Today, Oskar Blues Fooderies, a restaurant offshoot of the awesome Longmont-based brewery, announced it will open a two-level spot in the former Old Chicago building downtown. The 15,000-foot restaurant and bar is tentatively scheduled to open in summer 2017.
“We are looking forward to showing off this piece of Colorado Springs history dating back to the gold rush of the late 1800s,” says Jason Rogers, chef and partner of OBF, about its soon-to-be-home in the DeGraff Building (118 N. Tejon St.). “I can’t wait to sip a barrel-aged beer, eat smoked meats and kick back in the grotto.”
The latter is planned for the lower level, where diners will find two underground bocce courts, a stage and lounge. The back patio will gain games like corn hole and ping pong, played next to a fire pit and “chill area.”
On tap, the restaurant will offer 43 craft beers from various breweries around the nation, including Oskar Blues’ flagship Dale’s Pale Ale, the best goddam beer in the world. The Southern-inspired kitchen will kick out smoked meats, burgers and seafood like New Orleans-style grilled oysters.
“We are thrilled to welcome Oskar Blues Fooderies to the downtown Colorado Springs market,” says Downtown Partnership CEO Susan Edmondson in the release. “Oskar Blues is a renowned employer, with strong benefits and a coveted company culture. It is a good opportunity for both the restaurant and for the Springs.”
The renovation will cost roughly $1.2 million, with the final product creating 75 jobs.
