Click here to read the Best of Boulder 2020 digital edition.
Welcome to the 24th annual Best of Boulder™ publication — arguably our oddest one yet.
Every year, Boulder Weekly invites readers to vote for all their favorite restaurants, bars, gyms, schools and all the other businesses that make living here so great. You see, all year long we tell you what to see, what to do, what to eat and drink in our weekly print editions. Best of Boulder is your chance to tell us what you think makes Boulder County the place to be. What follows are the top vote-getters, a resource for what to do and how to do it all year long. But this year was different, wasn’t it?
We like to joke around the office about how life was in “the before times” — you know what we mean. And, like a lot of humor, there’s more than a kernel of truth to it. As you flip through these pages, please note that these winners represent the before times. As we went to press in June 2020, a few businesses closed up shop for good, while others had pivoted their business model to suit the needs of the present.
Putting this year’s Best of Boulder results together was bittersweet. While it reminded us of what we love about this county, it also reminded us of what we were missing on a daily basis: Walking across the street for a cup of coffee whenever we feel like it. Deciding on what to get for dinner tonight — and then showing up, realizing that that’s not what we’re in the mood for, calling an audible and going across the street for a taco.
We miss going to concerts — hell, we even miss sitting next to a sweaty stranger at a show. Well, maybe just a stranger, those sweaty people need to clean up their act. We miss seeing movies in the theater, buying books in a bookstore, perusing the racks at second-hand shops, grabbing a waffle cone with two scoops at 2:15 p.m. (because it’s been one of those days), starting happy hour at one brewery then moving to another because the view’s better.
But there’s plenty of reason for optimism. As we send this edition of Best of Boulder out into the community, we’re seeing businesses adapt to the rapidly changing times. We’re seeing the good folks in our community help those in need. And over the course of 2020, many of the businesses in this issue will be operating just as they were in “the before times” — maybe now we’ll all just appreciate them more.
So, as always, use this as a resource the next time you’re in the mood for pho or need a tire change or want to set up a bank account, but be sure to check with the businesses themselves to see their hours of operation and find out any requirements to access their offerings. And please — please — do get out there, in whatever capacity you feel safe, and support the businesses that make this county tick.
Congrats to the winners and thanks to the readers. We’ll see you out there.
Now, on to the awards!
Best of Boulder 2020 — Food
Best of Boulder 2020 — Drink
Best of Boulder 2020 — Entertainment & Culture
Best of Boulder 2020 — Fitness & Health
Best of Boulder 2020 — Retail
Click here to read the Best of Boulder 2020 digital edition.
