At the time of its 1982 release, the cyberpunk film Blade Runner underperformed at the box office. Today, however, it’s considered one of the sci-fi greats. Similarly, Chiba Bar—after a whole year—is now being recognized as one of the best bars in Colorado Springs. “We have never advertised, but we’ve grown tremendously of recent,” says Michael Carsten, proprietor of the Kiowa Street izakaya, or Japanese pub. “I think the secret is out.”
Chiba Bar takes its name from another 1980s cyberpunk source, William Gibson’s novel Neuromancer. Inside is a large mural of an android, and several muted televisions play clips from Godzilla movies, kung fu films and anime. But with any establishment of character and quality, it’s the people behind the stick and in the kitchen who create the experience. “The pedigree of people working here is exceptional,” Carsten says. “It’s unbelievable. They’ve had other opportunities, but want to be here. Our chef, James Davis, his standards.… I mean, he kicked me out of my own kitchen for two months. I had to earn my way back in.”
For provisions, the most popular drink is the Lychee Buck, a gin mule utilizing the Asian fruit of tropical lychee trees. After that, it’s either the spirit-forward Neuromancer or the Carthusian Sazerac. Carsten’s own favorite is Molly Millions: gin, cucumber, lime, mint, rose and bitters. The winning food items are the tuna donburi and the unagi bowl. Carsten calls part of the menu Japanese country food: “rural dishes, simple but interesting.”
Find It
Chiba Bar, 19 E. Kiowa St., chiba-bar.com
