Washington’s Bar & Grill

Ordered a big azz one pound elephant burger with all the fixings that give you a major heart attack. The burgers are big and OK tasting, kind of a unique, fun restaurant bar joint. Mainly a college kid hangout with cheap drinks and big, sorta good burgers. Really not much else to say other than the kitchen was about as messy and unkept as a feedlot! Booya!

Couldn’t leave the front door. It was padlocked. When we asked to go out the back, they said a sorority had ruined the front door. But no one was there to tell us this. No way to get out!

This place wasn’t bad but it also wasn’t great for my first experience. Came here on the tip of a well connected local and it’s a fun experience to have! The place has been around forever apparently. The bartenders are friendly.
I’m eating this 3 stars because I’m a foodie. The food is order at the counter and it took a while to come, and then it was kinda mediocre when it did come. I shared the bbq platter with a buddy. It had brisket, pulled pork, riblets (rib tips?), beans, coleslaw and some sausages and except for the beans and the coleslaw it was pretty mediocre. But I did especially like those beans. I wish they wouldn’t drench the meat in bbq sauce but let you put it on yourself. And wish they had more options.
All in all I’d like to go back and try different things like the jif burger.

3 stars doesn’t mean bad, just average. The food was good but nothing special. I probably feel more let down because our AirBNB host told us it was one of the best places in Ft. Collins & we didn’t find that to be true in our experience.
My BBQ bacon burger was good, it was actually cooked medium like I asked for. The seasoned curly fries are really good – no ketchup required. My husband found the BBQ platter to be fairly mediocre. It was a massive amount of food, he shared it with another guy & got full.
One nice thing is you order at the counter so you don’t have to tip. Very interesting place, filled with strange crazy antique décor.

I guess I have more of an appreciation of this place for it’s history (the building, it’s founding, ownership history, and the movie props that go back to when it was part of the Grand American Fare restaurants). Washington’s is uniquely part of Fort Collins and a fascinating place to visit, grab a burger, shoot a game of pool, and explore. There’s a big college nightlife scene at Washington’s as well (dancing and drinking). It’s an order at the counter and wait for you name to get called out place with several bars throughout. It’s decorated with old movie props throughout and is a great place to take kids during the day. Parking is easy; right across from the La Porte garage. Everybody has to check it out at least once (I’ve been there dozens of times over the years myself). Again, it was started as part of the Grand American Fare restaurants. History on Grand American Fare is hard to come by. I believe there were 20 or so restaurants and I’ve been to several of them, including Meadow Muffins in Colorado Springs and Madison Bear Garden in Chico, California (all under individual ownership now I believe).
It comes off first as a typical college hangout with some odd/​eclectic decoration scheme. But as you look deeper and you begin to understand how Washington’s fits into the community and the rich history that each of those «decorations» hold, you’ll begin to have a much greater appreciation for this little college hangout. Those with an appreciation for history will understand when they visit (ask if the owner/​manager can point out a few significant props that are pieces of history themselves). See if you can figure out what the building used to function as based on its proximity to the tracks and the unique equipment that was left behind. See if you can spot the architectural significance in the basement rock work and the add-​ons to the original structure. Ask yourself how difficult and expensive it must be to clean and maintain all those «decorations» (museum pieces really) and you’ll begin to understand the true love and care that must go into this little college hang-​out.
Those that are just looking to jump in and grab a burger and beer should be happy too.

Had a couple burgers delivered last night, both medium, and they showed up pink thru and thru. I lost a bit of sleep with mild discomfort, but my girlfriend has been nauseous with a fever all day. Never eating here again!