The banh mi pork sandwich was the best meal I ate during my few days in Buena Vista!! It was full of flavor and the pork was delicious. I wish it had a tad more cilantro though. We bought a few baguettes of bread to take home for a very affordable price. We will be back next time we are in town. read more

Their rainbow trout is the best! Our favorite lunch stop to and from the mountains! Always great service, but expect a wait to order.

Fantastic burgers. Love the location. Very friendly staff! Great place to stop for lunch!

After a long drive to Buena Vista, my friends and I were craving some delish eats and we sure got that with Simple Eatery! Yum! BRICK & MORTAR: Quite literally the brick and mortar! The building itself is a old brick Colorado State Highway building. In typical Coloradoan fashion, it's a shared space with a great adventure outfitting shop called The Trailhead. There's a HUGE dog friendly patio space on the side of the building and a large roll up door at the front. The inside features local art for sale! Painted brick and reclaimed wood as far as the eye can see. Def my kind of place! SERVICE: Fantastic! The gentleman working advised us about some personal favorites from the menu and offered us samples of some tasty pastry creation (reminded me of a bearclaw). Def great to have his input during our visit. While you order at the counter, they bring your order right to your table. BITES: There's so many tasty AND healthy options on their menu! I happily opted for the chicken pesto panini (chicken breast, pesto-mayo, onions, red peppers, artichokes, mozzarella, on focaccia) and the broccoli cheddar soup. Both were fantastic! The bread was made in house and had all sorts of herbs encrusted in it. Mmm... Loved it! They also feature a frozen yogurt bar (aptly named Spoon It Up). While no one in our party saved room for dessert - make sure YOU DO! DRINKS: When in Buena Vista, Eddyline is king! They featured a couple of taps including my BF's favorite - Crank Yanker IPA. I chose to sip on the River Runner Pale Ale. Both hit the spot perfectly with our meals. Simple Eatery def made for very full and extremely happy tummies! Next time we're in the area we'll happily be back - and we'll make sure to save room for dessert! ;) read more

Obviously, a popular place and for good reason. Order at the counter and then get full service. I had the chicken salad sandwich with homemade bread with a side of heirloom tomato bisque, both of which were fantastic. Service was good. read more

Thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing back the braided pretzel bread. I've been telling the cashiers for months that the braided product is far superior in taste and texture to the non- braided variety. You have a very happy customer once again. Three generations in our family much prefer the BRAIDED bread! read more

Very cute cafe with local friendly owners. I came here with my family and when we checked in, they had a yelp special to try various kind of breads. Despite almost closing near the end of the night, they were very kind and still honored the deal. We got ice cream, there are many toppings to choose from. Fresh, organized, no mess. The Christmas tree in the corner is beautiful, cherry on top to this entire experience. Will come back again =) read more

Simple Eatery - Amazing free bread sampler!!! Free when you check in on yelp :) - Bakeries Near Me - Buena Vista, Colorado

Great for incredible grilled chicken sandwich on a delicious pretzel bun! Totally recommend this place. Great outdoor patio area and there's an outdoor equipment and clothing sort on far side of the restaurant. read more

Great stop! Ended up eating here twice. Amazing burger, chips & salsa and fresh lemonade. Definitely recommend stopping in for healthy/fresh food. Also a cool store attached where you can look for all things outdoors while you wait on your food. read more

Simple Eatery - Outside eating area - Bakeries Near Me - Buena Vista, Colorado

We stopped in for dinner at Simple and were very pleased. This is the type of place where you order at the counter, are given a number and they bring your stuff out to your table. There is some indoor seating and a very large outdoor seating area. The menu focuses on simple and healthy, and everyone in our party of four was able to find something that suited them pretty easily. They also offer an awesome pick 2 type option that allows you to get a soup and sandwich or soup and entree, etc. This is what I did, ordering the tomato bisque and the cheesey penne (I probably got the name of the pasta dish wrong, but penne with a lot of cheese!). Both were delicious. I probably liked the soup more - it was super fresh with a heavy dose of basil and very bright tomato flavor. The penne was good but very rich. My brother in law got the same soup but with a salad and I kind of wished I'd done that instead. His salad looked incredibly fresh and inviting. One thing to mention: the portions are HUGE. I probably ate half of what was served to me. We also had the bread board to start, which was very yummy - totally recommend. The beer options were good (Elevation Kolsch for the win!) and the staff was extremely attentive and very accommodating. They sanitized each table between parties and were awesome. It was a very nice stop. read more

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This place is fantastic. I ordered the elk burger, Caesar salad, and carrot soup. OMG- all of these were utterly delicious. The Caesar salad dressing was probably the best I've ever had. If there's a line- there's a reason. Wait. You will be happy you did. read more

It was a little later when we got into town here and this place was open later than some others so we gave it a try. It was really good with everything tasting fresh. The bread sample was warmed and soft. I had choose two tomato bisque, I thought very good, with primavera pesto pasta, which was good and I liked the veggies. The husband had the stroganoff on zoodles, and he really liked it especially with the zucchini noodles. Overall great place! read more

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While we are still doing takeout for covid reasons, we can just comment on the experience of picking up and the food. Picking up was good. The person who asked for the name was awesome. Had the elk burger and bison ravioli which were good. What makes this food a 5 star situation for us? The Bavarian pretzel plate! It honestly was like picking cotton candy that got more addicting each piece we broke off. The sauces also provided a good compliment to the taste. read more

Great food and love the store there. The bread is fresh and there a lot to choose from. We'll definitely be back.

Simple Eatery is one of my favorite BV picks for lunch. Savory soups and sandwiches, house made bread, salads, annnnnnd froyo?! Yes please. Indoor and outdoor seating to take in the beautiful downtown BV vibes. Annnnd daily happy hour from 4 to 6! It's a win. read more

Delicious food with great variety and wonderful staff. We stop here almost every time we pass thru town. They are OPEN EVERYDAY 10:30 AM - 9:00pm. Love the casual feel of the restaurant. read more

This is one of those bizarre places where you actually wonder if you're in the right place. But trust me... you are. They share space with an outdoor clothing/gear shop. When I first walked in, all I could think was "really???" You order at the counter... but this isn't just some sandwich shop. Think artisanal. Fabulous pastas, paninis, burgers, soups. Really oh so delicious. They do casual seating. And quite honestly the fact that you're near a retail shop seems to melt away. The food is delicious, reasonably priced and just what BV needed. We've eaten there multiple times over the last year... it's an easy place to say yes to. read more

Yes! Yes! Yes! A casual "cuisine" eatery that gives you fresh, tasty and uniquely theirs food. They have soups, salads, paninis/burgers and entrees that are their own creation. There is also a kids menu. Plus they are a bakery and they have frozen yogurt and ice cream. For refreshment you can choose from several local beers on tap and some craft sodas. They will also bring a carafe of lemon mint water to the table with your drinks. All co-located with an outdoor clothing and gear shop to browse before or after your meal. You get in line and order at the counter, take your number stand to your table and they bring your food to you. Service was good, but they may only check back once right after they deliver your food so be prepared to ask for anything else you want such as extra napkins, butter, etc. right away or you'll be getting up to get them. The entres were intriguing and my wife ordered the Rainbow Trout and I ordered the Bison Bolognese. The entre prices range from $12.50-$16 and may seem a little high for such a casual eatery, but once you taste them you will not care. The trout came with a sage cream sauce and a vegetable medley of colorful cauliflower and shredded brussel sprouts that were delicious as well. My wife is not a fan of most sauces, but loved the sage cream sauce. I enjoyed my samples of the trout both with and without the sauce. The trout was fresh and cooked to that perfect level of doneness. The Bison Bolognese, although not as good as my favorite spaghetti Bolognese at Mimmo's in Destin, FL, is definitely #2 on my list now. The flavorful sauce with bits of ground bison, pieces of sliced mushrooms and slices of red onion and red pepper was the good stuff. It clung to the penne pasta under the cover of melted mozzarella. No watery residue in the bottom of the plate. The slice of bread that came with served to sop up the last of the flavorful sauce. I also ordered a side of their kohlrabi slaw (I'll try anything different once) and it was delicious as well. There was mustard in the slaw dressing that gave it that extra special taste. We arrived a little before noon on a Wednesday and the line was very short. As we dined the line grew almost to the door. Obviously lots of people know how good the food is here. read more

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An excellent meal in an historic downtown right off the highway. We almost stayed on the highway to find lunch as we passed thru Buena Vista. That would have been a mistake as the historic part of town is just a right turn away. Our lunch here was filling even tho we shared an app and a burger. 2pm starts happy hour so we got a deal of the petzel and dips. But this wasn't pretzel sticks nor a Bavarian pretzel nor even a pretzel roll. This was a pretzel loaf! With cheese dip and mustard. We only finished half of it as our elk burger came out next Please try an elk burger in Colorado. With a lovely bun and feta cheese and grilled onions. AND choice of side included soup. We had thought about ordering soup too so this was just right. Wonderful service. View of the mountains. Heck, they even have frozen yogurt The rest of the street had wonderful shops in the lovingly restored old buildings. A young elk even wandered thru town right in front of us. DON'T MISS SIMPLE AND THE OLD DOWNTOWN! read more

Literally the best pretzel loaf and beer cheese. I had the spinach/asparagus ravioli and fig salad. Everything was fresh and flavorful. The best. We had a group of 7 adults and no complaints from a single person. An absolute must if you find yourself visiting or passing through. Will definitely go back if we are in the area. read more

Delicious food, great ingredients, amazing staff. I wish I had taken down the name of our cashier. She was SO friendly and engaging. Absolutely a joy to encounter. She quickly inquired about our day and was very helpful when explaining some of the ingredients in the food (allergies concerns). She was the best example for costumer service in a public setting. Absolutely made my day to interact with her. read more

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We stumbled upon Simple Eatery and could not have asked for a more perfect lunch. There were many gluten free vegetarian options including homemade soups (three of which we tried) AND homemade gluten free bread. The Elk burger was given 5 stars by the kiddo in our family & the full gluten bread was delicious. I had to talk myself out of stopping back for dinner on our way out of town. read more

Great food, outdoor area was dirty and the customer service was the best but food was good.

Amazing Experience. I'm just staying the weekend in Buena Vista and I've already been there 3 times! My wife loved the rainbow trout and i had the vegetarian pesto. Both outstanding, but what keeps me going back is the pretzel and beer cheese. Dog friendly on the patio which has a great atmosphere any time of day. read more

Favorite stop in Buena Vista. Great food, always excellent soups, and other options. I've tried the tomato soup and the carrot soup, both delicious. Also enjoyed the ravioli, and my husband had a sandwich which he enjoyed. We also usually pick up some bread, either bagel loaf or carrot bread loaf. We also like that there is an excellent coffee shop across the street, so we hit all our fav's in one stop. read more

Simple Eatery - Ravioli, tomato soup, chicken panini, and lemonades. - Bakeries Near Me - Buena Vista, Colorado

Food was hit and miss in my personal opinion. The bison ravioli! It was incredible!! 10/10 I had the pesto on it. Beef stroganoff was good , but not something I would pay to get again, b/c the one I make at home is equally as good. 8/10 Elk burger didn't have a lot of flavor 5/10 I was let down by this. Tomato basil soup was 10/10 , but the cheddar broccoli soup was awful. 0/10 . I'm not sure why is was so bad but it had no flavor compared to others I've had and texture was so weird . I would definitely come back for the bison ravioli again. It was so good and unique. read more

Everything was delicious and the staff were lovely! I wish we lived closer so we could come back!! We had some cheddar broccoli soup, the tomato bisque, the elk burger, the angus burger, the citrus cream ravioli (both bison and spinach-asparagus), a Cesar salad, and mango fig salad (we were a large party!) - all delicious! The soft pretzels were also a huge hit! Thank you for the lovely food, ambiance, and experience! read more

Luckily, while traveling near Buena Vista (BV) near lunch time, I had enough signal from Verizon to look for a place to eat in BV. Simple Eatery & Spoon It Up had good reviews and a very interesting menu, so my traveling party decided to go there. We were happy that we did! Simple Eatery is really two businesses: an outdoor store and a restaurant. There is dividing wall in between that separates them except near the front door and near the rear. The restaurant has dining inside and outside. Food is ordered at a counter and then your order is taken to your table. Essentially, once you order at the counter and then you have full table service. We ordered the pretzel appetizer and the bread sampler appetizer. Both were excellent! The pretzel was served with sides of honey mustard and melted cheese. There was nothing special about the condiments but the pretzel was awesome! We mostly ate the pretzel bread as is. Every table has cruets of olive oil and balsamic vinegar as well as black pepper and a variety of salts. The breads were all very good but the pretzel bread and the bread sampler were way too much for three of us. Waaaayyyyyy too much. I sampled all of the dishes we ordered.... - Heirloom tomato bisque: This soup was very well done! It was light and tasty. Highly recommended. - Chicken noodle and spinach soup: This soup was filled with little chunks of chicken. It was rather light on the amount of noodles and heavy on the chicken. It was good but not outstanding as the tomato bisque was. - Chicken brie panini: None of us like this because the arugula overpowered all of the other flavors. The result was a bitterness that just wasn't good. After removing all of the arugula, the sandwich was better but it was bland. I cannot recommend this item. - Elk burger: This was very tasty. It's a big burger. Recommended. The bottom line: this is a quirky little restaurant with good food. If you're in BV, give it a try! read more

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Inconsistent hours! We drove 30 miles from Leadville, arriving 30 minutes before their "new closing time" of 8 pm. They had closed already. read more

Besides the wait all was amazing. Was just passing through. The town is also very cute great place to stop

Tasty bison ravioli. Great service. Unlike the Buena Viking. If you can get a table don't miss it. read more

Best homemade soup in town! It's our spot after peak summits. The trout is also delicious. Yum!

Claimed the soup was vegan, but they served it with cheesy bread on the side. Claimed salad was vegan and there was feta in the dressing. Have these people never heard of allergies? read more

Great food and fast service! We looked at Yelp reviews and people said it was the best lunch - and it was!

After a day of rafting on the Arkansas River, getting dumped into freezing cold temps, and hobbling around with a busted left shin...I was tired and hungry. Thankfully Yelp found this great spot in the heart of tiny Buena Vista! It's a wonderful place serving really delicious and healthy food, homemade baked breads, libations on tap plus the most amazing shopping for gear, clothes, camping stuff and all the things you didn't even know you needed! TIP! Check in on Yelp and get a FREE bread sampler basket. It is warm and soft and crusty and delicious! And it's a huge portion! Very busy but the line moves quickly. Indoor seating or outside on the patio. read more

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Fantastic place for fresh sandos, soups and salads. Steak panini could have used some horseradish, but still excellent as was their carrot-coconut soup, the Angus burger, all of their salads...kids loved their food choices too. Super friendly staff and great environment as well. Oh, and don't pass up their pretzel bread, you won't be sorry. read more

Delicious food! Clean open dining room, outdoor seating also available. So good we had to get a loaf of bread to take home!

Fast casual spot with lots of options for kids and adults, both herbivore and omnivore. The house made cheddar rosemary bread used for some of their sandwiches is so soft and delicious. You can buy a loaf for $8. When we dined in, they had a bison ravioli with a lemon sage cream sauce that was ahhhhmazing. It was so good I requested we go back the following day, lol. Kids meals are $5 for 1 item or $9 for 2 items and there are a lot of choices from salads, soups, sandwiches or pasta. Their steak stroganoff also deserves a worthy mention because it was also really good. Would definitely go back! My only gripe is that there is a roped line in to order, but no designated space for people to exit. We were constantly having to move aside to let people who were trying to exit cut back through the line coming in. I actually think people were supposed to exit through the outdoor seating area (not the front entrance), but of course people did not... super annoying. Hopefully it's something they can fix. Otherwise, fast service, nice staff, and good food! read more

A tad pricey but hey it was delish! We felt old watching the youngsters in their Pantagonia clothes. Berry lemonade did rock! And hubs steak panini was ahhmazing! read more

Not many place were open in town all day during the weekdays (like a Monday) but I'm glad we stumbled upon this location for some yummy quality food. I had the french onion soup with a red chili zucchini noodles bowl and the man had a burger. Super yummy and I'm so glad they have very healthy options. All the staff were extremely friendly and I hope the lady who just bought a house w her hubby is doing well. I'm not good with names but she was very friendly and was able to talk to us about local Asian food options. BTW, iced tea was nicely brewed too. Come check it out if you have any dietary restrictions on anything, I'm sure they can accommodate you. read more