14 bars in Fort Collins, editor-picked for bars open late. Bars serving past 23:00. All bars in Fort Collins.

Ace Gillett's ★ 4.4

old-town · 239 South College Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Hours: Wed-Sun 17:00-23:00; Fri-Sat to 00:00

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.

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

Tap and Handle ★ 4.4

old-town · 307 South College Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Hours: Daily 11:30-00:00

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.

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

The Whisk(e)y ★ 4.4

old-town · 214 South College Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Hours: Sun-Thu 12:00-01:30; Fri-Sat 11:00-01:30

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.

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

The Mayor of Old Town ★ 4.3

midtown · 632 South Mason Street, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Hours: Mon-Thu 12:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 12:00-23:00; Sun 12:00-22:00

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.

Tip: The 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 ★ 4.3

midtown · 2608 South Timberline Road, Fort Collins, CO 80525

Hours: Daily 11:00-02:00

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.

Tip: There is no phone on principle; walk in or email. Ask for the Snug, a semi-private nook for groups of six to eight.

Town Pump ★ 4.3

old-town · 124 North College Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Hours: Mon-Fri 15:00-01:00; Sat 12:00-01:30; Sun 12:00-00:30

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.

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

Magic Rat Live Music ★ 4.3

old-town · 111 Chestnut Street, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Hours: Wed-Sat 17:00-23:00

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.

Tip: No cover, ever; the calendar posts on the hotel site week by week. Enter through the hotel or the alley.

The Forge Publick House ★ 4.2

old-town · 255 Old Firehouse Alley, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Hours: Sun-Tue 14:00-22:00; Wed-Sat 14:00-00:00

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.

Tip: Craft 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

old-town · 234 Linden Street, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Hours: Daily 16:30-02:00

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.

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

Lucky Joe's Sidewalk Saloon ★ 4.1

old-town · 25 Old Town Square, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Hours: Daily 11:00-02:00

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.

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

Pour Brothers Community Tavern ★ 4.1

old-town · 220 Linden Street, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Hours: Sun 11:00-22:00; Mon-Thu 11:30-22:00; Fri 11:30-00:00; Sat 11:00-00:00

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

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

The Crown Pub ★ 4.1

old-town · 134 South College Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Hours: Sun-Wed 11:00-00:00; Thu-Sat 11:00-02:00

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.

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

Trailhead Tavern ★ 3.9

old-town · 148 West Mountain Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Hours: Mon-Thu 12:00-02:00; Fri-Sun 11:00-02:00

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.

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

Bondi Beach Bar ★ 3.6

old-town · 11 Old Town Square, Suite 120, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Hours: Wed-Fri 18:00-02:00; Sat 12:00-02:00; Sun 10:30-02:00

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.

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