As a fellow business owner in Telluride, who has resided in this quaint town for a decade now, I had to finally report on a wonderfully old-fashioned bar, where locals have traditionally loved to have had their Happy Hours and their Late Night Last Drinks for decades. This bar was taken over a couple of years ago by Michael Lee...previous proprietor of a happy hour bar that he had to close due to development. For years I have overlooked this person's rude behavior, not just when tending to his Bar, but also out of work, when walking his dog or just passing by in the streets of small town Telluride. In all of my professional life (I was in Sales and Marketing in the "real world" of High Tech both in Europe and in the Silicon Valley for years, as well as eventually founding my own business that has reached success after success due to our heart warming customer service and genuine love of our products and what we do), I have never met such a grumpy, nasty, unpersonable owner of a business- especially a bar which should be the social network of both locals and tourists in a town like Telluride.
The final straw came the other night.when I popped in to listen to a quite good band who was playing live at the "Buck" - last dollar. I ordered my first and only drink of the evening (one of their signature Margaritas) and sat myself into a bar stool to watch and enjoy the music. I sipped on my cocktail for about a half an hour, and eventually at some point, when I turned around to have one more sip from my cocktail, I found my not quite finished drink gone. I flagged down the Bartender, who happened to be Mike, the owner, and mentioned that someone had removed my drink which was not quite finished. He politely (to which I was shocked from his typical behavior) asked what I had been drinking and I told him a Margarita. Without another word, he prepared me another drink (which I was not expecting, but thought he must have been to a new schooling for customer service, because he is typically quite not the gentleman, etc.). When he brought me the drink, he slapped it on the bar and said quite gruffly "Five Dollars!". I looked at him quite shocked and said, "but is this for the drink that someone working here took away prematurely whilst I was sitting at the bar enjoying the band? Why should I have to pay...and I did not even ask for another drink." Without a word, he grabbed the glass and said quite threateningly "That's it!" and threw the brand new drink down the sink. He then looked me in my face and said that I was Rude and he did not want to serve me!!!
Well, I was most probably the ONLY sober person in the bar, as I had not been drinking prior to coming to see the band, and he or his staff took my drink away WHILE i WAS SITTING THERE with my back turned to watch the music! He could not take any sort of even gentle, constructive criticism, and he felt that by making me a drink (that I had not asked for) and to become aggressive about it, I would become aggressive and be thrown out, as seems to be the nature of many of the drunken people there late at night.
Being a travel writer to many large and small cities in the US as well as Europe, I have NEVER encountered SUCH unprovoked aggression from a member of staff...LET ALONE an owner of a business.
To top it off, I have much tolerance for people and understanding if they are having a bad day or something, but all of the years I have known Michael, in both his business and upon passing by in this tiny town, I have NEVER seen him smile, light up with joy in encountering anybody, let alone go out of his way to be friendly.
I recommend staying away from this bar and going to the Sheridan, OB's, Fly Me to the Moon Saloon, or any other establishment rather than take the risk of the rudest person I have ever encountered on any continent in my life becoming aggressive towards an innocent party.
Enough said. I have resisted writing this review for years, but last Saturdaynight was indeed the LAST STRAW, and I just HAD to share it with people planning a trip to Telluride.
Visited June 2013
Just spent the weekend in Telluride for closing weekend and I gotta say, this was THE bar that we went to for the 3 nights we were there. It was so fun, a little pricey, but everyone was in good spirits.
I felt like the only downside was that everyone knew we were from out of town because everyone seemed to know each other. I know this happens a lot in these small mountain towns but cmon now girls, don't give me THAT look.
I guess it's a cash only bar, I accidentally only paid in cash anyway.
We highly anticipated our night with the last saloon. Practicing our songs the whole seven hour drive, we were READY to win the karaoke competition. After paying our bored concierge at the River Club to drive us 40 meters for three dollars to the last dollar saloon, ALAS we arrived. HowEVER, to our dismay and serious disappointment, the karaoke competition was falsely advertised (by a website not the bar) Thankfully the owner was in house, and treated us to around of free shots!! Lovin small town love! Definitely come here for a tasty beverage !!
Review Source:Fun little bar with a great selection of beer. Â I was here for a World Cup game once and it was down right rowdy...at 8am! Â I like that in a bar.
I've been a couple times since, and always had a good time. Â Nice spot for live music.
If you want a couple beers you could do a lot worse than da buck as they say.
Cash only is a huge pain though....nobody carries cash anymore, that is a -1 star in my book.
This place was pretty cool. My group and I stopped by here on a few occassions when we were up in Telluride April 5-8th. The atmosphere is cool and laid back but man, $5 for a bottle of craft beer? I guess it wasn't any different than any other place in Telluride. I guess if you want to drink cheap, tasteless beer you can go with the PBR's. I'll pass. I seemed to keep going back to the Pinstripe Ale. Pretty tasty. It better be when it's $5 a bottle. I did sneak in and pay for this gals drink before she could pay for it herself. I love being sneaky like that. When I came back to my friends at the bar, she had ordered me a shot of something that was pretty tasty. I should have seeked her out and thanked her but I think she was with a big group of people and I lost track. Could have been my soulmate. Ya never know. LOL
Review Source:Was not a big fan of this place in the least. It's a local joint, and they really let you know it. Lots of attitude and stares from the locals. Didn't really think we were being very touristy in levis and sweaters/fleeces, which is what every local was wearing. Cash only is pretty obnoxious in a town lacking in national bank ATMs. Despite the dive-bar atmosphere, my drinks were more expensive than they were at the Sheridan. Bartenders were great though, very friendly. Too bad it doesn't rub off on their regulars. Not my cup of tea; I prefer somewhere the locals appreciate the tourists that make their existence possible.
Review Source:If you are in Telluride and down to your last dollar, you are out of luck because a can of PBR is $2 here. Explaining that you are down to your last dollar will simply get you a free explanation of their strict anti-vagrancy policy. Go ride the gondolas, they are free, or perhaps you can bet that dollar on something like the amount of week smoked in Telluride on a given day, or you can ask if they offer a half can.
Regardless, the Buck is the best bar in Telluride, and that's not necessarily saying a lot because there are not a lot of bars in Telluride, but it's a good bar none the less. It would probably also be the best bar in Dayton, Ohio or Walla Walla, Washington. Â Expect a mixture of locals, cowboy types, motorcylistas, and tourists. Â I need no see any Roma people, but I'm sure they would be equally welcomed. Cheap drinks and a diverse crowd: the Buck is the bar for the people!
Def best bar in Telluride!
$2 PBR's? That's my jam! Cash only? Cool, whatevs! Great atmosphere, totally cool bartenders and the only bar not playing bluegrass music. Great!
Even after we got a little too crazy, dropping beer bottles all over the place, no one even batted an eyelash. That's my type of place.
Obviously, this place was packed during the Bluegrass Fest. weekend, but that just made the atmosphere of the place that much more fun.
This is the kind of place you can come to drink and if you don't want to be bothered, no one will bother you.
If you want to chat a few, there'll be more than a few locals to chat you up.
Had a car bomber here with friends. Â Just in case you're wondering what a car bomber is, it's a shot half with Jameson whiskey, half with Irish Bailey Cream plunged into a glass of Guiness.
Of course you have to down the whole glass at one time.
Was pretty good~ bitterness of the Guiness chased by the sweetness of the Bailey.
Local hang out, easy going atmosphere. Â Cash only.
What's there not to like about this place? Â Nothing.
My kind of place. If there was one place I did enjoy was this bar.
Cash only like everyone else said which is kind of a bummer but decent drink prices and a lot of locals. Liked what James T had to say about not acting like a tourist. We could defiantly feel that everyone was a regular but the two of us. O well. I'd head back there for sure though.
Okay...first let me correct some of the previous reviewers...it's "Da Buck"!
I come out to Telluride each year to partake of the great skiing out here...and for some reason, probably because I hang out with alcoholics, I end up at Da Buck each night!
Keep in mind that I'm not that much of a drinker, nor that much of a fan of bars in general...but this place is just the right amount of Funky-Cool...and I feel right at home.
Let's see, to describe how little I drink, my first attempt at ordering a drink from Moussa (Yep, that's his real name) was a request for a Pina Coloda...okay...stop laughing now bitches!
Well, Moussa laughed for a while with my friends, then politely informed me that NO WAY was he going to make such a Foo-Foo drink for me...but in actuality, they don't have a single blender in the entire joint.
Now normally, when my ego-clad manhood is being mocked, openly in public, which is actual pretty common and frequent...I take it...in bitter silence....but Moussa made up for my obviously non-manly drink request for a slightly less Foo-Foo drink that I have NO idea what it was...but fruity, slightly sour and tasted bad-ass!
With all the bars in Telluride, you can tell this is the bar that the locals call home...and that Moussa was the unofficial Town Mayor, because that guy knew EVERYBODY! Â Bartenders here were definitely friendlier than any other bar that we went to....although Luisa next door was super friendly and served us unbelievable Lemoncellos!
This is the type of bar where Simple is Standard....and Simple is GOOD!
They ONLY accept Cash, so if you're sporting your AMEX BLACK to show off here, noone cares...or really knows what the hell that is...
I've had some FUN, FUN nights hanging out there...and a good thing that my friend lives like a block away...short-easy-stumbling distance home to crash out!
Oh yeah, why do I actually like this bar and not the countless others that I've been to that convinced me that I'm NOT a Bar-Hopper....this was the one bar that wasn't so ridiculously loud that you can't have a conversation with anyone! Â Music was there, good, but not overly intrusive...and a crazy mix of music too!
If you're in Telluride, and you're an aspiring alcoholic, who doesn't have to have a Pina Coloda, want to get to know more of the local scene and inside lines on where to go/be in Telluride....DA BUCK!
I'm thirsty now...
"The Best Local Bar - Be cool and don't act like a tourist..."
This place is a great local hang. "The buck", as the locals call it, is easy to find, easy to get a drink, good people watchin' through the big glass windows, warm with a great fire, filled with many beer and drink possibilities and usually full of interesting half baked cool locals with no brightly colored clothing.
Again, be cool and don't be a typical tourist and they may let you hang out for a while.
ahhh "The Buck" - spent many, many nights here stinking of smoke, losing in pool and unwinding after a long powder day. Â the place, as mentioned, is the quintesentiall bar-bar. Â no gimmicks, usually no specials, and definitely no attitude. Â story goes it used to be the last stop before heading up to Tomboy basin (you can still go up to the old mining town - through many, many switchbacks on the north end of town, located at around 11,000+ feet). Â miners would load up, horse and buggy it to "The Buck", throw back a few whiskeys and head up for the long, winding trek uphill. Â a little more recent, in the 60's and 70's, there are stories of locals lining up "rails" all down the bar in broad daylight...this before the law had really set in.....damn cops, ruin everything!! Â ;)
Review Source:I am told that locals call this rustic watering hole "the Buck," and its look and feel certainly qualify it as a local hangout. Ice-cold brews are the beverages of choice, and the taps flow freely and frequently into the night. Don't expect much in the way of snappy decor, this place is as "bar" as they come. Bring your quarters for the jukebox and head up to the second level in the back and start your own dance and or pseudo-karaoke party.
Great place to spend your last dollar
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