Vatos Tacos + Tequila is a mexican restaurant in Old Town, Fort Collins.
Editorially verified August 18, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Street tacos, Frozen margaritas
Must order: Three street tacos with guacamole and unlimited chips
Tip: It opens at 07:00 for breakfast service, unusual for a taqueria; gluten-free items are flagged on the menu board.
Address: 234 North College Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80524
La Piadina griddles Emilia-Romagna flatbread sandwiches from a container kitchen at The Exchange in Fort Collins, with Italian wine and local beer.
Signature: Piadina flatbreads
Order: A prosciutto and squacquerone piadina, hot off the griddle
Tip: A piadina crisped to order plus a glass of Italian wine on the plaza is one of the city's best cheap dates.
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.
Signature: Boozy milkshakes, Smash burgers
Order: A burger with a boozy shake or a housemade soda
Tip: Housemade sodas and boozy milkshakes are the point; vegan and gluten-free menus are marked. Happy hour weekdays 15:00-18:00.
Austin's American Grill roasts and grills over an open flame on Mountain Avenue in Fort Collins, bison plates and cast-iron cornbread with honey butter.
Signature: Rotisserie chicken, Cast-iron cornbread
Order: Open-flame rotisserie chicken with the skillet cornbread
Tip: The cast-iron skillet cornbread with honey butter is the non-negotiable side; a second branch sits out on Harmony Road.
La Piadina griddles Emilia-Romagna flatbread sandwiches from a container kitchen at The Exchange in Fort Collins, with Italian wine and local beer.
Signature: Piadina flatbreads
Order: A prosciutto and squacquerone piadina, hot off the griddle
Tip: A piadina crisped to order plus a glass of Italian wine on the plaza is one of the city's best cheap dates.
Petra Grill carves certified halal shawarma and grills kabobs on West Elizabeth Street in Fort Collins, a family room that feeds the CSU crowd.
Signature: Chicken shawarma, Mixed kabob platter
Order: Chicken shawarma wrap with a side of hummus
Tip: Everything on the menu is certified halal and there is no alcohol; the falafel-hummus sandwich is the vegetarian sleeper.
Rainbow Restaurant has cooked breakfast and lunch across from CSU in Fort Collins since 1976, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free boards.
Signature: Veggie benedicts, Buttermilk pancakes
Order: A veggie benedict with a short stack on the side
Tip: Daily to 14:00 only; the vegetarian and gluten-free menus are full menus rather than afterthoughts, rare for a diner.
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.
Signature: Boozy milkshakes, Smash burgers
Order: A burger with a boozy shake or a housemade soda
Tip: Housemade sodas and boozy milkshakes are the point; vegan and gluten-free menus are marked. Happy hour weekdays 15:00-18:00.
Austin's American Grill roasts and grills over an open flame on Mountain Avenue in Fort Collins, bison plates and cast-iron cornbread with honey butter.
Signature: Rotisserie chicken, Cast-iron cornbread
Order: Open-flame rotisserie chicken with the skillet cornbread
Tip: The cast-iron skillet cornbread with honey butter is the non-negotiable side; a second branch sits out on Harmony Road.
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.
Signature: Prime rib, Pub burgers
Order: Friday or Saturday prime rib, medium rare
Tip: Prime rib carves Friday and Saturday nights until it runs out; the scratch kitchen means slow-food patience at peak times.
