Pourhouse opens in Loveland

Pourhouse Bar & Grill in Loveland, CO

Review originally published on August 20, 2009.  

Downtown Loveland has a new restaurant at 124 E. 4th Street. The former Cipoletti’s  restaurant is now the PourhouseBar & Grill.    Pourhouse opened  yesterday, and I was there to check it out.  

The first noticeable difference is the outside of the building – it has been painted black. The inside has been altered only slightly.   Walls have been removed to create a more open, airy space.   It appears the owners are going for a modern twist on the English pub look.  

P1030673A brightly painted upright piano sits just inside the front door and black panels have been installed on the ceiling. The best part of the space at 124 E. 4th has always been the brightly lit  bar area, and thankfully, it is little changed.

There are now four flat screen televisions, two in the bar and two in the restaurant.   However, Pourhouse will not  have the Sunday Ticket during NFL season.

Happy hour runs 3 to 6 p.m. and features  $3 beer and well drinks and $4 wine.    Normal  hour beer prices are  $3.75 for a pint and $5.25 for a monster mug.   They  have a variety of  Colorado beers from  Lefthand Brewery (Longmont), Avery (Boulder) and Bristol (Colorado Springs), among others.

The restaurant has some obvious kinks to work out with staffing, but the bartender did his best to keep the patrons happy.   When I was finally assigned a waitress named  Jenna, she was very nice and attentive.   It’s hard to be critical of these types of issues on opening night.

The menu is American featuring everything from hamburgers to pizza.   The entrees include steaks, ribs, chicken, and a  selection of seafood, including salmon, ahi, and mahi mahi, withchoice of sauce.   Sandwiches and hamburgers range from $7 to $11, pizza and pasta, $8 to $11 and entrees start at $11 for the beer battered cod with fries.   There are quite a few vegetarian options throughout the menu.

One menu item that caught my eye was the Pizza of the Day for $10, which includes a $2  Beer of the Day.   I ordered “The Heartburn” to go. This is a  meat-loaded 12″ pizza for $10, and it was a good deal. The pizzas are similar in style to the pizzas made by Cipoletti’s – with a flat crusty crust and fresh ingredients.

I will provide  a more comprehensive review of the Pourhouse once I have a chance to eat a full meal in-house.   In the meantime,  I think  Pourhouse  is an  exciting addition to downtown Loveland, providing a venue for visiting with friends and listening to  live music. So far, it looks like they are on the right track, though I think its going to take them a some time to find  perfect pitch.

Post Update (October 1, 2009):

We have  eaten at the  Pourhouse  at least  five times since my first visit,  so I decided to update the original post. I’m still not ready to give them an official review,  because things are still in flux at the restaurant.

This  Tuesday we stopped in for dinner.  I ordered the falafel wrap ($7)  and Ryan ordered the buffalo chili in a bread bowl ($8). Our waiter, who was also the bartender was very attentive and friendly all evening, even when the place got busy.

The chili doesn’t come with sour cream,  chopped onions and cheese, but at Ryan’s request they brought all three with no upcharge.  When the chili arrived he thought it looked like a small portion, but it really filled him up and he loved it. He will definitely order it again.

My falafel wrap, which I had ordered previously and enjoyed, was a real disappointment. They’ve changed it to a falafel pita (however, the menu still  reads “wrap”). Everything about the  meal was different, except for the hand-cut sweet potato fries,  those were delicious. Instead of the falafel  coming wrapped in a tortilla and drizzled with garlic sauce, four tiny overcooked falafel balls were  laid out with  some lettuce on a dry pita shell.  They served it with a side of tzatziki that tasted mostly like mayo. Not impressed!

I informed  our waitress of my surprise and disappointment. She said the kitchen had been changing up that particular dish for awhile and I told her to tell them to  “change it back!”  

Obviously things are still a little up in the air at the Pourhouse, but the staff is consistently friendly, and the food is usually very good, otherwise we wouldn’t keep going back.

There are  a couple  changes to note. They have installed an outside counter where, once they have their permits in place,  you can drink your beer in the sunshine. Also, they’ve instituted a  $5  happy hour food menu.  Eight different appetizers are available for $5 from  3 to 6 p.m. daily (that’s every day folks, not just weekend).  Also,  on  football Sunday, they run happy hour all day long and have  ten wings for $5, which almost makes up for not having the NFL  Sunday Ticket.

24 Comments


  1. Look forward to trying this one. I am most exited about Left Hand Brews on tap. I love the sawtooth and not enough joints feature these beers.

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  2. Thanks for stopping by and reviewing us! We’ve definitely had a few hiccups on execution; I’ll admit we were a little overwhelmed with the positive response and turnout that we’ve received even before our grand opening. However, we were packed tonight (Thursday) and I’m very happy with the progress we’ve made in both the front and back of the house. Hope you come back this weekend to check out some music, and feel free to get a hold of me at justin.tulk@pourhousebarandgrill.com with any suggestions you might have.

    Thanks again for coming in!

    Justin Tulk
    Partner

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  3. Sounds like a place we’ll have to try out when we come for a visit! I love that they have Vegetarian offerings. Carm

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  4. Thanks for the comment Justin!
    Ryan and I stopped by Friday night for dinner and to listen to some tunes.
    Ryan had the classic burger ($9). He said it was “above average,” which is actually high praise – he’s a bit of a burger aficionado. I had the falafel wrap and for $7, it’s a great deal. The garlic sauce is outstanding. However, the sweet potato fries were the BEST! Yum. I shall crave them every fortnight.
    The musician was very enjoyable and service was efficient, despite the packed house. We will be back!!!

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  5. My daughter just got hired here !! She’s just a great, great person and super at waitstaffing (is that the pc term?!?!?) and she will be a great addition to the Pourhouse. This will give me and the fam good reason to come visit for a meal and a brew in one of our favorite towns, Loveland. Best to the Pourhouse and to Jessie !!!!

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  6. So there IS wine on happy hour?? We were there the 22nd & were told there wasn’t. To which I responded by pouting & wrote the place off completely as a destination for our Girls Drinking Club Happy Hour. (we’re almost totally wine drinkers) The food was pretty good (I was a HUGE Cipolettis fan…) If there’s wine on happy hour now I’ll (we’ll) give them another try.

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  7. Lanette,
    Thanks for stopping by! I was there on opening day and the bartender (Joe) told me happy hour wine is $4, so I believe that is the happy hour price. I believe house wine is $4.50 regularly (though maybe $5?).
    Come back soon!
    ~Heidi

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  8. My wife and I had lunch there today. It was very good, and I like the variety in the menu. The server was on the ball, and the guy at the bar was hustling–asking us if everything was ok and refilling drinks.

    I had the mahi mahi sandwich. The pretzel bun was a nice different taste from the regular bun. Wife had a burger with gorganzola cheese.

    I will go back.

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  9. My boyfriend and I tried this restaurant last week, and had a horrible experience. Based on this experience alone, we will not be inclined to come back! We could even say the food was ok, but the service… no way. I even picked up a business card of a “manager” named Shannon and emailed her our experience and comments about our experience and we have not heard a response back. Even more of a sign of the bad customer service when a manager can’t respond to a customer’s email! And to top it all off, today we heard recently of someone who tried to take a group of people there, had the same horrible service we had, and even got charged for things they were told were free! Word of mouth will spread fast on this place and we hope people will listen!

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  10. Hmmm.. My sister, niece & I went back to the Pourhouse Thursday – specifically for Happy Hour, the drinks part was fine but way too small a portion of chips/salsa for that price – they need to have happy hour munchie specials. The server had what my sister & I (both former waitresses) refer to as “The Waitress Chirp” ! definition – when you’re trying so hard to please that every sentence ends with your voice up an octave – We had a good laugh as WE used to do it too.! The service has been good for us there but they definitely still need kinks worked out. Another plus was the offer to sell a half a glass of wine.
    Girls Drinking Club will probably give it a try but we still like Bent Fork and Jordan! BTW, we meet tomorrow @ 4:00 at the Harmony Rustic Oven, 1/2 price bottles of wine, cheap drafts & pizzas and we’ll draw for prizes again – come and make some new friends!

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  11. Hi Lanette! Thanks for dropping by again.
    What is this “half a glass of wine” you speak of? That is not a phrase I am famliar with. 🙂
    I like the Rustic Oven and have been meaning to review them here. Have been to both locations and have enjoyed all experiences. I just may stop by tomorrow and say “hi!”
    Now “1/2 price bottle of wine” is one of my favorite phrases!

    And K, I’m very sorry to hear you had a bad experience. Perhaps this is still a symptom of “working out the kinks.”

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  12. Ok, now I’m confused… (annoyed) a friend & I went to the Pourhouse for happy hour yesterday. – $5. (crappy) wine and NO happy hour munchies/specials of any kind! I think that was their last chance for me. Why can’t places get consistent? This same thing but worse happened when the GDC went to the Aspen Lodge in Estes. I was told they would put together happy hour deals for us when we got there, but the woman I spoke to wasn’t even there when we arrived and the bartender didn’t know anything about it. Quite a wait for a drink… then when my sister & I had been there acouple weeks previous, they had FREE happy hour munchies (good egg rolls) out but this time the woman said just order off the regular menu at regular prices and she’d have the portions be bigger – they weren’t and were expensive, then at the last minute told us she’d taken 20 % off the food. Obviously the customer should have this info first to know what to order.
    I think the next GDC might be at the old Depot (is that called Sportscasters? Owned by the guy from Henry’s) They advertise a good happy hour, we’ll see. (Bent Fork still the best for us…) -L.

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    1. sportscaster food blows but its next to nothin @ happy hour! its great If you don’t mind the train blowing past during the game!

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  13. I went to the Pourhouse last week for the first time since the changeover from Cipoletti’s. I did not have a satisfactory experience. The beer was flat (Avenue wheat of some type) and when I complained, the bartender took a swizel stick off the bar and stirred my beer up to prove I was wrong, never bothering to offer me a replacement. I drank the flat beer, yummy! Majority of “dude” wait staff was in tshirts, they did not look professional. Also, I just received my Visa statement. The bartender added his own tip, even after I left cash for two measly flat beers! I work in downtown; I won’t be going back, nor will I endorse. I guess you get what you pay for.

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  14. Thanks for checking in Scott. This place seems to be getting really mixed reviews. People either have a great time or terrible time – there seems to be no in between. I do think they are trying to be the “it” place in downtown Loveland and it would be great if they could get “it” together in order to become that place!!
    And if someone really added a tip on to your bill after you left, I’d report it to the management.

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  15. I have been there on several occasions and the only thing the have gotten better at is excuses for why they cant pull it off. The other night I got the Pour house steak and on the menu says it comes with a demi and it did not as well it was overcooked . My wife got the Fish and chips something we’ve tried before and enjoyed but they changed the recipe or something and this time was inedible ..The dessert selection is a joke and the “bartender spends most his time drinking ” and had a pretty good buzz when he spoke to us! very unprofessional!!DO NOT RECOMMEND AND WILL NOT BE GOING BACK

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    1. I too have had the fish and chip dinner before and was very excited about my plate, upon returning I am able to confirm that it was not only inedible but the portion of cod was inexplicably small! The first time I ate here I got A whole battered cod fillet, and this time all I got was two soggy fish fingers and a pile of overcooked pub fries!! WTF?!

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  16. Well we tried them again and I must say it was the WORST dining experience we have ever had! I got the pretzel pork chop witch again at an earlier date was phenomenal but this time was horrible with big chunks of soggy pretzel and an under cooked chop. The mustard sauce I had when they first opened was divine and this time it was mustard! My wife got the fish tacos ..when they first opened the fish was juicy and well cooked served with a tangy slaw and the chipotle sauce was very good. On our 4th return the mahi was ahi I think and served with tarter sauce (witch also used to be phenomenal and now it just taste’s bad!! We were really hoping it was just a new place figuring it out etc. But we found out from our server they had fired the first chef and replaced with a new one
    and let me just say this we ate there 4 times twice with old chef and twice with the new and the new chef is a joke the food is a joke the service was ok ..they should have kept the original chef …they had really good food when they first opened!!!again we DO NOT RECOMMEND!!go to the chophouse across the street !!

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  17. Well, unfortunately my husband just had an experience similar to those listed above. He went to lunch there today with a vendor and he actually sent his hamburger back!

    I’ve know this man for 10 years and I’ve never seen him send back food. His hamburger was burnt. He said it seemed as though it had been cooked on a very dirty grill and was covered in black charcoal. He had ordered medium well and obviously it was not.

    The waiter did not offer to take it back, he asked Ryan if he wanted to send it back. Putting the ball in the customer’s court is not good service! He should have simply whisked the plate away and brought a new one.

    There was no apology and no adjustment to the check.

    I had really high hopes for this restaurant, so the poor reviews are very disappointing. I know the owners seemed to really care about the place, so hopefully they are addressing these issue. But they will have to be quick, because the word gets around fast in this little town.

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    1. P.S. Back in August, my burger connoisseur husband said this place had an “above-average” burger.

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  18. I first stopped here while I was passing through town.. It was a total fluke that I even stopped in.. I was so hungry I thought I would faint of starvation; which brought me to the Pourhouse. I asked what dish would deliver a massive heap of deliciousness? The staff steered me straight for the London fish and chips, which they assured me was there most popular dish. When the plate arrived at my table I could see why it would be popular.. A whole golden battered cod fillet plus another great chunk of cod to match! What a feast have I ever seen, and I had not yet taken a bite! It was the most crispy flaky pub fish Id ever had! really something to write Home about, and thats a compliment! ( Being brought up the other side of “the pond.”)
    The next time when that hunger pang hit in a far away loveland, I knew exactly where to go… I was more than excited to return for the pub fish and chips, because I knew they were the best I’d ever had since leaving home so many years ago..
    Then I got my plate….Wow, It was baffling how it was a totally different dish altogether! The only similarity was the fish, I think, was the same species. The portion, batter, tarter sauce, and side were not what I’d expected at all. I felt like crying, because I knew all along it was too good to be true.. I thought I had found “it”.. The place I’d take my Mum to when she comes to stay. Needless to say Mum will be frying the fish again this year!

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  19. My husband and I dusted the winter cob webs off our bikes for a ride around downtown yesturday. We got hungry so thought we would give this place a try. Wow! Good food, good beer and Great atmosphere. Nice top off to a bike ride, cant’ wait to get our fellow bikers on a ride and ending the day here again.

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  20. Thanks for stopping by HeidiTown, Karen! I’m so glad you had a nice time at the Pourhouse. I hope this means they’ve gotten things back under control at this restaurant. Maybe we’ll give it another try sometime. Thanks again!

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