Downtown Denver Coffee, BBQ and Rooftop: Hours and Parking

Downtown's smaller stops fit a day that runs coffee in the morning, barbecue by mid-afternoon and a rooftop on a Wednesday-to-Saturday evening. Ink! Coffee RiNo closes before the rooftop opens, so the order of the day matters more than the route.

Ink! Coffee RiNo is at 1801 California St and serves coffee, breakfast and dessert. It opens Monday to Thursday 7 AM-3 PM and Friday 7 AM-1 PM, and it is closed Saturday and Sunday, so a weekend plan needs a different stop. It is inexpensive and does takeout, which suits a person walking to work or an appointment. The Ink! Coffee site is the source for the hours and price.

The Owl of Minerva is at 1000 14th St, and the reason to go is on the outside: a detailed great horned owl in midnight blues and golds stretches across a two-story warehouse wall. Inside, it serves coffee, breakfast and beer. The doors are open every day from 7 AM to 9 PM, which makes it the coffee stop here that works on a weekend. It has outdoor seating and allows dogs, so it suits someone walking with one. The venue's site supports the mural description and the hours.

Boney's BBQ is at 1543 Champa St and serves slow-smoked BBQ plates, homestyle sides and sweet tea. Hours run 7 AM-5 PM every day, so this is a daytime meal that ends at five. It has live music, takes reservations, and is listed as good for children and for watching sports. Delivery is available too. The Boney's BBQ site supports the plates, hours and live music.

After that, The Populist Rooftop opens Wednesday to Saturday, 5pm-10pm. It is an intimate rooftop above The Populist restaurant, with string lights, a plant-covered pergola and views over RiNo's industrial roofscape. The entrance and parking are wheelchair accessible. The Populus site supports the description and the evening hours. The dry arithmetic: Boney's closes at 5 and the rooftop opens at 5, so the walk between them is the whole gap. Hours and specials change, so check the venue page before heading out.

Ink! Coffee RiNo has free street parking, a wheelchair accessible entrance and a wheelchair accessible restroom. The Owl of Minerva has three options: free street parking, paid street parking and paid garage parking. Free street spots are worth trying first at either coffee stop, with the garage as the fallback at The Owl of Minerva.

For a Downtown day built around these stops, start at Ink! Coffee RiNo before 3 PM on a weekday, move to Boney's BBQ for lunch, and finish on the rooftop after 5pm from Wednesday to Saturday. On Saturday and Sunday, The Owl of Minerva carries the morning on its own. A rideshare or transit trip suits the rooftop, where a second round and a ride home go together.