Welcome to #TBT, or Throwback Thursdays, where we revisit some of the Denver metro area’s tried and true restaurants that have become institutions. For example, Capitol Hill staple Charlie Brown’s, which has had the same owner since 1990 and served diners long before that. Over time, these places have weathered the shifts in our city’s restaurant landscape. As flashy newcomers enter and exit, these restaurants, bars, and cafes remain, though sometimes get overlooked by the fickle short-term attention span of a social media-driven obsession with the new and the now.
Charlie Brown’s has been a Capitol Hill favorite since the 1920s, though its name and owners changed repeatedly up until May 1990 when George Andrianakos bought the establishment with his two brothers. From beyond its trademark awning advertising “Something For Everyone,” the establishment has maintained a reputation for American comfort fare mixed with live music and a friendly neighborhood atmosphere.
Charlie Brown’s, a Time Machine to the 1920s
Before it was Charlie Brown’s, the building started as the Colburn Hotel first, opening in 1928 during Prohibition. Diners could stop into the restaurant for 35-cent breakfasts and 70-cent. The hotel claimed to be booze-free, as per the law, but later discoveries suggest otherwise. Think trap doors, bottleware, and a long-sealed elevator shaft disguised as a closet door, which only went to the basement.
Whatever might have been happening, legally or otherwise, the Colburn aimed to rival the Brown Palace by adding modern amenities like running water. It also sported a piano lounge, which still carries today.
After Prohibition’s repeal in 1933, the establishment still had trouble obtaining a liquor license, prompting a battle that lasted years. In fact, the case went all the way to the state Supreme Court, which finally granted the license in 1947. Soon the Colburn became a favorite haunt of luminaries like Jack Kerouac and Allan Ginsberg, and celebrities from Marilyn Monroe to Marlin Brando stayed in the 1950s.
When the hotel was sold in 1964 the new owners converted it into housing. But the bar continued operating under the name Charlie Brown’s. That name stuck until 1980, when it again shifted into the Colburn Tavern.
“That name never stuck,” said current owner George Andrianakos. “Everybody referred to it as Charlie Brown’s.”
Real Life Cheers Cast in Denver
Andrianakos, who moved to Colorado from Greece as a teenager, took over Colburn Tavern after he learned the owners were planning to file for bankruptcy. So in 1990 he stepped in, bought the bar, and brought Charlie Brown’s back.
“My idea was just, clean it up, restore it, serve good food, good service, reasonable prices,” Andrianakos said. He looked to hire staff who fit that friendly, down-home vibe, those who’d chat with steady customers, “greet them, get to know their names eventually, make them feel at home.”
Soon, Charlie Brown’s held a reputation as being the Cheers of Denver, a nod to the 1982 NBC sitcom about a bar, its staff and patrons.
In addition to the food, customers appreciated the menu of Western comfort fare like steaks and prime rib, a favorite to this day. But one of the main selling points was Andrianakos’ decision to continue the legacy of live performance, especially when it comes to the piano.
“I did like the concept of a piano bar, the atmosphere it had,” he said. “It was original [and] it was pretty much different than most bars around Denver.”
Patrons can still hear music at Charlie Brown’s every night of the week, from piano players to karaoke.
Just as the music preserves the bar’s legacy, so does Andrianakos’ dedication to preserving other parts of the establishment’s history. While there’s been a light cosmetic renovation over the years, such as replacing carpets and fixing floors, he said they put in great care to maintain the historic integrity of other features.
“The arches, the windows, everything around, what we did is pretty much restore that, make it look nice and clean and kept it as original as possible,” he added.
The resulting decor offers a true throwback vibe with dark wood paneling and carpets giving a distinctive nod to the original old-world frontier elegance. The piano remains a focal centerpiece, along with signs advertising nightly sing-a-longs and “Something For Everyone” in traditional fonts and lettering.
“We have a piano bar around the piano, with stools that [patrons] can sit around,” he said. “It’s pretty entertaining, and, like I said, people usually want to go to a place [where] somebody knows them.”
Family, Friends, and the Future of Charlie Brown’s
Charlie Brown’s proudly boasts long-term staff amongst its ranks, including a manager who’s worked there more than 20 years and a chef who’s been there nearly 30. Consistency is essential in more ways than one if you want to make it in the restaurant business, according to Andrianakos.
“I use my own recipes and do my own menu,” he said. “I would train and teach [staff] to do the same, because a lot of places, where they go wrong, their menu, their food, the taste of the food changes from one week to the next.”
While loving consistency and tradition, Andrianakos solicits ideas for the menu from employees. Because of that, the menu at Charlie Brown’s features more eclectic options to supplement traditional meat-and-potatoes frontier fare. Now diners can dive into Greek specialties, honoring the owner’s homeland, and Mexican dishes from the long-time chef’s home country.
“On Wednesday nights, we have ‘Authentic Mexican Food Night,’” Andrianakos said, highlighting the chef’s chicken and spinach enchiladas as particularly delectable. “When I hire somebody in the kitchen, [I ask]: Do you know of a good dish? Can you make anything that is different, good?”
His own family has featured heavily in the evolution of Charlie Brown’s. While the two brothers he bought the place with eventually departed for other ventures, Andrianakos’ two daughters took on bartending and managerial roles as they worked their way through college and med school. Now they run a downtown family practice together near Rose Medical Center.
“They feel it helped them a lot in order to have the personality they have and with their medical school and [to] decide what they want,” said Andrianakos, whose heavy accent has barely faded since his arrival in the US more than 50 years ago. “This business, working with people, the public … it’s a different type of education.”
Andrianakos, who turns 73 in May, takes heart in the fact that his restaurant has become deeply woven into the fabric of Denver. He hears from patrons that their parents met there. He loves how staff welcome new residents and help to introduce them to the neighborhood. And he’s looking forward to showing his grandchildren how labors of love can pay off – for businesses and customers alike.
“I’ll bring my granddaughters and teach them the value of work and respect and appreciation,” he said. “These are all the kinds of things you’ve got to have in life in order to succeed.”
Visit Charlie Brown’s from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. 980 Grand St., Denver. charliebrownsbarandgrill.com
