The restaurants with the ♣ are within 10 minutes of our house. If a restaurant makes it on this list, it has something to recommend it, but those with the ♥ are those I particularly enjoy. Sally’s favorites are marked with a ♦
Colorado Springs and Monument
The Airplane Restaurant — dine in a Boeing KC-97 tanker
Amy’s Donuts — huge variety in a less-than-favorable part of town
Bambino’s Urban Pizzaria — Neapolitan, create-your-own pizza
♦Bingo Burger — burgers with Colorado chilies ground in with the meat
Bird Dog BBQ — voted best BBQ in the Springs several times
♥♦BJ’s Velvet Freeze — dipped cone or malt
Boonzaaijer’s Dutch Bakery — tasty pastries
Briar Mart International Market and Café — Mediterranean market and cafe with tasty gyros
♥♦C.B. & Potts♣ — local franchise with excellent food
Chuy’s — popular Tex-Mex diner
♥♦Dog Haus♣ — gourmet hot dogs, sausages, and burgers
Duca’s Neapolitan Pizza♣ — tasty brick-oven pizza
♦Edelweiss German Restaurant — authentic German food with the feel of a Wisconsin supper club
Fargo’s Pizza — mediocre pizza in a kid-friendly setting decorated like an old western dance hall
Front Range Barbeque — decent BBQ, amazing ♥♦key lime pie – featured on Diners, Drive-ins & Dives
♥♦Garden of the Gods Market and Café — a little pricey, but the best food in town
♥♦Golden Bee at the Broadmoor — authentic English pub
♥♦Horseshoe Donuts — huge and tasty donuts (Monument)
♦Ivy’s Chinese Cafe♣ — good Chinese food close to home
Jake and Telly’s Greek Taverna — great gyros and pleasant service
Juniper Valley Ranch — skillet baked ham and fried chicken served family-style (summer only)
King’s Chef Diner — all-day breakfast, green chili, and a classic diner atmosphere
Marigold Café and Bakery — upscale restaurant with baked goods and pizza
♦Mountain Shadows Restaurant — breakfast with green chili, great cinnamon rolls
Old World Bagel and Deli — tasty breakfast sandwiches on bagels on the south side of town
Oliver’s Deli — good sandwiches and salads
Omelette Parlor — voted “best breakfast” in town, formerly owned by singing star Ruth Etting.
♥♦Paravicini’s Italian Bistro — Small, old-fashioned place with a pleasant atmosphere and excellent Italian food.
♦Piglatin Cocina — Latin American cuisine featuring pork
Pizzeria Rustica — fancy brick oven pizza with weird ingredients
Rosie’s Diner — diner fare and good milkshakes
Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q — amazing smoked meat and sides
Skirted Heifer — tasty burgers surrounded by caramelized cheese
Ted’s Montana Grill♣ — tasty bison burgers and fresh-cut fries
3.14 Sweet & Savory Pi Bar — tasty pot pies and dessert pies
Till Kitchen♣ — locally-sourced, farm-to-table, tasty but expensive
Urban Egg — tasty breakfast place with looong waits
Bailey
Coney Island Hot Dog Stand — interesting building if you’re in the area, not worth the drive just for the hot dogs
North of Denver
Bob’s Atomic Burgers (Golden)— good burgers and fries in a diner with “character”
Georgia Boys BBQ Company (Frederick) — declared best in the state by Mental Floss
Mary’s Mountain Cookies (Fort Collins) — great, and great big, cookies
Totally 80’s Pizza (Fort Collins) — decent enough pizza in a museum of the 1980s
Buena Vista
K’s Old Fashioned Burgers — old-style drive-in with pretty good food
Castle Rock
♥♦Crave Real Burgers — awesome burgers and shakes (also in Colorado Springs)
Denver and South Suburbs
The Bagel Deli and Restaurant — Jewish deli featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
Beau Jo’s Colorado Style Pizza — Not amazing by Chicago standards, but good for Colorado, with thick crust that you’re supposed to dip in honey
♥♦Blue Pan Pizza — Detroit-style pan pizza with caramelized crust
♥♦Buckhorn Exchange — great steaks in a unique restaurant that’s been around since 1893
Casa Bonita — huge, kitschy, kid-friendly Mexican restaurant
♦Denver Biscuit Company — tasty (but pricey) biscuits and biscuit sandwiches with several locations in Denver
♥♦Duffeyroll Café — cinnamon rolls and amazing breakfast sandwiches
Enstrom’s Candy — great toffee
Granny Scott’s Pie Shop — great ham and cheese sandwich, very good pie
Little Man Ice Cream — good ice cream, but be prepared to stand in line
Mac Nation — specializing in mac and cheese
Patxi’s Pizza — a noble attempt at Chicago-style deep dish
Florissant
♦Costello Street Coffee House — breakfast, sandwiches and baked goods
Idaho Springs
♥♦Smokin’ Yards BBQ — Absolutely amazing barbecue
Manitou Springs and Woodland Park
The Cliff House at Pikes Peak — good food in a Victorian hotel in downtown Manitou Springs
♦The Donut Mill — huge donuts
Hungry Bear — good, but basic, pancakes and breakfast food
The Pantry in Green Mountain Falls —good food in a cozy joint in a cozy town
Pikes Peak Summit House — clove donuts
Savelli’s Pizza — tasty pizza with no frills
Swiss Chalet — casual upscale restaurant with tasty meals
Uncle Sam’s Pancake House — typical breakfast place with a fun atmosphere
Palmer Lake
Rock House Ice Cream — tasty ice cream in an interesting old building
Pueblo
Pass Key — Pass Key Special sausage and cheese sandwich