If you know Boulder-based Skratch Labs, it’s probably because you’re a serious cyclist or hardcore runner who’s tucked Skratch’s hydration mixes and energy chews into a pocket during a long ride or run. But at Skratch Labs Table, the company’s vibrant restaurant and test kitchen on Alpine Avenue that also doubles as its flagship store, you don’t need to own a bike jersey to fit in. You just need to be hungry.
Here’s the thing regular people need to know: While Skratch Labs built its name fueling endurance athletes, the Table isn’t just committed to efficiently powering workouts-with-a-capital-W. It’s about making food us normals want to eat, too.
Yes, the menu is devoted to real food that nourishes, but not like chia bowls and sad salads that you know you should eat but don’t really want to. It’s more about healthy food that’s also delicious. Think: poke bowls piled high with rice, avocado, ginger, edamame, cucumber, and cubes of ruby-red tuna, accessorized with nori sheets so you can make your own little sushi rolls, or tear up and mix in. Or chicken bone broth rice ramen with a perfectly jammy egg and sandwiches—including your new breakfast favorite, the bacon, egg, and cheese, but make it kimchi cream cheese—that feel hearty without weighing you down.
There’s also a full espresso bar, where you can choose between a lavender latte and spicy chai. Plus free Skratch sport drink on tap. See? Things you actually want to eat and drink because they taste good and do good, fulfilling their mission to help people be better with real food and real connection.
At the Table, that means you don’t have to be training for a century ride to sit down and dig in. (Although you’ll probably see a few of those in between bites of your popcorn chicken.) The bright, cheery restaurant caters to the leggings and bike shorts crowd just as much as to the cropped jeans and miniskirt clientele. Parents come in with kids, office workers grab lunch, and local non-pro-athletes drop by for coffee and a cookie. (Yes, they have cookies; they just so happen to be made with whole ingredients.)
The vibe is less elite athlete-only and more everyone’s invited. When you walk inside, the space makes you feel instantly energized. Bright colors pop against mostly clean white walls, photos of athletes in action line the space, and, wink-wink, there’s even a bike hanging from the ceiling—a playful nod to Skratch’s sporty DNA.
Skratch Labs built its reputation on taking the science of performance nutrition seriously. At the Table, they’re treating flavor with equal care and intention, showing that good for you can also be just plain good. And while athletes may still flock here for fuel, you don’t need to be clipping into a bike or lacing up your trail shoes to belong.
Even if your workout for the day is walking to the mailbox—or just lifting fork to mouth—you’ll leave feeling nourished, satisfied, and maybe even a little more like a champion.
Skratch Labs Table + Flagship Store: 1245 Alpine Ave., Boulder, 303-993-8639; SkratchLabs.com