When it comes to sports, Summit County is a little unique: A visitor to a sports bar on any given day is just about as likely to find a fan of an out-of-state team as they are to find someone who is faithful to the local Colorado squads.

That dynamic is part of what Ollie’s Pub & Grub Owner Alan Bullock said makes it so much fun to run a sports bar in the area. He’s a good person to ask, since Ollie’s has won the Best of Summit category three of the last five years and took second place the other two times.

“Everyone is from somewhere else,” said Bullock. “It really helps bring together a whole slew of sports fans.”

Bullock said a recent personal highlight was watching the Avalanche’s 2022 Stanley Cup win at Ollie’s, where the crowd brought a great energy to the restaurant and made it more fun than it would’ve been watching it at home.

Bullock said food, drinks and atmosphere are really what set Ollie’s apart from a competitive crowd of Summit sports bars. Ollie’s brings plenty to the table, literally. In addition to winning Best Sports Bar this year, it also won Best Wings and is a finalist for Best French Fries.

“We have the most TVs out of anybody, our wings are the best in the county, our drafts are all Colorado … and our views can’t be beat,” said James Kubinak, the operating partner for Ollie’s Breckenridge location.

Bullock describes the wings as “jumbo wings” — he said the restaurant uses a larger wing than anywhere else in the area — and said that the wings are dredged, baked and fried twice to ensure that they keep a crispy texture after they are sauced.

Beside the wings and fries (which are also battered), Bullock said he still loves the restaurant’s chicken quesadilla, even after working at the restaurant 13 years. Kubinak said he and his wife are big fans of the barbecue pulled pork nachos. He also has a somewhat surprising recommendation for those looking for something a little different.

“When you typically go to a bar you look for fried foods, but I would put our salads up against anybody’s,” he said.

The restaurant also does a weekend bloody mary special during football season, which can be served “loaded” with lemon, lime, olives, a pickle spear, celery, pepperoncini, bacon and a grilled cheese sandwich — plenty to enjoy for a whole game.

Ollie’s Pub & Grub Breckenridge location is at 180 W. Jefferson Ave. and can be reached at 970-423-6284. It’s open 11 a.m. to midnight Mondays to Fridays, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays, and 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Sundays. The Frisco location is at 620 E. Main St. and can be reached at 970-668-0744. It’s open from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Visit OlliesPub.com for more information.