Best restaurants in Boulder, Colorado

November 22, 2014 Leave a comment

This concept worked well for nearby Louisville, so here are our top choices for Boulder, CO eateries and breweries…

Craft beer and Boulder… almost as popular as weed and Boulder… Almost.

Argentine Fare

Bar + Socializing

Absinthe House (rhymes with “neat market”)
T-Zero Lounge
The Rio Grande Restaurant (go for the margs, stay for the chips)
The Attic Bar + Bistro
Walrus Saloon

Bistro Cuisine

Chautauqua Dining Hall

Breakfast Bagels

Moe’s Bagels

Brunch

Brasserie Ten Ten (try the crepes, and order a cheese plate)
Lucile’s Creole Cafe (perfect brunch after a soccer game or hike; bring your appetite for the biscuits)
Snooze AM Eatery
Tangerine

Seriously good burgers – turkey, beef, tuna, truffle, portobello – at Larkburger

Burgers

The Sink (Obama was here)
Rueben’s Burger Bistro (try the sweet potato fries)
West End Tavern (Boulder’s hidden gem for craft beer and distinctive bourbon)
Larkburger

Casual/Hip Dining

The Kitchen Next Door (the kale chips are the best in town)
The Kitchen Upstairs (great place to take out-of-towners, particularly if your company is picking up the tab)

Chinese Noodles

Zoe Ma Ma

Comfort Food

Murphy’s Neighborhood Restaurant

Craft Beer – Brewery

Bru Handbuilt Ales and Eats (can’t say enough great things about Bru; try the unfiltered ales and sourdough pizza)
Fate Brewing (coffee IPA? Yes – and it’s excellent.)
Shine
Southern Sun
Upslope Brewing
Sanitas Brewing
Boulder Beer (Order the barley veggie burger with blue cheese and real bacon. Trust me.)

Bru’s 5-beer sampler is whatever you want it to be. You pick, they serve, everyone wins.

Craft Beer – Tap House

Backcountry Pizza + Tap House (cheap dinner – slice of pizza + Russian River Blind Pig IPA – always on tap)
Old Chicago Pizza + Taproom
Rueben’s Burger Bistro
West End Tavern

Craft Cocktails

The Bitter Bar
Salt the Bistro (check out the downstairs bar during happy hour)
Blackbelly Restaurant, Bar & Butcher
Oak at Fourteenth

Blackbelly cheese plate, olives, and happy hour blush

Blackbelly’s happy hour is hard to beat

Date Night

Oak at Fourteenth (order small plates and share with your better half)
Salt the Bistro
The Kitchen

Date Night (money no object)

Flagstaff House Restaurant (enjoy Boulder’s best view)
Black Cat Farm~Table~Bistro
Frasca Food and Wine (hard to find a better wine list – anywhere)
L’Atelier
Jill’s Restaurant

Farm to Table

Blackbelly Restaurant, Bar & Butcher
Bramble and Hare

Parisienne Macarons at Brasserie Ten Ten in Boulder

Don’t miss dessert at Brasserie Ten Ten – Parisienne Macarons paired with Taylor-Fladgate 20-year Port

French Fare

Brasserie Ten Ten
Mateo Restaurant Provençal (another top choice in Boulder cheese plates)

German Fare + Beer

Bohemian Biergarten (Boulder’s largest beer glasses and longest tables)

Gluten-free Menu

Shine (hip eatery + brewery)

Grain-free Menu

Blooming Beets (gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free)

Chorizo + sweet potato hash with poached eggs and dairy-free hollandaise @ Blooming Beets in Boulder — paired with local Firestone-Colorado-brewed, spiced-apple Wild Cider

Indian Fare

Tiffin’s India Cafe

Irish Fare

Conor O’Neills (watch futbol [soccer] here)

Italian Fare

Il Pastaio
Arugula Bar e Ristorante (grab a spot at this unique bar)

Latin Fare

Centro Latin Kitchen
Aji Latin American Restaurant (all-day happy hour on Sundays)

Mexican Fare

100% Mexicano (Boulder’s best Mexican food, in my opinion; UPDATE: sad to report 100% Mexicano has closed.)

Mexican Fare (higher end)

Tahona Tequila Bistro (try the duck!)
Agave Mexico Bistro + Tequila House

Monday Teahouse

Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse

Nepalese, Indian + Tibetan Fare

Sherpa’s Adventurers Restaurant + Bar

Delectable pizza dough stretched and tossed before your eyes at Locale

Pizza

Pizzeria Locale (Artisan Italian + gluten-free crust)
Basta (foodie)
Backcountry Pizza + Tap House (pub slices + gluten-free crust)
Bru Handbuilt Ales and Eats (sourdough + gluten-free crust)
The Sink (pub pie + gluten-free crust)