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: April 17, 2026
Photo courtesy of Velvet Elk Lounge
This week’s Foodie Friday is packed with live music, fresh spring flavors, and some seriously fun menu updates you’re going to want to check out.
Start this Sunday on a high note at Velvet Elk Lounge with their Blues Brunch featuring Otis Taylor and food from The Post. With seatings between 8:45–9:45 a.m. and the show running from 10:30 a.m. to noon, this is the kind of intimate, local experience that feels extra special. Otis Taylor is a Boulder legend, so this is your chance to catch him live in a cozy setting. Tickets are $75 per person. Come for brunch, come for the music, or both. You don’t want to miss this one!
Looking to sip something new? Rosetta Food Hall just dropped their spring drink lineup and it’s full of bright, refreshing flavors. Whether you’re in the mood for something spirit-free like the Parakeet made with pineapple, passionfruit, and ginger, or going all in on something more complex like the Golden Hour with Capuro pisco, acidulated orange juice, pineapple syrup, Loukatos mastic liquor, yuzu sake, butterfly pea flower powder, and vegan foamer, or the Mardi Supreme with Lunazul reposado tequila, pink guava, sherry, and lime, there’s something for every vibe. Bonus points for the New York Sour made with Wild Turkey Rare Breed bourbon, Benedictine, lemon, and a red wine float.
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, Gelato Boy is bringing the flavor this week with four new scoops: Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Sheet Cake, Toffee Almond Crunch, and Island Coconut. Perfect for a sunny afternoon stroll down Pearl.
Over at Snooze Eatery, big things are happening. They’ve officially rolled out a new menu and added lunch! From the Smash Hit Burger to the Rachel Sandwich and Berries & Brown Butter Oats, there’s plenty of new options to mix up your usual brunch routine.
And to top it all off, Pasta Jay’s is hosting Colorado Music Hall of Fame's 15th anniversary this Sunday, April 20 from 2:30–6 p.m. with a party you won’t want to miss. Expect live performances from Colorado Music Hall of Famers like Chris Daniels, Hazel Miller, and more, plus a few tickets are still up for grabs, so don’t wait!
So whether you’re brunching, sipping, celebrating, or just out exploring, there’s so many things to taste and experience downtown this weekend.
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.