In March 2023, Phil and Erika Zierke, owners of Englewood Grand, opened a second bar at 2043 S. University Blvd. Located in the former home of Asbury Provisions near the University of Denver, the new spot aimed to be a low-key space to gather and imbibe in a neighborhood known more for rowdy college hangs — nothing too out of the ordinary. Except the place had no name … until now.
“We’re not naming this one; it’s just for the neighborhood. Whatever people want to call it, whatever they want to tell their friends,” Phil Zierke told Westword at the time.
Three years in, that strategy “worked really well,” he says. “People found us. We have a really good neighborhood clientele; we’re their spot.” It even earned a Best of Denver award in 2024 for Best Bar Without a Name, and continued to gain new fans via old-school word of mouth and a successful mailer campaign…