We loved the balcony wi th flower box and sunset view for 2. Adrian delivered a great experience! The coconut shrimp with brandy marmalade was really excellent. My portobello with tomato and mozarella had a world class sauce. Do ask the chef to lightly cook the mushroom, it was almost flat with overcooking. We loved our dessert as well read more

worst meal experience my wife and I have had in years, It was near the end of the season but that's still no excuse terrible food and service. DO NOT order the ceviche (they actually used salmon) so over powering with salmon and lime juice is was inedible. ordered a $34.00 Rib Eye when served it was gray. I had one bite, spit it out it tasted rancid so the waitress asked if I wanted another I said yes (duh) when she ordered it we could hear the cooks in the kitchen say they really want another were closing the kitchen. The second Rib Eye was worse than the first. We ordered a bottle of wine (the finest twist of cap) the waitress didn't ever bother to open it. to say the least I would never waste my time or money to every to step in the door of the Crags I ended up going to Taco Bell for dinner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

We have celebrated my mom's birthday two years in a row here for good reason. The food is as good as it gets! The chef and owner Shad Theroux is a true artist. He makes sure that every plate is perfect. His fried spinach is ridiculously good (my 6 year old loved it as much as we did). My filet was cooked to absolute perfection (seared and so tender I could cut it with a butter knife.). Our server was attentive, knowledgeable and fun. A perfect way to celebrate my wonderful mom. Thank you View! read more

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Great food, great view. Kids loved the special Mac and cheese as well as grilled cheese. We arrived 20 mins before opening, played some family games by the fire place. They also have a nice little bar that would be good to bring a date and hang out overlooking the city. Crags is one of my new favorites! read more

Yelp says it is closed but we ate there last night. The view, the food and our waiter (Jared) were all terrific. I had the salmon with yam and squash. My husband had the jambalaya. The rolls were delicious, too. Brownie a-la-mode was huge. We shared and still could not finish. Fun place to go! read more

The view is 5 star but our waitress was well below par. Our meats were not cooked to order & even after talking to hostess about our experience mid meal it did not improve. In fact it only got worse. We had to ask her to take away empty plates when she tried to squeeze in our dinner plates. The bright spot was Bryan a waiter who sadly was not ours. read more

It's a change from the fast paced Estes Park restaurants. It was 6:30 and they only had dour tables seated so that had me a little concerned. Service was good. View was expansive yet the growing trees blocked part of the city. That's ok. In time you will see right through them. Menu was limited yet varied. Pulled pork sandwiches to tomahawk steak. I had the green apple gorgonzola salad. Good but not worth the $11.00. Hubby had the trout with wild rice and broccoli rabe. The fish was excellent but the wild rice mixed with the broccoli rabe was not to either of our liking. I asked for bread and they brought it but was grilled with Parmesan shavings. Not to mention they charged $2.95 for 3 slices of bread. Has I known that I would not have bothered. Would I return, Maybe. read more

Friendly service and great view! Unfortunately the trees have grown so tall that the view of the mountains is impeded a bit! Nonetheless, I had a superb blue cheese steak. read more

Brian was the best!! We have been back here several years and still great food and the best views! Thanks for a great 26th anniversary!!

The food was delicious! Coconut shrimp, filet mignon/shrimp tower, & the rib eye with blue cheese! Our waiter, Brian was awesome...super friendly, personable, and helpful with the menu. Our view of the mountains & trees was pretty even though it did get dark shortly after we began dining. Dick Orleans was playing a great selection of covers from the Beatles to Springsteen. Cozy place. We also stayed at the lodge...our room was like a mini apartment with a fridge, sink, dishes, tea pot, electric mini stovetop, sofa, etc. I loved how you could feel the history of the place in the lobby. Lovely experience overall! Would definitely return. read more

We had dinner at The View. The food was great and the view wonderful. Nice atmosphere in the restaurant, cozy and quiet.

We had a $25.00 food credit through a Groupon we bought to stay at the Historic Crags Lodge, which houses the restaurant, so we decided to use it. We were seated near a window at our request by an overly friendly host, who happened to also be our waiter as it turned out. The menu was sparse and expensive. We ordered the burger with fries so as not to go to far over our food credit. The burger was good (not $16.00 good) but did not come with the onion or avocado I had requested. Our waiter Mike was very touchy, feely and almost condescending as he kept referring to me as "young lady" (I'm 65). He may of thought he was being complimentary but it was not appreciated. Would I go there again? No, it's just not worth it. read more

One of the best dinners had while in CO. The service was incredible and the food and drinks were amazing. Must order the pastry appetizer served on the spinach- eat the spinach (flash fried), it's the best part! read more

Food & service were just outstanding. I've been coming to Estes for more than 40 years and somehow never stopped by Crags Lodge. The View is located in the lodge. It lives up to its name, providing a view of downtown Estes that is truly spectacular. The food is better than almost anything you can find in town. If we have as good an experience on our next trip I will raise my review to 5 stars. This has to be have one of the best place for fine dining in Estes, and yes...I've eaten at the Dunraven, Twin Owls and other mainstays more times than I can count. My short ribs were awesome. My wife's chicken breast was one of the best I've ever had. Her caesar salad was great and the house brie and truffle soup I had was rich, flavorful and filling. They also have a kids menu. Our 9yr old daughter ate all her chick strips and fries and said they were yummy. We would've liked to try dessert, but we were too full. We will definitely be back. read more

We ate at The View after purchasing a Restaurant.com coupon. It was excellent. The food wasn't pretentious like most places in Estes Park and very reasonably priced. The staff was fantastic and the view from The View was very nice. I actually experienced an issue with my wood (temperature of the meat wasn't correct) and not only did they fix the issue quickly, but three different staff members checked back to make sure I was satisfied with the final result. I was very impressed. read more

My wife and I LOVE the View Restaurant! The food and cocktails are excellent. We both love the bleu cheese steak and martinis (pretty much all of 'em). If you are able, get reservations to sit on one of the decks. They are entirely private, and the views are just incredible. The dessert is also great. It's only open seasonally, and I think they close sometime in October, depending on the year. We try to get reservations earlyish in the evening so that we stay warm outside and have light. Last time we were there (early October, I think), our waitress informed us that the place would soon be under new ownership. Hopefully they don't change much. read more

Some friends bought my wife and I a $75 gift certificate for The View. We and some friends recently had dinner, the duck was good, my wife and friends hated their chicken. I ran the bill up to $71.50, left a $20 tip and the gift certificate and started out of the building. The chef/owner chased us down and said that The View had recently changed hands and that he was no honoring the outstanding gift certificates. I said yes you are. He called the police, setting me up on the phone. The police arrived and told me to pay the man or go to jail. I said I did pay him with a gift certificate and yes, I can go to jail. The officer asked me for an ID and returned to his patrol car. The chef went out and spoke with the policeman and dropped the charge. He didn't want to go to court. I gave the receptionist $40 and said I would split it with him and left. I have a business degree and was pretty sure that when you buy a business (I was the president of one) that you purchase both the assets and the liabilities. The latter being outstanding debt. I go to a constitution and supreme court class once a week which is filled with lawyers and judges. They unanimously agreed with my take. read more

Very good menu and atmosphere. Please note that their hours are not right on this site. They are open for dinner from Thursday through Sunday until the end of June. read more

We stayed at historic Crags lodge and had dinner twice at The View. Excellent salad with apple and Gorgonzola; empanadas were light and flavorful with delicious spinach chips; burger with bacon was amazing. View is spectacular. Jonathan was an attentive server. Great food and service! read more

Estes locals where are you? We stopped by after dinnertime for a cocktail and an appetizer. The dining room was sparse but the service as enthusiastic and friendly. We got to sit in one of the balcony tables with a great view. The mushrooms and empenadas were to die for- expertly prepared. Thanks for making our last evening in Estes special! read more

This is an AMAZING hidden gem! Most definitely the BEST VIEW in Estes Park! My husband and I visit The View Restaurant every year, we got engaged there and had our wedding reception there. Kathy and Mike are a pleasure to work with, and everything was beyond our expectations. The wedding was amazing and perfect, BUT SO IS DINNER! I would recommend trying the spicy shrimp and chicken pasta, and a brownie sundae for desert. We look forward to coming, every year. read more

Go for the views, not the food. Great craft beers. We had the duck, fish and chips, chicken fried steak, mac and cheese and grilled cheese. Not one great dish in the bunch. We sent the duck back since it was overcooked and the next one was pink but very tough. Chicken fried steak was over cooked (dark brown from too much time in the fryer). Fish was okay, but the chef must like rosemary because it was pretty strong in the fish and onion rings Both the CFS and the grilled cheese clearly sat before being served. Couple at table next to us told us they didn't like their food either and was getting it taken off their bill when we left. Service was good. read more

My fiancé and I went here for dinner, right after getting engaged on the top of the rocky mountains. Needless to say we looked past quite a few 'problems' throughout our dinner due to our excitement. The one thing I cannot complain about is our bartender.. He was extremely personable and happily poured us both a glass of champagne immediately. We then waited for about 20 minutes for our table, however to be fair we had requested one of only 3 of the beautiful outdoor seats. After we were seated we waited a LONG time for a server. In fact so long that we both made at least 3-5 phone calls to family and friends while waiting. When we were finally helped, our server did not seem at all knowledgable about the menu. He struggled with answering a few basic questions that we had about the menu. I ended up deciding on the plain fettuccine Alfredo. Apparently our server figured that to mean that I wanted the 'spicy' fettucine, which is what I was brought, and which is also considerably pricier. I sent that back and then had to wait for my actual food to be re-made. Typically I can look past a few mistakes here and there but not when we spent quite a bit of money and were celebrating a very special occasion. Overall, the view... Beautiful, the food and service, not up to par. read more

We went to Estes Park for a quick get-away. Our first night we ate dinner at The View Restaurant. We reserved a table on the balcony (not knowing what that meant), but it was a wonderful balcony table for two with a fantastic view. We had the onion rings for an appetizer (fantastic!); I had the walnut crusted trout for dinner (superb) and my husband had the shrimp scampi (enjoyable). The service was great, and Jasmine was a wonderful waitress. We would definitely go back to the restaurant and have already recommended it to friends. We would consider staying at the Lodge the next time we are in Estes Park. read more

The view helped me host a group dinner for 20 adults. Not only was the food delicious, but the service was very attentive. We loved the spectacular view, and it made for a very memorable evening. read more

What a great new find. Beautiful view, gracious service and a delicious interesting menu. Thanks Melissa. For a very romantic 2 top reserve one of the outside tables. read more

In a beautiful historical hotel built in 1914 fantastic. The view of Estes Park is worth the meal but wait it gets better. The service was quick polite and efficient they brought us all the water we were drinking. The apple gorganzola salad and fritters were great appetizers. Had the chicken for my main course was prepared very nicely tender and juicy. Great place. read more

Have dined at the lovely View in Crags Lodge at least 10x over 10 years. Last year we considered not returning after a disappointing and terribly long meal. We gave it another go this year and were delighted to see and taste that they're in their stride. Once again I ordered the duck confit and do recommend! Our table also ordered the lamb porterhouse (excellent) and braised short ribs that we're generous, tasty but needed a bit more sauce. Both the tomato salad and caesar were split amongst us and everyone would order again. read more

They call it the View and that says it all. If you can get a table by the window during the summer, go for it. Otherwise there are better places for less money in Estes. read more

Ate here New Years Eve. Beautiful old building. Margarita was worst I've ever had. Tasted like watered down lemonade with tequila. Food and service were bad enough that I am posting my first Yelp review. Server was kind but lost. Food was just bad and very expensive. read more

I was very disappointed. There was arguing between the workers that was very noticeable. My family had to miss out on a Christmas dinner because we didn't feel welcomed. We tried to make reservations answered all the questions and never got a call back to approve of our reservations, the host was very nice but other than that we definitely didn't feel welcomed at all. The food was extremely expensive just by looking at the menu. I wouldn't even try to go there again. read more

The View was a pleasant surprise; the food was fantastic - especially the vanilla salmon, the scenery was breathtaking, and our server; Adrian was wonderful! read more

Had a great dinner here (best mac and cheese ever) with great service from my server Brian. The View really is amazing and I was really impressed with the menu and offerings. Definitely worth a stop. I will be back. read more

My husband and I had dinner here and it was delicious. I had the rainbow trout and he had the brie chicken. We enjoyed the atmosphere and the entertainment and our waiter, Adrian, was superb. I recommend it highly. read more

The food is excellent. Mark, the bar manager, runs a tight ship. The place is busy, but no one gets overlooked. He or she is served quickly, and with a smile. read more

We recently spent our honeymoon in Estes Park and our experience at the view was the highlight of our trip.I made a late afternoon reservation, mentioned we were on our honeymoon and we were congratulated by the hostess and servers on our arrival.The private balcony-for-two was like an airy treehouse-with the bragged about view living up to expectations.Our server Luke was perfect-knowledgeable,friendly but not intrusive,and timed our meal perfectly.Our food was also very wonderful-including a divine chocolate mousse cake.Can't wait for a return visit and I have been telling everyone traveling to Estes Park to go there.Deena,Lincoln,Ne. read more

Staying at Crag's Lodge so dining at The View was sort of an impulse. Glad we did. Great food, great ambiance, good live entertainment and our server Brain made the experience pleasurable with his attentive service. read more

I brought my family in for dinner.. The view of Estes Park was spectacular, and the lodge setting is more than charming. The staff was warm, friendly and very professional.. The food was awesome.. My beef melted in my mouth, the trout my granddaughter had was extremely fresh and cooked to perfection and my wife's crusted chicken was also cooked perfectly.. All in all a great dinning experience... I would recommend the View to everyone.. I know I will return! read more

We came to The View after hearing it was under new ownership in June and was blown away. We tried to eat hear last year but the restaurant was never open on the nights we were in town. My husband had the Duck Confit and I had the Trout. The presentation of the Trout was something I have never seen before. It was baked in paper and the aroma was to die for. We started with the roasted eggplant dip and it was fanatic. The wine selection was small but very enjoyable and the table on the balcony was a nice touch. We ended our dinner with the Chocolate brulee and it was the perfect touch. We will be back next time we come to Estes Park. We are very happy to have found a place that not only has the best views in town but now the Best Food!!! read more

We were excited to celebrate a family birthday at one of our local favorites. We had a reservation, and were seated immediately, but it was downhill from there. It took at least 15 minutes before water was poured or a drink order was taken. Then it took another 15 or 20 minutes to receive our drinks. The young supervisor was doing everything...setting tables, seating patrons, taking orders...but it was humanly impossible for one person to handle the entire dining room. Apparently, he was the only person who could handle anything other than water refills. Our appetizers came out one at a time, and one salad was not served until entrées started coming out. The soup was lukewarm. Our entrées were also delivered separately, and food was getting cold as we waited for everyone to be able to eat. Some went ahead and started, but the last meal was not delivered before the first diners were almost finished. As I said, the young man was doing all he could, but no one should be asked to literally do everything! We felt sorry for him as he was obviously having communication problems with his staff. I don't mind spending money for a good meal, but the service should be stellar when doing so! We left feeling disappointed for the first time in well over 35 years! read more