Boulder and North Central Colorado Restaurants

Thanks to the influx of people from around the world, you have plenty of options here. Restaurants in north central Colorado run the gamut from simple diners with tasty, homey basics to elegant establishments with extensive wine lists. The hot trend is organic and sustainable ingredients, with many restaurants offering dishes made from local ingredients. Some restaurants take reservations, but many, particularly those in the middle price range, seat on a first-come, first-served basis.

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  • 1. Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse

    $$

    Feast your eyes on the intricately carved walls, pillars, and ceiling at this unique teahouse, a gift from Boulder's sister city Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Tajik artisans decorated the building in a traditional style, with ceramic Islamic art and a riot of colorful wood. The menu presents a culinary cross section of the world, with dishes including North African harissa chicken, spicy Indonesian peanut noodles, and Tajik shish kebab.

    1770 13th St., Boulder, Colorado, 80302, USA
    303-442–4993

    Known For

    • Traditional afternoon tea service
    • Nearly 100 varieties of tea
    • Lovely patio
  • 2. Flagstaff House Restaurant

    $$$$

    Boulder's most opulent restaurant has formal service and thoughtfully prepared food, served in a sophisticated space with oversized windows and tables with crisp, white tablecloths. Executive chef Chris Royster has fresh fish flown in daily and is noted for the exquisite combinations of ingredients on his daily-changing menu, which might include Wagyu ravioli; Colorado lamb rack, loin, and shank; or Maine lobster soup. Choose between the four-course menu or multicourse chef's menu with optional wine pairings.

    1138 Flagstaff Rd., Boulder, Colorado, 80302, USA
    303-442–4640

    Known For

    • Stunning views overlooking the Front Range
    • Award-winning wine list
    • Fanciful food presentations

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed. Mon. No lunch, Reservations essential
  • 3. Frasca Food and Wine

    $$$$

    One of Boulder's best restaurants (with three James Beard honors) serves meticulously prepared food in the style of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy, in a bustling dining room with a backlit wine wall. You choose from two prix-fixe tasting menus and might feast on dishes including an antipasto such as fish crudo; a house-made pasta with pork ragù; and lamb with hay-smoked potato.

    1738 Pearl St., Boulder, Colorado, 80302, USA
    303-442–6966

    Known For

    • Informed servers and warm hospitality
    • Grappa cart for after-dinner libations
    • Stellar wine service and pairings

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch, Reservations essential
  • 4. Seasoned

    $$$$

    With a menu that changes monthly, Seasoned takes its name to heart with its always-changing ingredients from local farms. The creative dishes, created by chef-owner and Michelin-star veteran Rob Corey, reflect influences from North, South, and Central America and feature Colorado specialties like lamb, trout, and bass.

    205 Park La., Colorado, 80517, USA
    970-586–9000

    Known For

    • Creative cuisine
    • Colorado lamb, trout, and bass
    • Attentive service

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues. No lunch Wed.–Sat. No dinner Sun.
  • 5. Spruce Farm & Fish

    $$$$

    Coffered ceilings, stained-glass windows, and mosaic tile floors create a classic setting for this fish-focused restaurant in the Hotel Boulderado. Savor happy hour at the spruce-wood bar with farm-fresh oysters and handcrafted cocktails, or stay for dinner in the dining room with its fully enclosed porch and sample a seasonal menu emphasizing local foods.

    2115 13th St., Boulder, Colorado, 80302, USA
    303-442–4880

    Known For

    • Signature barrel-aged Manhattan
    • Daily brunch with sweet and savory options
    • Pan-seared Rocky Mountain trout

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Reservations essential.
  • Recommended Fodor’s Video

  • 6. Sushi Zanmai

    $$$

    Perennially popular, this restaurant with light-wood tables and simple decor serves delicious fish and other Japanese specialties to a packed house nightly, so grab a table or sit at the sushi bar. Try a Z No. 9 Roll, shrimp tempura wrapped in nori and rice, topped with salmon and avocado; Zanmai invented it, and other restaurants have copied it. The mochi-ice-cream dessert is excellent.

    1221 Spruce St., Boulder, Colorado, 80302, USA
    303-440–0733

    Known For

    • Fun, energetic atmosphere
    • Boulder's best sushi
    • Hoppin' karaoke Saturday night

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No lunch
  • 7. The Laughing Goat Coffeehouse

    $

    This bohemian-style café two blocks west of the pedestrian mall serves bagels, muffins, pastries, and oatmeal for breakfast, and panini sandwiches and soups for lunch; do try the locally roasted, organic espresso. This is where Boulder's creative community and young tech entrepreneurs rub shoulders, sometimes literally, thanks to the tight seating. There are multiple other branches in town.

    1709 Pearl St., Boulder, Colorado, 80302, USA
    No phone

    Known For

    • Gluten-free baked goods
    • Patio with mountain views
    • Coffee shop featuring local beer and wine

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No reservations
  • 8. The Train Cars Coffee and Kava

    $

    As the name hints, the café is set up inside three repurposed train cars, including an old circus train from the late 1800s. It serves locally roasted coffee, frozen yogurt, light food such as homemade mini-doughnuts and sandwiches, and kava, a Pacific Island beverage made from the ground roots of the kava plant. Splurge with a malt or go healthy with a green smoothie with chia seeds.

    101 Rte. 119, Nederland, Colorado, 80466, USA
    303-258--0440

    Known For

    • Pick your own toppings for fresh-made mini-doughnuts
    • Spicy green chile, Colorado's favorite dish
    • Affogato with hot espresso over frozen yogurt

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner

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