Aurora, Colorado – The first place Sea Food comes to mind is probably not Colorado, but one bar in Aurora is changing that. A cocktail and oyster bar on the 3rd floor of Stanley Marketplace called “Traveling Mercies” has just been nominated for the James Beard Award in 2025 as a semi-finalist for “Best Bar.” Traveling Mercies serves a distinctive variety of cocktails built around local ingredients and specializes in oysters. The award is given to chefs, restaurants, and writers for notable work in food and beverage industries.
Chef Caroline Glover’s new bar is a new addition to Anette. Another restaurant in the marketplace Glover, was an award-winning chef. Based on her work there, Glover won a James Beard award in the region for the year 2022.
A New Culinary Adventure
She started the bar with her husband a little over one year ago. With a small space of around 400 square feet available, they knew they could build something unique and wonderful.
“I feel like we just had to do something with the space that was provided to us,” Glover touches on her creed of making places instantly attractive to customers.
They want to serve oysters with handcrafted cocktails made from locally sourced beverages and take customers to a whole new place. To Glover and her husband, “We both adored small places where when people walk in, they feel like they are somewhere else.”
A Surprising History of Oysters in Colorado
It may sound strange to serve fresh oysters in a landlocked state but Glover claims there is more than one reason behind serving oysters in Denver. “Denver used to be the oyster spot,” she said. “When trains transported oysters from the West Coast to the East Coast, Denver was a hub where people got the freshest oysters.”
This rekindled her intention to revitalize the tradition of this modern age.
A Slow Start, But Now National Recognition
Glover has mentioned that building from the ground up is always a tedious job and opening a bar on the third floor of a marketplace certainly wasn’t a walk in the park. The foot traffic was lower than expected in the beginning.
“It was really hit or miss up here because people aren’t automatically looking for a spot on the third floor,” said Glover.
“I was giddy. It was such a surprise,” Glover mentioned, following her business booming ever since being nominated by the James Beard Foundation.
More Than Just Food—Creating Experiences
Understandably so, Glover puts her heart into trying to come up with unique ideas to appeal to the market to garner her guests. Experiences certainly help in keeping the customers loyal.
“‘Every time I hear that tune, I’m transported back 20 years to when I was a college student in Spain, drinking cheap beer, and eating sardines.’ That’s what I love most—giving people those kinds of moments,” said Glover.
What Next
The winners of the James Beard Award will be announced on June 16 in Chicago. Whatever the outcome of Traveling Mercies, Glover has something to be proud of with her astounding effort.
The Traveling Mercies bar has crushed the notion that exceptional cuisines are bounded by a certain place. While Aurora is not next to the sea, it is now a final rest stop for people who love seafood dishes thanks to Traveling Mercies.
