24 Best American Restaurants in Estes Park

“Best burger I’ve had in a long time! Fast friendly service.“

“Was there over the weekend. Great food and amazing staff, especially the manager on duty Sunday morning. Friendly, and the bacon bloody is to die for!“

“Nice atmosphere and excellent service. Our server was attentive and did a great job throughout the meal.

The food was a bit hit-or-miss for me. The elk sausage appetizer was excellent and probably the highlight of the meal. However, the restaurant's famous meatballs were underwhelming. They reminded me of something you might find in a frozen entrée and needed extra seasoning or hot sauce to bring out much flavor. The bread pudding, while good, wasn't particularly memorable or worth the hype.

I understand Estes Park is a tourist destination, and higher prices come with the territory, but the overall food quality didn't quite match the price point in my opinion.

That said, the building has a lot of character, the atmosphere was enjoyable, and the service was top-notch. We were there just before the live music started, so I can't comment on the noise level once the band got going.“

“First time in on Saturday. We had Butter Steak, Filet and Buffalo ribs. Meals were prepared quickly, and all 3 were cooked perfectly. Sides were excellent! Well stocked whiskey bar, and outstanding service! New Fav spot in Estes!!“

“Stopped here between lunch and dinner and were able to be seated immediately.
Service was great. Attentive, knowledgeable and efficient. Portion sizes are just right too.
Food was delivered quickly and it was delicious! Definitely a place to come back to when we are in town.“

“My first review of… anything, not to do so would be an insult to a truly delightful staff And experience! Staff: not a single staff member lacking a smile, not the standard painted on type, genuine gracious smiles. Food: I had simple, she has slightly more complex, both simply delightful. The difference is in the details for us. Syrup served in a decanter, not a 1 oz packet, butter packets in the dish were plentiful, pineapple mimosa served DIY as a bottle and simply the best seasoned pineapple sauce I have ever had. All others from this day forward will be judged against that one! Menu: An event in itself trying to narrow down what is getting ordered, this completely covers the full range of wishes! Sunday Estes breakfast is a simple but special event for us, we now have a new welcoming favorite place to go! We made reservations for the Thanksgiving Brunch the moment we got home from breakfast. Thank You for the smiles!“

“YMCA of the Rockies is our new favorite family vacation spot. We have two kids - a 12 year old and a 10 year old - both of whom found plenty to do. We went for a long weekend with extended family to celebrate my MIL's 70th. The property is adjacent to the national park - you can literally walk into the park from the Y campus - and it is STUNNING. We checked in for our reservation at the Alpen Inn, which is located very centrally and is a hotel-style building. We hadn't been able to get a cabin when we initally booked, but asked about recent openings. The manager was wonderful in his efforts to secure us and our other party cabins. We stayed at the Base Camp cabin, which is perhaps a 20 minute walk to the center of campus. It is a three bedroom, two bath cabin, recently built in 2022. It has a full kitchen, gas fireplace, covered deck, grill, outdoor table, deck off the master, and seats 8 at the dining room table. No A/C, but even on a warm (for Estes Park) day, having the windows open (all windows have screens) did the trick. Also, each bedroom had a fan. We did the horseback ride, as well as the Sasquatch private fly fishing and the hay ride. Each one was terrific, and absolute pros leading. The Mountain Center is great, has gear to sell or rent, and an indoor climbing wall. We did not get a chance to try the crafts center but a friend visiting at the same time RAVED about it. She stayed two weeks and sent her 3 and 5 year old to the day camp which the kids LOVED. There were also concerts, axe throwing (they provide a guide for this), archery, mini golf, horseshoes, firepits, basketball, volleyball, several playgrounds, and a roller skating rink. Our Verizon wifi was almost non-existent, while AT&T worked well. However, in my friend's cabin (White Pine), they both worked remotely without any wifi issue. Perhaps it was their proximity to the Mountain Center and registration building? Everyone who helped us was kind, friendly, and patient. The accessibility of the park, the cute town of Estes Park, and the family-friendly nature of the Y's campus there made this an ideal family camp experience.“

“Nothing beats the Rocky Mountain Trout“

“Wonderful atmosphere wonderful staff and great food! Baran our server was amazing!“

“Amazing‼️🤩 GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD👀🙌 We had a long day hiking and wanted to pick up supper to carry back to our cabin. This was hands down the best grilled chicken salad I’ve ever had in my #56 years!💯 It was so fresh-avocado, corn, beans, tomatoes, cilantro, cheese, onions and crunchy tortilla strips with ranch dressing 😋“

“Mountain Home Cafe is my favorite for breakfast and lunch - always with great service - in Estes Park for many years. Fresh fruit and vegetables, and fresh hamburger, too, are served here. Biscuits and gravy is a crowd pleaser along with Alaska baked oatmeal, waffles, Swedish rollups, country fried steak, corn beef hash, and an assortment of breakfast combinations and skillet breakfasts. Not to mention Eggs Benedict :::: including California Benedict with avocado, and Mexican Benedict.“

“Amazing food, atmosphere and very attentive waiter. We had Amir as our waiter and he frequently checked on us. We sat outside and the ambiance was so peaceful. The food was fantastic and quick. We ordered the Colorado brisket nachos and RMO and never had anything better. The paradise punch and Old Fashioned hit the spot with our all day mountain adventures. We even met the owner Mr. Nelson. You have got to stop at this little piece of paradise. I promise you won’t be disappointed. A million stars is what we give Wapiti. Keep up the phenomenal work. Can’t wait to come back.“

“One of our favorite places to visit on our first trip to Estes Park.“

“The food is delicious. You get more than you can eat. One guy sitting across from us said it was the best chicken fried steak he had ever had. I ordered blueberry pancake. More blueberries than pancake. The last time I had a pancake like that was in Maine!! The owner is nice to her employees. We come here every time we are in town.“

“We were skeptical because of recent reviews, but they are way off. Food came out hot and delicious. Drinks from Zac at the bar were not watered down like other establishments we visited here in Estes. They have a new manager who took the time to introduce herself and let us know she was there if we needed anything. Our server was Jessica, and She was very attentive. Our steaks were prepareda perfect med rare. Thank you, Nicky's for a great evening.“

“Wow! Ember is amazing. This was our 1st time visiting the new Ember since we used to come when it was the Dunraven. The ambiance is so nice. Very upgraded! Our server was Robert, an Estes Park local who was superb! Excellent service and we were pleasantly surprised the food was better! We got the Steak & Frites and Chicken fried chicken. Highly recommend.“

“Great food, great bartender, just a fun chill environment. I had the lobster Mac and cheese and it was amazing!! Highly recommend!“

“We visit whenever we make it to Estes. The staff are AMAZING! The burgers are good. The day we went it was busy but an amazing staff member was working through the busy line with a tablet to reduce wait time. My 7 year old got a shake and spilled it 5 minutes in. They remade the shake free of charge which was entirely unexpected and beyond appreciated. We will always go back.“

“Their food is amazing! I had the Carmel Pecan Apple Pie….pretty sure it’s the best apple pie I have ever had!“

“I don’t normally write reviews but I wanted to make sure I let everyone know how much we enjoyed our dinner and how one of the employees went out of their way to make sure we made it home safely from Twin Owls. We got a Lyft to dinner so we could celebrate our anniversary and not worry about driving home after have a glass of champagne. Dinner was outstanding. The service was excellent. At the end of the evening we waited on Uber and Lyft to send a driver for over 30 minutes and kept getting a message that there were not any drivers available. It was 10 pm and 3 miles from our Airbnb so walking was out of the question. We asked the hostess if this had happened before and what she recommended doing and we were told it happens on occasion and one of the employees would be happy to get us home. I didn’t catch his name, but the gentleman that drove us was from Ukraine, extremely friendly and got us home safely. We gave him what cash we had on us to thank him for his help.“

“Highly recommend! The half roasted chicken with mole sauce and the mashed potatoes and gravy were absolutely hands down the best I've ever had. There were 5 in our party. the prime rib sandwhich was also good. I also recommend trying the elk bratwurst board as it was fantastic! The staff was super friendly. Get a reservation as we got in and seated immediately.“

“Sat at the bar and Frank took great care of me. Had 3 different appetizers as my meal bc they all sounded good! The bone marrow and tuna crudo were amazing!!!! Very nice environment. Bar stayed full all night right up until last call so def a fun place to enjoy some cocktails and relax.“

“We had a great meal at The Grubsteak today. Great service, good portions and delicious food!“

“I have been wanting to visit the Stanley for a while and I was discouraged when I saw that you had to pay $10 just to park. I decided to give it a shot in the hopes they didn't charge during the off season....turns out they don't. I parked close to the hotel for free.

I am glad that I did because the hotel is great and the Whiskey bar is amazing too! I can't believe how many single malts they have at this bar. The scotch selection was truly impressive and the pricing was actually reasonable. The single barrel Springbank was out of my budget but cool to see :) I really enjoyed talking scotch with Grant the bar tender. His passion for whiskey really shines through and his recommendations were great. Thanks Grant!“