I was feeling tired and hungry. Stumbling into Next Door eatery was a perfect reprieve to my night on Pearl Street. On 1035 Pearl St sits a wonderfully lit almost beachy restaurant. I was mostly lulled in by the live music outside. A man in his forties sat playing some old tunes, with a smile to his face as he said, “I bet no one remembers this song.” We were seated quickly and found a booth in the corner. Next Door has seating near the bar and window, a perfect way to acquire more action with a high top. The sit-down area felt almost like its own operate restaurant and was a bit more cozy set back in such a way.

They have a charming drink menu with plenty of options. I ordered a zero proof cocktail with strawberry puree, agave, lemon, and soda water. It tasted just like a strawberry lemonade with a bit of a kick to it. I also munched on some kale chips. While kale is still a healthy vegetable that is usually gross, it somehow managed to have some resemblance to a potato chip, while being markedly healthier. The encore of a beat burger was juicy and obviously healthy and well prepared. The burger is decorated in arugula, balsamic, and feta. I also had a cuban, complete with roasted pork, ham, swiss, dijon and house pickles. The mustard was much more spicy than I expected and reminded me of when I used to have handfuls of wasabi’s. It was very refreshing though as all the flavors complemented each other well. The gluten free bread it was prepared on, far exceeds most substitutions.

The biggest surprise of the night was the bill. The food was about a third of what I was prepared to pay. The location, aura, and clean healthy food indicates such high quality, I was expecting it to cost much more. It makes a fantastic place for a quick and wonderful meal, without breaking the bank. This tasty and simply flavorful establishment is worth a stop if you find yourself on Pearl St.!

Sierra Brown

Sierra is a recent graduate with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She loves creative writing and gut wrenching stories of people and their lives. Sierra is a gluten free snacker with an attention to food allergies, and is a self professed super taster. Her current obsessions include social justice, photographing human subjects, and binge watching Netflix shows. Sierra has lived in Rifle, Gunnison, and Fort Collins. She currently divides her time between Boulder, Denver, and Loveland soaking up all that the Front Range has to offer.