If you’re looking for some new fun with family and friends of all ages, head to LobDenver in LoDo. Imagine a game of indoor mini-golf mashed up with Bocce – the Italian sport of lobbing (underhand rolling and tossing) balls toward a target with the Machiavellian twist of knocking your opponent’s balls away. In a light, bright space, decorated with lively vintage photo murals of giddy Italians living La Dolce Vita, LobDenver offers full bar service and casual sit-down dining – more on the food in a moment.
Here’s how we suggest you Lob:
When you enter, head to the check-in desk to the left to pay ($18 per player for unlimited rounds!) and get your age verification bracelet for bar service. Next, slide over to the game counter for scoring cards and instructions (if you are a LobDenver newbie).
Tip #1 – Like any self-respecting player, you need a beverage to accompany you and start the fun! Head to the bar for a drink. Fun cocktails, draft beers, wine, and alcohol-free options are available.
Drink in hand, you are now ready to Lob! Step right over to the Lob course hole #1 (look to the ceiling for the numbering). In the gutter will be 8 colored balls, so each person in your party will want to choose their own color ball to use throughout the game which keeps it easy to track and score. Each person takes turns lobbing their first ball, then their second ball.
The objective is to get as close to the white pole as possible. Or, if you are feeling mischievous, the objective may be to play spoiler and knock the balls of the other players away from the pole. Or maybe a combination of both! For this new player, it was challenging enough to stay on the turf and not land in the gutters.
Tip #2 – Go easy on your lobs – hard throws are not your best bet so use a bit of finesse. LobDenver’s course offers 9 holes with a variety of turf surfaces (watch out for the turf that’s cut short because it makes the balls roll fast!), obstacles and elevations.
Scoring is based on how close you get to the pole. Gutter balls really hurt you – you lose a point (see Tip #2!). The lobber with the highest total points wins and earns the privilege of hoisting the coveted Lob Cup (by the entrance) for the perfect selfie to post and brag about!
After a round or 2 (or more!) you will need sustenance to keep up your lob energy. LobDenver offers casual table service. Seat your group and scan the bar code for the menu. A server will be around to help and take your order. The menu offers a variety of barbeque favorites like pulled pork sandwich, as well as burgers, and salads. If you fancy shareable nibbles, they have a slew of options for everyone. Among what our group ordered, we found inconsistencies – some things were just so-so and other things were extremely good. We do appreciate that the menu is very good about laying out what can be augmented to make things dairy free and vegetarian and what things come gluten-free already, making it easy to cater your options without having to make a bunch of requests.
Here’s what we ordered at LobDenver:
For an appetizer, we loved, loved, loved the Texas Twinkie ($15) with huge bacon-wrapped jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and their house smoked brisket. It’s served with apple BBQ sauce and ranch dressing. Don’t miss getting these!
We also got the Smoked Wings & Fries ($18), a pound of wings that have been smoked and fried and are served with French fries and ranch. They are available in a variety of sauce options: Jerk, Apple BBQ, Carolina Hot Honey, Buffalo and Louisiana. The fact that the chicken is smoked kicks it up a notch or five. The fries were nice and hot and crispy and we appreciated the two coming as a combo – it’s a natural. We could have made a whole meal out of these two apps!
To balance the frenzy of fried foods, we ordered the Quinoa & Pear Salad ($14), a tasty blend of arugula and other veggies. It was flavorful and amply portioned but overly salty – ask the server to have the dressing on the side so you can add only as much as you want.
The Lob Burger ($18) is a single beef patty topped with American cheese plus lettuce, tomato, pickles, bacon, crispy onions and their signature Lob sauce. The whole combination was a tad too salty which isn’t surprising considering that the meat, cheese, bacon and onions all contain salt. But the crispy onions were a nice addition, flavor- and texture-wise. I gotta say, it’s becoming a pet peeve of mine that restaurants criss-cross full pieces of bacon on burgers, leaving them to stick way off the sides. It may look cool but it’s a pain to try to eat without biting off the ends. Please, restaurants, just cut the slices in half and lay them under the bun.
The Pulled Pork Sandwich ($17) has smoked pulled pork topped with pickles, crispy onions and their Carolina hot honey sauce. While good, it was nothing special. And the Chili Cheese Fries we ordered to go with it were disappointing and gloppy, more saucy than chili-y (making it a word). But again, those crispy onions are a great addition.
The Mac & Cheese Bake ($16) featured cavatappi pasta covered in their cheese sauce. One of the options for sides was the veggies of the day which happened to be steamed carrots and cauliflower. This felt and looked more like a meal for kids than for adults. If the veggies had been roasted, that would have been a big improvement both in flavor and appearance.
Tip #3 – Work off your meal by playing another round – remember, you can play unlimited rounds during your visit! The more you play, the better your lob skills become. Promise.
LobDenver is an ideal multi-generation place to visit; the game is easy to learn yet challenging enough to keep you engaged. On our visit, we saw groups of all ages having fun together. We wanted to play again and again. LobDenver may very well be our new passion.
LobDenver is located at 1755 Blake St. in Denver. You can visit their website, here.
-Story and photos by Jimmy McDonough
Please note, as is common in our industry, we were hosted for our visit to help facilitate the writing of this article. But, as always, our opinions are our own, honest and true.
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