wine and cocktail lounge with Gulf Coast-leaning kitchen · $$$ · since 2023
The Velvet Cellar
Dim, sommelier-run wine lounge in the Saddlery Building, a block from Union Station.
The Velvet Cellar opened in December 2023 in the old Squeaky Bean corner of the 1500 Wynkoop Saddlery Building, a wine-first lounge with a cellar list, cocktails and a short menu with a Southern Gulf Coast lean (miso salmon, chicken marsala, steaks, oysters). Founder Reilly Chunn sold it to new local owners in June 2026 after two hard downtown years; the new team kept the staff and concept and in August 2026 went to seven days with a daily lunch. It is a good pre-Ball Arena or pre-Rockies stop that does not feel like a sports bar.
Why go. A proper glass of wine and a quiet table within a block of Union Station and a short walk to Ball Arena.
It changed hands in mid-2026, so check the current hours on the site before a Sunday or Monday visit; weekday happy hour is the value play.
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