Restaurant Renaissance Downtown
If downtown Steamboat Springs seems like a scene out of a Christmas special this winter, it owes itself to a recent restaurant renaissance making it more vibrant than ever. “It’s truly amazing what it’s become,” says Mainstreet Steamboat Springs director Tracy Barnett. “All the hard work is paying off.”
Highlighting the improvements is Yampa Street, a restaurant- and bar-filled pedestrian zone that would make any mountain town green with envy. No fewer than 10 dining establishments and bars now line Yampa Street, many offering riverside dining and drinking. All are close enough to walk between, meaning you can bar- and restaurant-hop all night long.
The revitalization owes itself to the city’s efforts to improve the area, including the addition of new exterior street lighting that makes falling snowflakes glisten, as well as a slew of new restaurants taking advantage of the pedestrian-friendly region. More than15 new or changed eateries join an already strong and established line-up of restaurants along the corridor.
On Yampa Street, diners are delighting in the addition of the LaRoche family’s E3 Chophouse, Sake2U and Aurum along the river; a new location for gelato, pizza and panini maker Ciao Gelato; the continued success of Carl’s Tavern, as well as its owners’ opening of Mediterranean Street Food eatery Eureka next door; the fresh, wholesome food of Sweet Pea Cafe; and burgers to go at the new Back Door Grill. Elsewhere downtown off Yampa Street, a smattering of additional new restaurants are also making the area more popular than ever. Lincoln Avenue welcomes Steamboat’s newest Mexican restaurant, Vaqueros; as well as the addition of The Barley bar in Old Town Square, smoothie, juice and panini specialist ROOTZ, and the Red Bowl World Curry Haus on the west end of town. Downtown now also harbors the new Karma Wine Bar & Lounge, the authentic southern fare of Low Country Kitchen, and Schmiggity’s, Steamboat’s newest dance club where you burn all those calories away to live music. “The entire downtown area has transformed into a true restaurant and bar Mecca,” adds Barnett. “It’s great to see what it’s become and is a must-visit for any visitor.”
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