East Boulder gets a new workday hangout
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East & Co. dining hall in Flatiron Park. Photo: Mitchell Byars/Axios Boulder
A new market hall and social venue is now offering all-day food, drinks and work space in east Boulder's Flatiron Park.
Why it matters: East & Co. gives the office and biotech campus an anchor for workers, tenants and visitors to eat, meet and linger.
The latest: East & Co. held its grand opening last Thursday at 2100 Central Ave.
- The project is a partnership between BioMed Realty, Boulder's Working Title Food Group and EVG Hospitality.
What to expect: The all-day space blends a coffee shop, restaurant, bar, meeting room, lounge areas, patio seating and a game room with darts, arcade games and pool.
- It's open 7am-7pm Monday-Friday.
Dig in: For early risers, there's a full coffee, smoothie and juice bar, and the restaurant and food counter serve breakfast burritos and sandwiches.
- Shifting to lunch, the menu includes burgers and sandwiches made with rotating ingredients from local vendors, and a drink menu with beer, wine and signature cocktails.
- To-go meals, local snacks, drinks, T-shirts and gifts are also available.
- East & Co. is leaning local, with partners like the Boulder Farmers Market and companies like OZO Coffee and Moe's Bagels.
The vibe: It's not your typical bustling food hall, fancy restaurant or quiet coworking space — but it somehow combines a bit of all three.
- The best comparison I could come up with is a nice airport lounge: Lots of seating, bites and booze, and everything you might need to pass an hour or two.
🗯️ My thought bubble: As my luck would have it, all of this opened after the Daily Camera left its Flatiron Park spot a few years ago.
Between the lines: Flatiron Park, one of Boulder's marquee biotech and office campuses, was hit by the post-pandemic slowdown in venture funding, lab expansion and office demand.
- BioMed Realty bought the property in 2022 and has upgraded it into a more specialized biotech and R&D hub.
- Meanwhile, drug developer CordenPharma Colorado signed a 15-year lease for a new building, and a new quantum incubator tied to three Colorado universities is also moving in.
The bottom line: As Flatiron Park recruits new tenants and workers, East & Co. is betting they'll need somewhere to gather once they arrive.
- "We heard clearly that Flatiron Park was missing a central place to gather, connect and recharge," Jon Bergschneider, BioMed Realty's president of West Coast markets, said in a statement. "East & Co. is our response."