5280 Magazine – August 2019

AUGUST 2019 | 5280 | (^89)
MEALTIME, ANYTIME
Pull on your stretchiest pants for this indulgent
one-day culinary tour of Fort Collins’ finest eateries.
THE LITTLE BIRD BAKESHOP
You’ve gotta respect any cof-
feeshop that declines to provide
WiFi these days: It’s a refreshing
reminder that sometimes chatting
with your fellow man is a good
thing. Besides, you won’t want
your laptop distracting you from
Little Bird’s made-from-scratch-
daily baked goods, like homemade
Oreos, French tea cakes, and fancy
toasts topped with maple almond
butter or sautéed mushrooms.
11 Old Town Square, Suite 121;
thelittlebirdbakeshop.com
GINGER AND BAKER
This warm bakery meets kitchen
gift shop has your sugary second-
breakfast cravings covered. Grab a
slice of one of the rich pies beckon-
ing from the glass case. You might
find Nutella caramel corn, but-
termilk berry, or vegan chocolate
peanut butter varieties on any giv-
en day, but purists will be relieved
to know that cherry and apple pies
are also on the menu. 359 Linden
St.; gingerandbaker.com
1
THE EMPORIUM
378 Walnut St.;
emporiumfortcollins.com
“They have great brunch
items—their bacon, egg,
and ham croissant is the
best hangover cure. And
their wine selection is
wonderful and set up
market-style: Pick out
a bottle like you’re in a
store, then drink it.”
2
JAWS SUSHI
1205 W. Elizabeth St.
“It’s not your normal,
straightforward su-
shi—it’s always fresh and
unique. I like the Chum
Bucket, a baked rice and
seafood mixture.”
3
HARBINGER COFFEE
505 S. Mason St., Suite
100; 3581 E. Harmony
Road, Suite 160;
harbingercoffee.com
“The coffee is killer—
they’re a bunch of coffee
geeks. It’s a good place to
set up shop and work.”
4
CHOICE CITY BUTCHER & DELI
104 W. Olive St.;
choicecitybutcher.com
“They have huge sand-
wiches. Plus, owner Russ
Robinson has a great
palate and brings in
beers from across
the country.”
MY TOP FOUR
TY FULCHER
The owner of Social
has spent the past
15 years in the local
dining scene. Here’s
where you’ll find him
during his off hours.
FOCO CAFE
Chefs at this nonprofit, lunch-
only spot whip up only a few
menu choices per day
(think black bean soup and
Caesar salad), then guests
pay what they can for the
meal—with profits sup-
porting the cafe’s mission
to feed those who couldn’t
otherwise afford it. There’s
no better place to get a
sense of community than in FoCo
Cafe’s dining room. 225 Maple
St.; fococafe.org
THE EXCHANGE
A sleek shipping container com-
pound serves as an on-trend food
court, offering snacks from the
city’s hippest outposts, like street
tacos at Vatos and fried-to-order
doughnuts at FoCo DoCo. Drinks?
You’ll find options aplenty from the
Infinite Monkey Theorem, Copper-
Muse Distillery, and Crooked Stave
Artisan Beer Project. 200 block
of North College Avenue;
theexchangefortcollins.com
THE REGIONAL
Locally sourced fare isn’t so much
a restaurant genre as it is an
overriding ethos in
Fort Collins. But chef/
owner Kevin Grossi’s
versions of American
regional favorites
like fried chicken and
Wisconsin cheese
curds—made with
NoCo ingredients—
stand out from the crowd. 130 S.
Mason St.; theregionalfood.com
SOCIAL
You’ll probably have to wait in
line before descending the stairs
into this sexy, basement-level bar,
but that just adds to its speakeasy-
style appeal. Once in, slip into a
leather-backed booth and sip the
town’s best cocktails. We like
the tequila-, strawberry-, and
balsamic-vinegar-laced S.S.B.S
or the bourbon, ginger cognac,
and passion fruit Parachute.
1 Old Town Square, Suite 7;
socialfortcollins.com
DINING
Ginger and Baker
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INSIDER’S GUIDE TO
FORT COLLINS