Top 10 Restaurants In Colorado Springs Colorado

Colorado Springs, only 60 miles from Colorado state capital Denver, was first established at the end of the 1850s as the American West was opened up. Today it is a bustling city with some excellent dining spots. Here are 10 of the best.

1. Taste

Restaurant, American

Taste is the restaurant of the Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs and is ideal for pre-theater dining. The Arts Center is an award-winning cultural hub with the theater hosting everything from musicals, comedy, dance shows, and dramatic productions. The arts center was built in 1936 and funded by the philanthropist Alice Bemis Taylor – it is now listed on the National Registry for Historic Places and features Pueblo, art deco, and classical elements within its architecture. The restaurant is set in an art deco dining room and offers a three-course prix fixe gourmet menu. It is also ideal for visiting the other parts of the arts center, including the Taylor Museum, which houses works by John Singer Sargent, many works by Native American artists, and by the contemporary sculptor Dale Chihuly.

2. Briarhurst

Charcuterie, Restaurant, American, Vegetarian

The restaurant at Briarhurst serves the finest cuisine with fresh local produce. The restaurant is part of Briarhurst Manor, a Victorian house built in the Tudor Revival style in 1876 by Dr William Bell, the founder of Manitou Springs. From the restaurant there are spectacular views of Pike’s Peak. The wine-list features excellent vintages from Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and Santa Ynez in California. Appetizers on the menu include the Briarhurst charcuterie board and Hudson Bay foie gras. Among the entree courses available at Briarhurst are wild boar ribs, roast quail with prosciutto, jumbo scallops, and a range of Briarhurst classics – beef wellington, steak diane, filet mignon, and chicken cordon bleu.

3. Walter’s Bistro

Bistro, Restaurant, Austrian, American

Walter’s Bistro provides excellent quality contemporary dining just a few minutes from downtown Colorado Springs. The restaurant is renowned for its excellent seafood and the well-researched wine-list, on which you can find leading Napa Valley vintages from the Cakebread and Duckhorn vineyards. The proprietor Walter Iser started life in Salzburg in Austria, before working as a restaurateur in Switzerland and then coming to the USA to work at the Arizona Biltmore and the Mandalay Four Seasons in Dallas. The bistro menu features top-notch classical dishes including stewed Bang Island mussels, Colorado lamb rack, escargots a la Bourguignon, Maine lobster bisque, pork tenderloin, and filet mignon.

La Baguette is a classic French-style bistro serving high quality European dishes using fresh seasonal and locally sourced produce. Expect to find fresh herb flavors, lots of pasta and garlic-infused Provençal style dishes. The wine list features Californian reds and whites, and there are French vintages from Chateau Bonnet, Georges Duboeuf, and J.Vidal Fleury. You can also get continental lagers such as Moretti and Stella Artois. On the menu are classic French dishes such as la soupe à la l’onion gratinée, le poulet chasseur and poulet d’été, escargot de Bourgogne, steak frites, le pâté de campagne au Cognac, as well as a wide range of salads and vegetarian options.
La Baguette French Bakery, 4440 North Chestnut St Colorado Springs CO 80907

4. The Curry Leaf

Restaurant, Sri Lankan

The Curry Leaf is renowned as the best curry house in Colorado Springs. The menu is exclusively Sri Lankan, providing diners with the exotic colors and flavors from the Indian Ocean island that is only a quarter of the size of the state of Colorado. The owner Lana Hillstrom is a native of Sri Lanka who came to the USA in childhood. Sri Lankan cuisine has been influenced by the various colonizers over the centuries and shows signs of Indian, British, Dutch, Portuguese, and Malaysian influence. Among the appetizers available are patties, Sri Lankan beef roll, and fish cutlets. There beef, chicken, shrimp and pork curries available as main courses cooked in the traditional Sri Lankan method of simmering in coconut oil with spices.

5. Uchenna

Restaurant, Ethiopian, Moroccan, Mediterranean, Vegetarian, Vegan

Uchenna is an award-winning restaurant in Colorado Springs that serves Ethiopian cuisine, with dishes influenced by the cooking in areas such as the Red Sea coast and the Mediterranean. The chef Maya was born in Mayagudo Harar north of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and has been in the USA since 2008. She brings her traditional Ethiopian cooking and flavors to her dishes and serves up both a Mediterranean and Ethiopian menu for diners to choose from. The Mediterranean menu features chicken, lamb, and shrimp sautéed with 12 spices and served basmati rice. Meanwhile the Ethiopian menu allows diners to sample dishes such as doro wat, kitfo beef and mulawah.

6. Nosh

Nosh is situated in downtown Colorado Springs and serves a contemporary mixture of Asian, Italian, American, and Mexican dishes. The menu promises new and vibrant flavor combinations and an innovate approach to fine dining. On the dinner menu you can choose from appetizers including calamari, kalamata hummus, crispy Asian chicken wings, and a mix of vegetables including pickled shiitake mushrooms and orange segments. There are hearty meat dishes available as main courses such as oven-roasted chicken breast, West Philly steaks, pan-seared rainbow trout, and pork pupusa. There are a wide range of wine, beers, and even cocktails to accompany the food – including the trademark Nosh Cosmo.
Nosh, Plaza of the Rockies, First Floor, South Tower, 121 South Tejon Street, Colorado Springs, CO, USA, +1 719 634 6674

Italian Wine | © Michela Simoncini/Flickr | © Michela Simoncini/Flickr

7. Lake Terrace

Lake Terrace is part of the spectacular Broadmoor five-star resort that has a magnificent setting on the banks of Lake Cheyenne. Built in 1918 to provide a first-class resort in the Rockies, the resort has served as the site of NATO conferences and been a favorite haunt of President George W Bush and his Vice President Dick Cheney. Now one of the Historic Hotels of America, the resort uses Lake Terrace for breakfast sittings and for Sunday brunch. Do not expect a simple brunch sitting though – there are more than 150 items available including a wide range of meat dishes and oysters. There is also live piano music and ice sculptures – perfect for special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries.
Lake Terrace, The Broadmoor, 1 Lake Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO, USA, +1 719 577 5771

8. The Pepper Tree

Restaurant, European, Seafood, Steakhouse, American, French

The Pepper Tree is something of a Colorado Springs institution, providing sophisticated fine dining for patrons looking for a memorable evening. The restaurant sits on a hilltop and provides spectacular views looking out across Colorado Springs. The menu offers classic European dishes with big, hearty meat flavors. You can choose from speciality dishes such as pepper steak with Indian chutney, cracked pepper, flamed with French brandy, Colorado lamb, 16oz Chateaubriand steak, and dry-aged bone-in New York strip. The wine list provides suitably full-bodied reds from New Zealand, California, Chile, and France to match the food. There are Bordeaux from Chateaus l’Ecuyer and Peyruchet and Rhone Valley options too.

9. The Penrose Room

Restaurant, European, French, American

The Penrose Room is the main restaurant of the Broadmoor resort on Lake Cheyenne in Colorado Springs. Since 1961 the Penrose Room has been providing some of the finest dishes in Colorado – it remains the only five-star and five-diamond rated restaurant within Colorado state. Sited on top of the Broadmoor South building, the Penrose Room requires diners to wear formal attire so that each evening provides a refined atmosphere. There are stunning views of Cheyenne Mountain and diners can choose from the 12-course tasting menu, as well as three- and four-course options. Among the excellent dishes available are Maryland crab, Muscovy duck breast, Colorado lamb loin, Angus cote de boeuf, fermin iberico de bellota ham, and seafood including halibut, bass and scallops.

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