A fellow Denver resident I know who spent a lot of time in Estes in his years spoke so highly of the Wheel. He said every time he goes to EP he stops by the wheel to belly up with the locals. Â Um..ok, the locals on Main Street?! Really!! Â Maybe off season. Â I do think it's a great place to have a beer and maybe some greasy bar food, but as far as kickin it with the locals...not so much. Â I keep seeing others comment on the locals in their reviews and am miffed.
Review Source:It's a good place to have a beer or two with the locals. Decent beers on tap and others in can or bottle, and the service is good. Good prices on beers (we only had beer, no cocktails or shots) at $3.50/pint. Meet some fun locals each time we go.
I like the atmosphere a lot better than the Estes Park Brewery, and the prices are definitely right.
Someone said they don't take credit cards - they will as long as the bill is over $10.
Love this joint. We are sure to visit every time we are in town. Service is fantastic. Atmosphere is fun and very historical. Ask the bartender for some tid-bits. Price for drinks is extremely reasonably. Actually met the owner and he gave us a fantastic tour (his granddad purchased it back in the day). Look for the carousel horse hanging on the wall. It's fun. It's casual. It's awesome.
Review Source:Understandably, the pickings in Estes Park are limited, so I always find myself at the Wheel Bar for a mid-afternoon cocktail. Even if there were more options, I still think this would be my spot to get saucy.
It's a pretty solid dive bar and always has a good crowd of locals and tourists alike. They have cheap drinks, and a few TVs with sports.
Nothing spectacular, but a decent bar for some serious day-drinking.
I would recommend finding a different bar, any bar, that you can if you are looking to go out in Estes. Other than the food being good and only slightly overpriced (which says a lot for Estes), this bar was full of unbelievably rude staff and rude proprietors, there is a reason they went out of their way to get our business - because no one else brought them business and for a good reason. Â
What Happened:
I went to the Wheel Bar celebrate my 21st birthday. We called ahead for reservations and to make sure they would be able to accommodate our party, to which they were very helpful and said it wouldn't be a problem at all. They even went out of their way in order to ensure we would bring them our business, a 21st birthday with about 35-40 people there to celebrate. Â
My family went to by me my first drink, which was a red headed slut, to which the bartender replied "no jager". Then, my second choice was a vodka and Red Bull, to which the bartender replied "no red bull". I finally found a drink she could make - cranberry and vodka. The bartender was rude the entire night, and a lot of the friends I had invited to celebrate with me had issues ordering drinks, one group it took 25 minutes to close out their tab.
Then, the owner of the bar took us aside and started yelling at us and telling us that we had to leave, but wouldn't tell us why. Our designated drivers were the ones talking to him, and he was absolutely rude to them and said that a group of our friends (who were sober) had to leave. After this we all decided to leave because we had had our fill of the impolite service. I understand that 21st birthday parties can get out of control, and had we been I would have had no problem with the staff asking us to leave, however; we did everything they asked of us and were still treated extremely poorly.
This is a pretty cool bar in what I'd call downtown Estes Park. Â We were walking along the river path after a hike on Lily Mountain and decided we were hungry. Â I realize it is the off season for Estes Park, so picking a place to eat was a little bit difficult.
We came across the Wheel Bar and looked at the menu outside and decided to give it a try. Â Walking in the place is definitely a local joint and had several locals hanging out at the bar. Â It felt just like bars I love. Â We found a table and ordered a couple beers and asked for menus. Â This is where the place went downhill.
Apparently, since it is the off season the kitchen in Wheel Bar is closed. Â You'd think they would take their menu posted outside down or at the very least post a sign saying something like...oh I don't know "kitchen closed for the season". Â Seriously, even Dairy Queen has a freakin sign in the window saying they will be opening in March.
After we ordered our beers i also noticed a very small handwritten sign saying the bar is cash only, no plastic. Â Really? Â Is this not the 21st century? Â Oh they have an ATM at the front of the bar which I am sure they charge $3 for each withdrawal, but we had cash so we didn't have to venture to find out. Â
Even with all the downside, the place gets 3 stars, about as good as it can possibly get with all the negatives I mentioned. Â It's just a cool bar that has been around a long time. Â Prices were reasonable and the beer was cold. Â I'll quench my thirst here again next time I am in Estes, I'll just have to remember to bring cash.
Want to make everyone think you're a local in Estes Park? Then you should hang out at The Wheel because that's where the locals converge to drink and gossip. It's a pretty sweet bar that sponsors everything from local triathlons to an annual bowling event that is in its 21st year. They also have a regulation sized shuffleboard table.
A word of warning, it is cash only here so don't come with your plastic. Or you'll be denied. And that would be sad.
There are reasons I choose not to drink nowadays. Â Some of the jolliest yet blurriest memories I have are from the Wheel Bar. Â There's a room at a lower level, farthest from the street entrance in the front. Â That's where most of the locals tended to gather when I was in Estes, to drink their beers and Harvey Wallbangers. Â It was jolly fun...
Review Source:If you find yourself in Estes Park, good luck! I can't recommend anything. The ice cream was great, but I can't remember the name of the place. Â The rest is a tourist trap... Oh my.... Here they made a vodka tonic with gin... My rum and coke was ok... People just looked depressed... Avoid Estes Park altogether...
Review Source:
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