Where to eat in Fort Collins after midnight, and the classic 2am move.
Where to eat in Fort Collins after midnight. kitchens that keep going, post-bar staples and the classic 2am move.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Try: A late pitcher with the CSU crowd
Tip: It closes only for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the Sunday after the Super Bowl; expect a CSU crowd on weekends.
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.
Try: Monday burger special and green chili
Tip: The Monday 4.99-dollar burger is the cheapest square-side dinner going; happy hour runs 15:00-19:00 on weekdays.
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.
Try: A late flight from the whisky wall
Tip: Happy hour runs all day Sunday and Monday; ask the staff to steer a flight, the list is genuinely unnavigable alone.
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.
Try: Dessert martinis after close of kitchens
Tip: The Cucumber's Last Stand and Tequila Mockingbird are the house calls; the back patio is the seat to hold in summer.
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.
The Emporium Kitchen and Wine Market serves brasserie plates and bison short ribs inside Fort Collins' Elizabeth Hotel, with a retail wine wall to browse.
Tip: Late-night menu runs to 23:00 nightly and the Bowerbird coffee counter opens at 06:00, so it covers both ends of the day.
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.
Try: The Smasher double burger
Tip: Wednesday's Smasher burger deal is dine-in only; the fire-pit patio stays welcoming well into the cooler months.
DC Oakes Brewhouse and Eatery brews its own IPA and Mexican lager on the Harmony corridor in Fort Collins, with burgers, brunch and a late kitchen.
Try: Kitchen till an hour before close
Tip: Weekend brunch runs 09:00 to 12:00; the kitchen closes an hour before the bar, which stays open to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Alleycat Coffee House keeps its second-floor room by CSU in Fort Collins open until midnight daily, running on its Famous House Chai and focaccia.
Tip: The house chai outsells the coffee; Tuesdays it is a dollar off. The stairs are easy to miss, look for the door on Laurel.