Best Outdoor Happy Hours in Northern Colorado

Happy hour just hits different outside. A real patio, a drink worth lingering over, and an afternoon that stretches because nobody wants to head back in. From tree-shaded beer gardens to sunny sidewalk tables, these are the Northern Colorado spots built for settling in outdoors, region-wide.

Best for…

Best Beer Garden

Stodgy Brewing Company Fort Collins

FoCo's consensus best patio: a tree-shaded beer garden off Laporte built for settling in all afternoon, food trucks and a dog at your feet.

Best Margarita Patio

Rio Grande Fort Collins

Get the Big Tex on the back patio by the fountain, the margarita patio Fort Collins keeps naming first.

Best Rooftop

Sugar Salt Sand Fort Collins

A trendy rooftop that makes a drink feel like a small vacation, the upscale outdoor option Old Town was missing.

Best Backyard

Avogadro's Number Fort Collins

Casual backyard, pitchers of beer, and big shade trees, the laid-back patio FoCo defaults to.

Best Hidden Gem

Mas Fuegos Fort Collins

Tucked off Harmony with a fountain that changes the whole vibe, the patio most people don't know about yet.

A.K.A. Kitchen

Loveland

Date Night, Brunch, Cocktails, Craft Beer, Patio Drinks, Value

A downtown patio in summer, fireplace seating when it turns cold.

Bistro Nautile

Fort Collins

Date Night, Casual Dinner, Cocktails, Patio Drinks, Upscale

Bistro Nautile feels like the kind of place you end up staying longer than you planned because another glass of wine and oysters suddenly sounds like a great idea.

Breckenridge Brewery

Fort Collins

Craft Beer, Patio Drinks

A big fire-pit patio, half bike-trail crowd, half families with flights.

Busaba Erie

Erie

Date Night, Casual Dinner, Cocktails, Patio Drinks

A patio over open grassland toward the mountains, maybe the best outdoor seat in Erie.

Cafe Vino

Fort Collins

Date Night, Casual Dinner, Patio Drinks, Value

A fire-pit patio you settle into for hours, the whole reason people go slow here.

Cafe at Ginger & Baker

Fort Collins

Patio Drinks, Groups & Family, Dog-Friendly

A relaxed River District patio with farmhouse-comfort energy outdoors.

Colorado Room

Fort Collins

Patio Drinks, Live Music, Value, Dog-Friendly, Local Favorite

The back patio is the whole move, bikes outside and dogs under the tables.

Crabtree Brewing

Greeley

Craft Beer, Patio Drinks, Trivia Night, Dog-Friendly, Local Favorite

A playful patio with ZEN gardens, giant games, and a relaxed community feel that encourages lingering.

Crown Pub

Fort Collins

Patio Drinks, Live Music, Late Night

Crown Pub has that old-school British pub feel that’s getting harder to find anymore.

Deppen Brewing

Wellington

Cocktails, Craft Beer, Patio Drinks, Value, Dog-Friendly, Local Favorite

A dog-friendly patio with fire pits, built for lingering over a food-truck dinner.

Elliott's Martini Bar

Fort Collins

Date Night, Patio Drinks, Late Night

A small seasonal outdoor spot, but the booths inside are the point.

High Brau Taphouse

Greeley

Casual Dinner, Craft Beer, Patio Drinks, Late Night, Dog-Friendly, Local Favorite

A hidden back patio, quieter than the tap list suggests.

High Point Bar

Fort Collins

Patio Drinks, Late Night, Dive Bar, Value, Local Favorite

A casual sidewalk patio directly connected to the flow of downtown foot traffic.

Lazy Dog Bar & Grill

Johnstown

Brunch, Casual Dinner, Patio Drinks, Game Day, Value, Groups & Family

A dog-friendly patio where strangers end up talking over their pets.