Entry No. 72 — the Denver file — filed under: speakeasy
Retrograde
Walk into Sweet Action Ice Cream, ignore the cones, head for the walk-in freezer door, flip the light switch beside it, and wait. Behind that heavy steel door is Retrograde — a dim, glowing, outer-space-themed cocktail lounge that feels like a bar on a distant planet. The menu is all cosmic: drinks like 'My Alien Girlfriend' and milk-clarified Fernet oddities, served to a max of five people per party with no reservations. It's a real hidden-in-plain-sight gem behind an ice cream counter.
The story
You walk into Sweet Action on 19th Avenue looking like anyone else hunting down a scoop of ice cream, but you're not here for a waffle cone. Before Sweet Action occupied this storefront, it was Frozen Matter, where owners Gerry Kim and Josh Gertzen installed a heavy, industrial walk-in freezer door at the back of the shop in 2016. But behind that steel panel isn't a tub storage room—it's Retrograde, a low-lit cocktail lounge built with mid-century sci-fi aesthetics.
To get inside, you bypass the scoop display, head straight for the freezer door at the back, and flip the toggle switch mounted on the wall beside it. You don't knock; flipping the switch turns on a light inside the bar to signal the bartender that someone is waiting in the shop. When the steel door swings inward, you step across the threshold from bright fluorescent lighting into a dark, glowing cosmic hideout.
Inside, vintage black-and-white alien invasion flicks play on muted wall projections with subtitles while bartenders mix drinks themed around the cosmos. The bar program leans into bold flavor science—think milk-clarified Fernet Branca paired with cauliflower sotol and Korean pepper in 'Galaxy Lords', or tequila mixed with watermelon and saline for 'My Alien Girlfriend'. You can bring an ice cream cone through the freezer door with you, but you didn't hear it from us.
What it's like
Expect to play it cool when you enter Sweet Action at 530 E 19th Ave—head directly past the dessert counter to the walk-in freezer door at the back, flip the light switch, and wait. When a spot opens up, a staff member will pull open the heavy door to usher you into a compact, dark lounge lit by low glowing fixtures with vintage sci-fi movies playing quietly on the wall. The catch is space: there are zero reservations, and parties are strictly capped at five people. Weekend nights bring wait times past 40 minutes, so show up early on a weeknight near opening to claim a bar stool without waiting in the scoop shop.
The move: Grab a couple of cones as cover, then sneak through the freezer door and order the weirdest space-themed cocktails on the menu in the glow of the alien lounge.
📍 Before you go You'll find it on E 19th Ave in Uptown/North Cap Hill, an easy walk from downtown — look for Sweet Action Ice Cream and head to the freezer door at the back. Because there are no reservations and parties cap at five, go early, especially on weekend nights; the lounge is small and fills fast once word gets around. Come on the later/evening side, since it keeps bar hours rather than ice-cream hours (those shift seasonally — check ahead). The space is wheelchair accessible. Street parking around the residential blocks is doable but tight, so leave a buffer. Pair it with the Uptown restaurant row along E 17th Ave a block over for dinner first.
- 📍 North Capitol Hill / Uptown
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 530 E 19th Ave, Denver, CO 80203 (behind the walk-in freezer door inside Sweet Action Ice Cream; flip the light switch and wait)
Hours: Mon-Wed 6pm-1am, Thu-Sun 5pm-1am. No reservations, first-come; parties capped at 5.
Pair it with
- Ubisububi Room (at the Thin Man Tavern) — Located just a mile away in Uptown, this spot lets you swap Retrograde's cold-freezer sci-fi lounge for a 35-seat tapestry cave hidden beneath Thin Man Tavern.
- 12 Spirits Tavern — Situated under a mile south in Capitol Hill, this subterranean tavern sits tucked into the carriage house basement of the haunted 1891 Croke-Patterson Mansion.
- Bar Max — A short trip east on Colfax, Bar Max replaces standard drink menus with a 100-ingredient flavor wheel for customized cocktail creations.
- Trybal African Speakeasy — Located under a mile away downtown, it keeps the hidden-door crawl going with an entrance marked only by an African mask and an online quiz entry requirement.
Good to know
How do I get inside Retrograde?
Walk into Sweet Action Ice Cream at 530 E 19th Ave, head past the counter to the walk-in freezer door in the back, flip the light switch beside the door frame, and wait for a staff member to open it.
Can I make a reservation or bring a large party?
No. Retrograde operates strictly on a first-come, first-served basis with no reservations. Group sizes are hard-capped at five people.
What are Retrograde's hours of operation?
It is open Monday through Wednesday from 6:00 PM to 1:00 AM, and Thursday through Sunday from 5:00 PM to 1:00 AM.
Can I bring ice cream from the front parlor into the bar?
Yes, you can order a scoop or cone at the Sweet Action counter and bring it with you through the freezer door into the bar.
Is Retrograde wheelchair accessible, and where do I park?
The venue is wheelchair accessible. Parking is restricted to street spots along the residential blocks of Uptown, which can be tight, so allow extra time.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · secretdenver.com · Yelp · 303magazine.com · sweetactionicecream.com
last checked: 2026-06-24