Rayback Collective

Spacious beer garden and coffee spot with food trucks and a fire pit outside. Relaxed atmosphere and plenty of parking in the back

We hosted our rehearsal dinner and welcome party at The Rayback, and it was absolutely incredible! The location was perfect — relaxed, fun, and so uniquely Boulder. We rented a private section inside (just part of the room) for a very affordable rate, and it worked out perfectly. We had a dedicated server for our area who was incredibly sweet and attentive, and the bartenders were just as friendly and welcoming. The management team was fantastic to work with — so responsive, organized, and flexible. They even let us set up a welcome drink and do a tasting beforehand, which was such a thoughtful touch and helped us feel confident leading up to the big weekend. We were initially a little unsure about reserving only part of the space since we had about 50 people at the rehearsal dinner and more than 200 guests come through for the welcome party. But the Rayback team was right — the venue is so spacious and well laid out that it never felt crowded or chaotic. Everyone had an amazing time, and the energy of the space made it the perfect spot to kick off our wedding weekend. The food trucks were also a huge hit, especially for guests who arrived after the rehearsal dinner and wanted something to eat. And for the families that joined us, the open outdoor space gave the little ones plenty of room to run and play, which made it comfortable and fun for everyone. We stayed until close because no one wanted to leave — that’s how much fun it was! We can’t recommend The Rayback enough for any celebration or group event. They truly helped make our weekend unforgettable.

The Rayback was the absolute best place for my daughter’s rehearsal dinner ! Bailey and Brittany were phenomenal!! I can’t thank them enough for making a once in a lifetime event so memorable.

I'm on a business trip last July 2023. Had our happy hour in Rayback Collective. Love the place, the indoor and outdoor options to socialize is a big plus. Food was awesome, especially the beers and coffee. Happy hours indeed!

We’ve been to the Rayback many times, and so it seemed a natural fit for one evening of my husband’s family reunion. We rented part of the back room, and everyone had a great time with the diverse food truck offerings and drink options (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), plus they created lovely table signs for us based on a picture and some text we provided. A great experience all around! Thank you to everyone who helped make the night a success!

Rayback Collective was an awesome spot! I hosted a dinner for my family reunion, 22 people, and we all had a great time. We rented a couple of high top tables and I hosted drinks and food. Setting all of that up was super easy! Brittany and team made it a breeze. I loved that everyone in my group could choose from a few different food trucks and the full bar plus a ton of nonalcoholic options was perfect for my group of young children and adults. Highly recommend this spot!

We had our wedding welcome party at the Rayback Collective the night before our wedding, and it was a fantastic experience. Communication with the Rayback team was excellent from the start and throughout the booking process. On the day of the event, everything went smoothly, from setting up our bar tab to closing it out at the end of the night. Our guests loved the drinks (several commented on how strong they were, in the best way!). The Rayback team was incredibly accommodating with the extra elements I wanted to include, like the unconventional idea of having a Rocky Mountain beverage burro and Ben & Jerry’s catering. Our guests also really enjoyed the food truck options available. Thank you for helping make our party such a fun and memorable night!

We had a memorial service at Rayback and was unsure how many folks might attend. Ultimately ended up north of 250 people and received great service. A/V support was super helpful and all of our guests loved the environment. Food trucks went smoothly and everyone enjoyed the variety.

It looked like a fun place to study or work remotely. Lots of plugs hanging from the ceiling and quiet. We enjoyed a few beers here to start our Boulder journey on some recommendations from a local friend. Loved the parking and being able to just relax a bit

Overall experience is a 1.5 star review: Parking is horrible. Bathrooms dirty. Food was sub par from all three of the trucks on scene last night (a Friday). Prices reflective of the hip/trendy spot = overpriced. Dog friendly, so that should get a positive acknowledgment. On to the food: it was all bland and boring (Guatemalan, Texas style BBQ and an attempt at Vietnamese). Yes, the place was crowded (there had been a private event inside the back room near the live music); but the food was ice cold (with the exception of the pulled pork from the BBQ truck - that was at least warm). Totally expected tons of flavors from all three based on the menu descriptions; yet that wasn't the case. Didn't even finish the meager portions either (we did take it with us to reheat at home; but no improvement on the flavors). Had to stop at Cosmic Pizza afterwards for something hot to eat. Won't be back to the Collective...

Rayback Collective is what a "collective" should really strive for: cool people, chill atmosphere, something going on almost every day, outdoor and indoor seating, and food trucks on location! They also have coffee here too! I've always felt relaxed here and not only because of the brews! The people here just seem so chill and happy to be there (even when working, which a lot of people do there). Rayback is definitely a nice place to go to when wanting to avoid the crazy party scene and would rather have a beer or two with a small group of friends. I have been here while concerts, trivia, and movie showings were going on. Depending on what you're looking for, Rayback seems to have something tailored for everyone depending on the day. Check this place out! Cheers!

This place is cool. I really enjoy the set up of this place. The vibes are great. The service is friendly and quick. Drinks and food are delicious. I love the unique food trucks. I love how it changes often. I love the outdoor space. Parking can be limited during busy times.

This is a great place to go if you have a big group, I went as a part of a work happy hour, so there were probably more than 20 of us. The outdoor space is massive, and there were a lot of large tables inside as well. Some people were there solo working on their laptops or reading, so I think this can be a really chill place to get work done! There were some great happy hour deals and I got the Paloma with a sugar rim. They gave me the choice of sugar, salt, or tajin. The only bummer about the cocktails is that they are made in batches, so while you do get your drink very quickly, you are unable to make any substitutions whether it is changing the spirit or removing something.

Came here with a bunch of people who were in town for a wedding reception. Pleasant weather day so outside seating was pretty full, but there was plenty of room indoors too - we utilized both options. Drink wise, I opted for one of their ciders which proved to be a good choice. Went well with the BBQ dish I ordered. We were there on a Saturday afternoon and there were only two food trucks there, so the wait for food was a bit long. We found a parking spot, but the lot was getting kind of full so it could be a challenge on other days. Overall a good time here!

This is a nice place to grab a drink and sit outside when the weather is nice. It's super spacious and great for groups with a tv inside for any sporting events that are happening. However the food options are lacking. They have food trucks outside but when we went on a Sunday, the only two options were a Norwegian and a Tibetan truck, both of which were pretty disappointing and overpriced. Skip the food but come here for a beer instead!

Came here on a work event. Loved the spacious location. The menu is immaculate - lots of beers and liquor selection, including a good selection of non alcoholic beers. They even have coffees and kombuchas. Good selection of whiskeys and bourbon. Really pretty outdoor area with a fire pit, even though it was freezing and covered with snow. Too cold for this whimpy Californian. It was pretty busy on a Wednesday night, but service was attentive and they came often to get our drink orders. Wish they had something similar near me.

I'll never be back. I rarely give negative reviews, but I had a horrible experience, and the manager's response did not help when I provided feedback. My drink order was lost, there was a confusing checkin system that they were too busy to handle, and my friends didn't have a good experience either. This used to be an awesome community space but I'll be looking elsewhere moving forward, especially after the manager's reply to my feedback.

Use to come all the time and it was amazing but got tired of the same food trucks. Over and over and over. There are so many in the area...why are they stuck on a few?? But did make me go to Avanti and Rosetta hall to get more variety and those are awesome!! Bummer bc this is close to home...but come on Rayback, step it up a bit, it can't be that hard to find others! Seems lazy to stick with the same ones...for literally years. Boring.

Solid place for any day or night of the week. Drinks: Caters to a variety of tastes. Beer, kombucha, seltzer, cocktails, and cafe drinks. The space: Super spacious and open. Lots of seating everywhere inside and outside. There's always a food truck in the outdoor area. The fire pits are lit in the fall/winter time. Super casual vibe. The staff: Helpful and friendly. Knowledgeable and I've generally gotten satisfying drink recommendations. Extra: There's a board game meetup here on Wednesdays! They welcome walk-ups to join.

Atmosphere is a 10 Beers a 9 Food Trucks depend but mostly 9-10 because if you're a good truck and you're not really good you're out of business.

Great place to catch a game with their big screen. Usually a few food truck options most days/nights in the outside patio area.

Boulder's Backyard is one of my favorite hangouts in Boulder. The cool younger brother of Denver's Improper City, Rayback Collective consistently offers a warm environment with killer brews on tap. We found ourselves in Boulder on a long holiday weekend. After bouncing around Pearl Street for a few hours, I suggested coming here. The indoor space is large and spread out, ideal for these COVID times. They also have a massive outdoor area, perfect for summertime hangs. Anywho, toasty brews were a' calling on a chilly afternoon. Rayback has a wonderful selection of Colorado beers on tap. I landed on a DIPA from New Image Brewing (Denver) and a funky farmhouse ale from Cellar West (Lafayette). Both stellar! Rayback Collective always has a food truck on site. Usually live music or comedy inside, too. I love the new coffee bar they've implemented, as well as the select cocktail menu. It's a gathering place for all walks of life. Flying solo, meetings, dog hangs, or large events (post-COVID) this versatile place ticks all the boxes. In layman's terms, this place rocks!

Stopped in on a Sunday afternoon following a CU college tour for my son. We were joined by some old Navy friends whose son was kind enough to show us around CU. Only a couple of food trucks around, but we really just wanted a quiet place to sit and a good beer to sip on. Plenty of great beer choices at reasonable prices. We had spent all morning in the sun so I tried a lighter Avery lager and it was perfect. Plenty of covered seating and puppies all over the place. Great place.

Way too loud. Was also disappointed there were only two small food trucks. Their website makes it look like there'll be all this variety of food. The interior piped-in music was so loud that my party and I all had to speak loudly to be heard, and even then, still had trouble getting every word. We decided to move outdoors thinking this would be quieter, but the music is also piped-in outdoors, including under the tent area. There was no escaping it. We all had to be talking extra loud to be understood. What does the owner think, that he'll lose business if he keeps the volume lowered a few notches? The music should be background, not foreground. Ridiculous. At 7 pm I wanted a Cuban sandwich (the only thing decent offered), but the food truck said they were sold out. The other food truck was only fish poke bowls. Indoors, all you can get is liquor. Not even basic snack food. So if you enjoy drinking like a fish and having your eardrums rattled, this is the place for you. To be fair, I'll admit that the server for our table (drinks) was attentive (all I had was water; others had alcohol). But I left hungry with numbed ears. You'd think the owner would be smart enough to realize that a venue with 200 people talking would be noisy just from THAT ALONE, which would be all the more reason to play the music a lot softer. Though my refusal to go back won't affect the owner's profits, you'd think that as the owner, he'd take enough pride in his enterprise to avoid blunders that affect patron retention - like unnecessarily loud music and only two small food trucks. Don't let the food promos on their website fool you.

I tried as various occasions. Takeaways: Not inclusive or LGBTQ friendly. Bar tenders are jerks. Coffee is terrible. I paid $6 for a cappuccino that had no taste and filled half a mug. Ick.

What a cool event space in Boulder. This oversized garage offers specialty coffee in the mornings and beer by the afternoon. I recommend the pumpkin latte and the "It'd be a lot cooler if you did" beer compilation from Telluride and Station 26 breweries. But, with over a dozen taps, your certain to find something to meet everyone's palate. There is ample seating here which range from tall top tables, lower tables, bar stools, couches and comfy chairs, intimate two tops and family-style outdoor seating at picnic tables or Adirondack chairs around the large fire pit. This is an excellent place to watch a sports game with their large screens, host a birthday party, or catch up with a large group. I believe they also rent the space out for wedding receptions or other private events. Rayback Collective does not serve food, rather they relay on a host of food trucks setting up in the outside courtyard. The trucks are set to arrive around 11am, but it may be closer to 12 some days before you have any variety. But you're not here for the food, you're here to relax and share a beer with good company. Bring your pup on a nice day as they are allowed in the outdoor space. Don't have a car? The Boulder Bike Trail stops right outside the entrance.

I've been here twice and both times I've enjoyed it a lot! The food trucks they have are always amazing and have a wide selection of great food. Last night I got a pizza from Lenin's Woodfired Pizza, 10/10! Their drink menu is a bit limited in my opinion, but they do taste good. Parking is extremely limited and difficult without much side street parking as a back up, so plan to carpool if you can! Lastly, both times I've sat in their outdoor tent with communal/cocktail seating and it does get quite loud which makes conversation difficult, but I'm glad to see them so busy!

Rayback is great at collaborating with local businesses to offer fitness classes, awards ceremonies, launches, and a place for social gathering. Conveniently located on the bike path I highly encourage an alternate mode of transportation as their parking lot is frequently filled to the brim. There's plenty of seating outside as well as inside. With beer and kombucha on tap there's a little bit of something for everyone. Dig the food truck scene? There's often a truck or two parked outside. Worried the kids will be bored? There's corn hole for them to play with. Have a dog or two you don't want to leave at home? No worries there's room for them too!

Wow, this place has a variety of beers, wine, ciders, cans and cocktails. My fav brew on draft Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout is here! Almost all drinks under 10 bucks. Apparently food trucks visit but I am here for the beer. Parking seemed limited but I'm a first time visitor and not from the area. Live music on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Lots of small tables, high tops, a few couches. This just looks like a fun place to be.

This is a great place if the whole group isn't into beer. They offer mixed drinks as well! Also have a rotating selection of food trucks that usually have vegetarian/vegan options which is nice. Lots of inside and outside seating also, and pups are welcome outside!

Always love rayback and their options. It's an easy go-to for a night with friends when no one wants to decide what we all collectively want to eat/drink. Provides us with many choices and plenty of room to hang out and chat. Love it

Love meeting friends here for a drink and bite outdoors by a fire pit or under a tent, and for comedy on Sunday nights. The drink selection is solid and service is friendly. The rotating food trucks add a little adventure each time. Popular items do occasionally run out on busy nights, so order those early.

So cool!!! Love this place. Can't wait to go back. Election was good and nearby food was excellent. Thank you!!!!!

We enjoy going to Rayback, it has a great vibe and everyone is very welcoming. We like the diversity of the food trucks. We've been going for years and will continue to!

Love Rayback. You will need your mask and to come a little early if you don't want to wait in line around dinner time. The food truck options here are always great. The last time I was here I ordered some amazing tacos from Los Dos and there was a BBQ truck there as well. There's a great beer collection, always more than enough dogs, sun, and good vibes.

Couldn't eat inside because it was a Sunday which wasn't well advertised on the website

A truly great meetup place that's not exactly a bar as much as a giant space with a few vendors. Besides an excellent Colorado beer selection, they surprise with notch brews from Pipeworks in Chicago to Russian River from California. Make sure to keep an eye out for their affordable pours of hard to find bourbons. And the space features great food trucks that rotate on a daily basis. Big inside area, and a giant outside area make it easy to find seats. The clientele is a mix of upperclassmen undergrads, grad students, professors, and a few locals. One of the three best places for an event in town.

My adult family visited Rayback Coll. This afternoon as a start of the evening. Casual was the operative word. A relaxed place where a diverse mix of groups came in for a little libation. This included families with little kids running around like a reniunion. Mostly picnic table aesthetic, there was what looked like an artful iron log circular fireplace installment that I assume uses gas flames in the cooler months that was a very cool piece. Additionally there is. Bike trail that runs up behind the location. With an entry of tons of lovely wildflowers. Super peaceful. There was a pretty good selection if drinks, most specific I would call adequately average, not noteworthy, but fine. There were a couple of food trucks tucked in in nicely apportioned spaces, close to the seating. We actually had slow service there unfortunately. There were many staff with tablets walking around, but eventually had to flag someone down to get an order in. Minor issue. The staff was very friendly and helpful once engaged.

I'll definitely be on my way back to Rayback. Actually, I've been back a number of times. There's a good selection of beers, plenty of seating, and all the water you'll ever need in help your self fashion. The seating and water is help your self. Wouldn't recommend trying that with the beer but, if you do, let us know how it turns out. There's a rotation of food trucks at the ready and it's fun to chat with the staff about how that has gone on occasion. The new fence looks nice though. Dog friendly. Yard games. Plenty to enjoy.

Awesome place to hang out, especially on a nice night. I loved the vibe here. Casual and friendly. There's a spacious indoor area and a fantastic outdoor area to hang out. They have a fire pit if it gets chilly. Also, if you get there early enough, they have food trucks parked in the outdoor area. Stellar beer selection -- I tried four different sour beers and they were all excellent. They do flights as well. Courteous and attentive staff. The outdoor area is pretty large and had a lot of patrons but I thought they had plenty of wait staff walking around and taking orders. I know they also have live music (although there wasn't any when I came on a Saturday night) and they allow the space to be rented for events. Dog-friendly and kid-friendly.

Great place to hang out after work or on a Friday night. The food truck scene is super convenient and fits everyone's needs, although is pricey and not always the best tasting for what you pay for it. The beer, on the other hand, is constantly changing and the selection is always excellent. The ambiance is a particular plus, especially for young adults. Be sure to check out their special events and live music, which happen frequently, for a unique night out.

Great spot. Good beer. Excellent atmosphere. Especially when it's warm out great beer garden.The service is very very good. When you're waiting for a table they have it very well organized. Good team of people working here. I would highly recommend it. Dog friendly

Very cool vibe to hang out at and have a beer or eat at the food trucks. Only downside is the service, dealt with a bartender that I asked for a sample of a certain beer and she poured the entire glass - then after told me there were no samples so I was stuck paying for a beer that I didn't know if I liked or not. Other than that, cool music, atmosphere, and food.

This place would be one of the reasons I would recommend a trip to Boulder. No joke! Yeah, yeah - mountains and hiking and the beauty of the Flatirons and all that we explored to reverse the effects of this hip and funky garage/open air/lounge place, that stuff's cool too. But the Rayback! Assorted beverages on tap (kombucha, coffee, beer - oh, my!) and assorted food trucks on rotation (roti, tacos, bbq, anyone?) and the live music (local, fun, different bands) and the old skool games inside and out? When's my next direct flight?

Rayback's tagline is "Boulder's Backyard" and I am going to go ahead and second that for them. Having moved from a house with a massive yard in Minneapolis, one of the things I miss most is being able to sit around outside in the sunshine and enjoy a good cold one, have some good drinks with some good friends. Rayback covers all of those bases - with some added bonuses: 1. We can make MORE friends! 2. We don't have to cook and the food always changes! 3. Someone else can bring you drinks (a larger variety than your Igloo can hold - and most for less than $10) :) 4. You don't have to hunt down your own firewood or lawn games. 5. During this global pandemic, Rayback has great social distancing, enforced mask policy and contactless payments, etc. Parking, however, is about the equivalent of Minneapolis Snow Emergency, so carpooling is encouraged (Relatively small parking lot for cars - plenty of bike parking and very walkable). Best of all, I don't have to mow the lawn or shovel the snow. All around wins in my book.

Hosting large parties: Pros: - Fun local place - combination of games, live music, trucks Cons: - they gave as two $8 vouchers: but most food is like $14 or under. This is quite inefficient since our company had to pay the full price. - Mediterranean food truck is hella SLOW. They said 15 minutes but all of us ended up waiting for like half an hour. I was so hungry

Good beers, it's too bad you don't serve pitchers and your service staff is typically overwhelmed. Unfortunate, but it's a great location to hangout.

I was so excited to come to Rayback Collective because i heard people raving about it. I was here for an event. The location is great and the atmosphere even better. Rayback gets a one star review simply because of the service. I waited 10 minutes by the bar to order a drink because the bartender was too busy flirting with two other girls who were sitting at the bar. I was then told that i could have the same exact drink he had just served my 3 friends, but for $4 more. I ordered an overpriced beer that was half foam, the other half watered down. Apparently the only people who can get a decent drink at this place are single attractive women. UPDATE: went back with some friends a few months later, still the same shitty service. If I could give 0 stars, I would. Never going back.

I'm pissed I move in 3 weeks and just found out about this place. Amazing. It's a bar/coffee shop/Game Center/sports lounge/food truck lot. It's amazing. Bar service was immediate with a long list of beers to choose from. And the trucks they feature, fantastic. We will be coming back as much as possible until we are gone.

Excellent service, great beers, food trucks, and so careful when it come to protecting health of customers!

Entertaining, Open and Incredible FOOD Trucks. Wonderful mix of people, food and adult beverages. Love the one man band! Plenty of room to move about and enjoy talking with those in our party. Staff is attentive even when bar area gets a bit backed up. Let your friends know about Rayback Collective!

We were attending an event sponsored by the Bluebird Supper Club . Let's start with the good. Great room. Drinks were delicious. Very spacious. Friendly staff very welcoming and smiling. Very attentive. Now the bad. VIP tickets were $79 each. Regular admission was $25 each. VIP offered a three course dinner with special lounge and bar. The three course dinner consisted of a grazing style Charcuterie board that we watched people eating straight out of with their hands. A ticket to one of the food trucks. $17 meal. And then cupcakes for dessert. The lounge was in the back of the venue where you could not see the stage. The sound was muffled and low. Turns out there is a noise restriction and a curfew. So the VIP section was empty with everyone up in front of the band so they could see and hear. So with a drastically overpriced VIP ticket that the first course was unsanitary, a meal that everyone could have purchased for 17 max and a diabetics nightmare of a dessert. So the "three" course meal was not advertised or delivered as purchased. The VIP lounge was worthless. There was no VIP lounge Bar. But the waitstaff was exceptional so that was not a problem. so the Two stars is for "needs improvement" I could have purchased regular tickets and bought a meal from the food trucks for $42 and stood where I watched from to enjoy the show without purchasing an extremely bloated VIP ticket. The band was awesome but we just couldnt hear it and the sound was lacking. They did turn it up in the beginning and everything was good but then you could hear it get turned back down. So not all bad but overpriced and underdelivered.

This place is so cool. It reminds me of this food truck place in San Francisco soma. I really like the lights around the place really makes it have a nice vibe. The fire was on which I appreciate because it was really cold the day I went. There is a lot of seating. There isn't much parking which is sad and the spots they have are so cramped. The only reason why they lose a star but overall I really like this place. #kevinapproves

Visiting family in Boulder (CO) for graduation of niece and nephew from medical school. Rented out space at the Rayback. What a brilliant idea. Cat, our hostess, was outstanding. Fantastic time with family, friends, adult beverages and catered Tex-Mex food. I highly recommend this place for any kind of gathering. Try the Kombochu drinks. Not alcoholic but refreshingly different. I fell in love with a Durango brew called "Ska" by the Rue B. Soho brewery. It's a lager with a slight but noticeable grapefruit taste. Great with Tex Mex food.

Love love love this place. Perfect for kids - saw kids here each night. Obviously come early. Live music and corn hole. Christmas tree decoration was fun. Great beer. Watch the gravity of the beers - they are a bit strong. Food trucks are always nice, love the outdoor fire pit. It's warm enough to enjoy in the winter. I've lucked out with parking but ice heard for others this can be difficult. Probably my favorite spot for beer and atmosphere in Boulder. Plenty of space and easy going.

I'm so glad this bar is able to operate during COVID. The setup is awesome with spaces inside & outside, beautiful murals on the walls, & a really cool outdoor fireplace. We were here early so I tried a mocha & it was delicious! I plan to come back & try the beers. Hopefully they'll get to open up the outdoor games like bocce ball soon, but they're being very careful with table spacing & sanitation, which is great.

Super enjoyable experience. The staff was wonderful & engaging. The food was excellent (I had shrimp & salmon patties sliders and hush puppies.) and the drink was ok. The atmosphere was great. I definitely am excited to experience this venue again.

the rayback is incredible. i think their strength is that it can be whatever you want it to be. quick drink on a first date. a night out for dinner with friends. live music. what a gem.