Sometimes, when we think back on our favorite vacation memories, many of the bright spots revolve around the food we ate. We become more adventurous in our travels, trying out foods we’ve never experienced before, just as we are visiting new places we have never visited before, and when your summer journey brings you to our Voyago Vacation Rentals in the town of Estes Park, your dining adventures are sure to be memorable ones. This guide to must-try Estes Park restaurants will make your mouth water and your stomach grumble that you aren’t feeding it these wonderful meals right now!
Bison Tacos at Ed’s Cantina & Grill, 390 E Elkhorn Avenue
Tacos are the world’s obsession, and we personally feel that no one does tacos like Ed’s Cantina & Grill. If you have never tried bison meet, we are thrilled to introduce you to the delicacy! First of all, bison meat is lower in fat and cholesterol, so it is a healthy protein choice, but when you eat Mexican food, do you really care about fat and cholesterol? These delicious tacos, made with a crispy corn shell, Pico de Gallo, and cheese, will put some spice into your life and perhaps spoil you against all other taco meats!
Homemade Biscuits and Gravy at Big Horn Restaurant, 401 W Elkhorn Avenue
Our mamas taught us that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and apparently the owners at Big Horn restaurant agree! Offering a menu filled with hearty and delicious breakfast foods, including a monster-sized breakfast burrito that we considered choosing for our favorite meal. The homemade biscuits, however, topped with homemade sausage gravy, are a habit we don’t want to kick, and we bet that you too will fall in love at first bite!
Spicy All Game Elk Burger at Elevations Eatery & Bar, 153 E Elkhorn Avenue
We really are trying to take you out of your comfort zone during your unforgettable vacation in Estes Park, first with the bison tacos, and now with the spicy all game elk burger at Elevations Eatery & Bar. Served on a pillowy brioche bun, the elk patty is topped with pepper jack cheese AND wild game boar sausage, which adds an extra kick you will soon begin to crave. For those looking for something a little lighter, their Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl is a game changer!
Dirty Martini Artichoke & Spinach Dip @Smokin’ Dave’s BBQ, 820 Moraine Avenue
Sometimes you just want to share some appetizers as you sip cold craft beers, and although the barbecue served at Smokin’ Dave’s BBQ is some of the best BBQ we have ever tasted, you may be equally delighted with snacking on their Dirty Martini Artichoke & Spinach Dip. Made with a blend of cheeses that now includes bleu cheese, garlic, cream, spinach, roasted green chiles, and artichoke hearts, we don’t really care to know the calorie count and while on vacation you shouldn’t have to worry about that either!
Huckleberry Oreo Ice Cream at Pines & Cones Ice Cream, 125 Moraine Avenue
It’s summer, of COURSE, you want ice cream, and Pines & Cones Ice Cream, one of Estes Park’s newest ice cream shops, has already won our hearts, offering homemade ice cream and their own waffle cones. Every flavor is worthy of trying, but the blend of huckleberries and Oreos is a unique one that tastes so good you will dream about it long after you have returned to real life.
Cherry Streusel Pie at the Colorado Cherry Company, Stanley Hotel
The Stanley Hotel is famous for a lot of things, including its longevity, its starring role in a very popular horror movie, and the fact that the hotel is very much haunted, but here in town, we also appreciate it for the Colorado Cherry Company café that does business from inside the hotel. Offering all the pies in all the flavors and a variety of what they call pie pockets (small, handheld pies that slightly resemble the ones that used to come in wax paper that you remember from your youth). But it is their cherry streusel pie that we hope you try, savoring the tart and sweet treat that has been a mainstay for the Colorado Cherry Company throughout 4 generations of ownership.
Your Family Recipes Made at Home in our Voyago Vacation Rentals
Now that you have enjoyed a sample of the culinary landscape of Estes Park, it is time to insert your own creations into the mix, with the final must-try item on our list being the family recipe that yours has always cherished. Our fully equipped kitchens might just bring a tear to the eye of the chef that is hiding within, offering high-end appliances, plenty of counterspace, and the vibe of the heart of the home. Contact us to reserve your favorite Estes Park vacation rental today!
Some of your favorite vacation memories may be of the meals you have enjoyed during your travels. The tacos you devoured from that food truck in Mexico, the Nutella and Banana crepes savored from the street stand in Paris, and, for those who like to forward instead of backwards, the delicious meals you will enjoy at Ember Restaurant and Bar during your journey to Estes Park. Offering a chef driven menu and views of the lake and the mountains, the portions are so large you will be able to take home the leftovers and enjoy them in your Voyago Vacation Rentals Colorado sanctuary the next day!
Located at 1700 Colorado Peaks Drive, Open Daily at 7 AM
Ember is new to the Colorado culinary landscape, opening in May but already showing signs of permanence that makes us feel as if this is going to be a local special occasion restaurant we will thrill to explore. Already an integral part of the Estes Park Resort, we love that we can look forward to the chef’s incredible meals for all 3 meals of the day. Also providing catering and serving as an event venue, if a destination wedding in the mountains is in your future, this might be the perfect spot in which to start your happily ever after.
Welcome Chef Sean Gardiner
The driving force behind the restaurant, has long been a staple in the Colorado restaurant industry, bringing his mad skills to Estes Park for the first time. Specializing in modern American food, Chef Sean Gardiner embraces the farm to table concept, ensuring that the hearty meals he prepares are both delicious and healthy, something mom’s all over the world wholeheartedly embrace knowing the difficulty of getting their kiddos to eat something that is good for them! The chef and his wife Rebecca have 4 kids of their own (and 5 restaurants!) so they certainly understand the struggle!
Great Food, Stunning Views, and Impeccable Service
We will discuss the menu a little further down the page, but first, shall we talk about the views you will enjoy during your dining experience? Located on the banks of Lake Estes, the serenity of the water combined with the rugged watchfulness of the mountains in the background may make this spot your newest happy place, and as you sit inside the oversized cabin that is not rustic but offers all the charm of a lakeside escape, the floor to ceiling windows will ensure that you won’t have to miss a single second of the natural paradise that lies just outside. And because the views are wonderful but would not mean a thing if the service was less so, impeccable service, friendly staff, and of course, that tasty food, combine to ensure the meals you enjoy here will not soon be forgotten.
Breakfast of Champions
There are no Wheaties on the menu of Ember (we checked) but the healthy and hearty breakfasts served here will be more than the doctor ordered. Remember, farm to table is key in Chef Gardiner’s concept and creativity is vital, so when you dip your fork into a power quinoa bowl created with organic quinoa, boar sausage, wild mushrooms, peppers, squash, baby spinach, and goat cheese you will be enjoying the best of both worlds. Looking for an innovative twist on one of our favorite breakfasts, Chilaquiles? Their Bison Barbacoa Chilaquiles will spoil to you against all others!
Your Midday Meal
Lunch is often a meal that we forget to embrace, often settling for lunchmeat sandwiches or boring salads that fail to satisfy, but a lunch at Ember is an entirely different animal. Offering handhelds that include squash tacos and cheeseburgers, guests can also find exquisite offerings such as lobster mac and cheese, game skewers, and the chef’s choice, a Burrata Antipasto created from the finest of locally sourced ingredients.
A Dinner to Remember
Every meal will be your favorite when you choose to visit Ember, but perhaps their dinners will bring the memories you will remember most. Offering a sophisticated dinner menu that take ordinary ingredients and makes them extraordinary, it is chef’s use of game meat that takes your dining experience to the next level of wonderful. Elk Tenderloin served with a lingonberry demi glaze, bison short rib, even a duck breast will change the way you look at dinner forevermore.
Bring the Leftovers Home to Voyago Vacation Rentals
And because their portions are so large, enjoying the leftovers at home in your Estes Park escape will help you extend the tasty goodness a little further into your vacation. Reheat your meals in the microwaves of our fully equipped kitchens and spread out your goodies on large dining tables to enjoy in your much more comfy sweats or jammies. Reserve your favorite sanctuary today!
As the countdown to Valentine’s Day begins, gifters from all over the world are quivering with fear, wondering how they can top the surprises they handed over last year, but you, our Voyago Vacation Rentals guests, have an ace up your sleeve. You checked out the holiday love nests we offer in Estes Park and have already reserved the most romantic one for your Valentine, but you may still be wondering what you can do during your stay in Colorado. This guide to some of the most romantic events and activities for Valentine’s Day in Estes Park will help ensure that this year’s gift will definitely be hard to top next year when Valentine’s Day rolls around again!
A Head Start on the Celebration
Valentine’s Day is on a Wednesday in 2024, and it may be difficult for some couples to get away in the middle of the week, but because holiday limits are for amateurs, getting a head start on the celebration with an early February visit and an exploration of our annual Estes Park Wine and Chocolate Festival! Offering five hours of sweets, wine, and fun on February 3rd at The Estes Park Event Center, your sweetest will be excited that the holiday will last longer than the normal 24 hours. Find yourself with a couple of weeks’ worth of vacation time? Why not spend all those days in the comfort of our holiday hideaways and earn the title of Gift Giver Supreme?
The Traditions You Keep
Creating your own traditions as a couple will help create memories that last forever, and breakfast bed on the most romantic day of the year is an easy one to keep, especially with the fully equipped kitchens found in our Voyago Vacation Rentals sanctuaries. Toss together her favorite breakfast foods, being sure not to forget the mimosas, and start the day out on the right side of the bed! If kitchen work isn’t your forte, however, food delivery services are available in Estes Park and delicious foods can be delivered to your doorstep in time for breakfast.
Missed the Festival?
Traditionalists will want to make certain that their holiday activities take place on the holiday itself, so there is a very real possibility that you may have missed the Wine and Chocolate festival. But that doesn’t mean you have to skip the sweet step, as Estes Park offers a wide variety of candy and chocolate shops, including Laura’s Fine Candies, located at 129 E Elkhorn Avenue. Offering everything from popcorn to toffee to the sweetest chocolates, your Valentine’s gift is one that will keep giving all day long.
Sip and Savor
Snowy Peaks Winery, 292 Moraine Avenue, offers a taste of Colorado wines and can be the most romantic of all your Estes Park adventures. Providing gourmet foods to enjoy along with your sipping activities and periodically providing live music as an accompaniment, your romantic adventures can continue back at your Voyago love nest when you purchase your favorite flavors to carry home with you. Tasting even better when paired with the chocolates you purchased from Laura’s Fine Candies, this savory adventure will be one of your favorites.
Take the Fun Outside
The Estes Par landscape is a sight to behold during the winter months and snowshoeing is an amazing way to get up close and personal. Kirk’s Mountain Adventures offers guided snowshoeing tours, taking guests to the most beautiful parts of the countryside while providing the snowshoes we are pretty sure you didn’t pack in your luggage. Choose between a 3-, 6-, or 8-hour trip and fall in love with panoramic views, pristine countryside, and the sparkle in your favorite hiking partner’s eyes!
The Quickest Way to the Heart
Valentine’s Day would not be complete without a special holiday dinner, and Bird & Jim, 915 Moraine Avenue, celebrates love with the tastiest of meals. Offering a quite intriguing origins story (although we doubt it will compare to yours) and a menu filled with all-American favorites that will be a perfect complement to your love story, the Cast Iron section may be where you want to stop, especially after your three-hour or longer snowshoeing tour of Estes Park. Offering an extensive wine menu and an innovative cocktail one, we can’t help but think the dessert portion, starring a sweetly wonderful Apple Shortcake, will be the quickest way to each other’s hearts.
Your Love Story Written Here
The most important parts of your love story will shine brighter when written in the comfort and luxury of our romantic cabins in Estes Park love nests. Cuddling in front of open fires, watching other people’s love stories play out on state of the art televisions, and sharing secrets, hopes, and dreams in the most comfortable beds in the state. Contact us and reserve your favorite sanctuary today!