Brewpub serves Mexican fare and their own beer
The Oasis Restaurant & Brewery on Canyon Boulevard and Broadway was one of Boulder’s first brewpubs. I seem to remember that it had a pretty standard pub menu, decor that was curiously Egyptian, good beer and ample oppotunity to buy Oasis T-shirts, ball caps and and other logo items. It thrived, struggled and closed, and not even the building is there anymore.
Los Oasis Latin Grill & Cerveseria, which opened a few weeks ago across from the Boulder County Courthouse, appears to have no connection with the Oasis of old. This one serves Mexican food in a space previously occupied by by the Boulder Draft House and before that Redfish. Once a brew pub, always a brewpub — I guess. The space is big, and it takes a crowd to fill it – and speaking of crowds, Boulder County’s brewpub scene is pretty crowded. Perhaps the third time will be the charm for a brewpub in this location. We stopped in for happy hour the other evening and grabbed the last sidewalk table, so I can’t even really describe the inside.
Although Los Oasis makes beer, we ordered margaritas, served in lowball glasses and piquant with fresh lime.Guac and a heap of lime chips were our shared starter.
- Enchiladas Coloradoitas, a pair of flour tortillas filled with chicken and Oaxaca cheese in a chipotle sauce and a bit of radish salad.
- Chicken quesadillas with a side of sauce for dipping.
Price check: Most happy hour food items are $5-$7.
We had high hopes, but were disappointed with our first visit for dinner. The food quality and service weren’t up to par with the price level — entrées started at $17. They’ll need to step it up to compete.
Rob – I won’t disagree with you, tho’ our selections were tasty. Our server was very pleasant but bought the beverages and food slowly. Maybe the kitchen’s doing, aybe his, maybe a combo. We had to request a napkin and flatware twice — the second time from another server who was waiting on a adjacent table. I chalked it off to a new place and perhaps a new staff too. I hope they get it together. With Juanta’s gone, the Rio and Tahona Tequila Bistro have become the only Mexican game downtown. Plus, of course, such fast food places as Illegal Pete’s and Chipotle.
I enjoyed their lime chips and the guac was fresh. I’m always interested in trying mojitos or margs at a place like this (I didn’t go for the beer either). The happy hour was decently priced and I would go back again.
Did you walk inside? The back is for fine dining and when we were there on Saturday at around 7ish, it was empty. A little disconcerting, but otherwise, I like what I see and it’s a great spot with a lot of room.
Grace – I didn’t go inside. I have been in that back room before — both when it was Redfish and when it was the Draft House. The happy hour pricing was just $2 off the prices of those dishes when it isn’t happy hour.
You probably know this, but it’s not clear from the post (“appears to have no connection with the Oasis of old”), and maybe not clear to your readers. The owner of Los Oasis was the owner of the Oasis Brewpub.
Dan – Actually, I wasn’t sure about a connection between the current Oasis and the Oasis of old , and Los Oasis’ website was not illuminating either, so I appreciate the clarification. Not being much of a beer-drinker myself, I don’t follow brewpub geneology as much as I probably should.
I got the info from the Denver Post a few weeks back: http://www.denverpost.com/food/ci_18218307