The band Phish will take to Folsom Field for the first time on July 3-5 after years of “Phish Dick’s,” epic three-night stands at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.
True Phishheads know this July 4 weekend is really a homecoming, since the band’s first big Boulder gig was playing Balch Fieldhouse next to the stadium in 1993.
The thousands of fans from across the nation who will turn Boulder tie-dyed may be searching for places to eat, sip and jam. For this kind convergence, we have created a guide to some of Boulder’s cooler taste destinations inspired by the many food and drink references tucked inside Phish song lyrics.
The Coffee Cycle
“So have a cup of coffee and catch your breath” – “Fee”
“Gonna take my bike out, gonna take my bike, gonna ride it slowly” – “Let Me Lie”
The Coffee Ride
2516 49th St., Boulder
Start your day off on the right bike path to one of Boulder’s only bike-up coffee windows, The Coffee Ride. The local roastery sources ethically grown beans and delivers the roasted beans by bike to Boulder homes and businesses. Coffee drinks and beans are available to go.
Eat with your hands
“When we go out to eat, what do I do?” – “You Enjoy Myself”
Ras Kassa’s Ethiopian Restaurant
802 S. Public Road, Lafayette
Forget the forks: Chill with a hands-on communal meal at the iconic Ras Kassa’s, off the beaten track in Lafayette. Heartwarming meals at this longtime bastion of Ethiopian cuisine involve grabbing bites of various stews, vegetables and salads using only pieces of spongy injera flatbread.
Getting serious about tacos
“Could you pass me a taco?” – “Mull”
Tierra y Fuego Taqueria
4550 Broadway, Boulder
The Boulder area definitely doesn’t lack for sources of good tacos on Tuesdays and every other day of the week. Tucked away in far North Boulder, Tierra y Fuego dishes authentic Mexican street tacos in the full rainbow of flavors. Stuffings include chicken adobo with mango habanero salsa, brisket with avocado salsa and grilled shrimp topped with jalapeño cilantro crema. Our secret favorite, rajas con crema, is lots of roasted poblano chilies with crema.
Simple pleasures: spaghetti and meatballs
“It’s Cadillac rainbows and lots of spaghetti / and I love meatballs so you better get ready.” – “Halley’s Comet”
Gondolier Italian Eatery
4800 Baseline Road, Boulder and 1217 Main St., Longmont
The Gondolier is the kind of red-sauce Italian-American eatery beloved in every college town. Big plates of house-made, thick-cut spaghetti with spicy marinara and meatballs have kept this family eatery cooking since it opened in 1960.
You can also get your meatballs tucked inside a hot sub with marinara and provolone … and a side of spaghetti.
Plant-based, big tastes
“Herbivores ate well ‘cause their food didn’t never run.” – “My Sweet One”
Lotus Moon
2770 Pearl St. Suite A, Boulder
It was love at first slurp when we sampled the pho at Lotus Moon, a family-owned Vietnamese plant-based restaurant. The surprisingly rich broth is filled with noodles, tender vegetables and shitake mushrooms. Big bowls are topped with five spice “beef” or fried tofu and sided with the classic herbs, chilies and lime as a garnish. Lotus Moon’s vegan banh mi sandwich is a big mouthful of flavor and crunch.
New Zealand-American pie
“Bake that pie and eat it with me.” – “Roses are Free”
Tip Top Savory Pies
105 N. Public Road, Lafayette
Another Lafayette roadside attraction worth finding is a tiny shop run by a native New Zealander who fills flaky butter pastry with first-class savory (and some sweet) fillings. The pie meals range from the popular ground beef and gravy and steak with cheddar to the killer tikka cauliflower with peppers, onions, garbanzos and curry.
Don’t miss the Palisade peach pies!
Milkshakes cold and long
“I think I saw you in an ice-cream parlor, drinking milkshakes cold and long.” – “Five Years”
Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop
1203 Pearl St., Boulder
Smack dab in the middle of the Pearl Street Mall is a shrine many Phishheads know well. This landmark Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop famously whips up tall milk shakes and scoops Phish Food, that dreamy fusion of chocolate ice cream, marshmallow and caramel swirls, and fudge fish.
Ben & Jerry’s is literally a cones-throw away from Boulder’s Haagen-Dazs shop, 1148 Pearl St.
Another cooling option is toppings heaven: Ripple Pure Frozen Yogurt, 1682 30th St. The shop is named after a favorite Grateful Dead tune.
Immersed in chocolate
“Got nothing to eat but this half-melted Snickers.” – “My Problem Right There”
Piece, Love & Chocolate Company
805 Pearl St., Boulder
“Immersive” is the description du jour for entertainment experiences ranging from Meow Wolf to Casa Bonita. We’ll take this Boulder West End shop where you walk into a cloud of cacao goodness wafting from all the chocolate bars, drinks, pastries and cakes. Front and center is a counter full of truffles — dark, milk and white chocolate-encased sweet fillings.
For maximum buzz, get a cup of silky sipping chocolate and a dark chocolate truffle.
Our Best Corn Liquor
“Now I drank the last pull from my best corn liquor.” – “My Problem Right There”
Boulder Spirits Distillery Tasting Rooms
5311 Western Ave. and 428 Pearl St., Boulder
Phishheads from certain Southern states might be horrified at the suggestion, but the truth is that some of the best bourbon in the world is made in Boulder. Head to the Boulder Spirits tasting rooms to sample the winner of the 2025 World Whiskies Award for World’s Best Small Batch Bourbon. Boulder Spirits’ bourbon is made with 51% corn, 44% malted barley and 5% rye.
Oxygen
“Don’t deplete my oxygen for the guy who’s turning blue.” – “Dog Face Boy”
Tonic Alchemy Lounge
2011 10th St. Boulder
Everybody gets a canula to stick in their nostrils at this quintessential high-altitude retreat. Tonic offers oxygen experiences with various infusions. For instance, mind-clearing Clarity is essential oil of basil, cardamom, rosemary, peppermint, ylang ylang and jasmine.
Guests can also sip on chocolate elixir, a yogini martini, organic fruit kefir or nigori sake. Before the second night at Folsom, some may need a Gecko Rockclimber tincture powered by red ginseng, astragalus, deer antler tips, rehmannia and licorice.
Needless to say, the soundtrack is ambient.
More Boulder eateries and bars?
To find more great local places to eat and drink, check out the winners of the Boulder Weekly’s reader-voted 2025 Best of Boulder awards.
John Lehndorff has written about food and music in Colorado since the late 1970s. Comments: nibbles
@boulderweekly.com