The L, a cocktail bar at 46 N. Broadway in Denver, has closed after nearly six years in business. Owner Adam Hodak confirmed it shut down in late October amid a reported $64,000 dispute with landlord William Feinberg, according to Westword. The bar began operating in early 2021, during the pandemic.
Hodak told Westword that Feinberg charged The L full rent while Denver was operating under limited pandemic-era capacity restrictions. The $64,000 dispute was central to the bar’s closure, though the reported account does not specify which public-health orders or dates were at issue.
A Pandemic Birth on a Former Pet Shop's Bones
Hodak and business partner Alex Lerman signed a lease for the space in September 2019, before the pandemic disrupted the hospitality industry, according to Westword. The location had been a pet-food store. The outlet reported that pandemic-related delays and liquor-license hurdles pushed back the bar’s opening.
The L opened in early 2021, but published accounts differ on the date. Westword reported January 17; 303 Magazine reported January 20.
Co-Owner Departed in 2022, Hodak Carried On
Lerman, who co-founded the bar with Hodak, left The L in 2022. Hodak previously worked as a partner at Bonanno Concepts before striking out with The L.
Hodak announced the closure on Instagram. Westword reported that his post called it the “Last Night for the L” and quoted him saying, “I tried. I just couldn't keep it going.”
South Broadway pressures and other Denver bar disputes
Available reporting offers examples of local business pressures, but not a corridor-wide commercial vacancy or turnover rate. In a January 14–31, 2022 survey of 174 operators, the Colorado Restaurant Association found that 54% of restaurants were considering permanent closure within the next year; the association cited rising operating costs, labor shortages, a lack of federal relief and lingering pandemic effects. Separately, BusinessDen reported in October 2024 that South Broadway’s Electric Dream Boutique, opened at Broadway and First Avenue in January 2023, was struggling with rent and additional landlord expenses. Those reports do not establish why The L closed. The L’s dispute also differs from a separate RiNo case involving Rose, the rooftop bar at the Penrose apartment complex. BusinessDen reported a dispute over access to a pool and barbecue area; on Nov. 19, 2025, The Denver Post reported that the building owners were asking a judge to evict the bar. These reports describe an eviction request, not a final outcome.
The bar's run, stretching from its early 2021 debut through its closure in late October, outlasted the uncertainty that defined its opening.
