Eat well in Fort Collins without overpaying: the locals'-budget edition.
Eat well in Fort Collins for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
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.
Try: The original potato burrito
Tip: The potato burrito smothered in green chile is the order that made the name; breakfast burritos run from opening.
Cheba Hut toasts its counterculture subs on Taft Hill Road in Fort Collins until 02:00 on weekends, with billiards, a full bar and Kool-Aid on tap.
Try: Toasted subs till late
Tip: The chain's headquarters sits in Fort Collins; the westside hut adds billiards and stays open latest. Order a White Widow toasted.
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.
Try: Burritos with queso
Tip: Weekend breakfast burritos run 09:00-13:00; Friday and Saturday the line serves until midnight with margaritas alongside.
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.
Try: Late-night pizza
Tip: The West Elizabeth branch closed; Timberline is the Fort Collins location. Order online to skip the game-night queue.
Pizza Casbah has hand-tossed New York slices a block from CSU in Fort Collins since 1999, stone-baked, with a 30-inch challenge pie for the brave.
Try: New York-style slices
Tip: Friday and Saturday it serves until 02:30, the definitive post-bar slice; happy hour pours 3-dollar Odell and New Belgium drafts.
JAWS Sushi rolls student-friendly maki and pours hot sake on West Elizabeth Street in Fort Collins, with an 11:00-13:00 happy hour on rolls.
Try: Happy-hour sushi rolls
Tip: Closed Mondays. The 11:00-13:00 happy hour is one of the cheapest sushi lunches in the city.
Silver Grill Cafe has fried breakfast on Walnut Street in Fort Collins since 1933, and its giant cinnamon roll is the single most famous dish in the city.
Tip: Order the giant cinnamon roll grilled with butter; the Roll of the Month (August is Peaches and Cream) rewards repeat visits.
Mugs Coffee Lounge has poured fair-trade espresso and blended breakfast burritos on College Avenue in Fort Collins since 2002, doors open at 06:00.
Tip: Open at 06:00, the earliest sit-down coffee downtown; the second Mugs on West Laurel Street serves the campus side.
Big Al's Burgers and Dogs grinds its 60/40 bacon burger on Mountain Avenue in Fort Collins, with Chicago dogs, truffle fries and hand-scooped shakes.
Try: 60/40 bacon burger
Tip: Happy hour 14:00-17:00 daily puts burgers, Chicago dogs and milkshakes at 5 dollars each; the art on the walls rotates.
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.
Tip: Vegans get crispy fried tempeh in any heat level; weekend brunch adds chicken and waffles plus a Monte Cristo.
Vatos Tacos + Tequila grills street tacos from a shipping container at The Exchange in Fort Collins, open from 07:00 with margaritas on the plaza.
Try: Street tacos
Tip: It opens at 07:00 for breakfast service, unusual for a taqueria; gluten-free items are flagged on the menu board.
La Piadina griddles Emilia-Romagna flatbread sandwiches from a container kitchen at The Exchange in Fort Collins, with Italian wine and local beer.
Try: Piadina flatbread sandwiches
Tip: A piadina crisped to order plus a glass of Italian wine on the plaza is one of the city's best cheap dates.
Rainbow Restaurant has cooked breakfast and lunch across from CSU in Fort Collins since 1976, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free boards.
Tip: Daily to 14:00 only; the vegetarian and gluten-free menus are full menus rather than afterthoughts, rare for a diner.
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.
Tip: Closed 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.
Try: Garden-patio sandwiches
Tip: The back garden is the venue: live acts most weeks, weekend breakfast from 09:00, and nobody hurries you out.
Petra Grill carves certified halal shawarma and grills kabobs on West Elizabeth Street in Fort Collins, a family room that feeds the CSU crowd.
Try: Halal shawarma and kabobs
Tip: Everything on the menu is certified halal and there is no alcohol; the falafel-hummus sandwich is the vegetarian sleeper.
Waltzing Kangaroo sells five-inch Australian meat pies in Campus West, a handheld meal in handmade pastry that undercuts most sit-down lunches nearby.
Try: Australian meat pies
Tip: Every pie is also sold frozen to take home; the lamb and rosemary is the sleeper order.
Postcard Pan Pizza turns out Detroit-inspired pans at cheap-eats prices from 133 Remington Street, sharing an address with Equinox Brewing in Old Town.
Try: Detroit-style pan pizza
Tip: Hours are short, Thursday to Sunday evenings only, and the crispy-edged pans routinely sell through, so go early.