The History
OUR STORY
West End Tavern connects everyone that steps in our door with the spirit of Old Boulder. All are welcome. Wild and kind, independent and delicious.
Though no one knows the exact date this building was erected, town records date it back as far as 1906, when it housed Boulder’s Police Station. The Station’s next-door neighbor at the time was, fittingly, a house of ‘ill repute’ (four red velvet-clad rooms were discovered in the basement next door, under what is now Jax Fish House, during construction in 1987).
In the 1950s, the building was home to the Spaghetti Factory, a family-owned Italian eatery. Next, The Red Cross took residence, until the City Council observed that the building was in the floodplain. The Council felt that it would be bad form to send rescue boats to the Red Cross during a flood. The Red Cross quickly made a move to higher and drier ground.
In 1987, Steve “Beaver” Goren and Marc “Minnie” Minion opened the original West End Tavern. The partners purchased the big, old, beautiful bar from Miss Kittie’s Saloon in Bayaud, Nebraska, the stopping point on the original Oregon Trail. Miss Kittie herself sold them the bar and told them, based on expert calculations & the design, its likely birthplace was Omaha, Nebraska, in the late 1800s.
Some of our furniture is a by-product of the 2002 Hayman fire, which destroyed over 70,000 acres of local old-growth pine forest. Some of the biggest trees killed in that fire were salvaged to create the tables you see in our dining room today. There’s a lot of history in this old place and plenty more in the making.
[ Photo Courtesy Carnegy Library for Local History/Museum of Boulder Collection ]
AUTHENTICALLY COLORADO, QUINTESSENTIALLY BOULDER
Dining in Boulder is the way it should be. Find yourself on our rooftop deck indulging in gourmet BBQ and a glass of bourbon, while taking in the remarkable views of the Flatirons beneath 300 days of sunshine each year. Our patio heaters are sure to keep you warm on cold Colorado days, making the rooftop a year-round dining spot. Inside, our restaurant is cozy, warm, and inviting.
Choose from a large selection of whiskey and craft beers on 20 taps. Visit one of Boulder’s best restaurants and the locals’ favorite for a cold brew and good eats.
INTENTIONALLY SUSTAINABLE
All of our paper products, straws, and trash bags are recyclable or compostable. 100% of our electricity is offset with wind power and we use CFL light bulbs wherever we can. We recycle all of our waste oil with a variety of local groups including Rocky Mountain Sustainable Enterprises.
We have strong relationships with Old Style Sausage - Louisville, Tonali's Meat - Denver, Niman Ranch Beef - Northglenn, Blue Point Bakery - Denver, Bee Squared Apiaries - Berthoud, Haystack Mountain Goat Cheese - Longmont, Harvest Moon Baking, Co - Denver, Red Bird Farms - Englewood, Star Farms - Brighton.
We grow and use herbs from our garden boxes. We support fisheries and purveyors that are environmentally conscious and fish legally from sustainable waters. We recycle and compost nearly 100% of our discards. We are PACE certified and we use only Rainforest Certified Coffee.
WHAT'S WITH THE BEAVER?
Steve “Beaver” Goren was a bear of a man. Covered from head to toe with kindness, Beav was a champion of West Pearl Street. He opened the iconic West End Tavern in 1987 with Marc “Minnie” Minion. In doing so, they not only named but gave birth to Boulder’s thriving ‘West End’ retail district.
Borne from his travels to India, Beaver wanted to recreate the rooftop-casbah nightlife he had experienced in his travels. Everyone was his friend - he made sure you felt included. His generosity and passion for business and connection were only rivaled by his entrepreneurial genius. He lived in flip-flops year-round, loved to head to the sun and sand in the winter, and was a music fan through and through.
Beaver created the first true company culture in Boulder - his early Tavern employees speak of their time at The West End as an “era”, not a job. Beaver left a lasting impression on those who knew him. His business dealings always came from the heart first. He never won until everyone did - a rare trait in today’s times.