Appendix B: Restaurants, Brewpubs, and Accommodations
Restaurants
Colorado Springs offers well over 1,000 restaurants, from the Broadmoor Hotel’s five-star option, including the Penrose Room and Charles Court, to humble curbside trucks that vend burritos with homemade tortillas. There are numerous standout restaurants in the Springs that offer a huge variety of cuisines, styles, and prices. This listing is the beginning of your culinary exploration and includes the author’s favorite dining experiences. Try any of these restaurants after your day of hiking and you will surely be satisfied, happy, and ready to hit the trail again tomorrow. Bon appétit!
Adam’s Mountain Café
26 Manitou Ave.
Manitou Springs, CO 80829
(719) 685-1430
A Manitou Springs tradition serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner with lots of vegetarian and vegan meals, no prepared foods, no microwaves, and organic local ingredients.
Amanda’s Fonda
3625 W. Colorado Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
(719) 227-1975
Popular Mexican restaurant with creek-side dining in west Colorado Springs. Thirty-five flavors of tequila, lunch and dinner, and gluten-free menu available. Also a location at 8050 N. Academy Blvd.
The Blue Star
1645 S. Tejon St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
(719) 632-1086
A popular and busy restaurant in an old Furr Foods grocery store with a varied menu, good service, and extensive wine list, one of the largest in the Springs.
Green Line Grill
2301⁄2 Pueblo Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 964-1461
Chef Bobby serves up a tasty onion-“fried” burger straight out of central Oklahoma, topped with El Reno Slaw and served with hand-cut fries. Also a great veggie burger.
Hungry Bear Restaurant
111 E. Midland Ave.
Woodland Park, CO 80863
(719) 687-5912
Hiking behind Pikes Peak? Visit the Hungry Bear, a family-style diner with traditional breakfasts and salads, burgers, and soups for lunch.
Il Vicino
11 S. Tejon St.
5214 N. Nevada Ave.
(719) 475-9224, (719) 590-8633
Contemporary pizzeria with wood-fired artisan pizzas, calzones, flatbread sandwiches, salads, and award-winning ales.
King’s Chef Diner
131 E. Bijou St.
110 E. Costilla St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 636-5010
One phrase describes this classic downtown diner: green chile. It’s hot and tasty, plus there’s a vegetarian version. Open for breakfast and lunch. Eat at the tiny purple-castle diner on East Costilla for old-time ambience.
La Baguette Downtown
117 E. Pikes Peak Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Informal and affordable French country dining with authentic French onion soup, crusty baguettes, croissants, and delectable desserts in the heart of Colorado Springs.
La Casita Mexican Grill
306 S. Eighth St.
4295 N. Nevada Ave.
3725 E. Woodmen Rd.
Colorado Springs, CO
(719) 633-9616; (719) 599-7829; (719) 536-0375
Basic tasty Mexican food with three locations, daily specials, great salsa bar, and patio dining. Muy sabroso!
Luigi’s Homemade Italian Food
947 S. Tejon St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 632-7339
Luigi’s is a popular and traditional Colorado Springs’ Italian eatery with red-checkered tablecloths, hearty servings of pasta, and fresh Italian bread.
Paravicini’s Italian Bistro
2802 W. Colorado Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
(719) 471-8200
Paravicini’s, located in Old Colorado City, serves perhaps the best Italian food in the Springs with classic dishes and neo-Italian creations along with complementary wines, appetizers, and desserts.
Penrose Room
Broadmoor Hotel
1 Lake Circle
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Simply the best restaurant in Colorado Springs and the only five-star and Five-Diamond restaurant in Colorado. Dine on the top floor of Broadmoor South with views of the mountains, excellent food, great presentation, huge wine list, superior service, and, of course, prices to match.
Poor Richard’s Restaurant
3241⁄2 N. Tejon St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 578-5549
Longtime downtown restaurant with delicious pizzas, veggie meals, sandwiches, and salads. Sidewalk and patio dining. Next door is Little Richard’s Toystore, Rico’s Café and Wine Bar, and Poor Richard’s Books.
The Rabbit Hole
101 N. Tejon St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 203-5072
This subterranean restaurant, great for late-night eats, offers a hip decor, diverse menu, inventive drinks, super service, and a cool vibe. Try it, you’ll like it for an after-hike meal.
Uchenna
2501 W. Colorado Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
(719) 634-5070
Uchenna, the only Ethiopian restaurant in the Springs, is also the #1 ranked restaurant out of 1,162 on Trip Advisor (2014). Fabulous African food with great service and ambience; it’s not fancy but you’re treated like family. Try the rose-water lemonade too.
Brewpubs
What better way to celebrate your latest local hike than quaffing a few pints of craft beers in a Colorado Springs brewpub? Colorado Springs is simply one of America’s best beer towns with more than twenty local breweries that create exquisite and tasty microbrews for all you trekking hop-heads. There are, of course, award-winning beers like Laughing Lab from Bristol, a mildly sweet, nutty Scottish ale, and the broad beer selection at Phantom Canyon, the Springs’ original brewpub started in 1993 by Colorado governor John Hickenlooper. There are also lots of small brewpubs and taprooms scattered around the Pikes Peak region. Sample my favorites below and then try others, including Smiling Toad, Ute Pass, Rocky Mountain, and Bierworks breweries.
Bristol Brewing Company
1604 S. Cascade Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
(719) 633-2555
The brewery, housed in the historic Ivywild School, offers a taproom and restaurants. Their iconic beers are Laughing Lab Scottish Ale and Beehive Honey Wheat.
Colorado Mountain Brewery at the Roundhouse
600 S. 21st St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
(719) 466-8240
Colorado Mountain Brewery off US 24 is a convenient stop after a mountain hike. Taste its handcrafted brews and Colorado cuisine and enjoy views of Pikes Peak from the patio.
Phantom Canyon Brewing Company
2 E. Pikes Peak Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 635-2800
Popular Phantom Canyon, one of the Springs’ oldest brewers, is located in the heart of downtown. Classic beers, special releases, small-batch bomber series to wash down pub food. Also pints and pool upstairs.
Trinity Brewing Company
1466 W. Garden of the Gods Rd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
(719) 634-0029
Convenient to the Garden of the Gods, Trinity was a 2014 gold-medal winner at the Great American Beer Fest for its Elektrick Cubumbahh. Eclectic and busy pub with mountain views from its small patio.
Accommodations
Since its 1871 founding, Colorado Springs has been a destination for travelers and has offered a wide range of accommodations. Visiting hikers will find a broad spectrum of hotels, motels, and bed-and-breakfast inns with an equally wide range of prices. Stay in a basic no-frills hotel like Motel 6 to save cash, or indulge yourself and bed down for a few nights in one of the Pikes Peak region’s many B&Bs where you’re treated like family. Here’s a listing of some of the most popular accommodations. For more B&Bs, visit bedandbreakfast.com, pikespeakareabnbs.com, and tripadvisor.com for suggestions, reviews, and contact information.
Bed & Breakfast Inns
Adobe Inn at Cascade
4675 Hagerman Ave.
Cascade, CO 80809
(719) 684-2194
Avenue Hotel Bed and Breakfast
711 Manitou Ave.
Manitou Springs, CO 80829
(719) 685-1277
336 El Paso Blvd.
Manitou Springs, CO 80829
(719) 685-4515 or (888) 685-4515
Carr Manor
350 E. Carr Ave.
Cripple Creek, CO 80813
(719) 689-3709
Glen Eyrie Castle
3820 N. 30th St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
(719) 634-0808
Holden House—1902 Bed and Breakfast Inn
1102 W. Pikes Peak Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
(719) 471-3980
The Hotel St. Nicholas
303 N. Third St.
Cripple Creek, CO 80813
(719) 689-0856 or (888) 786-4257
Hughes Hacienda Bed & Breakfast
12060 Calle Corvo
Colorado Springs, CO 80926
(719) 576-2060
Lennox House Bed & Breakfast
1339 N. Nevada Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 471-9265
Old Town Guest House
115 S. 26th St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
(719) 632-9194
Red Crags Estates
328 El Paso Blvd.
Manitou Springs, CO 80829
(719) 685-4515
A Room with a View Bed and Breakfast
528 E. Bijou St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 633-3683
St. Mary’s Inn
530 N. Nevada Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 540-2222
Silver House Bed & Breakfast
355 S. Second St.
Cripple Creek, CO 80813
(719) 689-5558
Hotels
Colorado Springs offers lots of hotels for footsore hikers to rest their dusty boots, including all the major chain hotels like Best Western, Comfort Inn, Hilton, Holiday Inn, Hyatt, La Quinta Inn, Marriott, Radisson, and Ramada. Check out your favorite booking site like Orbitz, Expedia, Kayak, or Hotels.com to find accommodations that meet your price and pocketbook. Here are five great Colorado Springs hotels that will not only massage your feet and back but also clean your boots.
Antlers Hilton Hotel
4 South Cascade
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 955-5600
The Broadmoor Hotel
1 Lake Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Cheyenne Mountain Resort
3225 Broadmoor Valley Rd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
(719) 538-4000
The Cliff House at Pikes Peak
306 Canon Ave.
Manitou Springs, CO 80829
The Mining Exchange Wyndham Grand Hotel
9 S. Nevada Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Campgrounds
Despite its easy access to the great outdoors, Colorado Springs is not exactly camping friendly. There are a few local campgrounds but most cater to RVers rather than tenters. The best campground close to the Springs is at Cheyenne Mountain State Park on the southwest edge of the city. It’s easy to reach and offers scenic campsites with expansive views. You will have to drive farther away to find more rugged camping options in Pike National Forest north of Woodland Park and at Mueller State Park.
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
410 JL Ranch Heights
Colorado Springs, CO 80926
(719) 576-2016
cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/Parks/cheyennemountain
61 campsites in five campgrounds
Echo Canyon Campground
45044 US Hwy. 50
Canon City, CO 81212
(866) 341-7875
Garden of the Gods RV Resort
3704 W. Colorado Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
(719) 475-9450
rvcoutdoors.com/gardenofthegods
Mueller State Park
21045 CO Highway 67 South
Divide, CO 80814
(719) 687-2366
cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Mueller
132 campsites in seven campgrounds; three cabins
Pike National Forest
601 South Weber
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 636-1602
Campsite reservations at recreation.gov
Pikes Peak Ranger District
Colorado Campground, 80 sites
The Crags Campground, 17 sites
Meadow Ridge Campground, 19 sites
Painted Rocks Campground, 18 sites
South Meadows Campground, 64 sites
Springdale Campground, 13 sites
Thunder Ridge Campground, 21 sites
Wye Campground, 21 sites
South Park Ranger District
Eleven Mile Canyon Recreation Area
Four campgrounds with 61 sites