Great Plates of Downtown™ is back, and if you’ve never experienced this Fort Collins dining tradition, here’s what you need to know: for two weeks every March, more than 40 local restaurants serve up special menus at unbeatable prices while raising money for the Food Bank for Larimer County.
What Is Great Plates of Downtown™?
Great Plates of Downtown™ is an award-winning dining promotion that’s become a Fort Collins institution. From March 1 to 14, dozens of restaurants across downtown offer limited-time breakfast, lunch, dinner and all-day specials priced at $15 and under, $25, $35 and $45.
But here’s the thing that makes it matter: every meal supports the Food Bank for Larimer County. You eat well, spend less and give back to the community all at once.
It’s the kind of event that reminds you why Fort Collins is the kind of place people never want to leave.
What’s on Our Great Plates Menu
We’re keeping it simple this year with four dishes, all crowd favorites.
Pick any two for $25 starting at 5pm March 1 – 14 (valid for dine-in only):
The Pub Burger Our 7 oz brisket-chuck blend Angus beef patty, charbroiled and served on a challah bun with your choice of American, cheddar, Swiss, Havarti dill, mozzarella, bleu cheese or pepper jack. It’s the burger that put us on the map, and it’s the one locals keep coming back for.
The Schnitzel Crispy pork schnitzel over mashed potatoes with bacon beer sauerkraut and lemon butter cream sauce. If you’ve never tried our schnitzel, Great Plates of Downtown is your excuse. Old World technique meets Old Town flavor.
Fish & Chips Beer-battered cod and beer-battered fries with tartar sauce. We’re a brewpub, so when we say beer-battered, we mean it. This one’s straightforward, satisfying and exactly what you want when you want fish and chips done right.
Cottage Pie Ground beef marinated in our Horsetooth Stout with carrots, onions and celery, layered with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, beef gravy, parmesan and green onions in a flaky pie crust. Served with house-made apple sauce. It’s comfort food in pie form, and it’s one of those dishes people don’t expect to love as much as they do.
Why Great Plates of Downtown™ Matters
Great Plates of Downtown™ is an incredible dining promotions, but it also serves a much greater purpose benefitting one of our most importatn county non-profit organizations.
The Food Bank for Larimer County serves more than 50,000 people across Northern Colorado each year. They distribute millions of pounds of food annually to neighbors facing food insecurity, from working families struggling with rising costs to seniors on fixed incomes to kids who depend on school meal programs.
Great Plates of Downtown helps fund that work while giving you a reason to explore downtown restaurants you might not have tried otherwise.
It’s a win for diners, a win for local businesses and a win for the community. That’s why it keeps coming back year after year.
We’ll See You March 1-14
Great Plates of Downtown™ runs from Saturday, March 1, through Friday, March 14. We’re located at 5 Old Town Square, right in the heart of downtown Fort Collins.
Whether you’re a CooperSmith’s regular or you’ve been meaning to stop by, now’s the time. Great food, great cause, great price.