The College Avenue and Mason Street miles south of campus, where strip-mall fronts hide German lagers, barrel sours and long-running family rooms.
Cafe Vino pairs bacon-wrapped dates, burrata and a wagyu burger with a walk-in cellar of over 200 wines on South College Avenue in midtown Fort Collins.
OrderBacon-wrapped dates with a glass picked from the cellar
TipA Best of NoCo Style 2025 winner; wine dinners like the Kermit Lynch importer night sell through, so book those early.
Young's Cafe has long been Fort Collins' Vietnamese standard-bearer on South College Avenue, from crab cheese wontons to the house fried rice.
OrderHouse fried rice and the crab cheese wontons
TipPortions run generous and lunch is the value window; the dining room fills with regulars who have come for years.
Music City Hot Chicken fries Nashville-style birds on Prospect Road in Fort Collins across a ladder of heat levels, from Southern to the Flammable Solid dare.
OrderHalf chicken at Nashville Hot with white bread and pickles
TipVegans get crispy fried tempeh in any heat level; weekend brunch adds chicken and waffles plus a Monte Cristo.
The Colorado Room stacks gourmet sliders, poutine and Rocky Mountain oysters with local taps and local art on South College Avenue in Fort Collins.
OrderRocky Mountain oysters, then a slider flight
TipThis is the room to try Rocky Mountain oysters with a Colorado beer in hand; the art on the walls is for sale.
Star of India, a six-time NoCo Style best-Indian winner, has been cooking North Indian and Punjabi curries on Harvard Street in Fort Collins.
OrderA Punjabi curry with fresh tandoori bread
TipClosed Tuesdays. The lunch window is the value play; dinner service starts at 17:00 sharp.
The Moot House has run its Tudor-style English pub room at Drake and College in Fort Collins since 1972, with prime rib on Fridays and Saturdays only.
OrderFriday or Saturday prime rib, medium rare
TipPrime rib carves Friday and Saturday nights until it runs out; the scratch kitchen means slow-food patience at peak times.
Suh Sushi Korean BBQ pairs table-grill barbecue with hand-crafted sushi on East Boardwalk Drive, family-run since the Suhs arrived from Seoul in 2008.
OrderAll-you-can-eat Korean barbecue with the banchan spread
TipThe all-you-can-eat barbecue options come with unlimited side dishes and miso soup; the table grills make it the group pick.
Krazy Karl's Pizza slings CSU-crowd pies on Timberline Road in Fort Collins until midnight every night, a local operation with a Loveland sibling.
OrderA large specialty pie split with wings
TipThe West Elizabeth branch closed; Timberline is the Fort Collins location. Order online to skip the game-night queue.
Big City Burrito wraps its famous potato burrito on South College Avenue in Fort Collins from 07:00, the original counter of a homegrown institution.
OrderThe potato burrito, smothered, with hot green chile
TipThe potato burrito smothered in green chile is the order that made the name; breakfast burritos run from opening.
The Moot House has run its Tudor-style English pub room at Drake and College in Fort Collins since 1972, with prime rib on Fridays and Saturdays only.
OrderFriday or Saturday prime rib, medium rare
TipPrime rib carves Friday and Saturday nights until it runs out; the scratch kitchen means slow-food patience at peak times.
Music City Hot Chicken fries Nashville-style birds on Prospect Road in Fort Collins across a ladder of heat levels, from Southern to the Flammable Solid dare.
OrderHalf chicken at Nashville Hot with white bread and pickles
TipVegans get crispy fried tempeh in any heat level; weekend brunch adds chicken and waffles plus a Monte Cristo.
Young's Cafe has long been Fort Collins' Vietnamese standard-bearer on South College Avenue, from crab cheese wontons to the house fried rice.
OrderHouse fried rice and the crab cheese wontons
TipPortions run generous and lunch is the value window; the dining room fills with regulars who have come for years.
Star of India, a six-time NoCo Style best-Indian winner, has been cooking North Indian and Punjabi curries on Harvard Street in Fort Collins.
OrderA Punjabi curry with fresh tandoori bread
TipClosed Tuesdays. The lunch window is the value play; dinner service starts at 17:00 sharp.
The Colorado Room stacks gourmet sliders, poutine and Rocky Mountain oysters with local taps and local art on South College Avenue in Fort Collins.
OrderRocky Mountain oysters, then a slider flight
TipThis is the room to try Rocky Mountain oysters with a Colorado beer in hand; the art on the walls is for sale.
Suh Sushi Korean BBQ pairs table-grill barbecue with hand-crafted sushi on East Boardwalk Drive, family-run since the Suhs arrived from Seoul in 2008.
OrderAll-you-can-eat Korean barbecue with the banchan spread
TipThe all-you-can-eat barbecue options come with unlimited side dishes and miso soup; the table grills make it the group pick.
The Little Bird Bakeshop bakes everything from scratch just south of Old Town Fort Collins, pastries and handcrafted drinks until the case empties.
DrinkLocally roasted drip and lattes
TipClosed Tuesday and Wednesday; go before 10:00 on weekends or watch the pastry case go bare in front of you.
The Little Bird Bakeshop bakes everything from scratch just south of Old Town Fort Collins, pastries and handcrafted drinks until the case empties.
Worth the queueMorning pastry case
TipClosed Tuesday and Wednesday; go before 10:00 on weekends or watch the pastry case go bare in front of you.
Retreat Bakery Bar pairs scratch pastries and desserts with coffee, beer and wine on South Lemay Avenue in Fort Collins, open into the evening.
Worth the queueEvening dessert and wine pairing
TipHappy hour runs 16:00-20:00 Monday to Saturday with a dollar off beer and wine; teachers get 15 percent off on Fridays.
Lima Coffee Roasters runs its Fort Collins roastery and coffee bar on South Mason Street, feeding shops in Old Town and Campus West with fresh beans.
BeansLatin American and rotating origins
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
TipPark in the MAX station public lot to the south if the small lot is full; Mason Street parking gets towed.
Cafe Vino pairs bacon-wrapped dates, burrata and a wagyu burger with a walk-in cellar of over 200 wines on South College Avenue in midtown Fort Collins.
WineOver 200 wines around a walk-in cellar, old and new world
FoodTapas, artisan pizzas and full dinner plates
TipA Best of NoCo Style 2025 winner; wine dinners like the Kermit Lynch importer night sell through, so book those early.
The Mayor of Old Town runs 100 taps on Mason Street in Fort Collins, the deepest draught wall in Northern Colorado with pub food to anchor it.
Drink100 rotating taps
FoodPub kitchen
TipThe 100-tap wall rotates constantly, so ask for the fresh-on list; despite the name it sits on Mason near Laurel, not the square.
William Oliver's Publick House stocks over 400 world whiskies at its Timberline and Drake pub in Fort Collins, the original room it opened back in 2013.
Drink400-plus whiskies
FoodPub plates and hot dogs
TipThere is no phone on principle; walk in or email. Ask for the Snug, a semi-private nook for groups of six to eight.
Big City Burrito wraps its famous potato burrito on South College Avenue in Fort Collins from 07:00, the original counter of a homegrown institution.
TryThe original potato burrito
TipThe potato burrito smothered in green chile is the order that made the name; breakfast burritos run from opening.
Purpose Brewing and Cellars is Peter Bouckaert's tiny Fort Collins taproom on South Mason Street: four or five new beers a weekend, barrels and sours first.
TipBouckaert spent 21 years as New Belgium's brewmaster; whatever barrel-aged beer is on this weekend is the order. Closed Monday to Wednesday.
Maxline Brewing keeps Midtown Fort Collins in West Coast IPA, Liquid Disco hazy and an award-winning Irish red, with food trucks and patio live music.
TipFood trucks rotate nightly, from The Schnitzel Wagon to Pig Pickin' BBQ; check the calendar to match dinner to your pint.
Zwei Brewing brews Fort Collins' German-style lagers, weissbier and helles on South Mason Street, open daily with Vienna lager usually on the board.
TipThe name means two in German. Order the helles first; the lager programme is the whole point of the place.
Gilded Goat Brewing runs a Midtown taproom and an Old Town satellite on Mountain Avenue in Fort Collins; the head brewer holds a CSU microbiology PhD.
TipThe Old Town satellite at 132 West Mountain Avenue keeps its own shorter week: closed Mondays, open from 15:00 Tuesday and Wednesday.
Rally King Brewing turns a founder's 80-plus homebrew competition awards into the taplist at this South Lemay Avenue taproom in Fort Collins, since 2015.
TipSurfer Girl IPA and the blood orange sour are the regulars' picks; the room is small, so weekends fill fast.
Olive Tree International Market stocks certified halal meat and Middle Eastern groceries on South College Avenue in Fort Collins, open daily to 20:00.
TipThis is where Fort Collins buys halal lamb, goat and chicken; the shelves cover the Arabic pantry from spices to sweets.
Big City Burrito wraps its famous potato burrito on South College Avenue in Fort Collins from 07:00, the original counter of a homegrown institution.
TryThe original potato burrito
TipThe potato burrito smothered in green chile is the order that made the name; breakfast burritos run from opening.
Krazy Karl's Pizza slings CSU-crowd pies on Timberline Road in Fort Collins until midnight every night, a local operation with a Loveland sibling.
TryLate-night pizza
TipThe West Elizabeth branch closed; Timberline is the Fort Collins location. Order online to skip the game-night queue.
Music City Hot Chicken fries Nashville-style birds on Prospect Road in Fort Collins across a ladder of heat levels, from Southern to the Flammable Solid dare.
TipVegans get crispy fried tempeh in any heat level; weekend brunch adds chicken and waffles plus a Monte Cristo.
Star of India, a six-time NoCo Style best-Indian winner, has been cooking North Indian and Punjabi curries on Harvard Street in Fort Collins.
TipClosed Tuesdays. The lunch window is the value play; dinner service starts at 17:00 sharp.
Avogadro's Number pairs inexpensive sandwiches and a shaded beer garden with jazz, blues and comedy nights on Mason Street in Fort Collins, weekly.
TryGarden-patio sandwiches
TipThe back garden is the venue: live acts most weeks, weekend breakfast from 09:00, and nobody hurries you out.
Music City Hot Chicken fries Nashville-style birds on Prospect Road in Fort Collins across a ladder of heat levels, from Southern to the Flammable Solid dare.
OrderChicken and waffles at Southern heat
TipVegans get crispy fried tempeh in any heat level; weekend brunch adds chicken and waffles plus a Monte Cristo.
The Breakfast Club feeds midtown Fort Collins homemade breakfast and lunch off West Monroe Drive, no frills, big plates and bottomless coffee.
OrderA homemade breakfast plate from the griddle
TipDoors open at 06:00 on weekdays, one of the earliest starts in town, so it beats the weekend queues elsewhere.
Krazy Karl's Pizza slings CSU-crowd pies on Timberline Road in Fort Collins until midnight every night, a local operation with a Loveland sibling.
TryLate-night pizza
TipThe West Elizabeth branch closed; Timberline is the Fort Collins location. Order online to skip the game-night queue.
Avogadro's Number pairs inexpensive sandwiches and a shaded beer garden with jazz, blues and comedy nights on Mason Street in Fort Collins, weekly.
TipThe back garden is the venue: live acts most weeks, weekend breakfast from 09:00, and nobody hurries you out.
3 hours
ATV rentals in Estes Park just minutes from Rocky Mountain National Park! Experience the magic of Colorado with views around every corner! An unforgettable off road adventure!
4 hours
Intro to outdoor rock climbing with a guide in Colorado. Choose from locations Fort Collins, Estes Park, Boulder, Loveland, and Golden. Enjoy the thrill of rock climbi...
Guided tour · 2 hours
Discover Fort Collins on a comfortable e-bike! Ride scenic riverside trails, explore downtown, parks, breweries, and college-town landmarks, fun, effortless, and led b...