🚗 Best roadside eats near Boulder (all day-trip worthy)

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It’s time to leave Boulder and get a fresh taste of Colorado. In this week’s Nibbles, I share a list of my favorite day trip roadside food attractions that dot the nearby canyon routes.

Plus: How you can share your garden’s bounty and three new eatery openings. We also share a recipe for Bing cherry salsa using Colorado’s early bumper crop of the sweet fruit.

Where are Boulder County’s farm stands? We are compiling a guide to the roadside farm stands along Boulder County’s backroads offering local vegetables, flowers, eggs, honey and baked goods. Send information about roadside farm stand locations, hours and offerings to [email protected].

We tend to take for granted the incredible landscape that looms just to the west.

For some, the foothills to the west of Boulder truly are an undiscovered country. Sure, they drive the major routes like I-70 and US 36 or head up Boulder Canyon on the way to some mountain destination.

But if you take the slower, less-traveled winding canyon roads to the nearby towns, you rediscover why you fell in love with the mountains in the first place.

Recent trips to the nearby hills have reminded me just how quickly you can exit Boulder’s urbanity.

I headed west on Mapleton Avenue, which abruptly became Sunshine Canyon, winding through fields still green and full of wildflowers in June.

A cruise to Allenspark from Lyons took me up South St. Vrain Canyon, which boasts some stunning vistas with whitewater running in the creek. I encountered elk, a flock of wild turkeys and several idiot out-of-state drivers.

Happily, only-in-Colorado mountain food destinations await visitors up nearly every canyon. The following roadside attractions are places I’ve visited and recommend to travelers seeking something less touristy.

These small mountain destinations are not chain operations with large staffs. Do be kind and patient and don’t whine about the prices. As you travel, watch for bicyclists on the roads, especially on weekends.

By the way, you need the right tunes for these chill excursions. My current driving soundtrack includes “Mountain Jam” by the Allman Brothers Band (from Eat a Peach), “Big Country” by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (Transatlantic Sessions), “Across the Great Divide” by The Band (Rock of Ages) and “Last Train Home” by Pat Metheny.

Gold Hill General Store & Pub

531 Main Street, Gold Hill
Mileage from Boulder: 11 miles
Altitude: 8,400 feet

Order this: The Cookie — a near-perfect warm dark chocolate chip cookie coated in flaky Maldon salt with a crispy bottom and melty middle. According to staff, the store sells more than 200 of these treats every Saturday.

Also on the menu: coffee drinks, pie, sandwiches, chicken pot pie, pizza, PBRs and cocktails.

Nearby: The historic Gold Hill Inn restaurant, bar and music venue.

Wondervu Cafe

33492 CO-72, Wondervu
Mileage from Boulder: 23 miles
Altitude: 8,632 feet

Order this: Pizzabirria, a crisp crust topped withgarlic sauce, braised beef birria, mozzarella and ancho chili served with au jus. The menu also includes baked goods, sandwiches, chimichangas and sopaipillas.

Nearby: Rollinsville, between Nederland and Central City on CO-119, offers distinctive ales at Howlin Wind Brewing & Blending.

Jamestown Merc

108 Main Street, Jamestown
Mileage from Boulder: 14 miles
Altitude: 6,926 feet

Order this: Sunday brunch features smoked trout with two eggs, greens, tomato salad, potatoes, dill cream and ciabatta toast with butter and jam.

For more about The Merc:

📖 Nibbles: Can Jamestown save its beloved Mercantile Cafe?

New Moon Bakery and Cafe

1 W. 1st St., Nederland
Mileage from Boulder: 17 miles
Altitude: 8,240 feet

Order this: Breakfast burrito in an egg-battered tortilla stuffed with eggs, bacon, spinach, cheddar and hash browns and topped with salsa, guacamole and sour cream. Dessert? Monkey bread or a heavenly bar.

Nearby: Grab an espresso milkshake, bagel sandwich or square of house-baked focaccia at Decent Bagel.

Lyons Dairy Bar

138 E Main St., Lyons
Mileage from Boulder: 17 miles
Altitude: 5,371 feet

Order this: A thick shake or over-the-top sundae made with scooped Glacier Ice Cream or soft serve. Be sure to check out the impressive nostalgic candy selection, including European chocolate bars such as Aero and Flake.

Nearby: Baked goods and sandwiches at the St. Vrain Market.

Ferncliff Food & Fuel

1083 Hwy 7 Business, Allenspark
Mileage from Boulder: 35 miles
Altitude: 8,202 feet

Order this: Big, scratch-baked yeasted rolls infused with lots of cinnamon and hidden under cream cheese frosting.

Nearby: Allenspark features the natural Crystal Spring under the sign: “Let Those Who Thirst Be Our Guest.” Visitors can fill a jug or two with cold, tasty water. Leave a small donation.

Showboat’s Drive-by Pie

54 1st St., Granby
Mileage from Boulder: 97 miles
Altitude: 7,935 feet

Order this: Takeout butter-crusted fruit pies including Montmorency tart cherry, green chile apple and wild Maine blueberry.

Nearby: Eat your pie in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Planning to try any of these spots out? Check out all the locations on a map.

Plant a row to feed neighbors in need

By now, your garden should be growing strong, and you’re looking forward to harvesting vegetables, greens and herbs as the months roll by. If you have room, consider growing an extra row for a Boulder County food bank. If you end up producing more zucchini, mustard greens and tomatoes than your family can eat, donate the excess. Learn about Boulder Food Rescue’s backyard donation program, or donate through Community Food Share here.

Survey: Dining here really is more expensive

It’s not your imagination. According to the recent :

“Colorado has recorded the highest restaurant inflation in the country and Colorado’s menu prices now sit 5.1% above the national average, with Denver approximately 2.7% above the average of the 20 largest U.S. cities. Guests are paying more, but restaurants are earning less.”

Openings

Cafe Meets Boba is open at 3350 Arapahoe Ave., the former site of Cuji Foods, serving coffee drinks, boba, shaken espresso, vanilla affogato, smoothies and other beverages.

Longmont Supply, arooftop restaurant and bar, is open at the newly launched Hotel Longmont, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Longmont restaurateur Sean Gafner and his son, chef Caleb Gafner, have opened the Club House Fairway Tavernat the Estes Park 18 Hole Golf Course. Open to the public, the eatery serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

Friday Boulder pop-up dishes barbecue lunch

Community Table Kitchenhosts a barbecue lunch pop-up from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. June 18 at 5345 Arapahoe Road. The barbecue meal includes meatless options. Proceeds benefit Bridge House, a nonprofit providing services and culinary job training to Boulder’s unhoused.

Boulder inventor Jim Sears will host “Cook Like an Astronaut” June 22 at the Museum of Boulder and demonstrate his groundbreaking SATED space oven. Tickets here.

Market Meals: Bing cherry salsa brings sweet heat to supper

Farms in the Palisade area are delivering a big crop of Bing cherries this season. While delightful eaten as is or used in desserts, the Boulder County Farmers Markets have mixed fresh cherries with jalapeño for a zesty seasonal salsa perfect with chips or atop grilled meat or fish.

Get this recipe here, and all the recipes here.

“Pounding fragrant things is a tremendous antidote to depression. Juniper berries, coriander seeds and the grilled fruits of the chile pepper: Pounding these things produces an alteration in one’s being — from sighing with fatigue to inhaling with pleasure.” — From “Honey From a Weed” (1985, Prospect Books) by Patience Gray, a culinary memoir highly recommended for summer foodie reading.

Want more Boulder bites?

Boulder’s TooSteppin brings Australian-style hard ginger beer to East Boulder

Founded by a former tech entrepreneur, the Pearl Street saloon is building a local market for a fast-growing Australian staple. Continue reading…

After Shark Tank deal falls through, Boulder’s Nude Foods eyes Front Range expansion

The reusable-packaging grocer is exploring new locations while doubling down on community-backed funding. Continue reading…

Check out recent editions of Nibbles:

🌽 Before Boulder was a foodie town, this market changed everything

🌲 A Boulder forager’s guide to finding free wild foods

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