The Sink on 13th Street in Boulder has been a University of Colorado institution since 1923, feeding students, faculty, and the Boulder community in a basement-level pub whose walls are covered in decades of accumulated art, signatures, graffiti, and the visual history of a college bar that has outlasted every trend around it. It appeared in Season 12, Episode 6 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Gettin’ Fresh,” which aired September 26, 2011. Guy Fieri found a Boulder pub kitchen doing scratch-made food well above the standard college bar level — and discovered that President Obama had worked as a busboy at The Sink in 1978, a detail that adds a layer to what is already one of the more storied pub histories in Colorado.
Quick Facts
Restaurant: The Sink
City: Boulder, Colorado
Cuisine: Pub and Bar Food
DDD Season: 12
DDD Episode: 6
Episode Title: Gettin’ Fresh
Original Air Date: September 26, 2011
Address: 1165 13th St., Boulder, CO 80302
Phone: 303-444-7465
Website: https://www.thesink.com
Status: Open
What to Eat
The Sinkburger is the house signature — a hand-formed beef patty with creative toppings on a toasted bun, the pub burger that has been the go-to order for CU students since the Eisenhower administration. The Green Chile, house-made with Colorado Hatch chiles, is the topping or side bowl that Boulder regulars add to everything. The Chicken Wings with rotating house-made sauces are the bar snack most tables order without looking at the menu. The Spinach Dip with warm pita is the appetizer that comes with the territory at a Boulder pub with this many vegetarian and health-conscious customers in the building. The Daily Specials board reflects what the kitchen wants to cook that day. Find a Boulder hotel on Travelocity.
Plan Your Visit
Check the website for current hours. The Sink has been open since 1923 and is worth a visit for the history alone — the food is a bonus.
Address: 1165 13th St., Boulder, CO 80302
Phone: 303-444-7465
Website: https://www.thesink.com
Status: Open
Triple D Essentials
Stream the Gettin’ Fresh episode on Amazon. President Obama bussed tables here in 1978 — the burger is worth finding out if he made the right career choice.
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The Sink appeared in Season 12, Episode 6 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Gettin’ Fresh,” originally aired September 26, 2011. The pub has been open on 13th Street since 1923. President Obama worked as a busboy at The Sink in 1978.