From About Boulder - August 9, 2026 - 

Boulder Café Named Colorado’s Best Triple D Spot

Pearl Street Mall, one of the most famous outdoor malls in the country, set against the stunning backdrop of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder, Colorado.

Boulder’s celebrated food scene has earned another major national distinction—and this one comes with a direct ticket to Flavortown.

Delish selected Foolish Craig’s Cafe as Colorado’s must-visit restaurant from Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. In its nationwide guide to the best Triple D destination in every state, the national food publication chose the longtime Pearl Street favorite to represent Colorado.

For Boulder residents who have enjoyed Foolish Craig’s signature crêpes, house-baked bread and creative breakfasts over the years, the recognition confirms something locals have known for a long time: there is nothing foolish about this Boulder institution.

A Boulder Favorite Reaches Flavortown

Located at 1611 Pearl Street, Foolish Craig’s occupies a familiar place in the heart of downtown Boulder. The independently owned café has developed a loyal following by combining the relaxed personality of a neighborhood breakfast spot with an ambitious made-from-scratch menu.

Guy Fieri originally visited Foolish Craig’s for the Season 11 episode “From Crêpes to Kreplach,” which aired in 2011. The appearance introduced a national television audience to the café’s distinctive combination of sweet and savory crêpes, hearty breakfast dishes, sandwiches and freshly baked bread.

Among the items that caught Fieri’s attention was the café’s oatmeal stout bread. The bread remains an excellent example of what separates Foolish Craig’s from an ordinary breakfast restaurant: even the supporting players receive serious attention.

Delish highlighted the café’s famous Bloody Marys, freshly baked bread and wide selection of crêpes when choosing it as Colorado’s standout Triple D destination.

Crêpes That Built a Boulder Following

Crêpes remain at the center of the Foolish Craig’s experience. The menu moves comfortably between sweet creations suited for breakfast or dessert and substantial savory versions capable of carrying an entire meal.

That versatility has helped the restaurant appeal to nearly everyone—from CU Boulder students and longtime residents to families and visitors exploring Pearl Street. One table may be enjoying a traditional breakfast while another orders a carefully constructed crêpe, a stacked sandwich or one of the café’s generously sized salads.

The restaurant’s house-made approach extends throughout the menu. Its freshly baked breads form the foundation for several popular sandwiches, including the BLT Guacamole featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Foolish Craig’s also offers vegetarian choices, an important part of succeeding in a Boulder dining community that expects more than one token meat-free option.

More Than a Television Appearance

A visit from Guy Fieri can transform a neighborhood restaurant into a national destination. Yet television exposure alone cannot create the staying power Foolish Craig’s has demonstrated.

The café’s appeal comes from its distinctly Boulder combination of originality, informality and quality. It feels comfortable enough for a casual weekday breakfast but memorable enough to become part of a visitor’s Boulder itinerary.

Its Pearl Street location adds to that appeal. Diners can enjoy breakfast or lunch before walking the Pearl Street Mall, exploring Boulder’s independent shops or heading toward nearby trails and open space.

Boulder has welcomed Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives to several local establishments. The Sink and Bohemian Biergarten have also received attention from Fieri and Food Network, demonstrating that Boulder’s culinary identity reaches well beyond fine dining. Foolish Craig’s nevertheless earned Delish’s singular selection to represent Colorado in its state-by-state guide.

A Well-Deserved Colorado Honor

Delish’s guide was most recently updated in August 2023, but its selection continues to carry weight. The list covers the entire country, giving travelers a state-by-state roadmap to restaurants that made an impression on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

For Foolish Craig’s, being chosen as Colorado’s featured destination is both a national honor and a celebration of independent Boulder dining.

In a city filled with acclaimed restaurants, Foolish Craig’s has created its own unmistakable identity—one crêpe, one loaf of bread and one memorable breakfast at a time.

The next time someone asks where to experience a genuine taste of Boulder, Colorado’s representative in Flavortown is waiting at 1611 Pearl Street.

Foolish Craig’s Cafe
1611 Pearl Street
Boulder, Colorado

From About Boulder - August 14, 2026 - 

Foolish Craig’s Sets an About Boulder Traffic Record

Pearl Street Mall – Boulder, CO (Elevation: 5,430 ft) One of the most beautiful and top-rated outdoor malls in the U.S., with the Flatirons of the Rocky Mountains as a stunning backdrop

Local Legends, Big Numbers: Foolish Craig’s Sets an AboutBoulder Record

Something remarkable is happening on Pearl Street—and it centers on two local restaurant owners who have spent nearly three decades building one of Boulder’s most recognizable dining institutions.

Foolish Craig’s Cafe, the independently owned breakfast and crêpe destination at 1611 Pearl Street, recently captured another wave of attention after AboutBoulder highlighted its selection as Colorado’s recommended Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurant in Delish’s state-by-state guide.

The response was immediate.

According to AboutBoulder’s internal analytics, the original story approached 15,000 views in just a few days, making it one of the fastest-growing and most successful posts in the publication’s history. Fueled by extraordinary reader interest and widespread exposure through Google News and other major news platforms, the record-breaking response reflects the remarkable reach of AboutBoulder—and the enduring popularity of Foolish Craig’s.

Those numbers reflect more than interest in a national ranking. They show how strongly Boulder responds when an authentic local business receives the recognition it deserves.

Foolish Craigs

Two Boulder Entrepreneurs Build an Institution

Craig Moelis and Mitch Arden established Foolish Craig’s in 1998 after working together in Boulder’s bagel business. Their idea was to create an independently operated neighborhood café serving crêpes, breakfasts, sandwiches and freshly prepared food in a relaxed setting.

Nearly 28 years later, Craig and Mitch remain the restaurant’s owner-operators. On the café’s website, they playfully identify themselves as “Just Craig” and “Foolish Mitch”—a reflection of the personality and humor that have always distinguished the restaurant.

Their success was not built through corporate ownership, aggressive expansion or a manufactured national campaign. It came from showing up every day, preparing food with care and giving customers reasons to return.

The restaurant still bakes its award-winning bread fresh each day in what the owners call the “baketuary.” Its corned beef and pork shoulder are slow-braised, soups and dressings are prepared in-house, and virtually everything—from the crêpes to the desserts—is made to order.

That dedication eventually caught the attention of Guy Fieri and Food Network.

From Pearl Street to Flavortown

Foolish Craig’s appeared on the March 14, 2011, episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives titled “From Crepes to Kreplach.”

According to the restaurant’s official Food Network profile, Fieri praised the BLT Guacamole served on warm, house-made oatmeal stout bread. He also highlighted the decadent 21-layer Butter Rum Caramel Crêpe Cake finished with cream-cheese frosting.

The national spotlight returned in 2021 when Foolish Craig’s appeared in a Triple D Nation follow-up. That edition of the Food Network franchise revisits previously featured restaurants to see how they have evolved since their original appearances.

Foolish Craig’s current breakfast menu identifies its slow-braised corned beef hash as featured on Triple D Nation. The BLT Guacamole is also still listed among the restaurant’s signature dishes and marked as a Diners, Drive-Ins and Divesselection.

Delish Selects Colorado’s Triple D Favorite

National recognition continued when Delish’s 2023 state-by-state guide selected Foolish Craig’s as its recommended Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives destination for Colorado.

Delish specifically highlighted the restaurant’s Bloody Marys, sweet and savory crêpes, freshly baked bread and the oatmeal stout loaf that impressed Fieri.

AboutBoulder revisited that honor in its August 2026 story, “Boulder Café Named Colorado’s Best Triple D Spot.” The extraordinary response demonstrated that Foolish Craig’s national reputation remains as strong as its connection to Boulder.

Foolish Craig’s

Why Boulder Responded

Foolish Craig’s has never stopped feeling local.

The café’s current menu still features the dishes that established its identity: sweet and savory crêpes, freshly baked breads, sandwiches, burgers, breakfast plates and slow-braised corned beef.

The signature Foolish Craig crêpe combines bacon, mushrooms, onions, roasted red peppers, house potatoes, eggs and salsa. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices reflect the community the restaurant serves.

The owners also report using Colorado produce and meats whenever possible while working with local and regional suppliers. Most of the café’s beers are selected from local microbreweries, and its ongoing recycling efforts are part of a broader commitment to reducing waste.

There is creativity throughout the operation, but very little pretension. That combination feels unmistakably Boulder.

Boulder Originals Keep Winning

Boulder has welcomed several establishments featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, including The Sink and Bohemian Biergarten. Foolish Craig’s nevertheless occupies a distinctive place in the city’s culinary history.

It began with two independent entrepreneurs taking a chance on an unconventional neighborhood café. It grew through nearly three decades of hard work, house-made food and customer loyalty. Then came Guy Fieri, Food Network, Delish and continuing national recognition.

Now a locally produced story celebrating that journey has established an AboutBoulder record of its own.

That is the real headline: a local restaurant and local media outlet succeeding together because Boulder still values authentic community stories.

Craig and Mitch did not merely build a successful restaurant. They created a Boulder institution—and nearly 28 years later, the community is still cheering them on.

From The Daily Camera - March 13, 2021

Boulder’s Foolish Craig’s Cafe featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives for second time 

Foolish Craig’s Cafe co-owner Craig Moelis sits Friday at the bar in the restaurant, which was featured that night in an episode of the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”. It is the second time the Pearl Street eatery has been featured on the show. (Timothy Hurst / Staff Photographer)

By Jasmine Kabiri | For the Camera

PUBLISHED: March 13, 2021 at 6:00 AM MST

The Food Network featured Boulder’s Foolish Craig’s Cafe, well-known for its crepes, in an episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” on Friday night.

After being showcased on the series in 2011, host Guy Fieri revisited the local Boulder cafe in the new episode, called “Triple D Nation: BBQ, Pubs and Local Grub,” which was filmed before the coronavirus pandemic began.

“On this trip, Guy Fieri is hittin’ up BBQ joints and pubs and checkin’ out the local grub. A neighborhood joint in Boulder, Colo., is still a favorite breakfast spot for the college crowd, serving crepes and corned beef hash,” the episode’s description explained.

“I always hope that when people see the show, they go, ‘Oh, that place looks cool, let’s go check that out,’” Mitch Arden, co-owner of Foolish Craig’s Cafe, said. “We appreciate the customers, we’re happy they’re there and we like to show that.”

Craig Moelis and Arden opened up Foolish Craig’s Cafe together on Pearl Street in 1998.

“We were both working at Moe’s (Broadway) Bagel, and we saw an opportunity to open something a little different like a breakfast, sandwich and salad place,” Moelis said. “At the time, there wasn’t anything like that in Boulder, so we thought it would be a good idea.”

The cafe is nearing its 23rd anniversary this month. The pair do not have any plans to celebrate, but Moelis is looking forward to the cafe’s annual going out of business sale on April 1.

Along with Foolish Craig’s accomplishments, the cafe has had its fair share of roadblocks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the co-owners watched other local businesses permanently close down, they were worried whether Foolish Craig’s would be able to stay open.

“We were totally concerned about what we were doing. ‘Are we doing the right thing? Should we really be open?’ We were concerned with that whole piece of trying to do the right thing for people in this world,” Arden said. “The other end is, ‘Can we afford to do this? How are we going to get through this time and still be open?’”

Foolish Craig’s was able to get a loan through the Paycheck Protection Program, Congressionally approved aid to assist small businesses in keeping their workforce employed, which helped the cafe “get through the summer,” Moelis said.

“It’s the weekends that have been saving us,” Moelis said. “We depend on businesses downtown for lunch during the week, but many people are remote, so we’re missing a lot of that.”

The cafe continues to offer take-out, delivery, outdoor seating and partial indoor seating to stay open while following public health orders.

“We appreciate the people that have stuck with us and have helped us survive this year, and we hope to continue to see them and take good care of them,” Arden said. “We’re really happy to serve the people of Boulder, and we’re lucky to be here.”