Friendly vibe, cool beer make for a good experience
The Mountain Sun restaurant in Boulder has one good looking sister – restaurant, that is.
The Southern Sun, located on 627 South Broadway in the Table Mesa strip mall, is a bigger and perhaps better version of the Mountain Sun pub.
With all the accoutrements, beers, dishes and flare of the smaller version on Pearl, the Southern Sun just has more room to do it.
The ambiance of the restaurant reminds me of a restaurant on the ski slopes. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming and the tapestries decorating the walls make you feel like you are at home.
As you walk into the restaurant, there are many different kinds of tables, including picnic tables for large groups of burly men, and small tables for fine dining. There are also booths for the in-between. The atmosphere emulates the theme of the restaurant: comfort.
“The Southern Sun is a great spot not only because of the good, reasonably priced food, but because of the laid back feel to the restaurant,” said Alexander Votruba, a senior psychology major. “The staff is friendly and the home brewed beers are great – go to the happy hour!”
If you have a craving for Colorado micro brews, live bluegrass on Friday nights and a delicious burger, go the Southern Sun.
The service is also worth mentioning, since the staff seems to be both laid-back and on top of their game. It is a great place to hang, and stay for hours. The restaurant is always buzzing. Yet the wait staff seems to have a knack for making people feel comfortable and well taken care of.
The food is a step up from comfort food but the menu has enough variety to keep you coming back for more.
A popular appetizer is the nachos, which are your typical nachos done exactly right – corn chips smothered (and I mean smothered) with pepper jack, cheddar, salsa and sour cream. They are also sprinkled with jalapenos.
For dinner there is an assortment of choices, including eleven different burger options. For a simple yet fantastic burger, go with the cheeseburger.
More exotic options include the Blue Basil Burger that has blue cheese crumbles and basil blended into dressing, which is then poured all over the burger. The result is a decadent gourmet burger.
Another good choice is the Junk Burger, a burger that is true to its name. It has bacon, cheese, garlic mayo, sautéed mushrooms and onions.
Despite the wide array of hamburger options, the Southern Sun isn’t just a burger joint. In fact the restaurant has many Mexican dishes, such as various chilis, burritos and quesadillas.
The Southern Sun is vegetarian friendly. Many of the sandwiches available are vegetarian. There is also the Garden Burger, which is available “pesto style” or “jalapeno style.”
An entire section of the menu is dedicated to the grilled cheese. This part of the menu allows you to make your own grilled cheese, listing the options and variety of choices that are available. Not only is the result cheesy and yummy, but it is an adventure getting there.
If you are of legal drinking age, make sure not to fill up on food. The micro brews are truly one of a kind. Some of the popular brews include, the Colorado Kind, which is described as a deep amber beer that, according to the Southern Sun, “makes that long day at work a distant memory.”
“My favorite beer here is definitely the Colorado Kind Ale,” said Southern Sun staff member Eric Pulski.
Other favorites are Quinn’s Golden Ale, their lightest ale, and Raspberry Wheat or specialty fruit, which is known to be “crisp, dry and kind of pink.” Depending on the season or the mood of the brew master, the kind of fruit varies. Pray for the Strawberry Wheat, which is light and you guessed it: fruity.
Contact CU Campus Press Writer Emily Sturges at Emily.Sturges@Colorado.edu.
