Which Estes Park
restaurants should you choose?

I've eaten at all of the Estes Park restaurants that you'll see here and I recommend them for the following reasons: they offer you good food, good service, and reasonable prices. Some of them have special features like mountain views or outdoor seating areas and I'll let you know which ones those are.

Dining in Estes Park restaurants can be as formal as you like or as informal as you want. It's all up to you. Or if you prefer something in between, that can be taken care of too.

One thing you should know about Estes Park restaurants is that they are not all open year-round. Some are and some aren't so it's a good idea to know ahead of time. The restaurants on this page will be a mixture of both so I'll let you know which ones are open when.

If you'd like to avoid crowds at Estes Park restaurants, then I'd recommend visiting them during the winter season. Probably from about mid November to mid May. Also, weekday nights are usually less busy than weekend nights, for obvious reasons.

Of all the Estes Park restaurants, there is one very lucky one. Not only does it look out onto the mountains, but it also looks out over Lake Estes. It even has an outdoor seating area for warm weather eating. I'll let you find it among the following Estes Park restaurants:

1) The Lodge Coffee Shop: this friendly little place is located at National Park Village on the corner of Moraine Ave., (U.S. highway 36), and Mary's Lake Road. (Next to The Other Side Restaurant).

The fare here is American and you'll find things like salads, hamburgers, and sandwiches, among other things. These offerings were on the lunch menu but the dinner menu also includes items such as trout, chicken, and steak. The prices for the lunch menu range from $4.95 to $11.50, and the prices on the dinner menu are a little higher.

The room was airy with a vaulted ceiling, and there were big windows along one side. Outside these windows are the mountains, so you can always ask for a window seat if one is available. They are open year-round seven days a week.

Click here to see their website. Once on the website, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on: Menus. This will take you to the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus for the Lodge Coffee Shop, which also includes prices. Enjoy...

2) Longz Mountain Grill: this mid priced Estes Park restaurant is located inside the Rocky Mountain Park Inn, (otherwise known as the Estes Park Holiday Inn). You'll find it on the corner of Highway 36, and Highway 7, which is also known as South St. Vrain Ave.

The food here is American and you’ll see things like soup, salad, grilled sandwiches, burgers and steaks on the menu. We had the grilled sandwiches and thought they were pretty good. Also, the plates came hot, which is always a good thing. The prices on the menu range from about $7.00 to $24.00.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served here daily, and they are open year-round. Here's the address and phone number of the Estes Park Holiday Inn...they'll be able to answer any questions you may have about the restaurant:

101 South St. Vrain Ave. Estes Park, Co. 80517 Phone-970-586-2332

3) Silverado Restaurant: this great Estes Park restaurant is located inside the Lake Shore Lodge. You can't miss seeing it on your way into Estes Park. It's that big building with the green roof that you see across Lake Estes on the right side of your car.

The food here is American and seafood, and very tasty. You'll find steaks and prime rib among other things, and they also offer picnic baskets. The atmosphere is rustic, and there are big windows along two sides of the room that overlook Lake Estes and the mountains. Then there is the outdoor seating on the patio. This place has it all! The prices for the dinner menu aren't too bad either. They range from $12.00 to $24.00.

Want to go there? Here's how: follow Hwy. 36 west to the second stop light in Estes Park. Turn right onto Big Thompson Ave. (Hwy. 34), and follow this road until you see the Lake Shore Lodge on your right.

The Silverado Restaurant is open year-round seven days a week, and they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Here's a link to the Lake Shore Lodge website. From there, you can click on the link to the Silverado Restaurant, and you'll be all set.

4) Ed's Cantina: you'll find this popular Estes Park restaurant on E. Elkhorn Ave., which is the main street going through Estes Park. Just follow Hwy. 36 into town and the restaurant is towards the beginning of town on the left side of the road. You won't want to miss it!

The food here is American and Mexican, and you'll see things like burgers, sandwiches, salads, tacos, burritos and fajitas. Our plates arrived hot which I always think is a nice touch. The atmosphere is relaxed and informal, and the prices range from $3.50 for a small salad to $19.95 for fajitas for two. There's also a small outdoor seating area that looks out onto a walking area along the river.

This is another Estes Park restaurant that's open year-round, seven days a week, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Here's their contact information and a link to their website:

390 E. Elkhorn Ave. Estes Park, Co. 80517 Phone-970-586-2919 Here's the link to their website.

5) Big Horn Restaurant: this Estes Park restaurant can be found on the very west end of Elkhorn Ave. (On your right hand side of the road). Although you can walk there if you want to, it's probably easier to drive to it since they have a free parking lot just outside the restaurant.

You'll find American food here with a little bit of everything. Items such as burgers, steak, sandwiches, pasta, Mexican food, chicken, and a small soup and salad bar. The prices range from $3.65 to $8.95 and they can also fix you a picnic lunch in case you're going hiking. They're open year-round, seven days a week for breakfast and lunch. During the off season, dinner is only served Wednesday through Sunday.

Here's their address and phone number:

401 West Elkhorn Ave. Estes Park, Co. 80517 Phone-970-586-2792

6) The Egg and I: this great place is located on E. Elkhorn Ave., which is the main street going through Estes Park. Just follow Hwy. 36 into town, and you'll see this wonderful Estes Park restaurant at the beginning of town on the right side of the road. You'll find a parking lot here but if it's busy, there is additional public parking just beyond the restaurant, (on E. Elkhorn Ave.), on your right hand side of the road.

The food here is American, and as you can guess, most of it is egg related. Still, you can also find a few sandwiches, soups, and salads here. The prices range from $4.75 to $8.95 and we thought the food was delicious. It tasted home made! Anyway, they are open year-round, seven days a week, serving breakfast and lunch.

Here's their contact information and a link to their website:

393 E. Elkhorn Ave. Estes Park, Co. 80517 Phone-970-586-1173 http://www.theeggandirestaurants.com

7) Poppy's Pizza & Grill: this Estes Park restaurant is located on E. Elkhorn Ave. The best place to park is in the public parking lot that is just beyond The Egg and I restaurant, (right side of the road). From there, just cross the street and look for Barlow Plaza, (near the beginning of town), where you'll find the restaurant.

The specialty here is obviously pizza, but you'll also find a good selection of hamburgers, sandwiches, and salads. Speaking of salad, there's also a delicious looking soup and salad bar. Prices range from $3.50 to $26.00 and we really enjoyed the pizza. They're open every month except January and the hours are 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day.

I almost forgot to tell you about their lovely patio: it looks out onto the river and a hillside full of trees, making it seem like you could be in Rocky Mountain National Park. Enjoy!

Here's their address and phone number:

342 E. Elkhorn Ave. Estes Park, Co. 80517 Phone-970-586-8282

8) Hunters Chop House: one of my favorite Estes Park restaurants, as well as being popular with residents, they are located on Big Thompson Ave., near the Lake Estes marina.

To find it, follow Hwy. 36 west to the second stop light in Estes Park. Turn right on Big Thompson Ave., (Hwy. 34), and follow the road until you see the big sign for Hunters Chop House on your right. They have their own parking lot so just drive on in and find yourself a good spot.

You're going to find mostly American food here...things like steaks, ribs, burgers, chicken, sandwiches, and salads. But they also have a pretty good selection of other items such as seafood, pasta, and game. No shortage of choices here!

This popular Estes Park restaurant is open year-round, every day but Sunday. Their hours are: (lunch) 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and dinner: 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Prices range from about $4.25 all the way to $32.95 with most items being priced somewhere in between.

Need more info.? Here's their contact information:

1690 Big Thompson Ave. Estes Park, Co. 80517 Phone-970-586-6962

9) Grumpy Gringo: as the name implies, this Estes Park restaurant serves Mexican food. It is located on Hwy. 34, just across the highway from the Estes Ark. Yes, the Estes Ark! The Estes Ark is a building inside an ark...anyway, it makes a good landmark for helping you find the Grumpy Gringo!

They open their doors every day at 11:00 a.m. and the price range is from about $2.79 to $20.39. Also, they are closed from the last week in January through the first week in February.

Grumpy's prepares their food every day from scratch, and you can really taste the difference that makes! Some of what you will find here includes: taco salad, taco platter, enchiladas, chimichangas, crispy rellenos, and burrito fajitas. You also get a free bowl of chips with a cup of salsa, and if you'd like to sit outside, it's available.

Sound good? Here's how you get there: follow Hwy. 36 west to the second stop light in Estes Park. Turn right on Big Thompson Ave. (Hwy. 34), and follow the road until you see the big sign for Grumpy Gringo on your right. It's just beyond the Comfort Inn and you will also see the Estes Ark on your left. Parking is on-site.

1560 Big Thompson Ave. Estes Park, Co. 80517 Phone-970-586-7705 http://www.grumpygringo.com

10) Village Pizza: are you looking for a good place to get pizza? If so, this Estes Park restaurant just may be your place. The service was good and the food came hot. Village Pizza was recommended to us by friends and we weren't disappointed! Also, it's easy to find since it's located in the Stanley Village shopping center.

Some of what you'll see on the menu includes: specialty pizza, veggie pizza, create your own pizza, (meaning choose your own toppings), pasta, sandwiches, soup, and a salad bar full of fresh veggies. Also, if you're so inclined, you can add meat to the veggie pizza. Prices range from about $4.15 to $19.30.

This Estes Park restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m., so if you're interested, here's how to get there: follow Hwy. 36 west to the second stop light in Estes Park. Turn right onto Big Thompson Ave., (Hwy. 34), then turn left into the Stanley Village Shopping center. Turn right towards Village Pizza and look for a good parking spot.

543 B Big Thompson Ave. Estes Park, Co. 80517 Phone-970-586-6031

I'll be adding more Estes Park restaurants here from time to time, as I get to them, so keep checking back.

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