Entry No. 99 — the Denver file — filed under: ritual-music
Ubisububi Room (at the Thin Man Tavern)
Below the narrow Thin Man bar in Uptown there's a 35-seat cave lined with tapestries and Christmas lights that's been hosting unplugged-style shows and stand-up for more than two decades, with basically nothing at street level telling you it exists. Mountain to Sound books intimate acoustic sets down here and 100% of ticket sales go straight to the artists; the 'Ubisububi Underworld' comedy showcase runs the second and fourth Thursdays. The name is a Latin pun about underwear, which tells you the vibe. Low ceilings, dim light, you're three feet from the performer — it's the opposite of a big Denver venue.
The story
Walk past the Thin Man Tavern on East 17th Avenue in Uptown and you would never guess there is a live performance space under your feet. There is no sidewalk sign, no ticket box, and no street-level indication that anything exists down there. The name itself—Ubisububi—is a Latin student dad joke playing on 'ubi sub ubi' ('where under where', or colloquially 'wear underwear'). That absurd bit of wordplay tells you everything you need to know about the vibe: a 35-seat basement lined with tapestries, Christmas lights, and low ceilings where Denver's most direct, stripped-back music and comedy happen.
The subterranean space below the bar was eventually granted a cabaret license, opening the cellar up for intimate artistic experiments. Twin brothers Greg and Garrett Hilpipre of Mountain to Sound book acoustic sets down here with a strict, rare rule: 100 percent of ticket revenue goes directly to the performing artists. On the second and fourth Thursdays of the month, the room flips to stand-up comedy for 'Ubisububi Underworld,' bringing local Colorado comics and touring acts into a cellar so tiny that stage fright becomes mutual.
In a city where music venues keep expanding into massive, multi-bar complexes, the Ubisububi Room is deliberately stubborn about staying small. Sitting three feet from an unamplified songwriter or a comic working through new material feels less like attending a venue performance and more like squatting in a friend's decorated basement cellar. You do not come here for pristine production—you come because you want to be close enough to hear the performer breathe.
What it's like
Head straight into the Thin Man Tavern, walk past the main bar toward the back exit, and look for the weathered wooden stairs tucked to the right. Watch your head as you duck through the low entrance doorway into a dim, tapestry-covered cavern lit by string lights. With only 35 seats and zero lobby area to wait around in, arrive right around door time. Grab a drink upstairs at the main bar before heading down—their infused liquors are a neighborhood staple—because once you take your seat in the basement, you are essentially part of the room and ducking out mid-set means walking directly across the performance space.
The move: Have a cocktail upstairs at the Thin Man, then duck into the basement for a tiny acoustic set or a comedy night where you're close enough to be part of the show — book ahead, it's only 35 seats.
📍 Before you go It's tucked under the Thin Man on Uptown's E. 17th Ave "Restaurant Row," with no sign for the room itself — walk through the bar to the back and head down the weathered wooden stairs, then duck through the low doorway. Shows are event-based rather than nightly, so grab tickets ahead (via Eventbrite / Mountain to Sound); with only 35 seats they sell out, and there's no real lobby to wait in. Street parking along 17th and the side blocks is your best bet, and it fills on busy nights. The corridor is packed with bars and restaurants for before or after, and City Park sits just to the east.
- 📍 Uptown, Denver
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: Basement of the Thin Man Tavern, 2015 E. 17th Ave, Denver (Uptown). No real street-level signage for the room itself.
Hours: Shows are scheduled (not nightly) — check Eventbrite / Mountain to Sound for the current calendar; 'Ubisububi Underworld' comedy runs 2nd & 4th Thursdays. Only 35 seats, so reserve ahead. Bar above keeps standard tavern hours.
Pair it with
- Bar Max — Follow an unamplified basement set with a bespoke cocktail three blocks away on Colfax, where drinks are built off a flavor wheel instead of a standard printed menu.
- Retrograde — Keep the secret-door theme running by heading a mile west to step through an ice cream shop walk-in freezer into a dimly lit cocktail lounge.
- 12 Spirits Tavern — Trade a tapestried bar cellar for a haunted carriage house basement in Cap Hill to keep the subterranean drinking going.
Good to know
How do you find the entrance to the basement?
Walk into the Thin Man Tavern, head past the main bar toward the back door near the patio, and look for the weathered wooden staircase going down to the right.
Do you need to buy tickets ahead of time?
Yes. The venue holds strictly 35 people and has no waiting area, so tickets for both Mountain to Sound music sets and Ubisububi Underworld comedy nights regularly sell out in advance on Eventbrite.
Are there shows every night?
No, shows are event-based rather than a nightly routine. Ubisububi Underworld comedy runs every second and fourth Thursday, while acoustic concerts are scheduled periodically.
Is there bar service in the basement room?
There is no separate basement bar, so order your drinks upstairs at the main tavern before heading downstairs for the show.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Westword · Official site · eventbrite.com
last checked: 2026-06-07