Where To Go for A Cup O' Joe or An Ale

Whether you’re looking for an ice-cold one or a warm and toasty pick-me-up, Telluride is complete in watering holes and cafes to assuage any refreshment craving. And they’re not hard to find. Walk east to west, or west to east, down Colorado Avenue and the street-side cafes and bars beckon people watching while beverage sipping under a pristine alpine backdrop. Take a trip to Mountain Village and a different assortment of cafes and watering holes ring Heritage and Sunset plazas offering high mountain views from a bench in the sun, or a sunset happy hour.TellurideBegin the beverage tour at the entrance to Telluride, on its west side. Just beyond the historical San Miguel County Courthouse building is the equally vintage New Sheridan Bar (231 W. Colorado, 728-3911), and if it’s happy hour you’re looking for, the Sheridan opens its doors at 3 p.m. for a real historical Telluride pub experience. The Sheridan first opened its doors in 1895 and has since remained a locals’ favorite for fireplace sitting or bellying up to the vintage mahogany bar.Across the street Between the Covers Bookstore (224 W. Colorado, 728-4504)—another locals’ favorite—serves café drinks in one of the quaintest stops in town. Browse at books while sipping a cappuccino or open your ears to the latest local news—Between the Covers is a social haunt. Check out the back deck seating for classic alleyway views leading to the unspoiled Ajax Mountain.Across the street is a rivaling coffee shop just as popular and unique as the bookstore. Tomboy Coffee Roasters (221 W. Colorado, 369-1476) offers main street window-seat views and a funky character all of its own. A longtime favorite, Tomboy roasts its coffee on site and provides Internet service, rare and quirky magazine and book reads, plus an assortment of local art. The Bubble Lounge (200 W. Colorado, 728-4749) sits aptly just off main street and serves up a list of handcrafted cocktail specials, as well as off-the-beaten-path bands. Organic wines and champagne are a treat at Bubble.Just down the stairs from the Side Street, is Telluride’s only Irish bar and one of the town’s oldest watering holes, O’Bannon’s Irish Pub (121 S. Fir, 728-6139). Packed with a pool table, foosball table and video games, if you’re not in the mood for window gazing (the windows sit at street level), play a game while sipping a Guinness. O’Bannon’s is unique, partially underground, and a longtime locals’ pub stop. If only its walls could talk, The Last Dollar Saloon (100 E. Colorado, 728-4800) is another classic watering hole and meeting place. Take a seat at the fire, put some coins in the jukebox and take in The Last Dollar’s memorabilia, left behind and donated to bar walls. The Last Dollar is a mainstay of Telluride’s watering holes and deservedly so; it’s kept its old rustic character amidst Telluride’s posh transitions. Another underground bar haunt, Fly Me to the Moon Saloon (136 E. Colorado, 728-6666) has hosted bands of all genres and all levels of stardom, from local players to up and coming big names. Rock walls and dim lights make for a nocturnal experience at the Moon. With near nightly shows, the Moon makes for a popular late night stop for a cold beer. Mountain VillageTake a 15-minute scenic gondola ride to Mountain Village for a cup o’ Joe or libation. Linked brick plazas set Mountain Village apart from its sister town of Telluride, and its location lends Mountain Village a range of different and ringed mountain views.Mountain Village’s coffee house mainstay, Telluride Coffee Company (Heritage Plaza, 369-4400) offers its own Colorado-roasted beans. Situated in the plaza corner, Telluride Coffee Company is a good spot to people watch. They also have a coffee kiosk at the Market at Mountain Village. Tracks Café & Bar (Heritage Plaza, 728-0677) was aptly named for the ski tracks that lead to it. Located in Heritage Plaza at the base of Lift 4, Tracks is open winter and summer for all adventurers’ tracks that may lead to it. Grab a seat on the open deck situated on the outskirts of the plaza center or have a seat at the bar. Visitors have donated memorabilia to Tracks’ walls from adventure to travel photos—whichever way its visitors have made tracks of their own.Poacher’s Pub (Sunset Plaza, 728-9647) collects memorabilia too, and it’s all founded on skiing and the Telluride Ski Resort’s history. Old skis to ski area signs don the wooden walls, and high bar stools and tables mark the pub’s corners. Play a game of pool or grab a seat outside, it’s a worthy stop for a cold frothy one. By Kara Tatone