If you're visiting Boulder, you must eat at the Sink. We dine here with our children and find the menu has something for everyone! I do love their burgers and appreciate that they offer a turkey burger when I'm craving an alternative to beef. They have a great bar selection and offer plenty of local brews.
The inside is unique, be sure to bring a sharpie and leave your mark!
The history of this place is terrific, and the hamburger I had was absolutely fantastic. What really makes this place great though is the atmosphere. The abstract paintings on the walls make for a different but pleasant feel and the different types of college students that pack in make for one of the most unique restaurant experiences in Boulder. A variety of affordable alcohol didn't hurt either.
Review Source:I'm going to call this a 3 1/2, but I just can't justify the 4 I was hoping to be able to give it.
I think the experience and history of this place will always be here and make it worth the visit. The food is way better than it was the last time I was here (quite a few years ago.) But it missed what I was hoping for. It can be a mob scene here, but this was mid week on Spring Break so we got good seats right away.
I had the classic Rueben, all the tastes were perfect and fresh, but the meat was so tough in spots. It should have been better trimmed before slicing and sliced so much thinner. The pickle garnish, on the other hand, was sliced so much thinner than is traditional and was really tasty and tender. The fries were a bit over the hill, not bad in any way, just sitting a little too long before serving. With so many to serve, I suspect frying to order, like their better counterparts, isn't an option. Too bad.
My husband had the steak sandwich, though he had ordered the steak salad. He's not one to send something back under these conditions, and it turned out, it was still a very good choice. He said the steak was really tender, and cooked just right. The whole plate just looked really good to me (though he had the same fries.) Maybe he would have preferred the salad but he can try that next time.
The dessert was a real treat. We shared (and still could not finish) the deep dish cookie sundae. The cookie dough was piping hot (be careful not to get burned, they bring it right from the pizza oven) with lots of chocolate chips (including white and milk for variety) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. The edge was buttery and crispy and the center, molten. It could serve 3-4 "average" people, but I guess they are probably used to bigger appetites with college kids.
I was stuck in Boulder for a few hours between appointments and ended up at the SInk by accident. Â I have to say that the food was amazing! It was noon on a Friday and took a little long for the food to come but it was well worth the wait!!
PS I think they may just have the hottest bartender I have seen since moving to Colorado!!! YummY!
I haven't been in Boulder long, but this place seems like a boulder institution. Â Good burgers and fries at this place, and the hand painted artwork on the walls is nice enough to look at while you munch. Â Cool old photos from what looks like the 80's/90's all over the place. Â Decent food and a good vibe, I like it!
Review Source:I have been to The Sink probably 4 times now, but I never once had any of their food until last night.
So here's the thing, The Sink is famous. President Obama went there, Guy Fieri went there, and Robert Redford used to work there. There's all sorts of crazy art on the walls that makes the place atmospheric. Whenever I walk into the Sink I kind of forget I'm on the Hill and I'm just at The Sink.
Anyway, to the food. There is an option to build your own Sinkburger. The base price is $8.45 which includes a side, which can be Creole Spiced Fries, Cole Slaw, and maybe Fruit, but i forget? I ordered the Texas Jack Straw burger here, which is apparently what Guy Fieri got, which had jalapeños, two kinds of cheese, chipotle mayo, lettuce, onion, pickle, tomato, and french fried onions on it. I ordered a side of Creole Fries. It seemed like a better deal than building it from scratch. They also have the option to get grass-fed beef which is $2.30 more than a regular patty, but I didn't go for this because I was already regretting the order of a $10+ burger. The wait took quite a while, too, but it was a Friday night.
The Sink has their "World Famous Hickory Sauce" which is a pretty good barbecue sauce that I swear I've had at some barbecue place in Tennessee before. I ate my fries with this and they were pretty good. The burger was good. I ordered it medium. It was definitely better than Five Guys, but not as good as Larkburger in terms of the cut of meat. It was a little greasy, but not overly so, and it was a burger, so no complaints. I would probably need to decide whether their Sinkburger by itself was better than Larkburger, but I doubt it would be. Of course, the burger isn't everything; The Sink definitely has the better atmosphere.
Overall, I was satisfied, but thinking about the price of the Burger +%20 tip coming out to $14, I wasn't sure it was worth it. If I had a bit more money and $14 was nothing, I would definitely go again. Probably next time I would just go with a Sinkburger, too, since I did pay a lot more for the toppings.
If I had to recommend a place to go for a burger to someone who was just visiting Boulder and they wanted the Boulder experience and not just a good burger, then I would recommend The Sink due to its unique atmosphere and history. Otherwise, for me, a college student with little income, The Sink is too expensive for my tastes and will have to be a place I go only on special occasions.
What can I say? It's The Sink. I loved it when The. Astronauts played there. I wish Round The Corner was still down the street, and you could see Paul Butterfield at Tulogi's. Anyway, still a great burger. Service is quicker @ the bar and the drink prices not overly inflated. Â May start hanging out there again for my middle-age crisis and try and pick up college boys. Just kidding. Great spot, though. Full of memories and an iconic Boulder bar.
Review Source:Absolutely horrible service. I have eaten here about six times and every time it takes a good 15 minutes until we even meet our waiter. Food is subpar... Only order the burgers everything else is nothing special. It has a lot of history and that's about it. Guy may have visited this joint but look at his review for his NYC restaurant.... The sink should find new servers. Great for a bar at night but nothing else
Review Source:I ordered the spicy goat burger medium rare.  The burger was over cooked a little making it medium.  The goat cheese was a different twist with some Portuguese sauce on it.  Over all it was not a bad burger .  The booth I was in was poorly lit and I could not even read my 5 page menu.  Its more bary than a restaurant but it was fun.  service was  excellent and friendly.
Review Source:The divey, schizophrenic feel of The Sink definitely makes an impression. I liked the exposed pipes and scribble-scrabble art. The food wasn't that great, though. I had a calzone the first time around, which was dry and bland, and more recently a seasonal summer salad with strawberries, which was fairly decent but way overpriced considering they totally skimped on the fruit.
Review Source:The Sink has been around for a looooooong time. Â Located on the hill across from CU, I heard Obama came to eat here when he was in town. Â (Not gonna lie, might be part of the reason why I wanted to go...) Â We walked inside and I started to feel a bit claustrophobic as the ceiling is really low (I saw a really tall dude who had to duck). Â But, it's low for a reason -- you can put whatever kine stickers you want and/or draw on the ceiling and walls. Â Cool retro feel. Â It was packed inside and not very much room to walk around, but I think it adds to the feel of the restaurant. Â Basic food -- burgers and fries. Â Nothing special, but I can see how students and CU alumni would be attached to this place.
Review Source:We stopped by The Sink last night before seeing RNDM up the street at the Fox Theatre. Â I hadn't been in there forever and it was great to see what they've done with the place - nothing! Â It's still mostly the same cool dive it always was, although the food and drink options have gotten much better over the last couple decades.
We oredered  a couple of pints of Hazed & Infused, a great start to any occasion.  The Sweet and Hot Firecrackers(?) were the app of choice, eggrolls filled with chicken and spinach with a dipping sauce that tied it all together very nicely. The burgers however were the main attraction.  I built one with bacon, American cheese, and onion straws.  The burger was cooked perfectly and was all held within a nice sesame seed bun.  She had the Spicy Goat and it had bacon, a giant mound of goat cheese, and a spicy sauce.  Both the regular and sweet potato fries were just OK, not really worthy of the burgers they were paired up with. Â
The service was great, and even though it was a slow Sunday night it was still a fun place to hang before the show started. Â Plus, it's Happy Hour all day on Sundays!
I just really dig the vibe of this place! Â Really low ceiling that you can tag with your name and funky 'famous' art work on the walls. Â Its a dive that's a wacky spot with good food, beer, and people. Â I live in Denver so I'm not a regular by any means but I will try and get over here whenever I hike or run in the area. Â Super friendly staff, good chicken wings, and sandwiches. Â Pizza Next! Â
I assume the place gets popping at night too!
A popular place for students, the Sink was a recent visit with out of town guests. We all checked in on Yelp and got the beer offer. There was only one option, the Alaska Amber. It was just ok. I got the bbq burger - this was a bit overcooked and not great, although it was big.
The sweet potato fries were good, although not made there, and overall I wouldn't recommend this as a place to impress, but it is a good option if you have time and want to hang out with friends and have something to eat or drink.
If you are looking for a place to come post-football game this place might just hit the spot. Â I cant say much for the food except that Guy Fieri apparently gave it 2 thumbs up. Â I was only there for some drinks and a good time. Â Drinks, shots, and the fun atmosphere was great. Â Next time I'm in Boulder I'll be sure to check this place out for some sort of meal, until then the standardard-ness of the bar earns the sink 3 stars.
Review Source:The Sink was my go-to bar and restaurant during my undergraduate experience at CU, and I love it to the bottom of my core. The owners and management are fantastic people who love the Boulder community and care about supporting the students. They truly care about what they're doing, and it shows; the food and service are consistently outstanding. The place has a long and interesting story behind it-- check out the paintings on the walls and the thousands of signatures on the ceiling. Mine's up there too.
I highly recommend the Sink Burger with sweet potato fries, though everything on the menu is great. Make sure you check out their specials too; they have done some really awesome stuff.
Late night at the Sink is a blast as well- Dollar Wells is the best! There can be a long wait to get drinks, but that's standard at any bar. Be warned there are low ceilings; I'm 6'1" and have to be careful not to whack my head on the pipes.
But that's really the appeal of the place. It's quirky, that's for certain, but it holds some of my favorite memories from my college years and really feels like home.
My first Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives establishment. I came here with my folks from Dinosaur National Monument (what a bust!) and was really excited. To my delight, Guy Fieri did not lead me astray on my virgin voyage into Triple D territory, and I was not disappointed. The Sink has successfully executed the uncommon- being a divey college joint that turns out really exceptional food. I ordered the Buddha Basil with chicken instead of tofu. The vegetables tasted farm-fresh, the tomato sauce delectable but not overpowering, and the crust of the honey wheat crust sang with all the glory of garlic and parmesan. If you closed your eyes and imagined that the walls were not stained with years of comic college humor cartoons, the flavors alone would have you believe you were in a Michelin 3 star restaurant.
In addition, I should mention the terrific patience and service of the wait staff. You see, my family and I ate dinner during game 6 of the NBA finals. We're from South Florida, so we huddled next to one of the TVs toward the back of the place, where we could cheer on our eventual champions to our hearts' content. Meanwhile, the entire time a band was setting up around us, getting ready for their gig. At no time did anyone ask us if we would like to move, and the staff attended to us with remarkable grace and humility given that we were celebrating a victory that probably no one else around cared to partake in. To me, this experience spoke very highly of the management and staff, as they clearly privileged customer service above all else.
Overall, I enjoyed my meal and the experience immensely, and would highly recommend The Sink to anyone who finds themselves in Boulder, whether a Heat fan or not.
Perhaps I forgot, or maybe it's new, either way the Sink offers solo pizza sizes. Â This is perfect for a single serving. Â Pick your crust (I still dig honey whole wheat), pick your sauce, pick your toppings... Â A plain solo starts at just under $6 with additional toppings added on from there. Â The creole spiced chicken was pleasantly spicy and went fantastic with the caramelized onions, spinach, and blue cheese crumbles I selected.
I often don't order pizza because we don't want a gigantic one with slices leftover. Â This is the perfect alternative.
Kudos to the Sink for having a special selection at the bar for Colorado-based distillers as well.
Free WiFi.
2012 review #165:
I honestly don't get the appeal of the Sink. I've been here 3 times: my first visit I was 17 and don't really remember it at all. My second visit I was 19 and got the BBQ tofu sandwich, which was completely plain tofu covered in lackluster BBQ sauce on a hoagie roll. Unremarkable at best.
I returned after some years and sat on the patio. I find the inside of the Sink pretty nasty, so I was happy to be on the patio. The again, the patio means you have to deal with hobos and idiot college students. Also, our server was pretty incompetent. She came to our table and only took our water order when we were ready to order drinks, then when we asked about what happy hour was all she would say is "yes it's happy hour." finally we ordered some food and drinks off the happy hour menu, yet still she said, "so do you want anything off the happy hour menu?" it was just really confusing.
The beers were fine and fairly priced. The food was typical bar food and very small; even for happy hour. Most of the cheese on the nachos was cemented to the plate and burned, for example. Overall i just don't see why this place has such a hype. Let it be a college hangout, but don't come unless you're drunk.
One of my favorite Boulder staples. The Sink is a Boulder nightlife staple, and an amazing restaurant as well! My.absolute.favorite is the caprese panini. I love caprese in any form but this is amazing!
The staff is friendly, the inside is so fratastic its sickening. We love pre-gaming here for CU games! Amazingly fun place!
I went to the Sink with a few friends last Friday night. The place was packed with people and it seemed like everyone was having a pretty good time. When we got there, we were greeted right away.
Food
I ordered the Caprese Panini. It came with tomatoes, mozzarella and pesto on focaccia bread. The Panini was excellent! It was full of flavor and filling. It had somewhat of a sweet aftertaste, which I've never had before in a tomato/mozzarella Panini but I really liked it. The Panini came with French fries and sliced pickles. They both had a spicy chili powder on them which I fell in love with! The fries were so addictive. The food was very good and best of all it was affordable.
Service
The service was also good. Our waiter was very helpful and nice. Even though it was a busy night, he was always attentive and got everything that we asked for.
Décor
The décor was fun and bright. Everything was decorated and gave the place a pretty mellow look. All of the walls had writing and drawings on them. The only thing that I didn't like about the place was that the ceilings are REALLY low. I kept worrying that I was going to hit my head either on the ceiling or the pipes.
Location
The location is also nice and convenient, especially for college students. The Sink is right on the Hill, next to the CU campus. It's nice if you want to grab a quick lunch in between classes. I do prefer going to the Hill during the day because it gets a little sketchy at night.
Overall, we had a great time at the Sink. The food was great and everyone seemed to have a good time. I definitely recommend it.
I was very hesitant, I admit even judged the Sink upon arriving to Boulder. Â I had heard about it and I immediately put it on my not-to-go list, because let's face it- I already did the college thing, the last thing I need is to knowingly go to a place filled with potentially young drunken college students, and lots of them. Â I will also admit, that the reason I decided to go was because I saw the highlight on "Diner, Drive-Ins and Dives." Â You can also find the link on Youtube if you're interested. Â It was then I realized that although the Sink is a college bar, the food served is mostly all home-made, good quality, local, and humane (grass-fed beef).
I decided to go myself and be the judge. Â I went for lunch so the number of college students (not that there is anything wrong with you guys) was low.
Below are my reasons why I'm sold on this place:
1. Â The place has been open since 1923! Â You can't beat a place with history, and has maintained a successful past.
2. Â The food was delicious! I built my own burger with the black bean patty, the chipotle mayo is sooo good and you can see how they make it on DDD.
3. Â The pizza was fresh and awesome! Â I tried the Buddha Basil Pizza, which has a pesto-marinara sauce and the crust is the best part. Â We also had a Smores pizza for desert. Â They put chocolate and marshmallows baked on a cinnamon-sugar crust, it's a special but hopefully it's there when you go. Â
4. The staff was friendly and attentive. Â I could tell that our waitress had a lot of tables but she was very sweet, good with our order, and all the food runners were great as well.
5. Lastly, the artwork on the walls and ceiling. Â The artwork is from the 60's which they are trying to preserve. Â It gives the place personality which is a plus for me!
To me, this is a restaurant bar with personality, and quality food which is important in my book. Â I probably won't frequent on Friday night at 9pm to hang with the CU kids, but next I have a craving for bar food I will think of the Sink.
After the boyfriend showed me around the CU campus, we came here for a little lunch. The place felt a bit claustrophobic, with low ceilings, no windows and very colorful art everywhere, but you get used to it quickly. It was definitely fun to look at all the caricatures of the local personalities on the walls.
We split the Sink Burger with sweet potato fries and the turkey panini with a side salad. I thought the turkey sandwich was over-salted, but the burger totally won me over. The burger was simple, no caramelized this and relish that, but the meat was cooked to perfection and full of flavor. I've sampled the burgers at some top notch restaurants and this can go toe-to-toe with any of them. I also loved the sweet dill pickle slices.
This is a must visit and I'm super glad that my boyfriend took me here. Can't wait to order that burger again!!
The sink is my favorite bar in boulder. The staff is great, there very friendly. The food is also quite good, and now that they have a late night menu you can get food damn near any time of the day here.
The other great thing about this bar is there draft beer selection, They have more micro-brews on tap than anywhere else on the hill, most of which are brewed here on the foothills. They also have a pretty unique selection of spirits, being one of the only bars in boulder that have absinthe.
The drink specials here are also fantastic, 10-11pm wells are just a buck. That deal is just insane its great. Mondays are probably the funnest night there, The special on mondays is Flip Night so you flip a coin and if you guess it right your gonna only pay 25c for whatever you ordered. Now that's what i call the finest form of gambler known to man.
Just a few tiny updates:
Their regular lemonade, as opposed to the 'Dan's Special Lemonade' that I railed on last time, is really, really good - if you like mouth-puckeringly sour lemonade. Â And I do. Â It reminds me of the homemade lemonade my mom and I used to make when I was a kid - lemon juice, a tiny bit of water, and my mom yelling, 'Come back and put some sugar in that before you drink it!' as I wandered off downing straight lemon juice.
And they did it again... tried to take my unfinished plate out from under me while I was in the act of raising a bite of cheesesteak calzone to my mouth. Â It must be in the training manual or something: 'To expedite service, please attempt to remove customer's half-full plate while customer is distracted.'
But you know what? Â I'm really not too fussed about it. Â It's not ruining my food experience, so I don't care. Â It's really more amusing than anything else at this point.
Oh yeah, and don't get the cheesesteak calzone. Â It's awful. Â Burgers, people. Â Burgers. Â And fries. Â And lemonade.
How have I not reviewed this institution?
I hit my head on the pipes. Â I stole and conquered the juke box. Â I spent drunken hours with aching arms trying to "do" ceiling art just to have it painted over so I had to do it again. Â This is a huge part of my hill experience, and it is somewhere I will visit as long as I visit.
Yay Sink... good times.
The Sink is a CU staple and as such is often full of CU students. That was rad when I myself was a CU student, but now not so much. After around 9 or so it tends to get super crowded and service anywhere, tables or the bar, is really slow. The food is decent - mostly bar stuff like pizza and burgers with a few fancy things like a California melt, which is avocado and brie melted on slices of bread.
The real reason to go is for decor (the walls are decorated with all sorts of really cool murals), nostalgia (I believe Robert Redford used to hang out there) or if you're a student going to flip night (the bartender flips a coin, if you call it right your drink is a quarter.)
Looking back on my experience at The Sink, I am proposing that The Sink is haunted. Â Simple as that. Â I didn't see a ghost, no ghost tried to feel me up and my food was not smeared all over my face, The Sink just oozes drugs sex, and Children Under the Stairs.
It could be that the front entrance seems like a totally different building and time zone then the main dining room, but I am going to stick to the fact that you can definitely tell that this place has heard things, been used as a love den, and has been used as a fighting cage in the past.
I got the flank steak salad, and I will be honest, ti was better then what I was expecting. Â I wanted to chat with my friends, but it was too loud and my friend kept ducking at the table as if the roof was going to fall on her. Â My friend got a salmon salad and her breath was smelling afterwards, so I guess that means it was good because she ate enough of it to stink.
* Star one is for the history... Some might call it baggage
** I gotta go gotta go is easy to find bathrooms where I never had a wait
*** What what star three is for being so load that I could barely hear my friends, which is good because that means they could barely hear me and this caused me to shut up, which then becomes a benefit to them
**** There she is star four was for an attentive waitress who brought the garlic bread for my carb craving
I am not a Colorado native but I was passing through with a friend from the area. Â Judging by other reviews the place is a good college spot for the usual drinkage debauchery. Â
As a restaurant though, the pizza is excellent. Â Dare I say the best on the west of the Mississippi. Â The chill atmosphere and claustrophobic layout increases its charm. Â If you're traveling through Boulder to hippy-out or try out your new $10,000 skis because the magazine said so, stop by The Sink.
To give a fair review of the Sink, you need to do it in two parts: one reviewing the Sink as a bar and the other reviewing the Sink as a restaurant. Up until today, I'd only been to the Sink as a bar--for that it gets a 1-star review. The place is overcrowded, and the low ceiling elicits a dormant claustrophobia of which I was unaware except when I go drinking at the Sink.
To review it as a restaurant, I went there earlier tonight with my girlfriend, and I can't believe what a different experience it was. We both had the Sink burgers and enjoyed them very much. As a restaurant, it gets a solid 5 stars.
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