Happy Blogaversary! Two years ago, I created this blog!
Thank you following me on this journey!
Recently The Coloradoan newspaper posted an article of the 15 best patios in Fort Collins. A few rankings I agreed with right away but others I decided I had to check out! About two weeks left of summer vacation and 2 weeks before my 2nd Blogaversary, I decided to hit as many, if not all of those patios. These are my opinions of what The Colorado a stated as the 15 best patios in Fort Collins. These are their rankings and my opinions of those rankings.
http://www.coloradoan.com/story/entertainment/2015/07/16/best-fort-collins-patios/30242851/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=kw&kwp_0=30375&kwp_4=170724&kwp_1=168056
15. The Moot House, 2626 S. College Ave.
(I did not make it to The Moot House during the 2 week period I gave myself before my blogaversary, but I finally made it to their patio last week,)
The patio sits on the east side of the restaurant. You can easily forget that you are right on College Avenue. The patio is covered over the main part closest to the bar and then a more causal section with comfy chairs and sofas with umbrellas on the other section.
The patio also has a t.v. outside in case you need to check the game while getting some fresh air. Nice option for football season during these warm days.
Great Happy Hour specials on food and drink. a little bit of everything from salads to wings and a few surprise options like homemade felafel an humus. Could definitely make a dinner out of the options without feeling guilty.
Gas firepit adds a nice touch.
14. Restaurant 415, 415 S. Mason St.
(Have been previousLy to both patios but did not make it during this blog research)
13. Blue Agave, 201 S. College Ave.
Fun patio right on college and the Oak Plaza. Jeff and I sat on the larger patio on the Oak Plaza side. We were surrounded by greenery with music playing through near by speakers. Very pleasant and great service.
12. C.B. & Potts Collindale, 1441 E. Horsetooth Rd.
Located off of a golf course offers a great backdrop for this patio.
The patio is a bi level, offering multiple views and experiences.
11. The Backporch Cafe, 1101 E. Lincoln Ave.
This patio is like hanging out in your back yard, with a lot of construction... Lots of trees and shade offer a quiet little place for a lovely brunch. The menu is packed with specialty smoked meat entrees, perfect for the outdoor setting.
View when walking in from parking lot-
There is also an upper deck that offers a bit more privacy. It is a less shaded spot, so it is a bit warmer spot.
My date-
10. Equinox Brewing, 133 Remington St.
Great little brewery in Old Town. Wide open inside and have one of the first Beer gardens in Fort Collins, that I know of...
It is well shaded and pleasant, even on days when it is 97 degrees. They have live music, pretty often inside but outside as well.
Met a friend for a little outing to check it out on this patio adventure.
Well spaced out with a view of the brew tanks.
Just a cool gate towards the alley.
Gotta love Fort Collins, a singing rickshaw went by. Sorry it's not a great picture, but it was an afterthought to grab my phone for a picture.
L
9. The Mainline, 125 S. College Ave.
Right in the center of Old Town, the Mainline offers a quaint, rooftop patio. This patio surprised us with an over lovely experience. The retro walls and original brickwork give it an urban feel.
8. Austin’s American Grill, 2815 E. Harmony Rd.
Austin's on Harmony is not a usual place for me to frequent because it is on the South side of town, and I never think to dine in that area when I am running errands. Well, this patio was worth the stop.
My friend Angie joined me for lunch. The patio is almost fully canopied, it has fans and misters. What really stood out to me about this patio, besides the cooling features listed above, but the tables were well laid out where the tables were not crowded andan ambiance that seemed well thought out. I forgot that we were right on a major road.
The canopies and ceiling fans
The planters that helped to create that uncrowded feeling and added to the ambiance
My lovely friend Angie
My awesome salad that was ginormous!
7. Cafe Vino, 1200 S. College Ave.
The patio is multi leveled, with large umbrellas, lots of plants, which offers privacy between tables, plus other features. It is located across from CSU on a College Avenue, just south of Old Town.
A favorite place for a group of my friends. We enjoy Cafe a Vino for all the great things they are known for like tapas, dinners, wines, desserts, and so on. This was our first time on the patio. There is usually 6 of us, so I reserved a large table. Only three plus a baby were able to make it, but we're got to keep our larger table. Sorry, giving you a little back story to work up to the perk of a larger table. When you sit at a larger table, it has a water/fire feature which was the only place at all the patios I checked out to have such a feature.
My friends Kim and Jordane (and baby BRiggs) joined me at Cafe Vino's patio
Lots of Umbrellas
Giving Baby Briggs some attention.
The water/fire feature and oh yeah, they serve awesome food. It may not look pretty here, but I highly recommend the Pork Belly!
6. Rainbow Restaurant, 212 W. Laurel St.
My husband and I ventured out for a Sunday breakfast and decided to try Rainbow Restaurant for the first time. Honestly, we were shocked we had not been sooner. The food was great! The menu was vastly packed with interesting options. Of course, we waited for a patio table, which was worth the wait. We were seated by one of at least 3 raised bed gardens. I love the idea of farm to table but it is just a bit cooler when you can see the food being grown around you. What made it a GREAT patio was that it was shaded, with umbrellas at almost every table and trees that created a natural canopy.
*Extra perk that we wish we knew about was it was dog-friendly, we even watched servers bring out dog bowls.
My date.
The Patio.
One of the raised garden beds.
My breakfast, The Ultimate Latkes-awesome!
Jeff's breakfast:Special Omlet of the Day-Guacamole Omlet with a Cilantro Cream Sauce
The Top 5 (according to The Coloradoan)
5. Illegal Pete’s, 320 Walnut St.
Great roof top patio! It has been updated this summer with an awning, misters, and new furniture. There is lots of seating and ample views of north Fort Collins.
4. CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing, 5 Old Town Square
In the center of Old Town, Coopersmiths has two restaurants/pubs with 2 patios each. We opted for the pizza/pub side. The patio was well shaded and unexpectedly pleasant. Only down side was the construction in the Old Town Square.
Bonus! We went on a Monday night and it was $10 Pizza night!
3. Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, 143 W. Mountain Ave.
The Rio patio may have been my most disappointing patio. I hate to argue with the ranking that many people voted on but... Our table was sqeezed up against the stairs to the second level and our table rocked like crazy, causing out drinks to splash.
Astestically, it is a lovely patio with the trees and the large water fountain.
Traditional and fun foods. Menu seems recently updated.
My dates for the evening!
2. Avogadro’s Number, 605 S. Mason St.
The newspaper listed the runner-up for Fort Collins’ best patio as Avogadro's Number. There are lots of tables, an outdoor concert stage, ample shade from canopies as well as trees, a water feature, and a private gazebo.
I use to go to Avogadro's back in college but somehow it has been forgotten by me over the past several years. I truly don't know why because the food is great, location is close, the beer is tasty, and the patio is pretty awesome!
My date-
A panaromic view of the patio.
The other side of the patio.
1. Odell Brewing Co., 800 E. Lincoln Ave.
As far as the order of the other patios I believe that some could change a step or two but O'Dells is by far the best patio in Fort Collins. Truly feel that there is not a bad seat unless you can't find a seat, then it is time to make new friends!
The patio has multiple levels, a large fire pit, a live music stage, games, and my favorite part...food trucks!
This patio was so high on my list, that I actually went three times during my patio adventure.
First outing, this is the day I read the article in The Colorodan, I decided to do this Best Patio Blog while hanging out with my lovely husband!
Welcome board, made me laugh.
The view from the street side of the patio.
My friend, Sara out on my patio adventure on my second trip to O'Dell's
The view from building...
The fire pit...
My date the third time...
It is so popular that we ran into several friends while we were there.
My favorite food truck! There is a different one everyday!
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