The following local guide of recommendations was compiled by the CU High-Energy Theory grad students.

Bars:

The World Famous Dark Horse (2922 Baseline Rd) - A Boulder landmark. Activities (karaoke, trivia, tricycle races, bingo, live music etc...) many evenings. Full bar and good burgers. A favorite of TASI attendees in years past.  Conveniently close to TASI housing. “Starving student” deal for a burger and a beer (untested for non-CU IDs).

Backcountry Pizza and Tap House (2319 Arapahoe Ave.) - Maybe the most extensive list of beers on tap in Boulder. Great pizza too. Easy walk from Duane.  Regular trivia nights on Wednesdays, starting at 7 PM.

Rayback Collective (2775 Valmont Rd) - Indoor/outdoor beer garden/food truck park in north central Boulder.  Spacious, lots of lawn games to play.

Sanitas Brewing Company (3550 Frontier Ave) - Local brewery with big outdoor area. Taco stand courtesy of McDermott Taco Supply.

Mountain Sun (1535 Pearl St) / Southern Sun (627 South Broadway) - Local microchain of Boulder brew-pubs. Homestyle food. Free tasters.

The Sink (1165 13th St) - Some of the best burgers in Boulder. Also a good bar. Interior is covered in murals, cool atmosphere.

West End Tavern (926 Pearl St) - Extensive whiskey and bourbon menu. Also good for mixed drinks.  Best BBQ you can walk to.

Boulder Social (1600 38th St) - Wide variety of food & beer options.

Food:

Rincon Argentino (2525 Arapahoe Ave) - Argentinian-style empanadas and mate. Convenient walk from Duane.

Half-fast Subs (1215 13th St.) - Hot and cold sandwiches and good drink specials.

Thai Avenue (1310 College Ave) - Delicious Thai options and large servings; a favorite among graduate students.

Sherpa's (825 Walnut St.) - Authentic Nepalese, Indian, and Tibetan food. Great lunch specials. Good chai.

Lucille's Creole Cafe (2124 14th Street) - Great New Orleans/creole breakfast and brunch.  Great beignets. Try to eat here at least once.

The Boulder Dushanbe Tea House (1770 13th St) - A beautifully decorated tea house with an interesting history. A great place to dine outdoors on a nice day, with hundreds of tea types and really good food.

Under the Sun (627 South Broadway) - Wood-fired pizza place located beneath The Southern Sun. Excellent brunch.

Moe’s BBQ (675 30th) - Best BBQ in Boulder, in contradiction to the West End Tavern description. Good happy hour specials e.g. $12 for 6 wings + 2 beers. Conveniently close to TASI housing.

Curry and Kebob (3050 28th St) - Good Indian food, very good korma curry (varies a bit day-to-day, unfortunately) and samosas

Kalita Grill Greek Cafe (2426 Arapahoe Ave) - Good Greek food

Le French Cafe (2525 Arapahoe Ave C-1) - Amazing croissants and crepes (a bit pricey, but well worth it); owned by a kind husband-wife team native to France

Twisted Pine (3201 Walnut St., Ste A) - Great pizza and beers (all craft and pretty unique)

Dragonfly Noodle (2014 10th St) - Used to go by "Chimera", really good Ramen

Audrey Jane's Pizza Garage (2675 13th St) - Pretty good pizza, featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Avanti Food and Beverage (1401 Pearl St) - Really unique "food court" with full service bar & tons of food options.  Fairly food-allergy friendly; see their website for a PDF of gluten-free options.

Moe's Broadway Bagels (3075 Arapahoe Ave + 2 other locations) - Good bagel restaurants, even if you've tasted the joy of a genuine New York bagel.

Coffee (on-campus):

Pekoe Siphouse (Atlas Building) - Traditional venue of daily theory coffee.  Coincidentally, nearest coffee shop to Gamow Tower.  Also has fancy boba tea, etc.

The Laughing Goat (Norlin Library) - Slightly further away than Pekoe, but some say their coffee is better.  Good pastries from local bakeries.

Coffee (off-campus):

Ozo Coffee Co. (1015 Pearl St.) - Popular shop on Pearl, and although often crowded, always good coffee.

The Laughing Goat (1709 Pearl St.) - Large coffee shop on Pearl with good drinks and live (but quiet) music on weekend nights.

Trident Booksellers and Cafe (940 Pearl St.) - Quiet, studious atmosphere, attached to a cozy book store. 

Brewing Market Coffee (2610 Baseline Rd.) - Good all-around shop with a mountain view just south of campus.

January Coffee (1886 30th St., Suite B) - Very new, pretty standard Boulder coffee

Vic's Again (3305 30th St.) - Pretty good if you aren't a huge fan of fairly sweet coffee

Flatiron Coffee (2721 Arapahoe Ave) - LGBTIQA+ friendly coffee shop close to campus.  Fantastic coffee, especially their themed coffees (their last theme was Jaws.)

Outdoor equipment:

CU Rec Center (https://www.colorado.edu/recreation/outdoor-pursuits/outdoor-equipment-rentals) - Rental options for a variety of outdoors equipment including camping, climbing, and water sports.  This is the closest option to the physics building, but it can be tricky to get access to the rental desk.  Talk to one of the local students for help getting access.

REI (1789 28th St) - They probably have the largest variety of rental options in town, but are a bit farther from campus.

McGuckin Hardware (2525 Arapahoe Ave) - This is the most convenient option if you just want to get an inner tube to float down Boulder Creek with (purchase only).

The Spot (3240 Prairie Ave) - This is a climbing gym near campus and is a convenient option if you just want to rent crash pads (they don't rent shoes, ropes, or anything else.).

Boulder Sports Recycler (4949 Broadway) - This is a used outdoor equipment consignment shop in North Boulder.  While they don't do rentals, they offer a wide variety of very cheap outdoor gear and apparel.