Fort Collins Food & Fun

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Rio Grande
143 W. Mountain Ave
970-224-3049
www.riograndemexican.com
The start of it all! THe Rio serves seriously good Mexican food and legendary margaritas in a fun, festive atmosphere. Open every day for lunch and dinner.

Egg and I
2809 S. College Ave
970-223-5271
1112 Oakridge Dr.
970-223-8022
www.theeggandirestaurants.com
Voted Best Breakfast. Free wifi

FISH
150 West Oak Street
Fort Collins 80522
(970) 224-1188
www.fishmkt.com
A Colorado Casual fish market and restaurant offering jet-fresh seafood from across the globe. Hours (generally):
Mon-Sat 11am-9pm, Sun 5pm-8pm.

Kilwin's Chocolates
and Ice Cream
114 South College Ave.
970-221-9444
www.kilwins.com
Treat yourself to the finest gourmet chocolates, original recipe ice cream, homemade fudge, and other delicious treats.

Anheuser-Busch Brewing Co
2351 Busch Drive
(970) 490-4691
www.budweisertours.com
Tours: June-Aug: daily 9:30am-5pm; Sept: daily 10am-4pm; Oct-May: Thu-Mon 10am- 4pm. Discover a time-honored brewing tradition and taste our quality lagers and ales. Visit the famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales and pick up some great souvenirs!

FOOD & FUN

Eat, drink and be merry: In Fort Collins, your options are open. In the mood for sushi? Steak? A cinnamon roll the size of a softball? All that, and more, awaits in local restaurants. And when the occasion calls for a friendly libation and live music, Fort Collins' watering holes are more than up for the challenge.

downtown DOWNTOWN

Downtown offers a wide range of options, from pizza to a quick healthy lunch, fine dining to Internet cafes. From the intersection of College and Mountain Avenues, the heart of Fort Collins, you can walk three blocks in any direction and find something to satisfy your appetite and your wallet.

Some of the landmarks of Fort Collins dining are close by: Nico's Catacombs has been "the" white tablecloth place for generations of CSU students and their parents, while Beau Jo's has served its unique Colorado-style pizza for nearly as long. Check out the patio at Austin's, too.

The Rio was recently named an Icon of Northern Colorado for its fresh Tex-Mex menu and killer margaritas. Find fresh tastes at Jay's Bistro, Fish and Enzio's Italian Kitchen.

For downhome flavors, drive east on Mulberry Street to The Sundance Steakhouse and the Charco Broiler, where you can make a night of it dancing to live country music, too. The rest of the world's fine cuisines are also represented in restaurants throughout the city, so grab a fork (or chopsticks) and begin exploring Fort Collins' food and fun.

FOAM ON THE RANGE

Fort Collins is the second largest producer of beer in Colorado and the state is ranked first in the country in volume of brewpubs and craft breweries. (Kind of ironic for a town that was "dry" until 1969.) Each brewery has its own distinctive style, from one of the world's largest operations to a leader in eco-friendly and sustainable business practices.

The annual Colorado Brewers Festival showcases the state of the state's suds on the last weekend in June (see Calendar of Events on Page 34). The oldest annual brewfest in Colorado, the Old Town event is open solely to Colorado breweries, including our local hosts. To get a taste of award- winning lagers, pilsners and ales yearround, take our Foam on the Range tour; see The Details on page 38 for complete listings of locations and tour schedules.

MAP OF FORT COLLINS BREWERIES (click on map to enlarge)

From downtown, head north on I-25 about 5 miles to the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Co. Embark on a comprehensive tour of the Budweiser brewing and bottling process, visit the world-famous Clydesdale horses - the first Saturday of the month is Camera Day - and pick up some souvenirs in the extensive gift shop.

From there, head back south on I-25 to the Mulberry Street/ Highway 14 exit. Turn right on Timberline Road, then left on Lincoln Street. In about a halfmile, you'll see Fort Collins Brewery on your right. Here you'll sample a variety of beers, from the smoky Z Lager to the unusual (and bestselling) Major Tom's Pomegranate Wheat.

Next stop: the first microbrewery in Fort Collins. Head right on Lincoln Street about 1 mile to Odell Brewing Co., on your right. Homebrewer Doug Odell opened his craft brewery in November 1989. In addition to the original 90 Shilling, a rich amber ale, Odell's popular brews include Easy Street Wheat, a Gold Medal Winner at the 2005 Great American Beer Festival; 5 Barrel Pale Ale; Levity Golden Amber and Isolation Ale, available from November to March.

The last three stops are all in and around Old Town.

From Odell's, head right on Lincoln Street to Jefferson Streetand turn right, then take another right onto Linden Street. New Belgium Brewing Co. is north 2 blocks on the right. In 1991, Jeff Lebesch and Kim Jordan homebrewed a version of ales Jeff had sampled while mountain biking in Belgium. The brewery now has a capacity of 150,000 barrels a year and Fat Tire Ale continues to sweep the nation. On top of six regular brews and five limited release beers, New Belgium is also known for its environmental
stewardship.

breweries Finish up your tour at Cooper-Smith's Pub and Brewing for a bite to eat with your brews. Take a left out of New Belgium's parking lot onto Linden Street.

CooperSmith's specialty beers such as Albert Damm Bitter and Punjabi India Ale are served in the English tradition, dispensed from "Beer Engines" that draw in nitrogen from the atmosphere to give the beer a nice creamy head.

A little off the beaten brewery path is C.B. & Potts, an awardwinning brewpub with great burgers and even better brews. On the west side of the CSU campus, Potts is a favorite on game-day.

NO SMOKING, PLEASE
Since October 1, 2003, smoking has been prohibited in all Fort Collins restaurants and bars and 75% of all hotel/ motel guest rooms. The no-smoking zone extends to a 20-foot perimeter outside the entrance of smoke-free areas, which include all places of employment in the city. Exceptions are made for designated smoking areas and private clubs and functions not open to the public.

For more information click here

Here's how to get hooked up with a great meal and a good time in Fort Collins: names, addresses digits and web sites, as well as useful information on what each establishment offers. All listed businesses businesses are members of the Fort Collins Convention & Vistiors Bureau.