Pete’s Kitchen & Satire Lounge

Submitted by Markydoodle September 17th, 2010
Certifikitsch Winner

In the background of this picture you can see that Pete’s Kitchen is just a few blocks outside of downtown Denver. Behind those skyscrapers (the tall one is the Republic Plaza, also known as the “Cash Register Building” because of it’s shape) are the Rocky Mountains. About a 45-minute drive in that direction marks the continental divide, where the melting snows decide if they’re going to run into the Gulf of Mexico to the south and east, or the Pacific to the west.

But Pete’s isn’t in a Coors commercial mountain scene, where they used to espouse the fantastic beer brewed from Rocky Mountain Spring Water. It’s in Denver, and there’s not really that much “John Denver” about the real city itself.

Here’s Pete’s “Satire Lounge” next door. Pete Contos, the owner of both, did very well for himself. He immigrated to Denver in 1955 from Greece, and started out washing dishes. I think it’s a great: a big tower above to hold it in place, lots of lights on an arrow that point to the door, and of course, the perfunctory martini glass with bubble lights, an olive, and a swizzle stick. Oh, and another sign under that sign, right over the door, proclaiming “Pete’s Lounge.”

But as neon signs go, this one’s got it all. The font, the colors, the funky chef, and, last, but not at all least, the pancakes that light in sequence so it looks like Pete is flipping them.

Pete’s Kitchen and Satire Lounge. East Colfax Avenue, Denver.

3 Responses to “Pete’s Kitchen & Satire Lounge”

  1. Allee Willis

    I love every single thing about both of Pete’s establishments, especially the hamburger flipping sign on the restaurant and the name of the bar, the Satire Lounge. Every city should be as lucky to have someone like Pete to decorate their landscape.

    Totally dig that the restaurant is open 24 hours. That’s the way to do it.

    We definitely need a photo of the Cash Register Building here at AWMOK.

  2. denny

    Love how the red arrow swirls through the “Satire Lounge” sign. Mark, you come across the best signage!

    • Mark Milligan

      thank you Denny, there are a lot of great signs, and I would love to see some of them from the back roads of New England too!