Best Bars in Fort Collins
First off I’d like to set a few guidelines. (A) DON’T DRIVE AFTER DRINKING. IT’S DANGEROUS, AND BELIEVE ME GETTING A DUI SUCKS. Either have a DD you can trust, walk, Ramride/Taxi, or call a sober friend to pick you up. (B) Know your limit and stick to it. Don’t you drink yourself to death. Also know your body and how certain liquor affects you and use this knowledge to keep yourself and other safe (ex. Tequila makes me very sick, so I don’t drink it). (C) Be safe. If you’re in a situation that doesn’t feel right, get out of it. The buddy system is great because you have someone that can back you up and also keep an eye on your actions to help stop trouble before it starts.
Ok. Enough preaching, now to the fun. I’ve lived in Fort Collins for a few years now and I’ve spent two of those years hitting up the bars in Oldtown. I love drinking in Fort Collins cause there a lot of cool and interesting people to be met, and everything is within walking distance (for me at least). I’ve decided to share my experiences and opinions with a wider audience, so here are my picks.
(1) Connor O’Neill’s Pub – This is my favorite bar in Fort Collins. Connor’s has awesome bartenders, a wide selection, good food if you’re there while the kitchen is open, and good live music. Also, most of the people that are there a generally really laid back and fun to talk to. This is also the bar that I have gotten the drunkest I have ever been, well, there’s two times that tie. The first time was my friend Ernie’s 23rd birthday. I don’t know how much we had, or really how I got onstage with a guitar, I just remember trying to sing some songs and really sucking at it. My friend actually had to guarantee the guy that he pay him $1200 if I broke his guitar, but I didn’t so it was all good. The second time was with my friend Sarah. We ran up an $80 tab over two hours of mostly shots. Morsoul played that night and we had some drinks with them too, and they were really cool. A fun place to go, and their pretty patient with people if you get a little out of hand as long as you’re violent.
(2) Zydeco’s – I just love seeing the girls dancing on the bar, especially when they’re a little intoxicated and think they’re dancing a lot better are. As for the bar itself, decent bartenders and very good selection. They have DJ and a small dance floor so if that’s your thing then Zydeco’s isn’t a bad place for it. The only downside is it usually gets EXTREMELY crowded, especially on weekends (as in so crowded you can barely move and it takes quite awhile to get a drink). My girlfriend tells me their sandwiches are good too, but I don’t know personally cause I’ve never been there when the kitchen’s open.
(3) Sullivan’s Tavern – The best about Sullivan’s is it’s proximity to campus. Five minute walk, and there’s Silver Mine on the way back. Also, they have bingo on Tuesdays which is cool, a little dorky and old-folks-ish, but still cool. We have a few somewhat annoying people (one girl walked over to inform me and my friends that we looked like losers just sitting there without a girl at the table), but then I’ve met some fun people too (a significantly more attractive girl needed my help in re-lacing her corset). They’ve got a pool table and a couple other games as well. I’ve never had the food, but they do serve a few things to munch on.
(4) Washington’s Bar and Grill – This is a place that is either lots of fun, or sucks hardcore. It’s the only place we’ve gotten kicked out of, which was crap. But on the other hand, there’s lots of people, lots dance, and lots of booze with decent prices. My favorite time was this last Halloween when they had a pimp and ho night. So I was a pimp and I walked in with five lovely hoes in miniskirts. I was feeding on the jealousy of every guy there, it was awesome! The food’s decent too.
(5) Tony’s – Another place that isn’t fun every time, but really fun sometimes. They also have really drink specials to be taken advantage of. They have a jukebox and several pool tables, large selection of liquor and beer, and usually a pretty good size and pretty friendly crowd. I would say the biggest downside, and maybe it’s just me, but I tend to meet many ditzy people when I’m there. They’re nice, but just not people that you can have a good conversation with. That’s not everyone there, I just seem to run into more there than other places. It’s still a good place to go.
Now the two places I’m going to suggest NOT to visit.
(1) Suite 152 – I don’t get why so many people love this place. There are so many nasty people there. There was a brawl between 5 or 6 guys that was so bad that I left with someone’s blood spray on my clothes, and it started over stupid crap. And if you don’t look like you’re in a gang don’t expect the girls to pay much attention to you. And also, guys, the cocktail waitresses flirt to get a bigger tip, not cause they actually like you.
(2) The Sundance – If you’re into country this place is a lot of fun, but if you don’t know how to line dance you’re gonna feel pretty out of place. The biggest problem I have with the Sundance is that it’s so hard to get to the bar. Everyone crowds around and then doesn’t move once they have their drink, which can get irritating.
These are certainly not the only good bars in Fort Collins, just my favorites. I have plenty of great memories from Lucky Joe’s, Surfside 7, The Trailhead, and others. But the places above are where I return to the most.
P.S. – If you wanna make a little trip for a good time, I’d suggest Coyote Ugly in downtown Denver. The girls that bartend there do the movie justice, and yes they get up and dance on the bar.
