Loud Music, Homegrown Chefs, and Delicious Sandwiches | Pony Up’s French Dip Showdown

Two Great Chefs, One French Dip Champion

Evan Dale | January 21, 2026

Evan Dale

Most nights, you can hear what’s playing through the speakers at Pony Up from down the street. Half the time, it’s timeless hip-hop. The other half tends towards a mix of the undeniable 90’s pop throwbacks that will inhabit – and likely inhibit – some corner of our brains for the rest of our lives. Either way, the LoDo haunt, which slings great cocktails, cheap beer + shot combos, and an unassumingly elevated food menu all under the loose banner of a French-meets-equine theme – let’s call it cheval – has been inseparable from the strip of Blake Street it’s called home since 2018.

Inseparable from its ponies, the bar is chalk full of hobby horse memorabilia, seemingly seeping out of a smattering of epochally divergent time capsules that couldn’t hold their plastic hooves. Indivisible from its Frenchdom – amongst the crystal chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling oil painting of a royal French Bulldog – Pony Up’s Food menu perennially orbits the undying spirit of the French Dip.

Originally an homage to LA landmark, Phillipe’s, Pony Up’s opening Chef, Shaemus Feeley embedded the dunkable sandwich at the heart of the restaurant’s kitchen on day one. Today, there are five on the menu – six if you count the decadence of a Cheddar, Provolone, and Parmesan Grilled Cheese submerging itself in a homemade Tomato Soup. To fill out the rest of the roster, there’s The Frenchie – a classic spin, The Saigon – a dippable Bahn Mi, The Chicago – think of The Bear, The Smoked Mushroom – for the vegetarians but certainly not the vegans, and The Alameda Street – the true homage to Phillipe’s. Going on eight years later, the decision to honor the French Dip – along with the music, the ponies, the deals, and its position as a staple to other members of Denver’s restaurant industry – has made Pony Up a landmark of its own.

Nearly eight years after it first opened, Chef Shaemus Feeley – now the Chef and Owner of Tulsa wood-fired Mexican Grill and agave bar, Noche – made a return to see if his hoagie still stood up to the broth. And boy was the competition stiff. Not to be outdone, Johnny Curiel – Denver’s first to receive Michelin stars at multiple restaurants in town – is one of the most sought-after chefs of the moment, and one on one, he and Chef Feeley took it to a French Dip Off at Pony Up.

Most weeknights, when Pony Up opens its doors at 4:00pm, there’s not yet a line down the street – that comes a little later. But people were waiting for the French Dip Showdown, and for good reason. Each chef brought a custom sando to the table, and the only rule was that they had to be dip riffs. From Chef Curiel, a sub of Birote Salado – Mexican Sourdough – sliced and filled with succulent, tender Lechon Carnitas, Frijoles Puercos, Pickled Onions, and the heat of a Chile Yahualica. Born of Curiel’s roots, and elevated by his immense and continually expanding talent, the Mexican Sumergimiento felt at home in a city so defined – much thanks to Curiel, himself – by its bountiful landscape of Mexican cuisine.

From Chef Feeley, a spongy Garlic Bread Hoagie lathered with a homemade Pesto, cut and stuffed with slow-cooked Beef Meatballs, topped with melty Fontinaand freshly grated Parmesan, served alongside a rich, aromatic Tomato Sugo for dipping. Take a perfectly executed Meatball Grinder, turn it on its head, and drown it in some savory tomato sauce, and you’ve got a one-way ticket to the best bodega plunge you’ve ever had. Turns out, you’ve also got a winner because – call it home field advantage, but don’t call it a comeback – Chef Feeley took home the trophy for this bout.

But really, the winners were anyone at Pony Up that night (assuming you showed up before they sold out), because everything was downright delicious – tunes included.