Entry No. 12 — the Fort Collins file — filed under: new-orleans
Sunpie's Bistro
“The gumbo only shows up after Labor Day.”
Two New Orleans transplants opened this Yampa Street dive in 2005, named it for zydeco great Sunpie Barnes, and covered every inch of wall and ceiling in Mardi Gras bric-a-brac before selling it in 2012 to locals smart enough to change nothing. The move: a 20-ounce rum Hurricane and a fried shrimp po'boy carried out back, where the beer garden grass runs straight to the Yampa River. The hook-and-ring toss game eats hours, and the gumbo only shows up after Labor Day.
The story
In 2005, two New Orleans transplants dropped onto Yampa Street, named their dive after zydeco musician Sunpie Barnes, and proceeded to cover every square inch of wall and ceiling space in Mardi Gras bead strings and Louisiana bric-a-brac. When they sold the establishment in 2012, the new local owners made the smartest decision possible: they didn't touch a single thing. As Yampa Street polished itself into high-end mountain real estate, Sunpie’s stayed grounded as an unvarnished Gulf Coast outpost sitting beside a Rocky Mountain river.
Over the years, the spot has functioned as a community living room for ski instructors, river tubers, and the Steamboat Rugby Club, which famously made the bar the staging ground for its annual Cow Pie Classic toga party. It is where locals gather to send off late friends, drink rum from heavy plastic cups, and pretend the Yampa River is a bayou stretch just past Lake Pontchartrain.
What it's like
Step through the front door into a dim, bead-encrusted interior, order your food and drinks directly at the bar, and carry them out back yourself—there is no table service here. The standard order is a 20-ounce rum Hurricane paired with a fried shrimp po'boy. In summer, you'll want to claim a picnic table on the grass that runs straight to the Yampa River and pass the afternoon failing at the hook-and-ring toss. In winter, the garden shuts down and the crowd crams into the decorated interior, where hot gumbo hits the menu.
The move: Order a 20-ounce Hurricane and a shrimp po'boy at the bar, claim a riverside picnic table out back, then trade attempts at the hook-and-ring toss until one of you lands it.
📍 Before you go There is no table service: order food and drinks at the bar inside and carry them out to the riverside backyard yourself. The beer garden is the whole point in warm months; in winter everything contracts into the small, decoration-crusted interior. Street parking on Yampa is tight, but the Yampa River Core Trail passes the back fence, so walking or biking from downtown is the easy play. Gumbo and red beans follow a roughly Labor Day-to-Memorial Day season, so cold-weather visits get the fuller Louisiana menu.
- 📍 Steamboat Springs
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 735 Yampa St, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Sulphur Cave at Howelsen Hill — Follow up a riverfront Hurricane with a short walk across the water to look down into a naturally toxic travertine cave.
- Howelsen Hill Ski Area — Take a few laps at North America's oldest continuously operating ski hill, then walk straight across the river trail for a po'boy.
- Strawberry Park Hot Springs — Spend the afternoon drinking by the river on Yampa Street before driving up the dirt road for a night soak in the hot springs.
Good to know
How does table service work?
It doesn't. You order all food and drinks at the bar inside and carry your tray out to the riverside picnic tables or indoor seating yourself.
When is gumbo on the menu?
Gumbo and red beans follow a cold-weather schedule, typically appearing on the board right around Labor Day and lasting through Memorial Day.
Where should I park?
Street parking along Yampa Street is tight and constantly filled. The move is to walk or ride a bike along the Yampa River Core Trail, which passes right along the backyard fence.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · steamboatpilot.com · Yelp
last checked: 2026-06-11