got served and the drinks were good and another bartender started his shift so we figured services would get better, but the first thing the new bartender did was take a shot with a few patrons. We finished our drinks and wanted to order another round but were unable to get served in a reasonable amount of time. While we were waiting we saw the new bartender standing around until the patrons he initially did a shot with were ready for another round and took another shot with them. It's not a good look when your bartenders are drinking more than...