Been Yet? Punch Bowl Social

So, have you been to Punch Bowl Social yet? That seems to be the question every Denver diner and nightlifer is asking. The highly designed, 24,000-square-foot space offers something for everyone: bowling, foosball, ping-pong, 1980s video games, a rocking bar, and most important (in my view), lots of food.

Punch Bowl serves what proprietor Robert Thompson (Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar, the late-Argyll Gastro Pub) calls “gastro-diner” eats. Translation: Classic American food that executive chef Sergio Romero dials up a thoughtful notch. Staples such as chicken wings and a pastrami sandwich get the following treatments: The wings are slathered in an aji amarillo chile sauce and served with crème fraîche-blue cheese; the sandwich features house-cured meat and gribiche, a fancy mustardy replacement for mayonnaise. And, remember those addictive salty-sweet potato chips at Argyll? Well, Romero resurrects them in the form of Punch Bowl’s fries.

And then there’s the breakfast menu, served from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m., with dishes such as the delicate Maine lobster omelet (pictured) with melty burrata, an abundance of freshly picked claw meat, and peppery fresh mizuna.

Of course, with a menu this large, it will take months to try everything. But there’s real promise here—if only for the unexpected quality of ingredients and execution.

Bonus: Punch Bowl is open almost 24 hours: 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

65 Broadway, 303-765-2695

Follow Amanda M. Faison on Twitter at @5280Eats and on Pinterest.