Go Out / It's Culture

Is Present Company Worth the Hype?

Present Company Montrose

Seemingly overnight, an Instagram playground disguised as a bar popped up in Montrose at the old Sunday Funday spot, Royal Oak. Present Company touts neon signs, bright colors, patterned wall paper and drinks served in La Croix cans and is the best “go for the gram” place since Truck Yard opened in EaDo — but is it worth all the hype?

We headed into the new bar circa 5 pm on the first Saturday it was opened. We seemed to catch the tail end of the brunch crew and beat the evening crowd. There were plenty of people hanging around, but definitely not as packed as we’ve seen and heard it gets that first few days of opening. By the way, there’s valet but also a lot across the street. If you went to Royal Oak before, it’s the same deal. Tiny gravel lot. We managed to get a spot there, but it gets full fast.

We beelined for the bar and got sone drinks. Obviously, I got the La Croix can one (spoiler: THERE ARE TWO!). I got the watermelon vodka one, but the other one was a blackberry gin. Anastasia got a frozen drink pinker than the pinkest pink you’ve seen. It tasted pink, even. So sweet! There’s a food menu too, and we caught some glances at people’s brunch — tacos, Mexi hash. Seems like an affordable, casual spot for a weekend brunch.

Drinks in hand, we explored. Let’s count the gramable spots.

1. Right there at the bar.

Present Company Montrose

Both the upstairs (pro tip!) and downstairs bars have cool neon signs above the beer taps.

2. Downstairs patio.

Present Company Montrose

Bright orange booths and striped umbrellas galore.

3. Texas sign.

Present Company Montrose

I mean, obviously. As seen on everyone’s instagram.

4. Color shelves.

Present Company Montrose

These might be my favorite — very Palm Springs.

5. Past, Present, Future sign.

Present Company Montrose

Another crowd favorite. This one is downstairs by the bathrooms and is pretty well lit with natural lighting during the day.

6. Welcome to the Jungle sign.

Present Company Montrose

This one is upstairs is a little darker. Also by the restrooms.

7. Downstairs patio.

Present Company Montrose

No one came close to sitting outside in the sun during the hottest part of the day, which is a shame because I really liked this area!

8. TBH, so much more.

Present Company Montrose

There’s another sign downstairs that says something about today vs. tomorrow, there’s a moon wall, pink flamingo wallpaper and maybe even more that I didn’t get to see.

So, is Present Company worth the hype?

Our survey says… pretty much, yeah. Drinks are creative and yummy. The aesthetic is fun and playful. Once everyone settles down a little, and the lines to get in and get drinks go down, this will be a perfect Sunday Funday spot or late night Montrose hang.

What do y’all think about this new bar? Let us know in the comments or on Instagram!

Present Company Montrose

4 thoughts on “Is Present Company Worth the Hype?

  1. Bestie and I were excited to go but couldn’t find their hours listed any where… decided to head over just in case, and it looked that it had been close for a while, AND still had no posted sign of their hours… do either of you happen to know when they’re open so that we can give it another chance?

    • I noticed that too… follow them on Instagram! They post there when they are open. Today they are open at 3! (Yesterday they lost power, which is why they were closed early.)

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