This Friday, Denver will get its first cocktail lounge and specialty sneaker store when Sneekeazy opens to the public in the city’s Golden Triangle neighborhood. This mash-up is the latest endeavor for element HOSPITALITY, who brought us Element Kitchen & Cocktail. “It took us quite some time to put this concept together, because it’s so different from everything that’s out there, so we wanted to make sure we did it right,” said Element Hospitality’s Jon Spadafora. “We ended up with this cool kind of ecosystem, where everything works together to make that unique experience.”
READ: Element Kitchen & Cocktail Brings Elevated Bar Food to Denver
The Shoes
Sneekeazy is located just above Element Kitchen & Cocktail in a 5,500 square-foot loft overlooking Broadway. In true speakeasy fashion, a nondescript staircase leads to a dimly lit entrance that is only brightened by carefully positioned gallery lighting surrounding the star attraction—the rarest and most coveted sneakers on the market. The shoes seem much more like works of art in this setting, perched in cases and tucked safely behind glass. The curated selection of men’s and women’s athletic shoes features a continually evolving variety of brands and styles in a price range that currently tops out at $2,500 for a pair of original Nike Air Jordan I Retro High Banned sneakers, the style outlawed by the NBA in 1984. “We designed this place as a resale location, so we can offer people the most rare selection we can find by any brand,” said Spadafora. “These shoes are like winning lottery tickets for people, so if they have a pair in mind that they’re hunting for, we want to be able to source that for them,” he said. Starting in December, guests will even have their own “SneakerSom,” a resident expert who will offer cobbler services and create custom footwear.
The Food and Drink
The speakeasy-style cocktail menu promises to rotate at least two cocktails on and off the menu every week — keeping things fresh and customers curious. Beverage coordinator Chris Wilson and his bar team are launching the speakeasy this Friday, Novemver 10 — with a few egg white cocktails, some old school classics, several out of the box originals and a diverse list of craft beers and wines by the glass.
Some of the highlights off this weeks menu include Up in Smoke ($11) — an egg white Mezcal sour topped with St. Germaine, cinnamon simple syrup and orange bitters — a smoky, creamy and citrus forward sipper. Shakedown Street ($11) — Bulleit Rye bourbon is stirred in with fresh lemon juice, blackberry and Averna (an Italian Amaro liquor) to produce a floral, fruity and bitter cocktail that tastes as delicious as it look. It is served on the rocks and garnished with a lemon twist and fresh blackberry. The Easy-E ($11) is the gin cocktail to have — sporting Leopold Bro’s small-batch gin, melon bitters and ginger beer — this cocktail is floral, sweet and bubbly delicious.
Items from Top Chef John Tesar’s menu at Element Kitchen will appear upstairs for hungry sneakerheads to wash-back with their craft cocktails. Items like Pork belly quesadilla, nachos, bacon flights and charcuterie are easily approachable and downright delicious. All food offerings upstairs will be priced at $10. Chef Tesar promises to source local and seasonal ingredients for his menu at both Element Kitchen and SneekEasy — offering elevated bar bites that are clean and fresh to death.
In addition to a rotating cocktail list, the venue promises to host a live music for each night of service. The space is complete with a shuffleboard table, billiards and a lit-up DJ booth to ensure patrons can keep their feet moving and their cocktails flowing. SneekEazy combines a love for craft cocktails, farm-fresh food, fashion and live music to form a venue like North Broadway has never seen before.
All Photography by Kiddest Metaferia
SneekEazy is located upstairs at 1134 North Broadway and will be open 5 p.m. – 2 a.m. seven days a week following the grand opening this Friday, November 10.
This is what we love about Denver. This sounds like such a cool experience and one that truly is completely unique. Looking forward to checking this speakeasy out and experiencing it for ourselves.