Cafe Vino is a tapas restaurant in Midtown, Fort Collins.
Editorially verified August 18, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Bacon-wrapped dates, Wagyu burger
Must order: Bacon-wrapped dates with a glass picked from the cellar
Tip: A Best of NoCo Style 2025 winner; wine dinners like the Kermit Lynch importer night sell through, so book those early.
Address: 1200 South College Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80524
Young's Cafe has long been Fort Collins' Vietnamese standard-bearer on South College Avenue, from crab cheese wontons to the house fried rice.
Signature: House fried rice, Crab cheese wontons
Order: House fried rice and the crab cheese wontons
Tip: Portions run generous and lunch is the value window; the dining room fills with regulars who have come for years.
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.
Signature: Nashville hot chicken, Chicken and waffles
Order: Half chicken at Nashville Hot with white bread and pickles
Tip: Vegans get crispy fried tempeh in any heat level; weekend brunch adds chicken and waffles plus a Monte Cristo.
The Colorado Room stacks gourmet sliders, poutine and Rocky Mountain oysters with local taps and local art on South College Avenue in Fort Collins.
Signature: Rocky Mountain oysters, Gourmet sliders
Order: Rocky Mountain oysters, then a slider flight
Tip: This is the room to try Rocky Mountain oysters with a Colorado beer in hand; the art on the walls is for sale.
Blue Agave Grill cooks Southwestern Mexican on College Avenue in Fort Collins: shrimp and lobster enchiladas, coconut shrimp tacos and margarita flights.
Signature: Shrimp and lobster enchiladas, Coconut shrimp tacos
Order: Shrimp and lobster enchiladas with a margarita flight
Tip: Complimentary chips and salsa land at the table; the margarita list is the draw, so come at happy hour.
Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant is the original of the Colorado cantina group, pouring its famous margaritas on Mountain Avenue in Fort Collins since the 1980s.
Signature: The Rio margarita, Chile rellenos
Order: A Rio margarita with chile rellenos
Tip: The Rio margarita carries a house limit for good reason; chile rellenos and the crispy sopapilla are the food orders.
Young's Cafe has long been Fort Collins' Vietnamese standard-bearer on South College Avenue, from crab cheese wontons to the house fried rice.
Signature: House fried rice, Crab cheese wontons
Order: House fried rice and the crab cheese wontons
Tip: Portions run generous and lunch is the value window; the dining room fills with regulars who have come for years.
Tasty Harmony has run Fort Collins' plant-based kitchen on Oak Street since 2009, an organic scratch menu locals order without missing the meat.
Signature: Plant-based comfort food, Scratch desserts
Order: Whichever mock-meat comfort special is on the board
Tip: Closed Mondays. The dessert case is the sleeper hit; expect a wait at weekend lunch.
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.
Signature: Nashville hot chicken, Chicken and waffles
Order: Half chicken at Nashville Hot with white bread and pickles
Tip: Vegans get crispy fried tempeh in any heat level; weekend brunch adds chicken and waffles plus a Monte Cristo.
The Colorado Room stacks gourmet sliders, poutine and Rocky Mountain oysters with local taps and local art on South College Avenue in Fort Collins.
Signature: Rocky Mountain oysters, Gourmet sliders
Order: Rocky Mountain oysters, then a slider flight
Tip: This is the room to try Rocky Mountain oysters with a Colorado beer in hand; the art on the walls is for sale.
