We at Westword love Capitol Hill's Nob Hill Inn.

The venerable watering hole was the subject of a feature in 2009, the same year we named it Best Dive in our Best of Denver issue. The venue also ranked highly in our 2014 roundup of best dive bars — and a few months back, Nob Hill earned another Best of Denver nod, this time for Best Jukebox.

It's early to be thinking about what awards the inn could win in 2016 — but if there's a Best Customer Service for Non-Customers category, the business has got to be considered a front-runner. That's because bartender Bart Case rushed to aid a man who was stabbed in the neck just outside its front door.

At last report, the thus-far-unidentified victim is in critical condition — but he would likely have had no chance of survival without Case's quick action.

Here's how we described the Nob Hill Inn for our 2009 Best of Denver award, which is commemorated on a sign outside the bar.



The Nob Hill Inn recently celebrated its fiftieth birthday. It's daunting to think of all the people who have spent hours on the stools there, killing time and waiting for the day to the end. But it's the kind of joint where it's easy to lose track of time. The square-shaped bar makes for easy people-watching, and with some of Colfax's finest camping out there, it's usually entertaining as hell. If Bukowski were still alive, this might be his idea of nirvana.

And here's our 2015 Best Jukebox blurb:



One of the city's few remaining true dives, the Nob Hill Inn has hosted its share of music royalty — including Bob Dylan and Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister — in over a half-century of operation. And there's a good chance you'll find those legends' music on the bar's jukebox, which is just about as eclectic as its regulars. A bonus are the juke's mix CDs, which feature such expert and disparate pairings as Buck Owens and the Beau Brummels, the Hollies and Uriah Heep, and Parliament and Gene Autry.

As for the stabbing, 7News, notes that it took place on Tuesday afternoon outside the inn, located at 420 East Colfax.

Seconds later, bartender Case was on the scene.

"I ran out front and the guy was bleeding, he'd been stuck in the neck or his neck was cut open," Case told the station. "I ran over and gave him my bar towel and a bunch of people called the ambulance."

Case ID'd the suspects as two men in their twenties, who are said to have escaped by running down the alley behind the venue.

Thus far, no suspect information has been released and the victim is still fighting for his life. But the efforts of Case make a strong case for more Best of Denver recognition.

Look below to see the 7News report.