Colorado’s summer heat beats down on wilting trees, and the flowers are in full bloom. What better way to spend an easy afternoon than sitting under a shady tree or umbrella and sipping a cool beverage and munching tasty snacks. Old town Longmont is host to several patios ideal for letting the day go. Here are five restaurants that will keep you cool.
Lucile’s Creole Cafe
518 Kimbark St.
Longmont, Colorado 80501
303-774-9814
luciles.com
Start the day with breakfast or lunch at Lucile’s, a Cajun-style restaurant. The original eatery gained popularity in Boulder after opening in 1980. Now the Lucile’s Longmont branch operates in a classic Victorian-style house with an elegant patio garden, open from thaw to frost.
In addition to delicious homemade strawberry rhubarb jam and bisques, diners can sip mimosas under the patio umbrellas while enjoying a full Cajun-style breakfast. Reliably friendly service, affordable prices and consistently great food is what makes this establishment worthy of a summer-morning visit.
Hours: Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.-2 p.m.; weekends, 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids & Solids
1555 S. Hover Road
Longmont, Colorado 80501
303-485-9400
oskarblues.com
With its large, open beer garden and south-end location in town, Oskar Blues is a great place to watch the sun set. Until then, find some shade and relax under the covered porch, sun umbrella or next to the bubbling pond while enjoying any of the 43 beers on tap. The six Dales Ales are made in-house.
The four-story beer can building is easy to see from the Diagonal Highway (Colorado 119) coming from Boulder. Inside the converted barn, patrons can find a full bar, plenty of booths and a menu full of tasty grill and pub food. Arrive early in the afternoon to find a choice seat: The restaurant and bar can be standing-room-only later in the evening.
Brewery tours are held at the company’s brewery every Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. The adjacent Tasty Weasel Tap Room (1800 Pike Road), as well as the brewpub, feature live music. The sweet sound of blues, jazz, bluegrass and more fill both brew venues Friday through Monday every week. A shuttle between venues is available for weekend bar-hoppers who make dinner reservations.
We recommend the Flight Sampler – five, 4-ounce beers for $10. Couple that with one of their menu combos or create your own. Add video games, horse shoe pits and a sandbox for the tots, and there’s more than enough to entertain into the night.
Hours: Monday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–2 a.m.
Tortuga’s
218 Coffman St.
Longmont, Colorado 80501 303-772-6954
Tortuga’s is a quiet little restaurant in a renovated Victorian building with a specialty in Caribbean seafood. A great oak tree shades the brick patio and its stone tables and flower gardens. Friendly staff, different daily specials and wonderful seafood, accompanied by a full wine list and stocked bar, increase the delightfulness of this pleasant dining spot. Wash down your dinner with a Dark and Stormy, a delicious blend of rum, ginger beer and ice.
Tortuga’s is a great place for a slow-paced evening out, but be prepared to wait during the dinner rush if you don’t have reservations. Entrees start at $12.
Hours: Tuesday–Thursday and Saturday, 6 p.m.-10 p.m.; Friday, 5:30 p.m.–9 p.m.
Pumphouse and Red Zone
540 Main St.
Longmont, Colorado 80501
303-702-0881
pumphousebrewery.com
At this family-friendly restaurant and brewery, patrons can enjoy summer evenings on the covered patio while sipping or gulping one of the 10 microbrews made on site. The menu is a collection of pub fare, from grill and pasta entrees to the light seared tuna salad that makes for a refreshing summer meal. Dishes vary from $8 to $17.
In the Red Zone, the pub’s sports bar addition, shoot pool or catch the latest sports event on any of the 28 flat-screen televisions. Daily drink specials and two happy hours help keep beer mugs full.
Hours: For the pub – Sunday–Thursday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. for the pub. For the Red Zone – Monday–Wednesday, 4 p.m. –midnight; Thursday, 4 p.m.-1:30 a.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.–1:30 a.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.–midnight.
The Dickens Tavern
300 Main St.
Longmont, Colorado 80501
303-834-9384
thedickenstavern.com
The Dickens Tavern is a classic restaurant, bar and patio on the corner of Main and Third streets. It was originally built in 1881 by William Henry Dickens, a relative of the famous Charles Dickens, as an opera house designed to bring society and culture to the growing community of Longmont.
The menu is a collection of the favorite and familiar grill and pub foods – what the restaurant calls “comfort food with a twist.” Patrons can lounge on the long and spacious patio while sipping a refreshing beverage from the full bar. Flanked by antique red brick on one side and a black iron fence and trees on the other, a hot summer afternoon is a breeze under this canopy.
Hours: Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday brunch, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.