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An Estes Park institution since 1989, Mama Rose's consistently serves no-nonsense Italian meals, including the house specialty: hearty lasagna concocted with house-made meatballs and sausage. There are also plenty of lighter options, including vegetarian and gluten-free entrées, as well as build-your-own pasta from three noodles, six sauces, and nine meats and vegetables. The spacious Victorian dining room with decorative woodwork and fine art harkens back to an earlier era, minus the formal dress code. You can also dine outside on the patio with views of the Big Thompson River. Reservations are recommended in the summer.
338 E. Elkhorn Ave., Colorado, 80517, USA
Known For
- Cozy Italian comfort food
- Prime riverside location
- Sprawling porch seating
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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Foodies, first dates, and business diners flock to this bustling restaurant on Pearl Street Mall for seasonal cuisine that centers around a creatively used oak-fired oven and locally sourced meats and vegetables. The menu includes small and large plates, with staples like apple and kale salad and a roasted half chicken. Sit at the chef's counter for kitchen views.
1400 Pearl St., Boulder, Colorado, 80302, USA
Known For
- Some of Boulder’s best cocktails
- Perfect Wagyu crudo
- Chef's counter with kitchen views
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch, Reservations essential
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The first American craft brewery to can its beer, Oskar Blues is a Lyons hot spot for beer, pub grub, and music. Try Dale's Pale Ale or any of the other robust beers brewed nearby in small (20-barrel) batches. In the basement, a "juke joint" hosts live music and an arcade has old-time games; there's a bluegrass jam Tuesday night.
303 Main St., Lyons, Colorado, 80540, USA
Known For
- Creative burgers
- Cajun dishes
- Bourbon balls for dessert
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This Pearl Street café's locally roasted coffee is unmatched, with about a dozen blends, so you can expect all of Ozo's five locations to be packed. The decor is simple, centering around local art, and the food at the pastry counter is simple, too—coffee is the star. Ozo boasts its own training center, accredited through the Specialty Coffee Association of America and open to anyone who wants to study.
1015 Pearl St., Boulder, Colorado, 80302, USA
Known For
- Cholaca Mocha with pure, liquid cacao
- Artfully crafted espresso and coffee drinks
- Tasty breakfast burritos
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner, No reservations
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This casual riverside eatery serves creative signature pizzas. Try the spinach, artichoke, and feta pie made with sun-dried-tomato pesto. You can also create your own pie from five sauces and nearly 40 toppings. Other options include sandwiches, wraps, salads, and burgers. Poppy's has patio seating at the river and an extensive selection of beer.
342 E. Elkhorn Ave., Colorado, 80517, USA
Known For
- Create-your-own pizza
- Riverfront patio
- Vegan and gluten-free dishes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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Like its other Front Range brethren, the Fort Collins branch of this six-location restaurant always satisfies with favorites such as tacos, quesadillas, burritos, and fajitas. The spacious location in the heart of Old Town has exposed brick walls, hand-painted tables, and old storefront windows. When the weather is warm, wait for a table on the enclosed patio with a giant Mexican fountain.
143 W. Mountain Ave., Fort Collins, Colorado, 80524, USA
Known For
- Potent margaritas with a limit of three
- 60-plus hand-selected tequilas
- From-scratch black beans and handmade tortillas
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A favorite of Boulder's many health-conscious athletes and world travelers, this homey restaurant in a historical house is owned and run by genuine Sherpas, and offers a voluminous menu with Himalayan favorites like curry and tandoori chicken. It oozes mountain culture and has a bar and library, and a chef who has summited Everest 10 times. Owner Pemba Sherpa also offers guiding services in Nepal.
825 Walnut St., Boulder, Colorado, 80302, USA
Known For
- Saag dip with naan bread
- One of Boulder's best patios
- Super-friendly but slow service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations recommended.
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For comfort food in a historic atmosphere, stop by this charming, bustling café with diner counters, some boxy booths, dozens of tables, and an inviting, year-round patio. Operating in its current location since 1933, it serves a wide selection of breakfast food all day, such as omelets, Benedicts, biscuits and gravy, hotcakes, steak and eggs, and burritos, while lunch features delicious sandwiches, soups, salads, and burgers.
218 Walnut St., Fort Collins, Colorado, 80524, USA
Known For
- Legendary cinnamon rolls
- Top-notch breakfasts including homemade hash browns
- Award-winning Bloody Marys
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner, No reservations.
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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
Known For
- Signature barrel-aged Manhattan
- Daily brunch with sweet and savory options
- Pan-seared Rocky Mountain trout
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential.
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Espresso drinkers sip their sustenance here while sitting on leather chairs or at tables. Beyond breakfast, the café serves delicious quiches, salads, and sandwiches at lunch and dinnertime. For dessert, dig into decadent pastries and homemade cakes.
112 S. College Ave., Fort Collins, Colorado, 80524, USA
Known For
- The popular cappuccino cake
- Unique drinks like Colorado honey and rose latte
- Great people-watching
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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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
Known For
- Fun, energetic atmosphere
- Boulder's best sushi
- Hoppin' karaoke Saturday night
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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With a name like The Farmhouse, it’s only fitting that this cozy, farm-style restaurant in a 130-plus-year-old home has its own quarter-acre chicken coop. Savor seasonal, locally inspired menus with tasty, from-scratch comfort food like fried chicken and biscuits, skillet chicken potpie, and green chile mac and cheese. It's in a tiny, hip district where, for example, a former shed is now a clothing store.
1957 Jessup Dr., Fort Collins, Colorado, 80525, USA
Known For
- Pork-belly bites with grits and molasses gravy
- Brunch with blue-corn pancakes
- S'mores doughnuts
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., Reservations essential
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A Boulder classic with a bright, cheery, and hip vibe, The Kitchen offers elegant, relaxed meals with great service, emphasizing local food in a community atmosphere. The menu changes seasonally, but you can always count on tasty combinations, such as salmon with bok choy or roasted carrots with locally sourced ricotta. After dinner, get cocktails Upstairs (that's the name and location) in the swanky lounge.
1039 Pearl St., Boulder, Colorado, 80302, USA
Known For
- An affiliated nonprofit that builds gardens for kids
- Menu perfect for sharing
- One of the nation's greenest restaurants
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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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
Known For
- Gluten-free baked goods
- Patio with mountain views
- Coffee shop featuring local beer and wine
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No reservations
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Since 1923, students have flocked to this spot on the Hill, where Robert Redford worked briefly as a janitor in the 1950s while studying at CU; tables fill a labyrinth of rooms, and caricatures and murals decorate the walls. The broad pub-food menu includes the Sinkburger, smothered in barbecue sauce, and the POTUS pizza, named after former president Barack Obama, who ate here in 2012.
1165 13th St., Boulder, Colorado, 80302, USA
Known For
- Boulder's oldest bar and restaurant
- Cowboy Reuben with 10-hour-smoked brisket
- CU grads and patrons write their names on ceiling
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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
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
