Get Dining Deals Like a Culinary Insider

The October passport delivers chef specials, off-the-menu deals and rotating surprise pairings, so you can eat like a foodie VIP.

drinks and dishes from restaurants part of the Culinary Insider passport in Colorado Springs — Drinks and dishes from 1350 Distilling, Streetcar 520, Fratelli Ristorante Italiano, Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar, Brakeman's Burgers, and Till

So you’ve always wanted to be a foodie insider, slipping past that velvet rope to sample exclusive chef specialties and order secret, off-menu dishes? The Culinary Insider pass is your golden ticket to be a food scene VIP during October.

The $10 digital pass from the Downtown Partnership provides access to off-menu treats at 18 downtown Colorado Springs restaurants, bars, breweries and distilleries. And passholders can win exclusive rewards based on how many pass destinations they visit during the month.

“We’ve seen in this past year the depth of love for, and loyalty to, our downtown restaurants, brewers and distillers,” said Claire Swinford, executive director of Downtown Ventures, in a press release. “Culinary Insider rewards that love and loyalty with creative pairing and offerings not available to anyone else. It’s a fun and delicious way to explore and support the food and drink scene in the heart of our city.”

The pass includes exclusive pairings, revived favorites and new dishes never before seen on the menus of beloved dining spots such as Jack Quinn’s and Spice Island Grill, as well as buzzy newcomers like Ephemera and Mash Mechanix. Some of our favorites? Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar has Buffalo fried oysters, a return of the Oyster Month hit. Jack Quinn’s revives Guinness beef crostini, a long-lost menu favorite And you can go home with rare bottled beer from Mash Mechanix—no, the new microbrewery doesn’t normally bottle.

If you’re a sucker for a good surprise, several of the eateries and bars, such as The Warehouse, Track 10 Urban Kitchen, Chiba Bar and Streetcar 520, are offering secret specials and weekly rotating pairings.

Passholders have till the end of October to visit as many spots as they can, earning prize drawing entries along the way. Offers range from cocktails and appetizers to entrees and desserts, so diners can build a one-of-a-kind dining experience at multiple stops throughout downtown — or seek out a different destination every night of the week. At the end of October, passholders will be entered to win prizes donated by local businesses. Prizes include dining gift cards, tasting experiences, private meals made by local chefs and tickets to culinary performances at the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts.

After registration, the pass is delivered by text and email. Although it’s not an app, users can choose to save an icon to their phone home screen for easy app-like access. Diners then redeem each deal by showing their phones to waitstaff. Proceeds from digital pass sales will benefit scholarships for local students pursuing careers in the culinary arts.

For registration and details on the deals, go to downtowncs.com/event/culinary.