Brunch: Squeaky Bean

Brunching is great. Brunching while playing bingo to win prizes is AMAZING. Squeaky Bean has really taken the Denver brunch scene up a level with their entertaining Sunday Bingo Brunch. Before going, I highly recommend making reservations. On Sundays, meter parking around downtown Denver is free but I have yet to be lucky enough to get a free space near Squeaky Bean during the peak brunch hour. I usually circle the block one time trying to find a spot then head over to the parking garage at 1400 Wewatta for $6 parking.

Classic SB burger

For a few years, Squeaky Bean has been one of my lunch go-tos because their signature burger is scrumptious. Sometimes when I have a bad office day I'll send out a Lunch SOS to my peeps and head over to Squeaky Bean to enjoy their fancy two patty burger. If you're not feeling the brunch menu items, I highly recommend this Squeaky Bean staple.


A glass vs. a jug

As usual, I tend to collect an array of beverages while brunching. This particular morning I worked some hours at the office before starting my Sunday Funday and desperately needed a cup of coffee stat. (Yes, without the office services people, I didn't know how to work our coffee machine.) The quality of coffee at brunch locations is often overlooked but this cup was very noteworthy. The flavor was mellow, not too acidic, and perfectly crisp. I appreciated that it was clearly a fresh batch and not burnt. After consuming my elixir-of-life cup of coffee, I was mentally prepared to select alcohol. Squeaky Bean offers mimosas and bloody marys by the glass or the jug. I picked a traditional mimosa by the glass thinking I would try a different cocktail later.

On the new menu, Bruschetta was the first item to catch my attention. The bread was fresh and crunchy and the balsamic reduction perfectly complemented the dish without being too sour. Ever take a bite of something with pungent balsamic and the flavor invades your whole mouth? I hate when that happens. But this balsamic is very respectful and minds its manners. Considering it was mid-March, the tomatoes were slightly mealy but I bet they will ripen with flavor and color as the summer progresses.
A very popular table item was the side of Sweet Chile Bacon (insert drooly face). The glaze wasn't overpowering and contained only a hint of spice. Texture wise, the bacon was on the crispy side of the bacon spectrum. Wait, is there a bacon spectrum? I picture crispy on one side and chewy on the other. And if my bacon texture preference was on the bacon spectrum, it would be towards the chewy side. Not that my bacon spectrum preference is the right answer or the only answer. My husband is definitely on the crispy side. But I digress... I genuinely appreciated that Squeaky Bean's bacon order sufficiently fed the group and I even got two pieces! Oh man, how I hate getting skimped on a bacon portion during brunch.

For my main dish selection, I ordered the Pork Belly + Grits. The coarse grains of grits were seasoned and flavored exactly to my grit-loving liking. (Questioning my grit loyalty? Check out my Instragram @lilberrycooks and count all those grit pics!) On its own, the tomato sauce had a sweet flavor profile but mixed well when combined with the pork belly and grits. The egg felt a little out of place for me. Next time I order this dish, I will request a runnier egg. I like mixing runny yolk in my grainy grits. Brings back memories of my grandmother's runny eggs mashed in freshly baked French bread. Sounds weird, but I swear it's legit.


My husband, being more on the sweet brunch spectrum, ordered the French Toast. Just realized that him and I are probably opposites on every flavor spectrum - yikes. The French Toast is a LARGE portion. Two people who have also had bruschetta and bacon could easily split this dish - if you can agree on sweet instead of savory for a main dish. The bread texture reminded me more of bread pudding rather than traditional French toast slices. Personally, I was slightly overwhelmed with the orange glaze finding that it clashed with the banana pudding and other fruit.

At this point, I was ready for a second drink and really intended on trying a new cocktail but the Grapefruit Mimosa was calling my name. If you fear grapefruit, don't worry because the grapefruit flavor is not terribly strong and the mimosa is lighter than the orange juice version.

As a group of friends enjoying a Sunday Funday and celebrating a birthday, we really enjoyed the atmosphere and Bingo entertainment. We only had one winner at our table but that meant a free jug of mimosa! Any brunch were you can feel fancy while watching a dad shotgun a beer to win the Bingo grand prize as his young son watches is a win in my book.

~Cheers