Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Fort Collins for grown-ups.

Where to drink

Ace Gillett's ★ 4.4

$$ Cocktail barHotel basement loungeOld Town

Ace Gillett's mixes cocktails in the basement lounge of Fort Collins' Armstrong Hotel, a supper-club room under College Avenue since the hotel's revival.

DrinkClassic cocktails

FoodLounge plates

TipHappy hour runs 17:00-18:30; the street-level Ace Cafe upstairs handles daytime service.

Social ★ 4.5

$$ Cocktail barUnderground speakeasyOld Town

Social pours an award-winning seasonal cocktail list in a Prohibition-styled cellar beneath Old Town Square in Fort Collins, open daily from 16:00.

DrinkSeasonal craft cocktails

FoodSmall plates

TipLook for the stairs off the square; the Great Gatsby anniversary party lands 10 September 2026 and sells out.

The Mayor of Old Town ★ 4.3

$$ GastropubCraft beer barMidtown

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.

Tap and Handle ★ 4.4

$$ GastropubCraft beer barOld Town

Tap and Handle keeps 74 rotating handles across three floors on College Avenue in Fort Collins, a national Top 100 beer bar with a real kitchen.

Drink74 rotating taps

FoodBurgers, wings, full menu

TipWednesday's Smasher burger deal is dine-in only; the fire-pit patio stays welcoming well into the cooler months.

William Oliver's Publick House ★ 4.3

$$ Cocktail barWhisky pubMidtown

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.

Lucky Joe's Sidewalk Saloon ★ 4.1

$ GastropubIrish pub saloonOld Town

Lucky Joe's Sidewalk Saloon puts an Irish pub in an old western saloon on Old Town Square in Fort Collins, open to 02:00 with green chili on the stove.

DrinkGuinness and an espresso martini chaser

FoodHome-cooked pub food

TipThe Monday 4.99-dollar burger is the cheapest square-side dinner going; happy hour runs 15:00-19:00 on weekdays.

The Forge Publick House ★ 4.2

$ GastropubBack-alley beer barOld Town

The Forge Publick House pours rotating craft taps in a brick back-alley room off Old Firehouse Alley in Fort Collins, trading quietly there since 2011.

DrinkRotating craft taps

FoodPie and snacks

TipCraft beer, brick building, back-alley drinking is the whole pitch; there is locally made pie when the case is stocked.

Elliot's Martini Bar ★ 4.2

$$ Cocktail barMartini barOld Town

Elliot's Martini Bar has shaken classics and dessert martinis on Linden Street in Fort Collins since 1997, nightly until 02:00 with a back patio.

DrinkClassic and dessert martinis

FoodTapas and meatballs

TipThe Cucumber's Last Stand and Tequila Mockingbird are the house calls; the back patio is the seat to hold in summer.

Town Pump ★ 4.3

$ Dive barHistoric dive barOld Town

Town Pump has poured in the same 416-square-foot room on College Avenue in Fort Collins since 1909, the oldest bar in the city and nearly its smallest.

DrinkCheap Colorado drafts

FoodNone; bring a slice in

TipCash-friendly, cramped and proud of it; a GoFundMe raised over 57,000 dollars in two days to save it during the pandemic.

The Whisk(e)y ★ 4.4

$$ Cocktail barWhisky loungeOld Town

The Whisk(e)y lines up more than 2,800 whiskies behind its College Avenue bar in Fort Collins, one of the largest whiskey selections in Colorado.

Drink2,800-bottle whisky wall

FoodBar snacks

TipHappy hour runs all day Sunday and Monday; ask the staff to steer a flight, the list is genuinely unnavigable alone.

Pour Brothers Community Tavern ★ 4.1

$ GastropubCommunity tavernOld Town

Pour Brothers Community Tavern deals craft taps, free darts and chicken bingo on Linden Street in Fort Collins, a neighbourhood room with tater tots.

DrinkColorado craft taps

FoodGrilled cheese, pizza, tots

TipChicken Sh!t Bingo runs the first and third Sundays; Thursday nights bring live music and Tuesday is trivia.

Trailhead Tavern ★ 3.9

$ Dive barCollege dive barOld Town

Trailhead Tavern holds down Mountain Avenue in Fort Collins as the Old Town dive bar of record, with cheap pitchers until 02:00 seven nights a week.

DrinkCheap pitchers

FoodBar food

TipIt closes only for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the Sunday after the Super Bowl; expect a CSU crowd on weekends.

Magic Rat Live Music ★ 4.3

$$ Cocktail barLive music barOld Town

Magic Rat books free live music four nights a week off Firehouse Alley in Fort Collins, the Elizabeth Hotel's gritty indoor-outdoor stage and bar.

DrinkCreative cocktails

FoodBar bites

TipNo cover, ever; the calendar posts on the hotel site week by week. Enter through the hotel or the alley.

The Crown Pub ★ 4.1

$$ PubEnglish-style pubOld Town

The Crown Pub is Old Town's English-style public house on College Avenue, pouring pints over hand-crafted food and staying open late weekly.

DrinkPints of British and Colorado beer

FoodFull pub kitchen daily

TipIt keeps proper pub hours, to midnight Sunday through Wednesday and 02:00 Thursday to Saturday, with the kitchen doing real work.

Bondi Beach Bar ★ 3.6

$$ Cocktail barBeach bar and grillOld Town

Bondi Beach Bar brings an Aussie beach-bar mood to Old Town Square, family-friendly on the patio by day and a club-style dance floor after dark.

DrinkFrozen and tropical cocktails

FoodBar and grill menu until late

TipThe wrap-around patio has the best sightline to the Old Town Square stage; Sunday opens at 10:30 for daytime drinks.

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