This is one of the old east Colfax dive bars that is built into a motel. Â Even though it seems like you would want to get a room to pass out in, they are only rented out weekly so don't no go. Â
They have all sorts of happy hours every day where they give you two for ones. Â
They have the occasional live band which is how I ended up there. Â The kitchen looks clean and well maintained. Â There is a juke box and a smoking patio with a foosball table.
The blue brick lights shine into Aurora's night like beacons. Beckoning the wanderers of the night. I walk inside and this delicious smell hits my nose immediately. Something is sizzling in the kitchen. My mouth starts to water. I didn't realize I was so hungry. I read the menu. I blink. I re-read the menu. This eclectic quality of food, here? I never would have guessed. The kitchen is clean and the chef is warm and friendly. I order. Less than ten minutes later the plate is served. Wow! It smells and looks delectable. I almost don't want to eat the artwork. Everyone wants a bite. And the plate is full, plenty of food for this hungry customer. Plus I'm even more impressed, because of these prices I still have enough for a drink.
This is an everyday experience at Chef Sami's Fabulous Cuisine at the Zephyr. Every once in awhile two great forces meet and create a beautiful establishment. Chef Sami recently moved back to Colorado looking for a place to express his creative cuisine. The Zephyr was looking for an artistic chef to provide extraordinary food. Thus Chef Sami's Fabulous Cuisine at the Zephyr was born.
Chef Sami has an extensive background as a chef and it shows in the creativity of his menu and the cleanliness of his kitchen. As an award winning chef he brings a lot of experience to the table. Some of his most note worthy awards include winning the Iron Chef competition in Florida and James Beard's competition. A 72 hour straight cook off! He has worked many places including the Denver Athletic Club and Jimmy Johnson's Big Chill. But you would never guess that by talking to him, he has a modest demeanor. However his skill shines through each artfully crafted plate. Each dish sings his praises and so does everyone who enjoys them. He already has dedicated regulars who eat a different plate every day, and love them all.
He is starting with just dinner to establish a solid menu and create a loyal customer base. Soon he will opening for lunch and breakfast. The entire menu will be skillfully created and while including standard food it will hold several gems for those who have a taste for the unique. His food is prepared fresh every day and is quite healthy.
So the next time you're driving anywhere in the area and want to eat food that is far from mundane, in a bar that has the coziest atmosphere, stop by Chef Sami's Fabulous Cuisine at the Zephyr. Stop by and treat yourself to an inexpensive meal that will leave you very satisfied and bragging to your friends that had their typical "in-the-box" meal. Sami's Cuisine at the Zephyr is dressed to impress and ready to solve world hunger, starting with you!
Over the years I've occasionally gone to the Zephyr for it's cheap drinks and good bands on weekends. Â Recently I was very happy to find that they have a chef and are open for lunch and dinner, with varied, well prepared and extremely reasonable food. Â The chef has a Lebanese background and some of the food reflects this with adventurous seasoning. Â Our apps came with a great assortment of dipping sauces. Â Much of the menu is of the comfort food variety and all the dishes the four of us had were very carefully prepared. Â I usually don't order chicken as it's too often dry and overcooked, but not here. Â Great value for food--and they still have the cheap drinks!
Review Source:I went there on a Friday nite planning to see a band. I thought I would go early and see what kind of seating arrangement they had. It was probably a good idea because I got there right before the 5-7 Happy Hour ended and got in on that. That(almost) covered me for the next hour and half, then the band took stage at 9:00.
As far as the seating went, the bar is so small almost every seat is almost like being on stage with the band. I was amazed. And to get to the bathrooms you sometimes have to brush shoulders with one the musicians. Could be very awkward if there is someone too drunk to handle their alcohol.
I had a blast. The band was great, people were all grooving and dancing. Waitress was fast and concise, and the cute little bartender, Muse, stole my heart.
And the bonus was another Happy Hour started at 11:00-1:00. Everybody seemed to be responsibly intoxicated, so they weren't releasing a torrent of blind drunk drivers on the road.
I'll admit. I love the Zephyr. Working in AMC I tend to venture over there a lot.
Truly, what isn't there to love?
The $2 for 2 PBRs?
The undrinkable level of alcohol in their mixed drinks?
The at times, wonderful, at times horrifying but always weird artwork?
The at times, wonderful, at times horrifying but always weird regulars (I'm one of them - the server knows my order before she comes over)?
For me, the icing on the cake is the perpetual wonder at how on earth the song currently playing could be picked on a juke box by the same person who picked the previous song (eclectic doesn't even begin to describe the Zephyr's musical repertoire).
If you're still not convinced?
They have their own theme song on the website.
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zephyrloungecolorado.com%2F&s=c10e6006e5702bf2c734a02bea1624edcbc7a7a8ec25b401494c66386ef42afd" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.zephyrloungec…</a>
Best train in Aurora indeed!
OK, think of the Zephyr as Denver's up and coming art bar. Â A mural by Gary Sweeney (who did the America Why I Love Her mural at DIA) greets you as you come in the front door. Â If it's not happy hour when you get there just stick around a bit. Â It's amost always happy hour at the Zeph. Â Yes theres a lot of East Colfax flavor...but if you wanted bland you'd hang out at Elways. Â We watched some of the super bowl there and had a lot of fun. Â They have the best velvet painting collection in Denver.
Review Source:Let me start off by saying that I love dives. Cheesy decor, ridiculous alcoholics, and staff that are... um... museum quality? Love it! Usually.
Me and some friends went to see a band we really dig ("What the hell are the Hillbilly Hellcats doing playing a joint like this?!"). At first we were cool with it. We were served by our cocktail waitress pretty quickly, and although she had one of the funniest lines I've heard in a while (when one of their unsavory patrons yelled "You all smell like cheese!" then ran out the door, she said something like "Now that's an alligator mouth on a squirrel body, that's what that is.") the service progressively got worse. But the topping was at about five to one as the band started their third set. We got hungry and I asked if the pizza was any good and if they are still serving. They said yes and yes. So I ordered the cheese pizza. Almost a full half hour later I asked if the pizza was coming. "On the way!" she said. Another 20 minutes later, and just as they're about to kick everyone out, my pizza arrived, looking like melted wax over a wood-chip. I was still hungry, but asked for a discount as I couldn't eat it there anymore because she forgot to place the order with the kitchen (and lied about it). She said she couldn't but she could make it to go. I was NOT happy, but needed to eat, so I agreed. After I paid, the to go pizza came out in a teeny container. I opened it and they were stacked on top of each other. Let me clarify... CHEESE pizza slices stacked on top of each other! CHEESE! I took two bites. Now I wasn't expecting the Edgewater Inn... Hell, I wasn't even expecting Dominos. But when they tell you your $8 pizza is good, you expect edible. I threw it out. A perspective... for the same price you can get a delicious handmade pizza at the Horseshoe. It made a two-three star dive a one star dive with a bullet. Avoid at all costs, service like that doesn't deserve a dime of your hard earned money. Wouldn't go back to see the Rolling Stones play there. Although in retrospect, our waitress might have been Keith Richards.
The Zephyr is cheaper than Panama, and I speak from experience.
Here is a place that has three, count 'em, three happy hours ... every day, with two-for-one PBRs for $2 a pair. From 7-9 am you get the breakfast of champions happy hour, your regular end-of-work-day happy hour, and cap the night off with a final happy hour around midnight.
The locals are REALLY local, and an assorted bunch of folks. After 60 years on Colfax, this place knows what it's doing. ... I don't know what it's doing, but IT knows what it's doing.
The jukebox is awesome; bands play here regularly so the jukebox is hooked into a nice sound system. Billy Jean played twice in a row while we were there; this was a good sign. The man walking by on his way to the bathroom looked like he stepped out of an 80's MJ video; this was a better sign.
The Zephy is also a motel, just talk to the bartender about getting a room if you don't want to make the drive back home along the glorious Colfax Avenue.
The food is not so great. My buddy got sick afterwards and we think it was the corndog, so watch out!
... more on Panama some other time.
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