
Special Dining Experiences in Boulder
In Boulder, simply “grabbing a bite” can turn into an unforgettable memory. The city is known for its special dining experiences that combine palate-dazzling dishes in stylish and unique settings. Discover farm-to-fork feasts under the stars, amazing decor, views to write home about and culinary moments designed to delight.
Feast at the Chef’s Table
Where: Frasca Food and Wine
Pull up a seat at a very special table—inside the kitchen of Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder’s MICHELIN-starred restaurant. Available for only one party of two to four per evening, this immersive experience lets you see the magic of Frasca’s acclaimed Friulano cuisine come to life. Chefs walk you through ten courses, explaining each dish’s preparation and the history, culture and ingredients.

Frasca Food and Wine
Roast S’mores Right at Your Table
Where: River and Woods
River and Woods is arguably one of Boulder’s coziest spots, in a century-old miner’s cabin, with a menu designed around comfort food. Here, you can order tableside s’mores to roast (or char, for the less skilled among us) and assemble right at your table.
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Dine Under the Stars in a Glass Alpenglobe
Where: Corrida
Be whisked away on a whimsical culinary journey inside Corrida’s elegant Alpenglobes—like dining in a snow globe, but without the frostbite! These cozy, transparent, glass-and-wood domes let you soak in the mountain magic and savor the incredible Spanish-inspired cuisine.
Add Your Graffiti to the Ceiling
Where: The Sink Restaurant and Bar
Pop into The Sink, a beloved pizza and burger joint that’s been open for 100 years in The Hill neighborhood. The interior of the restaurant is covered with caricature illustrations and customers' graffiti, and you can add your own to the ceiling. The Sink has a storied history as a live music venue, among other things, and the actor Robert Redford worked as a janitor here while attending CU Boulder.

The Sink
Enjoy Your Drinks Ounce-by-Ounce
Where: Barchetta
At Barchetta, their pay-by-the-ounce tap wall lets you sample beers, wines and cocktails in whatever quantities you like with the help of an activated card that is connected to your credit or debit card. It’s a perfect pairing to their mouthwatering wood-fired pizza pies.
Feast Amid the Farm Fields
Where: Black Cat Farm
One of Boulder’s MICHELIN-recognized chefs also runs a family farm in Boulder County. You can dine at their restaurant Bramble and Hare or right on the farm in private garden cabanas with wood stoves, gorgeous views and a four-course chef’s tasting menu. The 500-acre full-scale diversified organic farm supplies the majority of ingredients for your meal, and the views are stunning.
Travel to Spain on Paella Nights
Where: Café Aion
Tucked away in a quiet corner of Boulder’s Hill neighborhood, Café Aion has been serving splendid, Spanish-inspired fare for over 15 years. Their Wednesday paella nights are not to be missed. Bring a date to share a piping-hot, deliciously fragrant pan of the Spanish specialty, paired with super wine selections for a prix fixe.

Café Aion
Dine and Dance
Where: Stella’s Cucina
The interior of Stella's glints and gleams with all the markings of a fine dining experience — one that it truly delivers with its refined Italian cuisine and exceptional service. It's an approach that earned it a recommendation in the MICHELIN Guide. After dinner, the space becomes a chic dance floor with a live DJ and great cocktails.
Tacos, Tequila and Thrifting
Where: Garage Sale Vintage
In a unique concept right on Pearl Street’s East End, Garage Sale Vintage fuses vintage fashion, yummy tacos and handcrafted margaritas and cocktails. Browse racks of irreverent t-shirts, cool jackets, jeans and hip garments and celebrate your finds with a smooth-sipping tequila.
Experience Haute Cuisine on a Mountainside
Where: Flagstaff House
A longtime favorite spot for special occasions, Flagstaff House is perched on the side of Flagstaff Mountain, with huge picture windows overlooking views of Boulder Valley below. It’s not uncommon for deer to traipse by while you dine. You’ll know you’re into something extraordinary when their Wine Spectator-recognized wine list arrives on an iPad and your amuse bouche is delivered on a bronze bunny butler.

Flagstaff House
Sip Tea Inside a Work of Art
Where: Dushanbe Teahouse
A must-see for any visit to Boulder, the teahouse is a spectacular Persian work of art, gifted to Boulder by our sister city Dushanbe, Tajikistan. But it's a must-taste as well, as noted by the MICHELIN Guide recommendation, which notes, “the menu reads like a world explorer's diary.” Or arrange afternoon tea with towers of sweets and a menu of teas sourced from around the globe.

Dushanbe Teahouse
Get a New Take on Fresh Pastries
Where: Dry Storage
This is truly one of the most raved-about places in Boulder among those obsessed with food. Dry Storage is an artisan grain mill and bakery that buys grains directly from farmers and then mills them on-site. Stop by their petit coffee shop/bakery and try the croissants, toast plate, masa tea cake or other delectables to taste the difference fresh-milled grains make.
Dine at These Décor Stars
Several spots around Boulder get honorable mentions for their unique interior stylings. The colorful and stylish Postino Wine Cafe has a wall of roller skates, an ode to the episode of “Mork and Mindy” in which Mork skates down Pearl Street. The Buff is a sunny, lively spot for breakfast or lunch, with a wall of clocks set to 4:20 (we’ll leave that open to your interpretation). Jungle drips with personality fitting of a world-class tiki bar. bartaco takes you away to an island, with huge woven lampshades hanging from the ceilings and sisal rope-wrapped columns. Step through the black lacquered entry of Steakhouse No. 316 and into a classic New York-style steakhouse, complete with velvet-upholstered booths and a roaring fireplace.

Postino
Afternoon Tea Experiences
Boulder is downright obsessed with tea, which means there are several ways to enjoy a high tea experience, with a little advanced planning.
- Chautauqua Dining Hall: Starting in late November through January, daily from 2-4pm; call 303-440-3776 for reservations.
- Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse: Daily from 3-5pm; call 303-442-4993 for reservations (required 24 hours in advance).
- Hotel Boulderado: Special dates in December; call 303-440-2880 or book online.
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