FoCo Dive Bar Bracket: The Finals
The Finalists:
Trailhead vs Town Pump
Final preamble:
Well, here we are. After months of sticky floors, Jell-O shots, and enough Malort to put “Cocaine Bear” to sleep, we have reached the end of the road. What started as a city-wide (extending as far as Laporte) search has narrowed down to a true “Battle for the Heart of Old Town.” Both of our finalists are absolute institutions, beloved by the community and woven into the very fabric of Fort Collins.
Because these two bars are such local icons, we knew we couldn’t make this decision alone. We wanted to involve the community that helped us build this bracket in the first place, so we called in the cavalry. We invited back past judges, gathered old friends, and welcomed friends of friends to help us determine the champion.
This whole challenge has been an absolute blast. So much of the community has given us words of encouragement and love, both on Reddit and IRL. We love the compliments, we love (most) the insults, and we love getting to experience new aspects of the city we are proud to call home.
Also, we plan to continue the adventure! Keep an eye out this Winter for a new series visiting different coffee shops around Old Town.
How the Competition Works
Before we get into the FINALS results, a reminder on how the competition works:
On July 6th, 2025, we asked the @FortCollins subreddit for help in selecting the top eight dives to be visited. We had over 100 comments suggesting and debating the best bars in the area.
We used ChatGPT (the only time it was used, this is all being typed directly by my clumsy fingers) to total and discern results and we came up with our top eight dive bars (in order of votes):
- West End Pub
- Town Pump
- Surfside 7
- Matt’s Place
- Pitchers
- Trail Head
- Steakout
- Swing Station
In classic March Madness style – we were pitting #1 vs #8, #2, vs #7 and so on. We also have 11 different categories we are rating them on (10 really, the last is “extra credit”). However, for the finals we went with simple democracy. One person, one vote!
The votes reflected below are solid scores and our overall impression is we would absolutely go to either of these bars again.
Signed, your Director of Dives,
So, without further ado, our votes and quotes!
The Judges’ Verdicts
Kate
“The only dive bar you can get a personal harmonica serenade by a wasted undergrad student. Trailhead is my vote!”
Trailhead 1, Town Pump 0
Jenna
“I vote Trailhead because the spaciousness allowed for a cohesive group dynamic. I was able to move around and connect with everyone in our group, and I ran into three friends unexpectedly and had a really nice time connecting with them.”
Trailhead 2, Town Pump 0
Amber
A quote was not provided but her vote was Surfside….. (Town Pump was the second choice).
Trailhead 2, Town Pump 1 (After going with ranked choice voting rules)
Bort
“Do worse Fort Collins.”
Trailhead 2, Town Pump 2
Bryce
“On the trail cuz I heard it got head. Trailhead, not too small, good drinks (although Town Pump imo did have better mixed drinks) and I appreciate the service there too.”
Trailhead 3, Town Pump 2
Jon
“How many pool balls do you think we can fit in our a**? Trailhead.”
Trailhead 4, Town Pump 2
Ray
“For some reason when I try to think of a quote my mind forgets every word I’ve ever learned. Trailhead!”
Trailhead 5, Town Pump 2
Mitch
“Town Pump is more than just a dive bar. It is a can of sardines where you can watch people of all generations play tonsil hockey just to get that last bit of Jello.”
Trailhead 5, Town Pump 3
Jenelle
“Town Pump has everything a good dive bar should. It’s the right balance of grime and shine. It’s worn in – but historic, usually packed – but with interesting people, and feels like the kind of place you could meet a new friend or just people watch with equal enjoyment.”
Trailhead 5, Town Pump 4
Charlie
“Surfside had mosh pit Karaoke. I don’t know what you want me to say.” (Town Pump was the second choice)
Trailhead 5, Town Pump 5 (After going with ranked choice voting rules)
Alex
“This competition changed my whole mind on Town Pump. I never enjoyed it before but then, I had the magical change of sitting at the bar. The bar is where ALL the action is. Staff was great, people were great, Town Pump is a top two bar in Old Town in my mind now.”
Trailhead 5, Town Pump 6
And the Winner is…
The Winner: Town Pump
Congratulations to Fort Collins’ oldest and smallest bar! We will be coming back many times over.
One last note – Every single one of these bars was a great time. I would recommend visiting each and every one of them and when you do, pay attention to events and theme nights. We kept hearing over and over “if you had visited this place on _____ night, you would have had a blast.” Fort Collins has amazing bars and we were lucky enough to get to evaluate eight of them over the past few months.
Thank you all for reading!