Is Zanzbar Still Open? Bar Rescue Update (Denver, CO)
Current status
As of September 2026, Zanzbar is listed open on realitytvupdates.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.
Last verified
What the source shows: Reality TV Updates (unverified tracker, last checked 2024-03-29) reports Zanzibar/Zanzibar Billiards still operating at 2046 Larimer St under longtime owner Ami Benari; Denver TV station KDVR separately confirmed the address was an active, licensed bar when it was cited during a July 2020 Covid-19 enforcement sweep. No independently dated 2026 confirmation of current operation was found in this pass.
- Season / episode Season 3, Episode 5
- Original air date
- Address 2046 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80205
- Current name Zanzibar Billiards
Interactive map — loads when you ask for it.
Everything on this map is also in the list below.
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Bar Rescue?
Zanzibar, spelled Zanzbar on its Bar Rescue episode, was downtown Denver's first bar when owner Ami Benari opened it in 2009, and it built a following around ten pool tables and a rotating beer list. A serious accident sidelined Benari in 2011, and in his absence the staff let standards slip; by the time he returned about six months before filming "Empty Pockets," he had fired much of his senior team and was working against a self-imposed six-month clock to turn the business around. Recon spies found servers ignoring customers, bartenders giving away free drinks, and a kitchen where a cook was seen touching food after coughing into his hand, prompting Taffer to order the kitchen's inventory thrown out as contaminated. During the stress test, continued over-pouring and a shortage of clean glasses led Taffer to halt the exercise, and a heated exchange between Benari and the show's chef nearly ended the rescue before the two worked things out one-on-one.
The rescue team retrained the bar on portion control and quicker ticket times, added new cocktails built around the pool-hall crowd, and rebranded the bar Solids and Stripes to play up its billiards focus for the relaunch. Sales rose by roughly half in the six weeks that followed, according to the episode's own follow-up.
Benari moved away from the Solids and Stripes name within about a year, returning to the Zanzibar identity the bar had carried since 2009; today the business also markets itself as Zanzibar Billiards, per its own Facebook page and a 2024 update from the tracker site Reality TV Updates (unverified beyond that check). The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment cited the bar in July 2020 for violating Covid-19 public health orders, according to Denver TV station KDVR. Benari has since opened additional billiards-focused bars in the Denver area, including Tarantula Billiards and a Lakewood venue called Hangar 101.
Featured on Bar Rescue
- Show
- Bar Rescue
- Original air date
- Episode title
- Empty Pockets
- What was featured
- Owner absence after accident, over-pouring, kitchen contamination
- Role
- Featured restaurant
- Name on the broadcast
- Zanzbar
Frequently asked questions
Is Zanzbar still open in 2026?
As of September 2026, Zanzbar is listed open on realitytvupdates.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.
What happened to Zanzbar after Bar Rescue?
Zanzibar, spelled Zanzbar on its Bar Rescue episode, was downtown Denver's first bar when owner Ami Benari opened it in 2009, and it built a following around ten pool tables and a rotating beer list. As of September 2026, Zanzbar is listed open on realitytvupdates.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.
What is Zanzbar called now?
Now: Zanzibar Billiards (formerly Zanzbar). As of September 2026, Zanzbar is listed open on realitytvupdates.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.
Where is Zanzbar located?
2046 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80205. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.
What season and episode of Bar Rescue featured Zanzbar?
Season 3, Episode 5 of Bar Rescue, first aired March 10, 2013. The episode is titled “Empty Pockets”.
Did the makeover last at Zanzbar?
The episode first aired March 10, 2013. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 13 years later —: As of September 2026, Zanzbar is listed open on realitytvupdates.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.
Is Zanzbar still using the Bar Rescue menu or branding?
The rescue team retrained the bar on portion control and quicker ticket times, added new cocktails built around the pool-hall crowd, and rebranded the bar Solids and Stripes to play up its billiards focus for the relaunch. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.
Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.
More from Bar Rescue
-
Now: Colorado Champions Sports Cafe (formerly Blue Sports Grille)
Loveland, CO
Closed verified Checked -
Now: Garrison Tavern (formerly Brickhouse Bar & Grill)
Colorado Springs, CO
Closed verified Checked -
Loveland, CO
Open reported Checked -
Now: Valerie's Brewhouse (formerly Colorado Cork & Keg)
Castle Rock, CO
Closed verified Checked -
Now: Malloy's Bar & Grill (formerly G.I. Jodi's Bar and Grill)
Littleton, CO
Renamed reported Checked -
Arvada, CO
Open reported Checked
Other TV restaurants in Colorado
-
Denver, CO
Food Paradise
Unknown unverified Checked -
Denver, CO
Mystery Diners
Closed verified Checked -
Denver, CO
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Open verified Checked -
Denver, CO
Food Paradise
Open reported Checked -
Denver, CO
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Closed verified Checked -
Denver, CO
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open verified Checked
Nearest tracked restaurants
-
Denver, CO · 0.1 mi away
Best Thing I Ever Ate · Food Paradise
Closed verified Checked -
Denver, CO · 0.2 mi away
Best Thing I Ever Ate · Man v. Food
Open verified Checked -
Denver, CO · 0.3 mi away
Mystery Diners
Open verified Checked -
Denver, CO · 0.5 mi away
Food Paradise
Open verified Checked -
Denver, CO · 0.5 mi away
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Closed verified Checked -
Denver, CO · 0.5 mi away
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives · Man v. Food
Open verified Checked
Visit info
- Address
- 2046 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80205
- Venue type
- bar
- Official website
- State hub
- TV restaurants in Colorado
Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources
- realitytvupdates.com — https://realitytvupdates.com/bar-rescue/zanzibar-solids-and-stripes/
- kdvr.com — https://kdvr.com/news/local/13-denver-businesses-ticketed-for-covid-19-violations-this-weekend/
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_Rescue_(season_3)
See something wrong?
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record br-025 · last verified .