The Bardo Coffee House — Restaurant in Wheat Ridge

I discovered Bardo a few months ago and it had become my go-to spot, I'm writing a doctoral dissertation and I enjoy the atmosphere and coffee drinks. Because of a kidney condition, I bring two cans of seltzer water with me when I drink coffee, it makes things easier on my kidneys. On Sept 11, 2018 I ordered coffee and drank my seltzer water while writing on my laptop. When I was leaving, I crushed the two EMPTY cans with my boot and recycled them. REPEAT empty cans which did not damage a thing.

The next day, Sept 12, I returned again, but this time about 10 seconds after I walked in the door, I was approached by the owner. He wanted to know why I crushed the cans the day before, and wanted to know what I was bringing into his establishment. I was surprised, I'm a forgettable guy, or so I thought, but it was clear my actions from the previous day had been reported to him and that he had been waiting for me.

I apologized for crushing the cans, crushing them was rude even if my intention was not to be rude. He also asked to examine my new cans of seltzer, which I was happy to let him do. He told me they don't allow outside drinks, which is understandable, no complaint there. I offered to take my seltzer water to my car, and he told me, brusquely, that he would let it go, "this time." My seltzer water is lightly flavored, which he said was a problem, if it had been plain seltzer he said it would be OK.

Lastly, he accused me of visiting the shop and not ordering anything, including the day before. I was a bit taken back, since I considered myself a regular, this is my neighborhood coffee shop, I own a home in the area. I assured him that I always spend money here, including the day before. As proof I showed him my Bardo Punch Card that had 6/10 punches recorded, that's 6 drinks ordered in my last five visits, and this is my fourth punch card! He took the punch card from me and examined it very thoroughly, flipping it back and forth as if checking its authenticity. Again, I was surprised to hear that the staff had been keeping an eye on me, (the owner reports in his response that he was ONLY watching me through security cameras) but more surprised that even though I was being watched the number of drink orders I made was being misreported to him. When he was satisfied my punch card was a legitimate card, he softened a bit and returned the card.

Even though the owner eventually shook my hand and let me sit down, I am distraught at how aggressively I was approached, almost instantly after entering and that I was only allowed to sit down after I answered his questions and apologized many times. I'm also saddened at having to prove that I spend money in the shop in order to sit in the shop. I understand he owns a business and needs to make money, but in all the time I have been coming here, I have never seen him approach anyone else and ask the kinds of questions he asked me. Unfortunately, the only difference between me and the majority of the other patrons is my brown skin. Of course, I'm used to be being policed out of privileged spaces, it comes with the territory of living in America in 2018; I get followed by security at Target, and I am asked repeatedly if I need help when I visit a library. I've just never been policed out of a coffee shop, especially one where I've spent money for months on end, and that makes me incredibly sad.

The hunt begins for a new...

Feeling on edge after my encounter (Friday night, February 7th 2025) with the two ladies working the counter (lady with the glasses/long braid and lady with the bangs and shoulder length hair. Both brunettes). I proceeded to ask 1 of the two ladies working up front if I could have a slip for the WiFi. They proceeded to tell me I would need to make a minimum purchase of $2 and some change in order to be given a slip. Mind you, I had already spent $7 plus a tip for a 20 oz iced blondie. Granted I don’t think she’s the one that helped me during my initial purchase. But okay, I proceeded to buy a slice of carrot walnut. She turns around then moves on to performing another task. It wasn’t until the 2nd lady working the counter had made a comment, that I realized I was simply forgotten about. The lady that ringed be up for a slice of bread was sure to collect a payment to grant me access to the WiFI code but didn’t even bother to give me what I paid for. How laughable is that. Maybe 30 min later the lady with the glasses and braid walks up to the table I was at and tells one of individuals I’m sitting with that they need to throw away their outside drink (a drink that was empty/practically gone from the time she walked in to the establishment) She begins to state the coffee shop is not a place to lounge and they need to make sure people are also making a purchase. She further states we could be kicked out for having an outside drink. Well the thing is, I am a paying customer and I did not like how this employee proceeded to treat my friend. The employees are not aware of customers financial circumstances and whether or not they can make a second, third, purchase beyond their means. It made me feel unwelcome as if though financial gain is a priority over anything else. The lady with the glasses/braids was very aggressive in her delivery. I’ve been a customer of Bardo for years and have visited multiple locations. I take pride in the fact that I’m supporting a small business like Bardo. I have never experienced something like this and it honestly put a sour taste in my mouth. These workers behavior was completely unacceptable. We ended up leaving Bardo at Wheat-ridge and went up the street to Atomic Cowboy. Spent $100 on food and drinks and had access to the establishments WiFi until 2:00 am. I hope I never have to experience something like this at Bardo’s, if I ever return that is. Truly uncalled for and disgusting behavior from...

UPDATE: +2 stars. This is a little late coming... the parking lot has been fixed up for some time now. The smell was a bit better. Not gone. The last drink I remember being fine, not blown away, but fine. The venue and hours of operation are still good.

Original:

I hate to be the voice of dissent here... but... lately this place has been Not So Great. Used to be better.

First off, for at least the last month or more, the place smells like a plumbing problem. That's not just the faint smell of human excrement, but the damp musty smell of broken drain lines in a crawl space (stay focused: I'm not saying there's a crawl space, but there's definitely the familiar smell of old-building-plumbing-problem that I've had to live with in the past). You walk in the door when it's busy and packed, and BAM it hits your right across the face. Maybe the clientele has been ascribing it to some single patron, the "one dirty hipster theory" or something, and that's why they all oddly seem comfortable with it? Who knows. It's definitely a new permanent fixture, and not the patrons.

Secondly, drinks like Mochas often come out all around weak and bland (maybe even watery?). I tend to enjoy my drink more at pretty much anywhere else with an espresso machine, including eateries that place very little emphasis on coffee. I'm not saying it's awful, but it's not better than anywhere else I'd go and actually order a coffee.

And finally, the landlord has not maintained the parking lot, the moon-craters are one thing (depending on your ride height) but in the winter it's just slop and mud that I don't like tracking into the shop, nor the car, nor back into the house.

The only positive aspect remaining is the furniture, the layout, the physical space in which to sit and read or work or whatever, and the hours of operation.

The place is packed, so perhaps there's no immediate incentive to take care of it better, but it needs some...