Denver dive Carioca Cafe, also known as Bar Bar, has been dark lately but is returning, owners say

Iconic Denver dive bar Carioca Cafe and Bar — better known in the DIY music scene as Bar Bar — has been closed in recent weeks due to a broken pipe that flooded the bar during January’s deep freeze. However, the bar is returning to business despite an online profile listing it as permanently closed.

Its doors have been locked and its lights turned off during otherwise normal business hours in recent days. The Google profile of the cash-only bar, at 2060 Champa St., lists Carioca Cafe as “permanently closed.”

However, bartender, booker and manager Rich Granville said he didn’t know why Google lists as such. He speculated that “trimming a lot of hours this winter” may have contributed to the online closure designation. He said he submitted an update to Google and is hoping to see it corrected soon.

Carioca Cafe is one of central Denver’s last historic, free-standing bars, following the demolit...