Birthday Celebrations – Part 1 – 5280 Burger Bar/5280 Ice Cream

Denver, Colorado is known for many things. One of those things is that Denver is lovingly called the mile high city because the City of Denver sits a mile above sea level. One mile = 5,280 feet which = 1600 meters which = 1.6 km. As a swimmer, and a distance swimmer at that, I have swam (and still do) many, many millions of miles and meters, so I am very familiar with all these numbers, but I digress. We have many bars, restaurants, magazines, and all sorts of other businesses that have 5280 in their names. One such local restaurant is called 5280 Burger Bar and they also have an ice cream shop attached to the restaurant known as 5280 Ice Cream. Currently there are 2 5280 Burger Bars, one in Denver and the other one is Westminster.

The other day we had the pleasure of going to 5280 Burger Bar in Westminster to celebrate Nadeen’s birthday. Nadeen is the exchange student who is living with our friends Janet and Bob for the year. She comes from a small town in Israel, and she is quickly getting used to life here in America. It’s all a brand new world to her. Since none of us had ever been to 5280 Burger Bar before, but we had been planning on going for quite some time, we thought Nadeen’s birthday was a perfect opportunity to go try it out.

5280 Burger Bar and Ice Cream was an idea that was “conceived by two guys who simply love great burgers”. The owners and creators of 5280 Burger Bar and Ice Cream are Don Redlinger and Clay McPhail. Their concept was to create a gourmet, hand-crafted burger bar, restaurant, and ice cream shop, using all the freshest and best local ingredients around. The first restaurant opened in Downtown Denver, in the Denver Pavilions area. All the beef and and produce come from locally owned and operated farmers and producers and they offer 12 locally brewed Colorado beers on tap. This is truly a home grown and local business, and it is a win/win that helps everyone in the community. Everything on the menu is hand made from scratch everyday, including the buns for the burgers, and they offer a variety of different buns too. The burgers include everything from beef to buffalo to veggie and vegan burgers, as well as salmon, tuna and chicken for the non beef eaters. There really is something for everyone. 5280 Burger Bar and Ice Cream’s motto is “Whether you’re looking for a hand-crafted burger, house-made ice cream, brew or signature drink, we welcome you and look forward to serving you soon!” This motto was definitely being honored when we visited.

The decor of the restaurant is modern and hip, and is very friendly and welcoming to everyone. Once we sat down, Quinn, our server, came over and made all of us feel right at home. She was so much fun and so full of personality. Quinn was a true delight.

We all ordered our burgers and salads, which of course, were amazing. You could definitely taste all the freshness in every bite. As you can see, The Denver Broncos were playing that day, and we locals were showing our support for our team, even though they ended up losing at the last minute. Quinn was so cute. How could she not notice we were Bronco fans, and when they lost, she even drew a picture of Traveler (the horse) on our check and said she was sorry our team lost. We all ordered the sliders, which were big burgers all on their own, and they came with delicious salads too. And of course we had to order some of the delicious home made fries as well. We all had a fantastic feast.

During our meal, EJ, aka Enermy Jean, the General Manager, came over to introduce himself to us. He is another gem and real asset to the restaurant. He, like Quinn, was also a lot of fun and beaming with personality. When we told him we were celebrating Nadeen’s birthday, he invited next door to 5280 Ice Cream after we finished our meal, for some amazing home-made ice cream for dessert. We were already very full, but how could we resist?!

There were so many different flavors that it was hard to choose. I was so full, I actually had to pass, but I enjoyed the few bites I stole from Larry’s ice cream. Once again, it was huge hit and all the flavors were out of this world.

Whether you are in Denver or in Westminster, visiting 5280 Burger Bar and Ice Cream is a definite must. You and your taste buds will be very happy indeed.

We went to 5280 Burger Bar in Westminster, located at 4301 Main Street, Westminster, CO 80031. Their phone number is (720) 887-5970. I am sure we will be frequent visitors, since this is literally just down the street from us.

The Denver location is 500 16th Street Mall, #160, Denver, CO 80202 and their phone number is (303) 825-1020.

5280 Burger Bar and Ice Cream get 5***** in my book. We are so glad we went and you will be too.

Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

I have worked in the restaurant and catering industry for over 35 years. I attended 2 culinary schools in Southern California, and have a degree in culinary arts from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, as well as a few other degrees in other areas. I love to cook and I love to feed people. View all posts by ajeanneinthekitchen