Traditional happy hour is geared toward those of us who are trying to decompress from a hard day’s work or to simply enjoy some discounted drinks with a few friends. Both the food and adult beverages weigh in about equally when I am deciding where to go to happy hour. Sometimes, though, I’m just interested in finding some grub and don’t necessarily want to drink, especially when it’s before 9am. What about those of us who get an early start to the day? Luckily, a handful of restaurants in Boulder reward us early birds! It isn’t a traditional happy hour but I think it’s well worth mentioning the early deals here, so you don’t all have to search for them like I did.

Boulder is stocked full of breakfast places, the most well-known being Foolish Craig’s, Snooze, Dot’s Diner, The Walnut Cafe and The Buff Restaurant. Since I’m not here to discuss the entire menu, I’ll get to the point and highlight the less well-known early morning deals offered at some of these restaurants.

I’ve already highlighted the great happy hour at Foolish Craig’s but I failed to mention it’s early morning food specials. For just $2.75 you can order an egg and cheddar sandwich on homemade bread anytime before 10am. For a little extra you can also add meat to the breakfast sandwich. If you’re looking for a bigger breakfast then you can stop by Dot’s Diner anytime before 8am and get what they call the Early Bird special: 2 eggs, biscuit, hash browns for only $3. The Walnut Cafe offers an even bigger breakfast for a few dollars more: 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, 2 pancakes, and breakfast potatoes for under $7. On the beverage side, The Buff offers 99 cent mimosas (with a limit of 3) and Le Peep offers $1 cups of coffee before 8am.

If you are an early riser like myself, or maybe you just haven’t fallen asleep yet and find yourself wandering for food in the wee hours of the morning, then stop by one of the restaurants listed above!

Morgan Sweeney