Garbo's (Denver Gay Piano Bar/80's and 90's)

Garbo’s — Denver, Colorado

Dim lights, cocktails, a piano, and a name borrowed from Hollywood glamour—Garbo’s offered a decidedly more sophisticated alternative to the dance floors and leather bars of Denver’s gay nightlife.

Garbo’s was an upscale gay piano bar and cabaret remembered for its intimate atmosphere, live entertainment, and comfortable lounge setting. Contemporary recollections describe scarlet velvet booths and a clientele who gathered there before heading out to other Denver nightspots.

Garbo’s was firmly established by the 1980s, when gay nightlife guides described it as a cabaret alongside Denver institutions such as B.J.’s Carousel and Oscar Wilde’s. It represented another important side of gay bar culture: not every evening required a pounding disco beat. Sometimes the attraction was a pianist, a strong drink, good conversation, and somewhere you could actually hear the person sitting next to you.

The setting also made the name particularly appropriate. Garbo’s suggested old Hollywood elegance and a touch of mystery—an amusing contrast to the more overtly macho names adopted by many gay establishments of the period.