The Rocket Room

One of the Springs’ hippest spots in the town, the Rocket Room’s big on the ’50s kitch with its leopard print-covered stage, black-and-white checkered floor, Chinese paper lanterns, pin-up sketches and Elvis memorabilia. The club brings in local and national rockabilly, punk, surf, garage and rock act throughout the week.

Sachi Sushi

The road to ramen leads to Sachi Sushi, a surprising spot up in Niwot. That’s because on Sundays, this cordoned-off area of the Niwot Market, with its handful of tables and a sushi counter, becomes one of Colorado’s best bets for brimming bowls of authentic, Kyushu-style ramen, toothsome noodles steeped in sticky tonkotsu broth. While […]

Ska Brewing

Founded in Durango in 1995 by Dave Thibodeau and Bill Graham, Ska Brewing was the second Colorado beer-maker to being canning, and has grown rapidly. In 2008, the company built a four-story beer fortress, known as Ska Brewing World Headquarters, in a business park just outside town with the help of a third partner, Matt […]

Smashburger

Smashburger has all the affectations of a standard QSR operation: counter-ordering and tableside delivery, a fast and easily navigable menu, a simple and easily duplicated decor. But it also has a far-from-standard burger: the namesake “smashburger,” a half-pound of ground, nicely fatty Angus beef that’s whacked onto the hot steel, producing a flood of meat […]

Snarf’s

Snarf’s Sub Shop, the beloved sandwich spot with a hippie vibe, got its start when Jim Seidel opened his first sub shack in Boulder in 1996. Then, as now, Snarf’s knew to do a few things really right: It has a good filling-to-bread ratio, uses high-quality meats and vegetables, and relies on a broiler to […]

Snooze

When Snooze first hit the Ballpark neighborhood in 2007, it revolutionized breakfast in Denver. The most important meal of the day became one of the most creative meals of the day, with flights of pancakes, re-imagined omelets and Benedicts, and a morning-themed alcoholic beverage list. Snooze nicely filled a niche that Denver hadn’t even recognized […]

Stargazers Theatre & Event Center

Stargazers, a Colorado Springs event center, doubles as a performing-arts venue that can hold up to 550 people in a concert-style setting. Because of the room’s size, Stargazers is able to host local bands playing in a variety of genres, including blues, jazz, rock, country and bluegrass, as well as nationally touring acts such as […]