Foodie Friday
There's a good reason Bon Appétit called Boulder, America's Foodiest Town. This weekly blog will help you understand why! Every Friday, check out downtown's food scene and all the incredible opportunities available to tantalize your taste buds! Check out this list of restaurant specials and promotions compiled weekly - just for YOU!
Food-Related Events and Announcements: May 22, 2026
Photo Courtesy of Boulder Creek Fest
Happy Friday, Foodies! Memorial Day weekend is here and things downtown are already starting to feel like that first real stretch of summer. Plans are coming together, patios are filling up, and there’s that familiar mix of “we’ll keep it chill” that usually turns into a full day of wandering downtown. Whether you’re staying local or heading out for the long weekend, there’s still plenty happening before the holiday fully kicks in.
May 23 and 24, the Creekside Beer Fest returns as part of Boulder Creek Festival, bringing two hour all inclusive beer tastings from 20 plus breweries along with live music from Roots Music Project. It is a full weekend kind of plan, sun, music, and a very well earned sample glass.
At C Burger, things are going full circle in the best way with burgers built around regenerative beef. It is a simple idea that lands exactly right right now. Classic comfort with a more intentional approach behind it. The kind of burger that feels like it belongs on a sunny downtown table with fries you did not plan on finishing but definitely will.
Over at West End Tavern, Whiskey Wednesday is stretching out well beyond Wednesday. This week’s Kentucky bourbon feature is pouring all long next week, with a tasting flight of three signature bourbons for $20 if you want to take the full tour. It is an easy downtown stop that leans into slow sips, good conversation, and that warm oak and caramel kind of evening mood.
Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant is bringing something new and quietly exciting to the summer menu with enmoladas. Think of them as a fresher gluten free twist on enchiladas. Corn tortillas filled with poblano, pinto beans, hominy, and sweet potato, then baked and topped with white chocolate mole, salsa macha, grilled peaches, radish, and cilantro. It is layered, unexpected, and very much built for the season.
For something a little lighter but still very patio forward, Avanti is rolling out Spritz Saturdays with $1 off all spritzes every Saturday. Simple math and a very good outcome.
Down at Oak at Fourteenth, the menu is leaning into peak patio weather with scallops and Thai sausage paired with ramp kimchi. It is one of those plates that feels made for warm air, shared bites, and lingering just long enough for the light to shift.
As part of The New Local’s First Friday Art Walk, keep an eye out for Wonder Press Juice, where Golden Hour soundscapes are being presented by Experience Felt alongside zero proof botanical elixirs designed with functional benefits in mind. It is part art moment, part sensory pause, and very downtown Boulder in spirit.
And finally, a little local spotlight. Björn’s Colorado Honey recently stopped by 9NEWS Denver to talk about the importance of honeybees and their role in our ecosystem. The segment is worth a watch if you have a minute, especially to hear from Pontus and Ester, the littlest beekeeper at Björn’s, as they share what’s happening in the hives right now. It is a nice reminder that some of the sweetest things in Colorado are also doing some of the most important work.
Ways to Help
Emergency Family Assistance Fund (EFAA) helps those in our community whose immediate needs for food, shelter and other basic necessities cannot be adequately met by other means, and supports their efforts toward financial stability or self-sufficiency. You can help them with a financial contribution, volunteering, or donating non-perishable food and cleaning supplies.
Emergency family assistance fund
Harvest of Hope Pantry's sole mission is food assistance. They offer clients a choice shopping experience where individuals select preferred foods within their shopping allowances. You can help them with financial assistance, volunteering or by hosting food drives.
Boulder Food Rescue aims to create a more just and less wasteful food system by facilitating the sustainable redistribution of healthy food that would otherwise be wasted to low-income communities, by bicycle. The best way to help them currently is to donate or volunteer.
Meals on Wheels Boulder provides nutritious meals and a daily well-being check to Boulder residents, regardless of age or income. The number one way to support them during this time is to contribute financially.