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.
Editorially verified August 18, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: The Rio margarita, Chile rellenos
Must 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.
Address: 143 West Mountain Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80524
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.
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.
Signature: Giant cinnamon roll, Pancakes
Order: The giant cinnamon roll, grilled, with a side of crispy bacon
Tip: Order the giant cinnamon roll grilled with butter; the Roll of the Month (August is Peaches and Cream) rewards repeat visits.
Lucile's Creole Cafe serves beignets, Eggs New Orleans and homemade gumbo out of a creaky house on Meldrum Street in Fort Collins, mornings only.
Signature: Beignets, Eggs New Orleans
Order: Beignets first, then Eggs New Orleans with grits
Tip: Start with an order of hot beignets for the table; the Pain Perdu is the sweet main worth the queue.
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.
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.
Signature: Giant cinnamon roll, Pancakes
Order: The giant cinnamon roll, grilled, with a side of crispy bacon
Tip: Order the giant cinnamon roll grilled with butter; the Roll of the Month (August is Peaches and Cream) rewards repeat visits.
Lucile's Creole Cafe serves beignets, Eggs New Orleans and homemade gumbo out of a creaky house on Meldrum Street in Fort Collins, mornings only.
Signature: Beignets, Eggs New Orleans
Order: Beignets first, then Eggs New Orleans with grits
Tip: Start with an order of hot beignets for the table; the Pain Perdu is the sweet main worth the queue.
