Boulder’s Restaurants Respond to Quarantine

Editor’s note: This is just a sampling of the many ways you can still support local restaurants, via take-out, delivery, gift cards and more. If your restaurant is not listed here, please add your offerings in the comments at the bottom of the page. And Boulder, make sure you scroll all the way down to check the comments to get the latest updates.

Restaurants may be closed in Colorado for now, but that doesn’t mean all business has to shut down. It just means business has to change.

There are still ways to get your favorite food and support local restaurants — and to stay connected with the community over drinks and food.

Boulderite Ryan Van Duzer is holding virtual happy hours open to anyone who wants to join. He’ll moderate and cover different topics, share jokes, hold a dance break and also open up opportunities for people to ask for help.

“It’ll be a fun, community-building experiment,” he says.

In addition, restaurants are getting creative with their offerings and service. Here’s how some Boulder-area food providers are stepping up to serve the community and adapt as we deal with the coronavirus.

Jax Fish House and The Post Brewing Company

Editor’s note, March 26: Jax is no longer offering to-go services.

Jax, 928 Pearl St., and the Post, 2027 13th St., both part of the Big Red F Restaurants family, are both offering specials for people in the service industry, from retail to hospitals to restaurants. Get $15 entree-and-drink meals, plus discounts on delivery and gift cards.

All food is now curbside pick-up and delivery (via DoorDash) only.

“In 30-plus years of owning restaurants, this is one of the hardest things I have had to do,” Big Red posted on its Instagram. “For both our long-time family of staff and their safety, and our incredible family of long-time guests and friends, this was the right and only call.”

These restaurants are also launching weekly, live-streamed Instragrammed “dinner parties” starting April 2. Pre-order a meal kit that you get at one of the restaurants, and on the day of the party, visit Big Red F’s Instagram, where you can watch chefs demo live how to prepare the meal. Make your dinner alongside them. Cook and eat virtually, together.

Pekoe Sip House

Pekoe Sip House is offering bulk tea and coffee porch delivery, free of charge—via the general manager on her bicycle. To set up a delivery, email maddie@pekoesiphouse.com or message them on Facebook. See the full at-home delivery menu, with a long list of tea options, online.

Walnut Cafe

The Walnut Cafe closed all three locations, but they’re putting the food to good use. Cooks are volunteering to use all food currently in stock to make up a bunch of meals and put them in freezer bags to distribute to the employees.

Bartaco

If you gotta get your taco fix, bartaco (1048 Pearl St., Boulder) has online and phone ordering. You can order all the taco, guac-o, sides, bowls and drinks, including the legendary Aguas Frescas, between 11 a.m.-9 p.m. at order.bartaco.com or 719-249-8226. They’ll bring it right out to you curbside, and they are also launching delivery so they can bring tacos right to your living room.

Rosetta Hall

Boulder’s new food hall, 1109 Walnut St., closed on Sunday and has been doing a deep clean of the kitchens. The hall has a $50,000 fund to pay every employee for the next two weeks so they can take care of themselves and their families. The hall is also helping staff access healthcare, as needed.

Salt the Bistro

Salt, 1047 Pearl St., just launched a new delivery, takeout and family meal menu, with items that are easy to carry and reheat. The large menu includes things like tomato soup with mini grilled goat cheese croute, an Organic Power Bowl (seasonal veggies and fruit, chickpeas, quinoa, avocado and ginger vinaigrette), sandwiches like a quinoa burger, pot roast, a Wagyu filet mignon and penne bolognese with grass-finished beef and pork. The family meals are for four or more people and priced per person. An example is Mary’s Chicken with confit risotto, roasted veggies, mushroom jus and parmigiana risotto. View the full menu here. Place orders at 303-444-7258. Delivery is offered via Doordash.

Note: Salt is offering 20 percent off orders through March 22.

Fresh Thymes Eatery

Fresh Thymes Eatery,  2500 30th St., suite 101 in Boulder, is doing pick-up and delivery only using Grubhub and ChowNow services. Fresh Thymes also has a free, online Facebook book for cancer survivors, who have a lowered immune system after treatment and are at a higher risk.

Arcana

Boulder’s Arcana, 909 Walnut St., has established a sliding-scale meal service for industry professionals. Each meal is available at a recommended $20, but with an honor-based sliding scale that starts at free. Pay what you can. Arcana isn’t charging delivery fees or accepting traditional tips. Instead, the restaurant asks for “staff support” donations, 100 percent of which will go into a pool to help staff that cannot work or is working reduced hours.

Brew

Brew coffee house, 802 S. Public Road in Lafayette is offering grab and go drinks and curbside pick-up. Call and order your drink at 720-696-7941. Brew released a new adjusted menu this week.

Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery

Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery, 1535 Pearl St. in Boulder, as well as its associated businesses (Southern Sun, Vine Street Pub, Under the Sun and Longs Peak Pub), are all still open for curbside pick-up orders. Staff, wearing gloves, will deliver your order to your car and complete the transaction without you having to leave your vehicle.

You can also get food from Under the Sun Eatery and Pizzeria and Longs Peak Pub and Taphouse on DoorDash.

Online, Mountain Sun called its closures a “heartbreaking, historic decision.”

Shine Restaurant and Potion Bar

Shine, 2480 Canyon Blvd., unit M1, Boulder, started by offering 25 percent off its entire menu, before it had to close with the rest of Colorado restaurants. It is now offering special menu items, such as immune-boosting kits, family-style meals, curbside pick-up and delivery. Shine also has its own healthy cookbook, for at-home cooking inspo.

Staff is also planning online dance classes, health inspirations and opportunities to connect.

The Roost, Jefes and Smokin Bowls

These three Longmont restaurants switched to take-out only (free curbside pick-up), and they continue offering free meals for children who are not in school during the closures.

“If you’re concerned about ensuring your children have a hearty lunch, we want to help,” they wrote on their Facebook page. This week between 11 a.m. and noon and 5-6 p.m., kids can get free meals, plus free fresh fruit.

Modern Market Eatery

Modern Market, 1600 28th St., unit 1212 at the Twenty Ninth Street Mall, first went touchless and cashless (credit cards only). You can order the food online or get it delivered via DoorDash’s no-contact delivery. If you can’t get an Instacart driver, you can order from Mod Market and they’ll deliver it for free in 15 minutes.

“We are uniquely suited to serve you fresh and healthy food, in an even safer manner than if you went to the supermarket,” Modern Market says. “Don’t stock up on veggies, we have plenty, and would love to sell them to you, conveniently made into a salad.:

The restaurant recommends ordering multiple meals at once (this saves the delivery efforts); the bowls are easy to reheat and the salads are good for days.

Eat and Sweets

Eats and Sweets, 401 S. Public Road in Lafayette, is using its food truck for delivery. It is planning daily neighborhood visits (depending on weather). Its locations and times are posted online.

“Come enjoy some freshly made food, out in fresh air while maintaining safety precautions,” the food truck posts on its Facebook.

The restaurant is also open for pick-up orders curbside by calling 303-665-3287 or delivery through GrubHub and DoorDash.

Blackbelly

Blackbelly, 1606 Conestoga St., unit 3, Boulder, is not only an option for curbside or delivery breakfast, lunch or dinner. Here, you can also order butcher meats, fresh cuts and cured. Check Facebook for Blackbelly’s to-go menu, which will be changing regularly to reflect what the restaurant can provide each day. Don’t miss the family meal options, ideal for groups of four, or keep the rest for leftovers. Call when you arrive and they’ll bring your food to your car.

Oak at Fourteenth

Oak at fourteenth, 1400 Pearl St., has a limited menu, based on availability, and modified hours: 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 5:30-8 p.m. Sunday. It is offering curbside pick-up: 303-444-3622. Oak doesn’t currently offer delivery but will soon.

Executive chef and partner Steven Redzikowski is making staff meals a few times a week for all employees who need it. Employees can wrap up and take their meals home to reheat. They’ll be picking it up at staggered times to prevent large groups from arriving all at once.

Corrida

Corrida, 1023 Walnut St., unit 400, also has take-out and modified hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Delivery is coming soon. To order, call the restaurant at 303-444-1333.

Executive chef Amos Watts and general manager Andreas Pejovic are offering catering and home-chef services to the Denver-Boulder area. This service is limited to groups of eight or fewer people. For more info, email info@corridaboulder.com.

VerdeBoulder

VerdeBoulder, 3070 28th St., has opened up a pick-up window and is also available for delivery via Hungry Buffs and ChowNow in Boulder, and DoorDash and UberEats in Louisville. It’s offering family-style platters (taco bars, enchilada platters) for groups of four or more.

In addition, 100 percent of its proceeds are going toward helping staff during this time.

Vitality Bowls

Vitality Bowls, 2525 Arapahoe Ave., unit A3, Boulder is currently open for delivery and pick-up only, and it has adjusted its hours, closing at 5 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. Even if you pick-up a meal, the restrooms are now limited to employees only.

Avery Brewing Company
Avery, 4910 Nautilus Court, has closed its taproom and restaurant, with plans to reopen April 5. The brewery will pay staff during the closure, and beer production will continue, although the facility will be closed to the public.

VisionQuest Brewery

VisionQuest, 2510 47th St., suite A2, Boulder, is open for pick-up of beer and kombucha.

City Star Brewing

City Star, 321 Mountain Ave. in Berthoud, is offering beer to go 2-7 p.m. daily. Order a growler or pick up bottles of your favorite brew and bring them home to enjoy.

Ben and Jerry’s

Yes, you can still get ice cream in the quarantine. Ben and Jerrys, 1203 Pearl St., is open for take-out and offering delivery through HungryBuffs, Doordash and Grubhub.