10 Great Places to Wet Your Whistle in the Pikes Peak Region

10 Great Places to Wet Your Whistle in the Pikes Peak Region

Do you love a perfectly crafted cocktail or the finely tuned suds of a perfectly brewed craft beer? You’ve come to the right city. Colorado Springs bars really know how to share the love when it comes to grains, suds and spirits. Our city is home to bars of all types, from upscale venues with broody atmospheres to rowdy dancehalls to hometown hideaways where nobody knows your names. We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite watering holes in the Pikes Peak region so you’ll always have an idea the next time your buddies ask, “What’s the plan?”

Fine Wine 

Manitou Winery

934 Manitou Ave. STE 108, Manitou Springs, CO 80829

You can get wine in any bar, but drinking wine in a bar designed for wine drinkers is truly an awesome experience. Just like going to a craft brewery, there’s something really cool about showing up to a bar and know that their entire selection of drinks is dedicated to the only one you really care about. Manitou Winery is your westside home for fine wines, with just about every type you could want, with selections that are close to home and from much, much further away. If you want the perfect profile poured in the perfect glass, you really can’t beat visiting a place where people have made wine their life’s work. 

Eclectic Options

Coati Uprise

514 S. Tejon St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Coati is one rad place for hand-crafted cocktails with multiple bars for finding your favorite. Even better, Coati comes with one heck of a menu — it’s a brilliant food hall. What’s a food hall? Remember the days of the mall food court where all foods were possible? Well, take that and replace fast food with concepts from some of the top chef’s in Colorado Springs. Snap up some soul food, some Korean fusion or head upstairs the Ephemera for cocktails and a dynamic tasting menu. 

Libations and Live Music

Lulu’s

107 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, CO 80829

Lulu’s is a live music Promised Land with a ever-changing line-up of rock, hip hop, folk rock, country, reggae and guest DJs that hit the stage each week. They have an Asian fusion menu for eats. Join their Facebook page for the latest updates on live music. Is there a big holiday coming up? Or maybe one of the signature events that make Manitou Springs (home of Lulu’s) so fun? Lulu’s is always the place to be if you want to party down or live it up. 

Handcrafted Cocktails and High-end Atmosphere

Shame & Regret

15 E Bijou St., Suite C, Colorado Springs, CO 80903

This snug alley bar has a menu of cocktail concoctions that will make the liquor connoisseur in your life sip for joy. Their libations range from the herbaceous and adventurous, to chill and traditional. They even have a little quad of non-alcoholic mocktails for your beloved friends who prefer their nights out sans spirits. 

Lumen 8

402 S Tejon St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Located in the rising star that is the revitalized Southern Tejon corridor, Lumen 8 is a sophisticated bar and restaurant with a crisp white decor and a trendy rooftop area for socializing — and sipping. The cocktail menu features lots of refreshing spirits crafted in unique ways. If you decided to dine, their entrees are creative and fun, but there are still a few familiar favorites for those who like their upscale bars with a hefty serving of red meat. 

Laid-back Brews 

Thunder and Buttons

2415 W Colorado Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80904

Big, hearty portions, cheap beer specials and nightly entertainment make Thunder and Buttons one of the best hometown pubs in Old Colorado City. The atmosphere is laid back and friendly, just as a small-town bar should be, and the staff makes you feel right at home. You really can’t go wrong with their food menu (although they have a wing sauce that should come with a Surgeon General’s Warning), as it has an excellent range of meals, plus elevated bar favorites that might literally blow your socks off (seriously though, trust us on the hot sauce). 

Mother Muff’s

2432 W. Colorado Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80904

Mother Muff’s is your home away from home for all things pub entertainment. Live music, karaoke and pub quiz nights abound alongside a huge menu of affordable cocktails, shots and beers. The restaurant has hefty portions of tasty food that will provide an ample cushion to soak up their daily drink specials. This bar is a longtime favorite watering hole for locals and offers a friendly, upbeat atmosphere for a ladies’ night, catching the latest sports ball tournaments or meeting that iffy Tinder date.

Local Craft Beer

Manitou Brewing Company

725 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, CO 80829

The courtyard and interior of this popularly Manitou Springs-based brewery are always packed with an equal mix of seasoned locals and new visitors. Manitou Brewery brews its own beer and offers IPAs, stouts, sours and much more to its fans. They also provide a broad menu of other Colorado beers. Pair your beer with a heaping pile of truffle fries, or nom down one of their beefy burgers accompanied by a plate of tacos or wings. 

OCC Brewing

2316 W. Colorado Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80904

OCC Brewery has a delightful collection of house-brewed and local beers on tap daily. In the summer, the brewery’s roll tops are opened sky-high to give thirsty customers lots of room to sip up their signature suds. They have a nice menu for hunger drinkers. We recommend the bahn mi and never skip on the fries. The menu changes over time and we highly suggest you make it a point to drop in for their summer brews. There’s always something that will keep you at the counter long after you said you were gonna call that Uber.

Dog-friendly Drinking

Cerberus Brewing Company

702 W. Colorado Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80905

Colorado Springs is one dog-friendly town and nowhere is that more evident than Cerberus Brewing located between OCC and downtown Colorado Springs. Their enormous courtyard welcomes well-behaved pups of all breeds and the owners are also always allowed to come, too. Cerberus has a great list of longtime brews with zesty IPAs and hearty stouts, plus seasonal selections. On Fridays in the summer you can enjoy beer slushies in fruity flavors. They have puppy patties for all the best doggos and always offer up fresh water. We haven’t even got to the human menu, which is so good they probably don’t even need a brewery. They could survive on those crunchy potato wedges and aioli all on their own. Get the best of all three with their weekend brunch, a beer slush and the presence of your bestest friend. 

Love what you see so far? The Pikes Peak region is a proud home to so many cocktail craftsmen and brew masters. If you’re feeling inspired to visit for a weekend of good vibes and tasty brews, check out our brewery tour itinerary. We’re fairly certain you could find a new bar every day if you put your mind (and your liver) to the task. Don’t forget to tip your servers!