These three new Northern Colorado restaurants opened in September

Three new restaurant chains opened locations in Northern Colorado in September – offering options for diners who like chicken and Italian dishes.

In Old Town Fort Collins, however, The Exchange restaurant and shopping center is saying goodbye to a winery tasting room and long-running distillery that was one of its original tenants.

Here’s a complete list of events in the Fort Collins area dining scene in September:

What has been opened (or is opening)?

Chicken Salad Chicks opened its third northern Colorado location on September 12 at 4884 Larimer Parkway, near Johnstown’s Scheels store. The Southern Chicken Salad chain also has locations in Greeley and Windsor.

Anthony’s Pizza and Pasta2550 E. Harmony Road, opened Sept. 13. It is the New York-style pizza chain’s 18th location and the first in Fort Collins. The new pizzeria takes over the former home of Pulcinella Pizzeria’s southeast location, which closed last year.

Chick-Fil-A opened a new drive-thru at 4345 St. Cloud Drive in Loveland on September 5th. It is the fourth Chick-fil-A in Northern Colorado and offers dine-in, drive-thru and carry-out service.

The Atrium Bar & Lounge changed hands and will reopen on October 3rd under new ownership. The bar and music venue, located in the same building as Alley Cat Coffee House, 120 1/2 W. Laurel St., announced it would close in July if a new owner didn’t step forward. Groo, a local marketing expert, and Nic Federle, a musician and audio engineer, ultimately decided to take over the business, which remained open for weekend shows after announcing its closure in July, Groo said. While the duo plans to keep the space largely unchanged, the reopened atrium will feature a Sunday open mic night and new hours, Groo said. Starting October 3rd, the Atrium Bar & Lounge will be open Thursday to Sunday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Top Grocery Stores: The 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards recognized the best U.S. grocers. Here are those with ties to Fort Collins.

What is closed (or closing)?

Bean cycle roaster144 N. College Ave., is on the move. After 20 years on College Avenue, the cafe closed its longtime location on September 30 in anticipation of its move to 326 Walnut St. The business will expand its offerings to include local beer and wine at its new location, which is expected to open in October. The Makerfolk gift shop, which opened at Bean Cycle Roasters in 2019, will also move to the new space on Walnut Street, expanding its candle and card making business.

Wines from the Blanchard family left Fort Collins at the end of September, ending its two-year run in Old Town. The Denver winery opened in 2022 in The Exchange – an open-air plaza with restaurants and shops at 200 N. College Ave. – opened. “For us, the cost did not justify the business,” owner James Blanchard said in an email to Coloradans. The winery’s real estate costs at The Exchange increased approximately 40% in the year after the lease was signed. At the same time, “overall traffic at (The Exchange) has dropped significantly,” Blanchard said. The exchange, owned by developer Brinkman, is struggling with its own rising costs, including a recent 25% increase in property taxes, Brinkman CEO Kevin Brinkman told the Coloradoan. Most of the plaza’s tenants have seen “very strong” sales this year, with several recently extending their leases and two new tenants expected to join The Exchange this fall, Brinkman added.

CopperMuse Distillery244 N. College Ave., closed its Old Town tasting room on Sept. 1. The craft distillery that opened a decade ago in Fort Collins decided to close after a downturn in business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rent, labor and equipment costs are rising, according to Jason Hevelone, co-owner of CopperMuse. The distillery will retain its production facility and transition to a pure wholesale business model.

Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard, 250 E. Harmony Road, closed Sept. 30 after nearly seven years in Fort Collins. The Pennsylvania-based franchise is known for its flavored Italian ice cream, but also serves frozen custard, gelato and milkshakes. The company opened its first and only location in south Fort Collins in 2018.

Meanwhile in Midtown: The former Macy’s in Fort Collins has a new (but temporary) tenant

What’s coming?

sugar salt sand is bringing a long-vacant rooftop bar in Old Town Fort Collins back to life. Erin and Jon Banis – the owners of Japango, 125 S. College Ave. — plan to open a new restaurant and bar on the second floor above the sushi shop that opened in Fort Collins this spring, Erin Banis told the Coloradoan. The new restaurant will feature tropical drinks and draw inspiration from the cuisines of Baja California, Mexico, the Caribbean and Hawaii, among others, Erin said. The Banises hope to open Sugar Salt Sand by the end of the year, she added.

The Duchess is about to make its grand arrival in Old Town Fort Collins. The English tea room has taken over 255 Linden St. — formerly home to wine bars Ciao Vino and, briefly, Bacaro — and plans to open there in mid-November, according to owner Daisy St. Pierre. St. Pierre also owns the Rocky Mountain SereniTea tea shop and SereniTEA’s Tea Room and Cafe in Estes Park. Duchess will be very similar to SereniTEA’s, which serves English afternoon tea and brunch and features a crepe bar, charcuterie and tapas. Like its Estes Park counterpart, the future Fort Collins tea room will host private events such as birthday parties, bridal and baby showers, St. Pierre said.

Pizza Vino NoCo Italiano has taken over 1939 Jessup Drive, Unit 110 – the former home of Italian restaurant Cacciatore at Heller’s Kitchen and later Wedo’s Tacos and Tequila. The new restaurant will be the second for Pizza Vino NoCo Italiano, which opened its existing Windsor location, 6383 N. Fairgrounds Ave., in 2019. Pizza Vino serves 15-inch pizzas, homemade pasta dishes and Italian entrees, salads and desserts. An opening is planned for October.

Captain Hook Seafood House brings seafood to a long-empty barbecue joint in south Fort Collins. The seafood restaurant is scheduled to open in early October at 2880 E. Harmony Road, where Famous Dave’s was formerly located. The restaurant building has been vacant since Famous Dave’s closed in early 2019.

More Fort Collins food and drink news

Goulash Pirate is back after a short break. The late-night goulash truck, which opened in late August in Old Town Fort Collins, reopened Sept. 13 after the theft of its food truck and trailer left its owners in distress.

Breckenridge Brewery reduced its beer production about a month after arriving in Fort Collins. The Breckenridge-born brewery, owned by Tilray Brands, moved into the former SweetWater Brewing facility, 1020 E. Lincoln Ave., in August. Tilray confirmed it will shift large-scale production from the Fort Collins brewery to other Tilray breweries to “eliminate areas of duplication within the organization,” Berrin Noorata, the company’s chief corporate affairs officer, said in a statement to the Coloradoan on September 20. The brewery’s taproom in Fort Collins will remain open and it will continue to brew small-batch and pilot beers, Noorata wrote.

CooperSmith’s Pub & BrewingAltstädter Ring 5, is under new ownership. The Old Town restaurant, which began as Fort Collins’ first brewpub in 1989, has been sold to Brandon Shaw, a homebrew enthusiast from Northern Colorado and current VP Head of Technology Services at Western Union, the restaurant announced in late August.

Want more food news? Subscribe to the Coloradoan’s NoCo Experiences newsletter.

These three new Northern Colorado restaurants opened in September

ByJasper

What has been opened (or is opening)?

What is closed (or closing)?

What’s coming?

More Fort Collins food and drink news

By Jasper

Related Post

Delhi Weather and AQI Today: Warm start at 25.05°C, check weather forecast for October 1, 2024 | Latest News Delhi

Mariska Hargitay talks “SVU” S26 and inspires women and their parents

Powerball lottery drawing 9/30/24: Winning numbers, jackpot results

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You missed

Delhi Weather and AQI Today: Warm start at 25.05°C, check weather forecast for October 1, 2024 | Latest News Delhi

Mariska Hargitay talks “SVU” S26 and inspires women and their parents

Powerball lottery drawing 9/30/24: Winning numbers, jackpot results

Ken Page, Broadway star of THE WIZ, CATS and more, dies at age 70