AmericanSoda-fountain weekend brunch$$$10-20old-townMon-Fri 11:00-22:00; Sat-Sun 10:00-22:00Walk-in or call ahead
Union Bar and Soda Fountain crosses a mid-century soda counter with craft cocktails on Jefferson Street in Fort Collins: burgers, floats and boozy shakes.
Order: A burger and a breakfast-hour float
Tip: Housemade sodas and boozy milkshakes are the point; vegan and gluten-free menus are marked. Happy hour weekdays 15:00-18:00.
MexicanWeekend breakfast burritos$$8-13old-townMon-Wed 10:30-22:00; Thu 10:30-23:00; Fri 10:30-00:00; Sat 09:00-00:00; Sun 09:00-21:00Walk-in only
Illegal Pete's builds mission-size burritos with a full bar on Walnut Street in Fort Collins, the Colorado indie chain that pays a living wage.
Order: A breakfast burrito smothered in green chile
Tip: Weekend breakfast burritos run 09:00-13:00; Friday and Saturday the line serves until midnight with margaritas alongside.
CaféAll-morning cafe brunch$$$8-16old-townDaily 07:00-15:00Walk-in only
Butterfly Cafe bakes its own focaccia for breakfast sandwiches in the historic Butterfly Building on Laporte Avenue in Fort Collins, daily to 15:00.
Order: The focaccia breakfast sandwich
Tip: The focaccia breakfast sandwich is the order; house nut milks and made-in-house soups cover most diets without fuss.
BreakfastVeg-friendly campus breakfast$$$9-16campus-westDaily 08:00-14:00Walk-in only
Rainbow Restaurant has cooked breakfast and lunch across from CSU in Fort Collins since 1976, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free boards.
Order: A veggie benedict and buttermilk pancakes
Tip: Daily to 14:00 only; the vegetarian and gluten-free menus are full menus rather than afterthoughts, rare for a diner.
BrunchScratch-kitchen brunch$$$10-20old-townMon-Fri 06:30-14:30; Sat-Sun 06:30-16:00Walk-in with waitlist
Snooze, an A.M. Eatery cooks scratch breakfast and lunch on Mountain Avenue in Fort Collins, pouring organic coffee for a queue that forms early.
Order: Pancakes from the rotating flight
Tip: Weekends stretch service to 16:00, unusually late for Fort Collins brunch; put your name on the waitlist first.
BreakfastNo-frills diner breakfast$$8-16midtownMon-Sat 06:00-14:00; Sun 07:00-13:30Walk-in only
The Breakfast Club feeds midtown Fort Collins homemade breakfast and lunch off West Monroe Drive, no frills, big plates and bottomless coffee.
Order: A homemade breakfast plate from the griddle
Tip: Doors open at 06:00 on weekdays, one of the earliest starts in town, so it beats the weekend queues elsewhere.