The Cruise Room
Oxford Hotel
1600 17th St
Denver, CO 80238 (303) 825-1107
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Music: Juke Box
- Best Nights: Wed, Thu, Sun
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: No
31 Reviews for The Cruise Room
A nice, swanky lounge in design and execution..a nice beer list to go along with all the cosmos and martini's being served. While the service was not up to the room, I could tell the bartender was from the east coast so I cut some slack that she wasn't as friendly as many of the other bartenders I had in Denver on my trip here.
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Definite Denver staple.
It's modeled after the Queen Mary (which is permanently docked in Long Beach and has become a tourist trap of a hotel in the water) and is seriously fantastic when you discover it for the first time. I've had a really great time there with a group of friends, and enjoy a drink or two when I'm with my girl before going out to dinner, or meeting up with people downtown.
They leave the pint glass with the rest of your martini that didn't fit in the glass on the table for you, which is awesome.
Service can be fantastic, but sometimes (actually often) they get a little overwhelmed, and you might have to wait a bit. But the place is cool enough that it won't bother you too much. Unless you're a raging alcoholic.
Make sure you look at each wall panel. They all tell a little story.
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Hands down this bar has the best atmosphere in all of Denver. With original 1930s decor based on a bar from the Queen Mary and deep red lighting that makes everyone look good, this spot can't be beat for an after dinner drink with a date or to catch up with a group of friends. It's easy to walk past its two entrances without noticing - the bar "opened" the day prohibition ended, and speakeasys weren't supposed to be obvious! As another reviewer summed it up, this place is timeless and sexy. Did I mention it's a great place for a date?
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There is not much more to say about the Cruise Room except it is timeless and sexy. The low lights, decor, and overall gold tone exudes sex! Add the exotic martinis in the beautiful stemware and it really exudes sex. And if walls could talk, I know they would say sex! They would say, "Remember when your girlfriend met a guy one night who asked her for dinner after martinis; she ate dinner in San Francisco (and made it back to work the next day)!! That is sex!"
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More than a few years ago, I had my first martini here. My friends and I would sink down into one of the swanky booths feeling glamourous and hip long before hip was fashionable. This little bar on the bad side of town was, for those in-the-know, THE trés chic spot to go.
22 years later, on a recent trip to home, I wanted to see if this little gem still had the 'cool factor' I remembered. It did. Lo-do is no longer "the bad side of town" and there is a lot of competition in the area now, but still... when I walked in and the walls still glowed a-red and Frank Sinatra was still crooning "I left my heart in San Francisco," I knew my heart still belonged to The Cruise Room.
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This place was cool, very old school and slightly sophisticated; but very comfortable and unpretentious. But THE SERVICE was the stand out - really great both at the bar and when seated AND it was packed. I was really impressed.
Drink options were really fun and tasty - I had never been here before and the bartender offered many suggestions and even pointed out his strong suits. The Puerto Rican Mai Thai was my favorite.
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I went to this wonderful bar with my wife for an early anniversary present (from her to me, because she knows I like martinis). I was taken aback by the decor of the place when we walked in because it is very Art Deco. I found out how old the place is later and I love that they have not changed much about it. The martinis, are, AWESOME! I really enjoyed the two martinis I had. The Bond 007 was as good a martini as I have ever had and the chocolate martini (can't remember it's name) was the best chocolate martini I have ever had (no kidding). This place was great and I can't wait to go there again.
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Had an early cocktail here recently. Impressions: the lady bartender with braid was uptight (maybe because we were early?) She could have been friendlier especially since we were the only ones in the place.
Also, I wanted a drink with pineapple juice and asked for recommendation. She was pretty clueless (especially since she informed us that she had been a bartender here for 10+ years). If you don't order off the menu or a common drink, then you are out of luck here, my friend (contrary to my prior belief, unfortunately).
My drink hit the wrong note - it tasted sour and watery but I didn't really want to deal with her again. She made me feel like serving us took extreme effort.
Two stars for the bartender on this particular day.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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01/28/2008
The Cruise Room has the best bartenders in town. Try to go during a "slow" time as you cannot get… Read more »
Retro, tight and a great place to meet and get a groove on! Fantastic martini's and great oysters on the half shell.
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Oh, I so want to go here right now...Instead, I'm at work drinking a smartwater. this place makes you feel straight-up cool. the bartender was helpful, yet had a little bit of a swagger/snarkiness about him. try the key lime pie martini - i love the little martini glasses and the shakers with the rest of your drink. sit at the bar for the full experience, but the seating is pretty cool itself. somehow we went the same night sex & the city opened, which was NOT COOL, but other than that this place freakin' rocks. the glow of the room is reminiscent of the scene in "the shining" when jack's at the bar.
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Went to enjoy a friends birthday with good people and delicious martini's.
The martini menu was large.
The drinks were about $9 I know it seems a bit pricey, but the good news is the do let you keep the shaker which really means you get two drinks for the price.
I am a large elderflower fanatic and asked if I could get a martini with one. The waitress said she knew they didn't have it at the bar, but the bar at McCormick's has it so she had them make it for me. How awesome is that!
The decor is Art Deco sheik but it was crowded. I would love to try this place on a weeknight!
Also so sad the cool free jukebox wasn't working I needed some Frank. Maybe next time.
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The Cruise Room has been around for 75 years! It's a very jazzy and Frank Sinatra kind of bar.. Located inside the Oxford Hotel, this old school martini bar is just right! I ordered the White Cosmopolitan which is a Cosmo with white cranberry juice.. My drink came in a shaker and there were actually 2 drinks in it! What a deal for $8! It also tasted amazing! I loved it.. My sister got the Fresca which is a pink grapefruit martini. It was also tasty and refreshing! They have a jukebox here that plays jazz, jazz and more jazz! There is a McCormick's right across the hall if you get hungry too.. Good times prevail at Denver's Original Martini Bar!!
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Is this place over rated??? I know, I am from out of town!
My b-f heard it was cool, and highly recommended. So, we went there after dinner @ Capital Grille.
The cruise room??!!! ugh.... we were expecting that place was decorated like a ship ... but it's really not... I guess... they expect you after 3 glasses of martini, everyone will feel like "cruising" ....
People seemed friendly... but it seems the way it is anywhere you go in Colorado anyways...
The Bartenders are very friendly... but somehow, we felt like .... we were sitting in the 50's movie scene.... No thanks....
So, we had to bail out after 1 martini, and find some place else.
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Funky little Art Deco style bar attached to the equally cool Oxford Hotel. I promise you, you will get drunk here, and not just because of the altitude. The bartender has a heavy hand, and my 4 Hendrick's and Tonics were actually more like 8. Which was not a problem at all, at least not until 7:00 AM the next morning when I had to drag my tired, hungover and jet lagged ass out of bed for work.
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"When the shark bites, with teeth dear....." Upon walking into this bar I feel the essence of Ella Fitzgerald and the jazz era. The best place to have a dirty martini before heading to the folks house before Thanksgiving!!
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Hendricks martini, up, real dry, stirred, with a twist. $13. totally worth every penny.
I have stepped foot into McCormick's bar for their fantastic happy hour many times, with no awareness of this great room, in the same building, just steps away. the Cruise Room is nestled deep within the ground floor maze that houses M's restaurant and the Oxford hotel lobby on the corner of 17th and Wazee.
what a gem.
as the bartender finished pouring my ladyfriend's perfectly extra dirty vodka martini, I said, "you must be from Jersey".
of course she was.
the night before, toward the end of my shift, I was talking with my coworker about my craving for a martini to finish off the night. he proceeded to tell me that the best ones in town are poured at the Cruise Room..
he's right.
the room is a beautifully maintained 1920's decor with present-time comfort. there are salutations panels in many languages on the walls, and I'm convinced that the bar itself is vibrating with a subtle amount of electricity.
the bartender is pure - has the skill to make a perfect drink and has no need to schmooze unless we want it.
maybe they serve food, and maybe there is more to this bar than the martini that I enjoyed, but nothing else mattered after my first sip. and still nothing does.
next time I'll try a manhattan (perfect, and on the rocks).
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Creative, small art deco Martini bar in a small remodeled Victorian Hotel. Excellent service from food server to bartender.
And, excellent food. "5280 Restaurant Week" in Denver. So, my pal and I had a delicious four course meal for $52.80. Soups, salad, Steak Oscar and Ahi Tuna for the main course, and out of this world desserts: A dobish torte and some amazing chocolate/banana bread pudding.
The "5280" is a Mile High reference, I guess.
Drawback: if not for the 5280 special, we would not have eaten there, because the Cruise Room borrows it's kitchen from neighboring McCormick's, which is essentially a run-of-the-mill joint with pretty high prices.
But as a stand alone bar, the Cruise Room is cool.
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Top-notch martinis. This legendary art-deco cocktail lounge is tucked away in the grandiose Oxford Hotel on 17th Street (NOTE: this place isn't visible from the street). As a former Denver native/current San Francisco resident, The Cruise Room remains one of my all-time favorite cocktail lounges, not only for the martinis, but also for the sheer atmosphere it provides. The cool crimson pink lighting, long bar and stylized paneled artwork on the walls, virtually transport me back in time to the glamour of the Swing Era. Apparently, this place was designed in the early Thirties to resemble a bar on the Queen Mary. (You can almost sense the ghosts of the prohibition-era bootleggers lurking in the bar's corners.)
Expensive, but highly recommended. Best advised to go on the earlier side, as space is quite limited.
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I am a dive girl at heart- give me a sticky floor and a cheap brew and, as my Southern family members would say, I'm as happy as a pig in shit. But every once in a while, I like to throw on a pair of heels and hit the town for a classy night out. And when I have a special occasion warranting a subzero martini and an ambience right out of "The Shining," I go to the Cruise Room.
While this place does have some highly impressive happy hour deals, it's not the kind of place you go to for cheap drinks. It's just pretty and classic and glamorous. The kind of place even I will thrown on makeup for. And with McCormick's food available at the bar, you are just a crab cake and a dry gin martini away from boozy, soft contentment.
Holy Martini Bar back in time! The Cruise Room takes you back to the art deco type era with a beautiful interior all warm and fuzzy. Jeff and Erin, the weekend bartenders, are among the best in Denver with red jackets, bow ties and incredible service, they are truly professional. Erin and Jeff remembered my favorite cocktail after just two visits, they are impressive. The Golden Goose is a favorite and other reviewers note the Lemon Drop as outstanding and its a fact.
The only drawback is the busy crowd and noise level at times but hard to beat if you knive fight for a booth, order a couple McCormicks appetizers or a dinner to share with those tinis.
This is a must have!
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Most unique, beautiful, and cool bar in Denver. The only drawback is how small and crowded it can be.
I had the cocktail hour for my wedding in the Cruise Room, and the bar staff was great to my guests.
Although most Denverites know about the Cruise Room, it is probably a great little surprise for those staying downtown and looking for something other than a Chad bar.
Fabulous classic cocktails in a fabulous classic bar- what else could you ask for?
The jukebox is stocked with only vintage music, and the decor was apparently copied from the Queen Mary's bar. It's the kind of place you want to dress up for just so you can vamp around and pretend you're a 40's movie star in an oceanliner's first class lounge.
The room shares a kitchen with McCormick's next door, and the food is high class and delicious.
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I really enjoy this place. There always seems to be a strong crowd, but not overwhelming. The people that visit this places are more professional and can carry their alcohol as well as a decent conversation.
I have fun popping into McCormick's for a great meal then jumping over to the bar for a pre-party cocktail or to find comfort for the evening with a more mature crowd.
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A great drink on a slow weekday night. Weekends it's a crazy place.
For an extra special treat, the tourist bus pulls in on Saturday afternoons. Hear the historic tour for free.
Not cheap, not even alittle.
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One of my first dates in Denver(bad date...great bar) took me here and I have been back many times since. I just love the fact that I feel kind of like I'm in a little secret spot. It's not however, but for one evening, it can be you and your pals or you and your dates own Private Idaho if you're lucky. Almost as if you are in another time zone, a little bit flirty with the mood lighting, great cocktails and a little menu to match, the Cruise Room lets you sit back, enjoy your martini and chilllllllll.
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Every Denver visitor or resident must check out this place. Opened the day prohibition ended. Moody, art-deco interior. Great martinis.
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Stopped by The Cruise room on a recent trip to Denver and had a bast.
The service was top-notch and the cocktails were great. The decor totally makes you feel like your in another world. Plus the juke-box is stocked with terrific oldies that play FOR FREE! My friends and I definitely had fun with that one
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a gem. get a booth. also, the best men's room in the city. and yes, the stairwell is crooked - you thought it was the quart of vodka coarsing through your veins...
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Dark, moody and swanky in an old-fashioned kind of way, the ship-shaped Cruise Room, just a stone's throw away from the polished Oxford Hotel, is still one of the coolest bars in Denver, which says a lot considering that far more polished and trendy watering holes are setting up digs on every available street corner.
Comfy, rounded booths are adorned with fancily coiffed couples up to their necks in black and knocking back some of the best-poured martinis in town. The food is nothing to write home about, but the focus here is on the libations and dark cubbyholes naturally made for necking.
Step into a 1930's cruise ship lounge right in downtown Denver in the lobby of the Oxford Hotel. Fashioned after a lounge on the Queen Mary, the Cruise Room opened it's doors in 1933 the very day after prohibition was repealed. What a party that must have been! The decor is so true to period you expect to see molls out on the town with their sugar-daddys, flapper fringe and all. The tall narrow room, with its red light washed, sculpted ,pictorial walls, has the hazy quality of a speakeasy. Luckily, the haze isn't accompanied by smoke anymore.
If you can stake out a booth, you're set for a great evening. The booths are snug and kind of romantic if you soak in the atmosphere. It's a great place for flirting, and gazing at one another. If you're there long enough, you can take advantage of the late night specials and order a hamburger from McCormick's next door for next to nothing. The best hamburger I've ever had was probably at the Cruise Room at 11pm after 2+ martinis.
The Cruise Room has a long and creative list of well-tested martinis served up from their vintage bar. Personal favorites are the Peachy Keen and the Orange Crush. Whatever your martini quaffing preference, I'm certain you can't go wrong. The Cruise Room deserves a 6th star for giving you the shaker, thus allowing you to get 2.5 to 3 full martinis from one order.
What a great place to enjoy a martini! The 1920s art deco interior, the service, the ambiance, the quiet radiating from the peace walls. Not like those noisy sports bars at all.
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