click to enlarge
Favorite Places
-
Thirsty Parrot
- 32 S. Tejon St. (map)
-
Downtown
884-1094
- (based on 4 user reviews)
-
SouthSide Johnny's $
- 528 S. Tejon St. (map)
-
Downtown
444-8487
- (based on 4 user reviews)
-
Ritz Grill $$
- 15 S. Tejon St. (map)
-
Downtown
635-8484
- (based on 3 user reviews)
-
Nosh $$
- 121 S. Tejon St. (map)
-
Downtown
635-6674
- (based on 4 user reviews)
-
McCabe's Tavern $$
- 520 S. Tejon St. (map)
-
Downtown
633-3300
- (based on 5 user reviews)
-
Dublin House
- 1850 Dominion Way (map)
-
Academy (North)
265-8820
- Be the first to review this location!
-
Champps Americana
- 1765 Briargate Blvd. (map)
-
Briargate
548-0113
- (based on 1 user review)
-
The Broadmoor Golden Bee
- 1 Lake Ave. (map)
-
Cheyenne Mountain
577-5776
- (based on 2 user reviews)
InSider 2010
Yes, there are cover and tribute bands, but the Thirsty Parrot has also hosted packed performances by Jason Derülo and Billy Bob Thornton (not together). The upstairs space also has top-notch acoustics well-suited for its popular Wednesday evening big band performances.
Drink 2010
Happy hour: Tuesday-Saturday, 4-7 p.m.
The goods: $2 wells and domestic drafts; $2.50 wines, microbrews and imports
Favorite pour: "I enjoy them all the same. Pouring a drink is pouring a drink."
Sure, there's cover bands (including those touring Led Zep guys), but what other Springs venue can boast performances by Billy Bob Thornton and Firefall? The music takes place upstairs, away from the serious drinking, and features top-notch acoustics well-suited for weekly performances by local jazz players, as well as the occasional itinerant blues artist.
Best of 2011: Bar Crowd
Walk into SouthSide Johnny's just once, and you probably wouldn't understand why the place would win this new category. That's because just one visit doesn't begin to tell the story. You have to go back, at different times, to get the full idea. SouthSide Johnny's has its regulars, but it also has its lunch crowd, its happy-hour crowd, its music-loving late-night crowd, its Saturday-Sunday brunch crowd and its "weekend warrior" motorcycle crowd, and they aren't the same people — though they do get along with each other quite well. You might see downtown attorneys, young and not-so-young professionals, or fans of Colorado College hockey (even CC head coach Scott Owens, along with former Tigers still living here). Put it all together, and that's how your bar crowd beats the rest. — Ralph Routon
Best of 2012: Place to Meet Women
Best of 2012: Bar Crowd
The name implies the atmosphere it exudes: classy, the type of place where people "power lunch," if that exists in Colorado Springs. However, at night (per our loyal readers), this is the top place to pick up women. "It has a professional atmosphere that appeals to women," says bartender Jenni Tillotson. Want to buy the lady a drink? Check out the extensive martini menu, particularly "The Matchmaker," a blend of X-Rated Fusion Liqueur, ruby red vodka and pineapple juice. "It's sexy and sophisticated," says Tillotson, and maybe it'll even achieve what the name implies. — Celine Wright
Best Of 2012: Cutting Edge Restaurant
Best Of 2012: Appetizers/Tapas
Best Of 2012: Happy Hour
Nosh won these same three awards last year, so consistency clearly isn't in question. It does happy hour right, with Bristol beer and vino specials, plus discounted signature martinis and cocktails and a couple bucks off many edibles (weekdays, 3 to 6 p.m.; until 8 p.m., Mondays). By early November, manager Tyler Schiedel says, you'll find a new HH deal, wherein select menu items will be a full 50 percent off. Favorite eats like the Korean wings haven't changed, but seasonal specials still come and go, alongside rare tap beers. A new "cheese program" focuses on Colorado-produced dairy goodies, and the eventual opening of the Ivywild center will deliver even more locally grown produce ... just some examples of how one stays "cutting-edge." — Matthew Schniper
Bites 2013: Spicy Bison Sandwich
If ever a better way to eat bison tongue has existed, we know it not. Nosh's chefs braise the meat stupid-tender with tomato paste and red wine over the course of 24-plus hours at 200 degrees. They then cook it with caramelized onions, jalapeños and Anaheims, receiving more kick from cayenne mayo and pepper jack cheese, melted onto Old School Bakery bread. Dunk that in a sweet jus constructed of the braising liquid refortified with extra carrots to draw out natural sugars. Tatonka! ($9.50 includes a side, lunch only)
Click here for Nosh's Two-Faced Apple Curry Soup Recipe!
Bites 2013: Lamb Stew
t's snowing outside, quiet little flakes, so you stop at the pub for some bites and a beer. You do a bowl of lamb stew, a mahogany concoction flecked with red chunks of tomato and scallions. You're enveloped in hot steam, you taste rosemary, Guinness and soft potatoes, and you sop with crumbly bites of soda bread. ($7.95 lunch/$12.95 dinner)
Best Of 2010: Weekly Bar Event
Geeks Who Drink Pub Quiz
InSider 2010
With more than 20 primo Irish whiskeys in addition to a large, international beer list, McCabe's could be considered a drink destination first, especially during European soccer matches, pub quiz nights and Colorado College hockey games. But there's plenty of authentic Irish eats as well, in addition to a rockin' Sunday brunch. Grab the divine Rosemary Guinness Lamb Stew at lunch or a shepherd's pie or bangers & mash for dinner. Stay in Ireland with a rich Guinness chocolate cake with Irish cream sauce for dessert.
InSider 2010
Because you can't have enough Irish bars — let alone Irish bars with plentiful 2-for-1 deals — in Colorado Springs, or anywhere else for that matter. And yes, since you ask, they do have karaoke.
Drink 2010
Happy hour: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 3-7 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 3-9; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The goods: Two-for-one wines, wells and drafts
Favorite pour: "Let's go with the Red-Headed Slut."
Best Of 2011: Sports Bar
Best Of 2010: Sports Bar
