It's hot; it's smelly; it's packed but hey, that's part of the allure. If you get there early you can grab a pool table, if that's your thing, or just find a place to sit down. Get there later and you'll be standing, but at least there will be decent music, cheap drinks and good company.
Review Source:I LOVES me a good basement bar and Sundown did not disappoint! I met a friend here for drinks on a Sunday. And it was pretty quiet and noticeably devoid of women. Â This situation resolved itself as the evening wore on and I'm told it's PACKED when school is in session.
Anyway I LOVED this bar. It's pretty big with lots of exposed brick and wooden beams and lots of pool tables. The men's room has a pee trough filled with ice which greatly contributes to the sleaze factor. The drinks are nice and cheap and the crowd seemed cool enough as the place filled up except for a group of pretty pissed off looking girls habitating a lone table in the back( that whole bit about some people being UGLY when they're mad was never truer as it was this night) Chin up girls, in another week there will be a ton of drunk 21 year old college boys. Ugly is NEVER an issue when you mix alcohol and low lighting.....hang in there,
I had fun on a nice mellow Sunday but I am morbidly curious to come back some weekend when the co-eds invade.
The Downer is the (read: my) Platonic form of a bar. There's really no point in reviewing it, because you'll either turn around halfway down the stairs when you hit the wall of sweet, stale beer stench, or you'll walk in, take a gander, and your soul will say "YES!"
If you find yourself reacting in the latter fashion, come find me at one of the pool tables, because we will be friends.
Ahhhhh the dirty downer... One of my most fequented bars during college. I can't count how many times I have been kicked out of here or not let in. Sketchy is hell and was still my favorite because it's too much of a dive bar for the people I didn't want to be around in Boulder (namely greeks). I think lately it's become more popular although I left Boulder in 2010 so my opinion may be outdated. I'll always have good memories with my whiskey  here.
Review Source:Cheap drinks and plenty of games! In fact pool is free if you're day drinking.
So if you're moderately hyper and need to be entertained while you consume adult beverages... go here. If you don't like wall to wall drunk college students, still go here but leave early.
If you are late nighting at the Downer the good news is that you have to come down a flight of stairs to get into the bar and that's a sobriety test for some.
Pretty sure this review will be useless to everyone since it's circa 2001. But hey, this was when my best friend was alive and we smoked and drank whiskey here 'til way past last call. So screw you guys, I'm going to lose myself in nostalgia.
The story of how I found this place (shortly after my 21st birthday) is too long to tell here. But it involves Archers of Loaf, a snowstorm, me driving, and a man walking in shorts and flip flops. It was destiny.
Two days later, my friend and I walk down the stairs into the dungeon. It was -early-. The sun was still up outside but definitely down inside. We came for the jukebox (to this day the best jukebox I have ever seen). For god's sake we were still babies and didn't even know how to properly order a drink except to ask for a newcastle and a pbr with innocence and fear in our voices.
Anyway. Jukebox. Money in. Queue the impatience of youth. We finish our drink. No Sisters of Mercy, no Refused, no Q and Not U, no X. So naturally we say to each other: We're the only ones here. What gives?
I walk up to the door guy (pink mohawk, polish crest tattoo peaking out of his t-shirt sleeve). I say to door guy with extremely sheepish voice: "Hey um. Could there be something possibly wrong with the jukebox? We put in songs over 30 minutes ago and nothing is coming on." Door guy looks at me with severe irritation and says, "Whatever lady. Time to get a pitcher."
And so began my love affair with the Downer.
One year later I made out with said door guy but that is neither here nor there. I don't even remember the dude's name. Point being that after two years of regular patronage, the whole place became a debaucherous, incestuous glory hole. For example, everyone knew a bartender's penis size the night he broke up with his girlfriend. She came in screaming "THREE AND A HALF INCHES" over and over again for over two hours.
I'll spare everyone the dozens upon dozens (and more than likely hundreds) of stories of how we sang and laughed and talked with reckless abandon.
I'll further spare you the downward spiral of the Downer sometime in 2004 when word got out to douchey college kids, the regulars stopped coming, the women's bathroom got filled with girls putting on make-up (so not rock and roll), and the bartenders started serving mixed drinks without calling you names (this is no exaggeration - I once ordered a dirty vodka martini and the bartender on shift asked me "What the *uck is wrong with you assh*le? Whiskey or beer. Those are your choices." Let's just say that place initiated me into rocker bardom mighty quick.).
We all have our dying day. I won't dare come back to the Downer to have my memories adulterated. I'll just let it live on as the holy grail of our youth.
I love you, Ben. We miss you.
Cheap drinks? Check. Awesome way to start a birthday bar crawl? Check.
Sketchiest place I've ever been in? Triple check.
The cheap drinks are worth it to come here but I am seriously afraid I'm stepping in puke or that I might find a person passed out in the booth that has been there since noon. Go here grab some drinks and then quickly move on.
I Â will say the downer is a fun place to hang out with the shuffleboard, pool tables, darts, and games...
HOWEVER, even with full-knowledge that this is perhaps the most divey bar ever...this place is, even with that understanding, still mildly repulsive. The drinks are cheap and the atmosphere is fun, but it feels like you're hanging out in a dirty warm sock. Bad smells, inconsistent music (occasionally good), nasty floors and surfaces, hot steamy air...maybe it's just me, but I can only handle that so often. Not the best. Basically you have to already be drunk to hang out in the downer, but if you are - it can be a good time.
God help you if you need to drop a two in the Downer!!
That being said, 5 Reasons to go to the downer
1. Games: Â Pool, Foosball, darts, and shuffleboard
2. Â a $5 Pitcher of PBR
3. Â a $5 Pitcher of PBR
4. Â a 5 Pit BPR* #
5.  5IFPICHPjf  _*&# $83r999999999999999999999999999999999 99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999Â99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999Â999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
I was a little skeptical about going to a bar in a basement filled with tons of college kids, but I enjoyed myself because of the friendly people and happy atmosphere. It got pretty crowded around 10pm or so, but there was still room to play and chat with friends.
The Sundown Saloon has darts (free, just need your ID at the bar), shuffle board ($8 an hour), foosball ($.75 a game), and pool (coin operated). Â
At the bar, there's a credit card minimum of $10. Pitchers of beer are $12 or less each depending on what kind of beer you get (PBR is cheaper ofcourse).  There are also rotating drink specials.  The waitstaff is extremely diligent  about clearing empty or unused glasses so keep an eye on yours or else it'll be gone.
Does anyone else feel like this place is a cross between a frat basement and a quaint outdoors village? Â I know that sounds weird, but that's the feeling I got while I was there. Â There are wooden floors, low ceilings decorated with Christmas lights and brick walls. Â Check it out and let me know.
There's nothing I can tell you about the Downer that hasn't already been said.
It's gross. Â It's dirty. Â It's crowded. Â The sound system is god-awful. Â The booze is cheap, so is the pool, so is the staff. Â (Heyo.)
But y'know what? The Downer doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. Â And for that alone, I'm giving it 5 stars. Â It's a gross, carcinogen infested, stanktastic godawful institution, and by dammit, Boulder NEEDS one of those.
It's also familiar, comforting, an oasis in the storm of upscale bars and undergrad hellholes and who knows what else is out there. Â It's not that undergrads come to Downer and make it awful (but they do, so what), it's that EVERYONE comes to the Downer and collectively makes it awful. Â Awesome. Â Awful.
Don't turn the lights on down here, don't go home with anyone you meet here, and don't ever change.
Not a classy place by any means, but thats one of the reasons I like it. It was super crowded and loud which made it hard to have a conversation, but that is a testament to how popular it is. Super cheap pitchers are always nice!
I've only been there the one time, but I look forward to going back again and playing a game of pool next time I'm in Boulder.
The "downer" as it's called is definitely undergrad central. But, with a spacious basement layout and REALLY cheap drinks it's hard to go wrong. Pitchers of PBR are insanely cheap. I typically have a $1 shot or five to forget how darn old I feel in this place. Also, the bartenders are really nice and keep my credit card when I stumble out at the end of the evening and forget to close out.
There are 6 very busy pool tables, darts and shuffleboard to keep oneself occupied with something other than people watching. On really busy nights you'll have to hover at a pool table to ensure your quarter is really keeping your place in line. Â
Occasionally, and I can never figure out WHAT night this is, they clear away tables and set up a DJ and dance area. The music isn't half bad and with my 6+ shots I'm set to stumble around rhythmically to the music.
Solid dive bar in downtown Boulder. Â You walk down a flight of stairs and are in what looks like a basement with a ceiling of about 7 or 8 feet at most. Â
Highlights:
Plenty of pool tables
Shuffleboard
Foosball
Darts
The best part is the beer.... Â serving such high-brow classics like cans of Old Style, Olympia, Schlitz, and Pabst Blue Ribbon. Â They even have a $1.00 special on Mondays where you can pick a Mystery Can (you'll get one of the above). Â Also a bunch of (good) beers on tap and full bar.
Good times playing bar-room games in a funky environment.
Somehow, a night out always starts at the Downer. I wouldn't say it's always a good start but it's a fun time none the less. Drinks are pretty cheap and the vibe is alright if you don't mind the shady feel. If you can snag a table, it's best to stay put unless you like navigating the packed bar area.
Whenever we go there I always have this nagging feeling that if I were to pass out I wouldn't be noticed for a looooong time.
21st birthdays inevitably start here because of the Flaming Phlegm shot which the bartender warns you to blow out before consuming. Really? You shouldn't take a lit shot? I'm shocked.
After Baker Street Pub my brother and I headed here.
Gross. This place is dirty, full of potheads, and has okay drink specials. The only thing that was good here was the "Mystery Beer Cans" for $1 on Tuesday nights.
We met some girl who was here for her birthday and she was a total dud. She was strange and probably high. Avoid this place if you are looking for some fun...head down to Old Chicago further down Pearl street. Much better crowd and atmosphere.
Ah the Scumdowner, Boulder's bastard child. What can be said about this place that hasn't already it is a dirty, crowded, sketch-fest and most of all it is Fucking Amazing.
This isn't a dance club this is where dreams and inhibitions go to die, PBR flows and the music blares I myself have made more than one's fair share of bad choices here and yet can't seem to stay away.
But please be warned, this is a dive, please don't think "Oh its Boulder they don't have dive bars," You would be sadly misinformed
How the hell does this place exist in fuckin' Boulder, CO? The whole town is nothing but bars jammed full of yuppies, chad mcbros and trustafarians that only serve expensive microbrewed beer that tastes awful.
The "Scumdowner" is a dingy divebar that serves cheap PBR in special PBR mugs. During the day they have free pool. I don't think they serve food, but I really wouldn't trust my gastrointestinal health to them anyway, it's best to stick to things with booze in them. Their Jukebox is pretty badass and has a good diverse selection of music, unlike most crappy Boulder bars and their worship of crappy Jambands and Jambands for republicans (dave matthews, jack johson, etc.)
A lot of people in Boulder hate this bar and to that I say "good!" such an awesome watering hole is wasted on you. If you can't hang with Moe's Tavern, go find your drinks at whatever overpriced yuppie watering hole your psychic reader told you to go to.
If going there every weekend makes you a fan, then "Yay! I'm a fan." Â My friends absolutely love this place and we usually go there early in the night to take advantage of the free pool. Â I'm not much of a pool player myself, but playing for free and sucking is better than paying for pool and sucking. Â
The drinks are cheap. Â It's a dive by to the fullest. Â It is sketchy at times.
I'm a fan of the 'Downer.
Many call it the Scum downer, but hey it's a dive bar. Â You can always strike up a good conversation here, play a good game of pool (before it gets too crowded after midnight) and drink cheap beer.
Pool is free before 10:30 p.m. they usually have an extra guest beer on tap that is good.
College kids filter in later at night :( Â But still it's always a fun place to wrap up the night if you're out for a couple of beers.
This place was basically my living room for years. Â Still drop in now and then but dont' know the crowd anymore; that's what happens when you stay home and sleep nights for too long.
It's a real dive bar in all the best ways, and a good place to escape some of the pretentiousness of this town.
And I especially appreciate how much they resisted the anti-smoking nazis.
This bar attracts the more alternative indie crowd. Your not going to hear mainstream hip hop here. Furthermore, the sundowner environment is not conducive to the Mr. Frat Man party scene. So grab a PBR, play some pool, and chat up the indie boy wearing tight pants and thick rimmed glasses. You either like this place or you don't.
Review Source:This is THE Boulder bar where all of your friends probably hang out. It's a grimy, mischievous place. I generally feel that it's the place to go if you want to end up having a crazy night and seeing about 30 people you know. It's the bomb. The jukebox has amazing stuff in it. There are darts and pool. But the music is always so loud and through crappy speakers. Really makes you want to end it all sometimes. Certain tables in particular are so bad that you can't really understand people even if they're shouting in your ear with a megaphone. I attempted to have an entire conversation in one of these tables and I wanted to rip the speaker off of the wall and beat the jukebox into dust with it.
I feel that if I was to complain about this to a barkeep, they wouldn't really care all that much. Which is why The Sundown Saloon is awesomely unique! (Bring earplugs or your hearing will probably be damaged I learned about it in a class)
Out in Boulder visiting my sis for a week and this place was in walking distance and was recommended.
Place looks like the basement of a log home that has had 1000's of 21-30 year olds drinking, smoking, applying stickers, and carving into it for the past 100 years.
I was impressed by the whiskey selection and reasonable prices. Â Juke box is one for those that have older, eclectic tastes. Â Crowd seemed to keep to their groups and was rowdy in good way that made me feel like having a good time. Â So I got quite loaded and did.
Plan on coming back in when I am on travel there late this summer.
"A rose by any other name is still a rose." Â Call it what you will, it does not change the essence.
The same applies to a dive bar. Â Call it Sundowner or Scumbagger, it is classic, sleazy, dive glory at its finest. Â I love the fact that it is in the Pearl Street Mall, next to overpriced, yuppy establishments.
People really knock this bar, but sometimes you want a dive bar to play pool and drink $6 pitchers of PBR.
I have seen some cute girls here, and some really broke ones also. Â No shortage of dirty looking, un-bathed local residents. Â I think I even detected some patchouli oil one night...
Perfect reason why this bar kicks ass; almost all of the kitchen workers from surrounding restaurants end up here when there shift is over. Â It's like Deja Vu all over again.
The first night we went out on the town, when we were reasonably sober, we found this bar too loud for conversation and decided not to stay.
The second time, a bit less sober, apparently we didn't notice the noise as much. This place will stay with me for quite a while. Interesting night of drunken bonding with the co-workers, ahhh.
The Scum Downer (as it is affectionately called) is the epitome of the dive bar, in all its dirty glory Located in the basement of a building of Pearl street, the Scum Downer has some decent appeal, at least early in the night. I'm talking about pool tables and cheap brew. However, later in the evening this place turns into a crowded and grungy hipster paradise: something I personally pass on.
The Scum Downer embraces the dive bar image so what this in general means is that it is smelly, grungy, with low cielings and worn tables.
This is all well and good if this is your thing, and for a lot of people in Boulder it is. Just understand what you are getting yourself into: overly loud music, crowds of smelly people in an equally smelly and grimy bar (and apparently my girlfriend tells me where slimy ex-boyfriends hang out)
They have finally closed down the smoking room, which was sort of a local legend: the ventilation in this place was so bad, that you could wipe your finger along the wall and get yellowish residue all over. And of course if you are really desperate for that fix, you could lick the wall and be buzzing all night long (while probably contracting some sort of disease as well).
Not my scene.
Not tall person friendly. My hubby bumps his head on the beams everytime he turns around. Poor hubby.
It's the kind of bar where the floor is sticky with spilled beer and every patron is either looking for a fight or a hook-up. The pool tables are very busy and tightly packed.
It's just not my idea of a nice place to hang.
For the Record, this IS my favorite bar in Boulder. Â Some people get it, some people don't. Â It is slightly nasty always, slightly mundane always. Â Pool and foosball, which really aren't my scene, actually. Â Pitchers of beer, which incidentally also are not my scene. Â But the peeps--I love 'em. Â Really, actually, the sheer reason I appreciate this bar lies in its distinction from other boulder bars that are simply...Boulder. Â And by that, I mean douchey-pseudo-hippy-nonsense. Â The Sundowner is alternately packed with a dark rock n' roll/snowboard + ski crowd out to get laid or punch you in the face....or friend you on myspace. Â Watch out!
Review Source:If you ever want to go to a bar specifically to get in a fight with a bartender, patron, or bouncer, this is the place. Â It seems like everyone who goes here or works here has some sort of pent up angst that they feel the need to expel in the bowels of this sketchy bar.
One redeeming factor: They have an AWESOME birthday shot, with flames and booze and other goodness!
This place is a dive bar. Â And it's smoky. Â (There's a smoking room). Â Edgy people hang out here with their edgy selves and edgy sensibilities. Â You never know what you might find but at the least it will be more thrilling than your average Boulder scene. Â Pool tables are open and used frequently, and the beer is cheap.
Review Source:
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