It’s finally here: The Pad hotel and hostel officially opened the week of Thanksgiving, and with it, A-Bar, a new watering hole that offers both guests and visitors a place to stop and relax on the north side of town.

The Pad has generated buzz as a boutique hostel-hotel hybrid that offers a combination of shared- and private-room options to accommodate the needs and interests of different types of travelers. The development was built with 18 upcycled shipping containers and features 36 rooms and 101 beds.

According to a press release, co-owners Lynne and Rob Baer built the boutique hostel as a new social lodging concept. Part of that social concept extends to A-Bar, the new bar situated near the lobby’s front desk that welcomes visitors and locals alike.

“We’ve always envisioned having a bar that could serve our guests. However, we’ve been working on this for a very long time, and (as) we’ve seen Silverthorne grow, we realized there was an opportunity to bring the community in, as well,” Rob said. “From our event space and everything else, we want this to be a community resource or place where people can get together and hang out.”

The full bar features 26 taps that’ll feature a range of beer, wines and cocktails. At any given time, there will be about eight to 10 beers on tap, as well as around eight wines and six cocktails. Right now, the bar has a limited menu, but some drinks already available include a margarita, Manhattan, chardonnay and malbec. Alpen Weisse from Angry James Brewery and Native Lands from Outer Range Brewing Co. are local brews on tap.

For a glass of wine, the price ranges from $6 to $16, most beer ranges from $4 to $8 and cocktails range from $7 to $12.

In the future, the bar will also offer a robust mocktail offering. Rob said since Summit County’s population is so active, he and Lynne wanted to make sure there were quality drinks on hand that could be served for those who didn’t want their drink of choice to inhibit their plans the following day.

The bar isn’t going to offer much in the realm of food, so the Baers said they’ll plan to partner with some local food trucks until Graze & Torreys opens.

Alyssa Block, owner and executive chef of Graze & Torreys, said the new storefront will be the business’ first since she began operating the sandwich hub in the summer of 2020. Shortly after opening, Graze & Torreys served sandwiches at Ten Mile Music Hall, later switching to offer private chef services and catering. Now, Block is once again serving her food, this time in a brick-and-mortar location.

The little restaurant will have its own leased space inside The Pad with 16 seats available inside the dining area and additional seating on a patio outside. Some menu items will be snacks for the bar, and others will be items like breakfast cocktails, coffee, sandwiches, noodle bowls, salads, baked goods and more. The restaurant will serve both breakfast and lunch until mid-afternoon. After that, Block said she plans to use the evenings for her catering.

The menu will change seasonally so prices will fluctuate, but when she opens, most menu items will range from $6 to $17. Block said she plans to open in early 2022.

Block and the Baers previously worked together at Sauce on the Blue in Silverthorne, and when the Baers approached her about opening a space inside The Pad, she jumped at the opportunity to be part of the growing Silverthorne community.

“We’re just really excited to be more of a part of the Silverthorne community and have a home base there and offer really good affordable, healthy food to the locals and the people who are visiting,” Block said.

Block said updates about Graze & Torreys’ new location will be posted on its Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as its website, GrazeAndTorreys.com.

For those looking to stay overnight at The Pad, rooms range from $45 per night for a dorm-style bunk to $350 per night for a private suite. In addition to Graze & Torreys and A-Bar, The Pad features community lounges, a rooftop hot tub, a co-working space, a communal kitchen and 3,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space on its third floor with a rooftop deck. When this space is not rented out, it’ll act as an extension of A-Bar during weather-permitting months.

Right now, A-Bar is open from 3-9 p.m. daily, though the Baers plan to extend these hours in the future. All three businesses are located at 491 Rainbow Drive in Silverthorne. For more information about A-Bar and The Pad, visit ThePadLife.com.