Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
www.shugas.com
; 702 S Cascade St; dishes $8-9; 11am-midnight; )
If you thought Colorado
Springs couldn't be hip, stroll to Shuga's, a Southern-style cafe with a knack for knockout
espresso drinks and hot cocktails. Cuter than buttons, this little white house is decked out
in paper cranes and red vinyl chairs. There's also patio seating. The food - brie BLT on
rosemary toast, Brazilian coconut shrimp soup - comforts and delights. Don't miss
vintage-movie Saturdays.
Laʻau's
MEXICAN
$
(
www.laaustacoshop.com
; 830 N Tejon St; dishes $6.25-8.25; 11am-9pm; )
Tucked into Spencer
Center, near Colorado College, this creative Hawaiian taco shack offers tasty, fast and
healthy fare in the form of taco, bowl, (massive) burrito or salad. Choose your protein
(shrimp, steak, mahi, chicken or pork), and your salsa and toppings style (Baja, Kona,
Hilo or Maui) and grab some coconut flan for dessert.
Nosh
( 719-635-6674;
www.nosh121.com
; 121 S Tejon St; small plates $9-16; 11am-9pm; )
Everyone's
favorite downtown dining room. Color and art are everywhere you look, from the giant
koi swimming by on the walls to the wide patio with dangling lights and fire pits, and es-
pecially in the kitchen where delicious small plates are created. Think chili-glazed bur-
gers, crispy Korean wings and all manner of roasted veggies.
MODERN AMERICAN
$$
Blue Star
( 719-632-1086;
www.thebluestar.net
; 1645 S Tejon St; mains $21-35; from 3pm; )
One of Color-
ado Springs' most popular gourmet eateries, the Blue Star is in the gentrifying Ivywild
neighborhood just south of downtown. The menu at this landmark spot changes regularly,
but always involves fresh fish, top-cut steak and inventive chicken dishes, flavored with
Mediterranean and Pacific Rim rubs and spices.
The colorful bar area, with metal and sleek wood decor and booth or high-top tables , is
more social than the open-kitchen dining room in the back. There's occasional live jazz
here, and the menu is slightly less expensive. Blue Star also has an impressive 8500-bottle
wine cellar that includes organic varietals.
MODERN AMERICAN
$$$
