Buckhorn Exchange

Buckhorn Exchange Restaurant Review:

Buckhorn Exchange is perhaps Denver’s most famous establishment, and rightly so. Where else can you dine in a combination restaurant/saloon/history museum under the gaze of a forest full of big game --- while nibbling on the creatures’ late relatives? Holder of Colorado liquor license number one, this decades-old building features tons of stuffed trophies bagged by founder Henry H. “Shorty Scout” Zietz, whose résumé included stints as a hunting scout for various presidents and western icons. (Zietz received his nickname from Sitting Bull.) In Shorty’s place you can nosh while eyeballing a sprawling collection of artifacts --- from guns and Wild West memorabilia to a lock of hair from Buffalo Bill Cody, who was a friend of Shorty's. The food? We’ve found better beef in town, but the buffalo steaks and elk medallions are hearty and satisfying, the rattlesnake and game sausages an exotic treat. And if the caliber of the fare is a shade inconsistent, we think the place makes up for it in Colorado culture and charm. The Buck is truly extraordinary, worth a visit with your out-of-town guests searching for a slice of Americana.