For Locution customers planning on attending this year’s user conference in Boulder, Colorado, we’ve prepared this dining guide.  Please note that Boulder has many fine restaurants offering a wide variety of menus.  If you want help to quickly select something that is convenient to the conference, we’ve compiled our top 5 “Favs” of worthy restaurants or bars to consider.

The main “restaurant row” in Boulder is on Pearl Street – which is a charming, multi-block restaurant & retail area full of one-of-a-kind restaurants, bars & independent shops. Note: Hotel Boulderado is located just one block from Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall.

In addition to Pearl Street’s dining opportunities, there are many excellent dining venues on Spruce Street (one block north of Boulder’s Pearl Street) and on Walnut Street (one block south of Boulder’s Pearl Street).  Click here for restaurants on Pearl Street and on streets on either side of it:

Enjoy!!!

COMFORT FOOD

The Post

~ 2 minute walk (just 1 block south) from the Boulderado Hotel

2027 13th St., Boulder, CO 80302

(720) 372-3341

Featured on The Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” show, The Post is a casual, Colorado-comfort-food restaurant known for its delicious fried chicken and award-winning beers. The menu also includes seafood, meat & vegetarian dishes – and some killer sides including Pueblo green chile mac & cheese; cabbage & broccoli slaw; waffles; and more. Their fried chicken recipe features a crunchy, gluten-free crust. Order a half chicken, or fried chicken in 8, 10, or 16 pieces, plus a choice of sides. The Post offers interesting one-of-a-kind beers and a huge list of “mocktails” (non-alcoholic drinks). Try the Cowboy Pilsner, The “Townie” Ale – an easy-drinking IPA, or the El Corn – a hearty amber ale. Their “zero-proof” drinks include the Colorado Cooler (strawberry puree, honey, mint & lime juice); the Island Breeze (coconut, passion fruit, lime juice & pineapple juice), and even a fresh, tart cider. Come hungry. Come casual.

BREWERY RESTAURANT / TAVERN

West End Tavern

< 10 minute walk (about 4 ½ blocks) from the Boulderado Hotel

926 Pearl St, Boulder, CO 80302

(303) 444-3535

Set in a historic building that was the police station in the early 1900s, West End Tavern combines hearty, casual food with a choice of 20 local brews on draft, and an eclectic whisky list. It’s appropriately named because it’s on the west end of Boulder’s Pearl Street. West End Tavern offers bar food with an upscale twist. Choose from sandwiches (blackened Mahi or smoked prime rib); soups (smoked tomato soup with feta); or classic entrees (fish & chips, pan-seared trout & steaks). West End Tavern also is known for its smoked foods. Try melt-in-your-mouth smoked brisket, pulled pork, ribs, or smoked chicken with a bevy of sides. For aficionados of buffalo wings, the tavern offers the Winginator challenge: eat 50 wings in 30 minutes for $115. If you manage to do this, the wings are free. So far, there have been 3 men who’ve pulled off the challenge.

FRENCH

Brasserie Ten Ten

< 10 minute walk (about 5 blocks) from the Boulderado Hotel

1011 Walnut St Boulder, CO 80302

(303) 998-1010

If you’re in the mood for French bistro food, Brasserie Ten Ten offers a French-inspired menu that’s served in a warm, vibrant dining room, or out on the open-air terrace.  Choose from classic French bistro dishes such as steak frites (steak with fries);
chicken baked under a brick; Bouillabaisse (Provencal seafood stew); French dip sandwich with caramelized onion, horseradish aioli & Gruyere cheese; charcuterie plates; and fresh oysters which are served daily and during happy hour.

ITALIAN

Pasta Jay’s

< 10 minute walk (about 4 blocks) from the Boulderado Hotel

1001 Pearl Street Boulder, CO 80302

(303) 444-5800

Pasta Jay’s is the quintessential, casual, red-checked-tablecloth Italian restaurant. It’s wildly popular with locals & there are plenty of reasons why. The food is delicious and plentiful. The service is friendly and efficient. Located on the west end of Boulder’s Pearl Street, Pasta Jay’s is well worth the walk from Hotel Boulderado. Choose from hearty salads; Italian-themed soups and sandwiches; interesting, reasonably priced pizzas; baked entrees such as chicken marsala & parmesan-crusted salmon; baked pasta dishes; and more.

Insider’s Tip: The menu is extensive & delicious. But if you want a hearty, delicious meal at a great price, see the bottom of the menu where you can opt for the pasta & sauce of your choice, plus a large basket of fresh, hot, buttery, crunchy garlic bread. A big plate of spaghetti with meat sauce plus a basket of garlic bread costs a “whopping” $13. They make the best garlic bread we’ve ever tasted. Their red sauce is so good that it’s now sold in jars at the restaurant and in grocery stores.

LOCALS BAR / DIVE BAR

Sundown Saloon

< 5 minute walk (about 2 blocks) from the Boulderado Hotel

1136 Pearl St Boulder, CO 80302

(303) 449-4987

For those who’ve attended Locution User Group conferences in Golden, Colorado and loved the Ace-Hi Tavern for its down-to-earth, dive bar ambiance, we recommend the Sundown Saloon. Commonly called “The Downer” by locals, The Sundown Saloon is one of the last, true dive bars on Boulder’s Pearl Street. It’s slightly shabby, known for its cheap drinks, and bar games like pool, shuffleboard, and foosball. Because Boulder is a college town, this dive bar is a popular spot for college students and younger adults. The staff is friendly, and it’s loud, crowded, and almost always busy. Ask a local about the Sundown, and they’ll say: “Best beer prices in the city.” If you like Nachos, the Sundown serves 1970s-style Nachos with a mountain of chips layered with whole beans & melted cheese mounded on the plate & topped with salsa.