Three later-twenty-somethings, having one night of city life, before 10 days of backpacking in YS and GT.

Any good tapas restaurants? What would you suggest for a stylish restaurant with a lively atomosphere?

As for Bars...we're looking for a place that has a bit of character without trying too hard. Maybe a place to have a beer(s) and catch a band. OR a funky lounge type place to sip a cocktail. Nothing too trendy or dance clubish, instead looking for Denver's best kept secret.

Lastly, if there is a City Guide, that describes restaurants/bars/upcoming concerts, that would be very helpful.

Thanks a bunch for your help!

I have always enjoyed reading the Westward Newspaper and usually they have pretty good recommendations. You can view everything Denver on their website:

http://www.westword.com/

You should especially check out their Best of section for the last 3 years. They have a "Best Of" for everything.
http://www.westword.com/bestof/index.html

Also you can check out Citysearch which has some info also. I have heard that Vesta Dipping Grill is really nice but have not been there myself. There are a ton of bars around Lodo also.

http://denver.citysearch.com/

Good advice from Lenleigh. Vesta's is always good http://www.vestagrill.com also http://www.adegadenver.com & http://www.jaxfishhousedenver.com
the http://www.soileddove.com has live music there are tons of places to stop in for a beer try the Celtic Tavern.
where are you staying? like LenLeigh said Lodo is filled with eating and drinking the denver city search is a great resource. Have fun!

Thanks very much for the suggestions...one question...what is "lodo" I've seen it mentioned a few times, is this an area of Denver?

We're staying dtown at the Brown...where is Lodo from there?

Thanks!

whenever we're in Denver we go to the Oxford Hotel @ 17th and Wazee and go to McCormick's Fish House. IMHO it is better than Jax across the street. Great food. Then we head to the cruise room in the hotel afterward for a martini or 2. it's a great way to start the evening.

LoDo is Lower Downtown - a fairly short walk northwest from the Brown Palace. Coors Field is in LoDo. Used to be a dumpy area before gentrification. From the tallest buildings, head toward the Platte.

You can also take the free "mall crawl" a bus that runs down 16th street. Right down from your hotel. The Brown is a very good pick.

Citysearch.com is a good place to go (as well as Westword, which someone else suggested). Definitely have a late-night drink at the Oxford Hotel's Cruise Room--very funky and art-deco inspired. Romantic and fun. McCormick's (in the bar)has a great happy hour--a whole menu full of $1.99 appetizers; a lot of which are seafood. Vesta Dipping Grill is a good choice for your one night of city life--it's noisy, fun and the food is REALLY good. If you're looking for bands and a place to hang out for a beer, wander down the 16th Street Mall after dark. It's a pedestrian mall with musicians and numerous street cafes. The Brown is just a block or so off of 16th so you can ride the free 16th Street shuttle to where you want to go.

That's funny that it was mentioned because I just heard really great things about the Cruise Room at the Oxford from one of my good friends. I think he said it is really old, maybe one of the first bars in town. It's really close to the train Station so if you take the 16th street mall bus to the last stop on the west end and you can walk the rest which is a few blocks. The majority of night spots are near Larimer Square (just off 16th Street) and over by Coors Field but they are scattered all over. Have Fun!

Just to mention, I was downtown last weekend and walked inside the Cruise Room and right back out. Very narrow, long bar with a Neon Orange light all throughout. It was very trendy and full of button down preppy guys (not that anything is wrong with that) but just not my idea of fun. Have been to LoDo's, went there again and had a great time there although it gets pretty crowded after 11:30pm. No cover, farily cheap drinks, music, dancing, pool and adjoining bar with different music plus lots of other bars across the street. Just was disapointed with the Cruise Room. If you like LA trendy, that is what it reminds me of.

Although I personally have yet to try this place, friends have recommended it for tapas, Sevilla:

http://www.sevilladenver.com/

I must be one of the few who found the Vesta Dipping Grill to be mediocre, although it was the general consensus of our group as well. Long narrow room, with front tables near the windows and absolutely no relief from the setting sun as it beat through, it was right in our eyes and hot as hell. No sign of window coverings or even the ability to change tables, too crowded. Menu consisted of various meats served up with their glorified, imaginatively named sauces, which tasted suspiciously like Ranch dressing, BBQ sauce and other run of the mill stuff. Not impressed for the price of that place.

Places we HAVE enjoyed include Samba Room, Tamayo's and Palomino's.

Sevilla is FANTASTIC...very authentic with an amazing interior.
If you are a fan of margaritas, make sure to have one or 3 (the limit) at the Rio (or, properly the Rio Grande-but don't ask for it by that name-no one will know what you are talking about)...on Blake and 15th I think. Rated the number one margarita..in the NATION. For good reason! Have fun! Lodo is awesome.

We live in Lodo. Most of the posts are right on. Vesta is great/original...VERY fun for groups of 6+ if you can nab a booth...bit of advice, don't sit in the window at sunset. Sevilla has good food, but it's in a mall. It's a cool outdoorish mall...but it's a mall. Tamayo is much more fun, and on Larimer Square...a fun place to walk around. They have an upstairs deck...nice for sunsets. Adega is the swank place to go...great food...feels like a hip NYC joint inside...and they have Silver Oak by the glass ($25). You'll spend a load there, but you'll get some of the most creative food anywhere. Mccormicks & Jax are about equal food-wise...Jax has a younger crowd. Mccormicks is the Mortons of fish houses. For drinks, hit "Flow" in the Luna hotel (great boutique hotel in Lodo)...it's the new velvet rope hangout. Great atmosphere. Also try Funky Buddha (you'd have to cab it) in the Golden Triangle neighborhood...it's also a great place. The Cruise room is classic, but we've taken friends there, and outsiders don't seem to appreciate the dark narrow Deco history of the place. The best place to grab a beer is the original...Wynkoop Brewery...one of the first in the country. You can say you had a brew on the Mayor...he owns the joint. The Rio has HUGE margaritas, but very average food...and the margaritas are not worth the 45 minute wait on a Friday. If you like steak, the Chophouse near Coors Field is always a "happening" choice...but Sullivan's around the corner actually has a better slab of meat.
You'll love Lodo and wish you had more than one night...