Noodles and Company

The pasta was really good, the service was as good as it could get because it was crazy crowded and…read morebusy. We had the same idea as everyone else, carbon load before the Boulderthon race. I will say this little place took a beating with all of the customers orders. My friends and I did have to wait a very long time for our food to go, but the lady that gave us our food apologized. She was super sweet and offered us a drink on the house. Probably on another day, when its not as hectic, it would be great to sit outside and enjoy the food under beautiful weather while people watching. The location is in a cool spot near lots of shopping, if thats your thing and not super far from Colorado University Buffalos' campus. (Was so hungry, forgot to.tsk a photo ‍)

This is a cute little casual restaurant. The pasta was freshly made in front of you. The prices are…read morepretty reasonable for the portions served. I also tried the ginger drink which was pretty refreshing. I like that they have options to just purchase the uncooked pasta so you can make it at home. You just order off the kiosk and then they bring the food to you.

Cooking station

CACIO E PEPE

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Store front

Pasta Jay's

3.5(878 reviews)

1.7 mi

Came here with a group of friends on Friday for lunch. We just finished a hike and did not have a…read moreplace in mind. As we were walking down Pearl street, the Italian food smell from Pasta Jay's just hit us and it smelled so good so we decided to come here. We each got a big pasta dish and a salad to share. My jumble shell is so flavorful and delicious. Its the perfect combination of cheese, meats and the red sauce and the portion is massive. I recommend it for anyone that enjoys a bolognese or lasagna. Service was fast. The only unfortunate part was that their soda machine broke down so we could not get a nice drink along w the dishes.

Today is the first day they are back open after 2 weeks doing a renovation and could not be…read morehappier. I think the renovation is a bit underwhelming but the food and service could not have been better. Lauren could be one of the best wait person I have ever had. She was absolutely awesome and I hope you manager appreciates her. The food was delicious as always but am curious why the chicken piccata is only available on the lunch specials menu. It was Devine. It needs to be on offer at all times.

Restaurant

The Hagan Option

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Storefront

Peppercorn Gourmet Goods

4.2(168 reviews)

•$$$

This store is massive! I wandered in here during the Boulder Fall Fest a couple of weeks ago and I…read moreended up finding a few Christmas gifts! It was so fun to walk around and there's such a wide variety of home goods, decor, gourmet goodies, and fun little gadgets. I will be back to this cute shop any time I'm in the area!

What a fun cooking and more store! Goodies, spices, syrups, teas, cookware, teaware, coffee ware,…read moreand so much more! Great selection and the staff was very friendly and helpful. If you are shopping or eating on Pearl Street, this place is a must stop!

Inside

More books

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Inside

Lolita's Market

4.3(158 reviews)

1.7 mi

This sandwich shop puts other shops to shame! The sandwiches are phenomenal, freshly made and come…read morein a generous serving! Also the location & order placing is cute, feels like an authentic deli shop!

Bodega with reasonable prices off the West end of Pearl St is worth the slight diversion from the…read moremore touristy areas. Outdoor tree shaded cafe attracts unkempt locals with guitars and dogs, but they're harmless

The Italian Sandwich

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Burrito in Boulder for less that $8

Stella's Cucina

4.2(124 reviews)

Had such a great experience at Stella's Cucina - everything we ordered was thoughtful, flavorful,…read moreand beautifully executed. We started with the Zuppe che s'incontrano, which was cozy and creative. The combination of sweet potato and leek with crispy textures and crème fraîche made it comforting but still elevated. The Tartare di Manzo was a standout--fresh wagyu with rich, balanced flavors from the quail egg, parmigiano, and béchamel. It felt indulgent without being too heavy. (This bite with the crisp of the potato the soft flavorful wagyu the parmigiano reggiano crips and quail egg was chefs kiss) For mains, the Brasato al Barolo was incredible. The short rib was perfectly tender with deep, rich flavor, and the smoked potato purée and polenta cake was perfectly seasoned, the cherry demi glacé made it such a satisfying dish. We also had the Risotto Funghi e Tartufo, which was earthy, creamy, and perfectly balanced with just the right amount of truffle (not overpowering at all and the roasted mushroom medley was crispy and to die for. For dessert, the Crema Cotta al Pistacchio was the perfect finish--light, slightly nutty, and not overly sweet, with a great texture from the brûlée top and pistachio praline. The fruit was fresh and the entire dessert was perfectly balanced and proportioned. What really elevated the experience, though, was the manager Alessandro. He was incredibly welcoming and engaging, but also gave us the space to fully enjoy our meal and conversation. He was open to experience feedback from learning and development professionals and clearly passionate about every single detail of Stella's Cucina, which made the entire experience feel even more special and intentional. Our conversation was enjoyable, our meal impeccable, we will be back. Overall, you can tell there's real passion behind everything here, from the design, to the food, and especially the service. Would absolutely come back and highly recommend for a date night or a special night out.

Good: the seating, ambiance; the pastas Bad: $100 dollar…read moresteak ordered rare and came out medium (see pic). Server came out and presented the unsliced steak and announced "medium rare NY strip." I corrected him that it was ordered rare, and he confirmed he would check with the kitchen how it was cooked. Came back with it sliced, in my opinion was cooked medium. Sides were very meh. Appetizers too. Overall very disappointing experience. Wanted to love it.

View of bar

Octopus

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Fantasmic steak tartare

Sforno Trattoria Romana

3.6(433 reviews)

Locally owned & operated

Outdoor seating

Forgot to take pics, whoops…read more Server was super friendly and helpful with recommendations. Extensive menu and wine menu! Ambiance was unique and very Italy but kinda corny. Didn't detract from the experience! Gnocchi was the winner in our books - as was the arancini appetizer. The marinara sauce was great with the arancini and the chicken parm, but the chicken parm itself was underwhelming, though I appreciated it not being super breaded. The penne pappalina was tasty but didn't wow us, but loved the gluten free option (slightly overcooked which was a bummer for the $5 up charge) Overall, the pasta sauces are clearly made in house and are the stars of the show. The homemade 5 cheese sauce and marinara were our favorites, but the Alfredo was right behind.

Sforno is truly some of the best Italian food I've ever had--outside of Italy itself! Every pasta…read moredish we tried was flavorful, hearty, and absolutely delicious. The Tortelloni, Bolognese, and Lasagna are my favorite dishes. We couldn't get enough of the fresh bread with garlic, pesto, and olive oil and asked for a second basket. Our server, Payton, was fantastic--friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly a hard worker who added to the overall experience. 10/10 experience. Can't wait to come back!

$12 for HH

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Vinca on Pearl

4.1(13 reviews)

1.7 mi

I had high hopes after researching this place online and on Yelp for both of their locations, with…read morepictures. Very little of what we were served tonight lived up to those expectations. It's was quite sad considering the amount we spent. The portions on all but the delicious fall salad were much smaller than the appeared in pix and descriptions. For starters, the happy hour house wines which were only marginally tasty have an asterisk on their online menu stating that the wine glasses are elegant and oversized. The amount of sips I took in no way added up to the supposed 5oz pour. I have to measure fluids medically and I know well how 5oz swallows. This was about 3.5. We ordered some of happy hour plates that had been advertised on Downtown Boulder as $9 plates. There was only one on the menu. The rest of the tiny number of items were at $11 which is still a good value if offered. There were only 4 offers on starters and one "sweet" but more about the sweet later. We ended up paying full price for the rest of our starters. The first picture I found online of the arancini appeared to be baked with the mushroom risotto grains visible. What showed up on our plate were small arancini balls heavily coated in breadcrumbs and heavily fried. Not unusual and why I rarely order. So nothing special but for the tasty but tiny duck center. The Rösti was also not as pictured or described and covered with crumb or batter darkly fried onion tidbits , not sprinkled with fresh grated parm as in the pictures . We found no lingonberry berries or jam in it either but the potato base was tasty. We ordered the autumn salad and it was great. A good sized bowl of fresh greens with lots of the promised ingredients, but at full price, not happy hour. The happy hour sweet was the pictured and heralded apple strudel paired with a cappuccino . We ordered so my husband could have the cappuccino and we could share the strudel. The cappuccino came immediately and eventually we had to ask for the strudel as the drink was mostly done and cold. Someone brought the tiny bit out on a plate with more whipped cream than strudel with excuse that they did not realize we wanted them together ( they were described as a pairing) and they needed to "bake" the strudel (was it frozen or refrigerated). We each had a bite of the apple filling with a simple cover of pastry, hardly a strudel which involves " layers" of pastry but it clearly was handmade and it tasted nice. My husband ate the cream as I can't. During the visit, the nice server we started with went on break and her substitute was not much interested. The place was nearly empty on a Saturday night at happy hour with a jam packed Pearl St Mall further west. Sadly they are next door to a fading and empty eatery. I doubt they can survive. The turnover in this space has been extremely high. I was hoping for more with such a unique menu for Pearl. If you go, choose wisely, note that some staff are unaware of the advertised time of the happy hour and had to go check before serving us another item. And also know that the billing tablet is preloaded with 23% tip as standard "center" option not the customary 20% or 18% as most other places on Pearl. We are not likely to go back given these issues so plan ahead with the menu and watch the clock. As others have mentioned, the decor and music were fine. No pix of the dessert because I was distracted by then. After overnight reconsideration I am rounding my admittedly 2.5 down rather than up as before. There is so much more value in taste and service elsewhere on Pearl. I have had plenty of good European food and plenty of good service in restaurants in downtown Boulder for decades. This wasn't it. It was telling that only 5 tables occupied on a holiday weekend as we walked past many full places on the way here. I will not return .

Beautiful space, friendly service, delicious food and amazing wine program. All the food was…read moreexcellent; Mushroom & Duck Arancini, Spätzle, Tomato Soup, Scallops over Mushroom Risotto, Duck, and a unique and amazing Gnocchi dessert. The sommelier recommended a beautiful bottle of Murrieta Rioja which was a great pairing. Highly recommend!

European style

Duck

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Il Pastaio

4.4(598 reviews)

1.2 mi

I finally made it here and oh em gee! It is so frikkin good. It's like being transported to Italy…read more Even though I made a reservation and had hoped for a table, party of one, the place was packed on arrival and I got seated at the two person bar. All good. I loved having a view of the bustle of the restaurant and especially all the parties celebrating birthdays. A few employees would gather at the table while delivering dessert and sing happy birthday. A few patrons like me joined them in the serenade. Such a warm, family vibe. A lovely gentleman sat in the open bar stool next to me. Turns out he's a regular and longtime Boulder resident. He gave me some menu tips. Plus it was fun to learn about him and his business. I had the red wine on tap. Delicious and $9. Two favorite qualities in wine. I got the bolognese with linguini. It was beyond fabulous. Insert chef's kiss! I took a small container home because I knew it would make a perfect lunch the next day, and it was. The rolls are divine. Hard, crunchy exterior with softness on the interior. I had one there and brought a second home to enjoy with lunch the next day. I know how to live. I enjoyed a short chat with Mariano, the owner's son who basically grew up there. It reminded me of all my favorite places in Philadelphia where I'm originally from. I had been missing my casual Italian restaurant places but now I've found my new home. Cin Cin! See you soon again.

One of the best Italian restaurants we've been to. The pastas are house-made, the sauces are…read moreconsistently excellent, and there are solid vegetarian options--which we really appreciate. We discovered this place by chance while wandering around Boulder and were lucky enough to walk in that first time. Since then, it's become our go-to spot for celebrating special occasions. The food has never disappointed, and the hospitality is always warm and welcoming. Recommended dishes: Chicken Parm Mushroom Ravioli Vegetarian Lasagna Gnocchi Spicy Aurora Sauce Pesto Cream Sauce Note: The restaurant is closed on weekends, so plan accordingly and make a reservation in advance.

Food Service Cloud

Asparagus ravioli is tomato cream sauce, brocolli with chilli, salad and bread

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Chocolate mousse

Bohemian Biergarten

4.0(452 reviews)

the owners have been keeping this restaurant poppin for 13 years now!! the art and the feel…read more inside is very much like a European pub and the food is AMAZING especially for drinking beer. Softest pretzels and juicy roast chicken - and great beer. It can get crowded, sometimes can take time to get seated. But worth the experience with friends! It's located right on Pearl street so you can talk a walk around and have a boulder experience for the day.

Atmosphere The…read morestylish soft lighting really sets the tone for amazing food and beer. I was pleasantly surprised to see Guinness on the menu as well. Great vibes!

Scenes from the hallway

Chicken Schnitzel and vegetables

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Another angle of the back room

Piece, Love and Chocolate

4.6(280 reviews)

1.8 mi

Always many fun things to try here, always very tasty. This time, I got a strawberry matcha…read morechocolate, which was really good (moist, with cherries inside); I think $12 is a lot for such a small piece. But I hope they continue to make that flavor profile. Ambiance - often busy with people. Service is fine.

Nice chocolate store in a great location. Service was friendly and the ambiance is nice. However,…read moreeven considering the boulder zip code, the prices are a little too elevated. $25 dollars for two single person cakes that shall I say were good but uninspiring. While they tasted like they were freshly made, neither gave me a sense of wow this is amazing, or left me with a desire to go back quickly. Maybe I ordered the wrong things? Not sure, a lot of the items I saw in the yelp reviews weren't available that day.