Brother Luck knows a little something about food. And the celebrity chef likes what he sees (and tastes) around Colorado Springs.

Four by Brother Luck is just one of several fine dining sites dotting downtown. But quality food can be found all over the city. It just requires searching.

“If you want good food in this city, beyond your downtown or Old Colorado City or Manitou Springs, you need to go to South Academy, you need to go to Fountain, you need to go to Widefield,” Luck said. “You’re gonna find some culture. You’re gonna find some stories.”

Here’s what I discovered:

Black Forest Foods: Between the fridges stocked with take-home soups and the cases packed with pastries, there’s hardly room for sitting inside this Monument cafe. Patrons opt for the patio, where my nose led me. I could smell the smoker of prime rib nearby.

It was but one meat being stacked among carefully curated breads and cheeses, fresh veggies and house-made sauces.

Black Forest Foods is the creation of Romanian chef Dragos Matache, who’s proudly “infusing a European touch into American classics,” the website reads.

Locals know the burgers as the best around. And people near and far have come back for the sandwiches; I counted nearly 20 varieties written behind the counter this visit.

My order: The Tri-Lakes Club, with ham, turkey, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and a garlic aioli on toasted sourdough, and the Pastrami Panini, with a similarly generous portion of meat between sourdough.

The Chuckwagon: Hide as it does on the city’s east side — between an industrial zone and a neighborhood — the word is getting out. Started as a food truck in 2023, fans have followed the Texas barbecue to its small brick home, where the line spills out the door come feeding time.

In line, I asked the guy behind me what to get; like everyone else, I took him as a regular. “My first time was yesterday,” he replied. With brisket, ribs, an arm-sized beef dino bone and more surprise specialties, The Chuckwagon lures people back.

My order: The brisket — and more brisket. The Texas Twinkie is a bacon-wrapped jalapeño that’s stuffed with cream cheese and brisket and then smoked. Also recommended: the creamy corn elote topped with brisket and a tangy sauce.

Luchals: I got to know the Southern soul food at the downtown CO.A.T.I food hall, at the stall that was the next stop amid a long, winding journey for chef Chantal Lucas. Now she’s at a corner of a strip mall in Fountain, in a large, art-filled space that feels like a celebration of a woman who has earned her way.

Lucas went from teenage work at McDonald’s to Army bases, where she worked as a cook and met her husband. They started a food truck and catering business before the food hall, all while she honed skills at a Boulder culinary school. The location has changed, but the mission remains: Cajun flavors that meet catfish, shrimp, wings, tacos and more.

My order: Fried and seasoned catfish — with red beans and rice as well as greens — and honey garlic shrimp and hand-cut fries. Another go-to: crab cake.

Rock’s 24 Pizzeria: I grew up in the Chicago area, and I love deep dish pizza. So imagine my delight when I heard about a new Chicago pizza joint in town, easy to miss near the U.S. 24 bridge over Fountain Boulevard. And imagine my delight when I took that first bite — just right.

The crust that is a thick, buttery wall holding a river of cheese and a lake of sauce is not for all, I recognize. Chicago’s lesser-known “tavern style” is more approachable — a savory, thin-crust antithesis. Rock’s 24 nails that as well.

The name, I was told, comes from the owner’s love for rock ‘n’ roll. I was jamming out to every slice.

My order: “Stuffed” deep dish with sausage and the thin-crust Italian Stallion, with Italian beef and Giardiniera peppers.

Stellina: Starting in the early 1900s, the building at the corner of the historic Middle Shooks Run neighborhood served as a market. It served the community — and it still does, in a different and most delectable way.

Stellina means “little star,” as seen from the shining logo above the door. It’s a North Star, calling to those in the neighborhood and beyond who know some of the Springs’ best, freshest Italian is hiding here.

It’s a fitting logo for Blue Star Group, whose ownership alongside Chef Will Merwin toured Rome and brought back the flavors they studied. Yes, it’s Roman-style pizza here — rectangular, crispy yet airy — and it’s much more.

The house-made pasta and accompanying aged ingredients are what you’d expect at a fine dining scene. Stellina keeps it casual, however, true to the neighborhood: Walk in, order at the counter, and don’t leave without gelato.

My order: Rocket pizza: mozzarella, ricotta, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, arugula and lemon vinaigrette; kale and sausage pasta: orecchiette tossed with spicy Italian sausage, kale, garlic, Aleppo pepper and cheese; pistachio gelato.

Tacos El Amigo: The friendly name can be found east of downtown off Platte Avenue, off Fillmore Street, in Fountain and in Woodland Park — if you know where to look. I’ve frequented the spot off Platte, where Boulder Street curves past a parking lot of used cars, a massage parlor and neighboring storefronts that look abandoned. Perhaps an odd place for my favorite tacos in town.

It’s simple and authentic every time.

You can find chimichangas and green chile-smothered burritos here, too. You can also find menudo, the traditional stew you don’t find everywhere. And you can find a burger you won’t find anywhere else: Hamburguesa Estilo Juares, topped with hot dog, ham, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, onion and cheese.

My order: Birria, carne asada, carnitas and pastor tacos.

Thai Taste Cuisine: I looked all over for my next go-to Thai in town. I found it in the Union Square shopping center. Some stop into the pet supply store next door, and others stop and stare at the menu plastered on the window here — a long list of classics from owner Tina Pascua’s native land.

It’s a warm, inviting space with cushioned chairs, begging you to sit down and chow down on flavors both familiar and unfamiliar. Perhaps you know Pad Thai, but maybe you don’t know pad see ew, which “can be found easily among street vendors” in Thailand, the menu reads.

A basil-accented stir-fry, pad kra pao, is listed as “one of the most popular Thai dishes,” while a papaya salad, Thum mak hoong, is called “one of the national dishes of Laos.” The colorful array of noodles, fried rice and curries demands a return.

My order: Pad Thai, green curry and curry puffs — fried pockets stuffed with spiced chicken and potatoes and served with a sweet cucumber sauce.