As others have noted, Estes Park is not a foodie destination. That being said, I think these restaurants have to be taken in context. To be the last stop before entering Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as the first stop on the way out, this one could be a lot worse. They don't even have to try and people would stop. But they do try. And they get some things right. Local microbrews, local flavors and a bit of variety. My wife likes their veggie burger, the kids like the grill cheese and Mac and cheese and we all like the view. I had the signature Elk stew. It was good, especially after a morning on the ridge in the fifties. It came with a small spring mix salad with a very unique chipotle dressing I have also tried the Blue Moon beer brat. It was ok, but again, they try. Next time I'd get the Rocky Mountain Trout. Make sure you take a look at the extensive chocolate selection on the case as you walk in! read more

Trailhead Restaurant - Elk stew! - American Near Me - Estes Park, Colorado

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We checked this place out for dinner and I was a little disappointed. We ate outside where there are awesome views! The strength of this restaurant was the front of the house and the waitstaff. They were nice accomodating, good about checking on us/offering another drink (get got 1 more beer out of me than I had planned :) ), etc. They knew the menu. When wifey ordered a bison burger they suggested medium rare or medium at the most which is absolutely right as it is leaner than ground beef! The weaknesses unfortunately were the food especially for the price. I had the wild game skewers which was 1 lamb, 1 elk, and 1 bison skewer served over wild rice pilaf and with veggies that were likely frozen... It was $26 and the meat was slightly overcooked. That bison burger they suggested medium rare or medium was super well done. Tasted fine considering, but was way overcooked. I really liked the concept and wanted it to be good. The staff was great. Now they need to figure out who is going to cook the food and to source fresh veggies to justify charging nearly $30 a person for. read more

My wife and I have now eaten here on two separate trips to Estes Park and have been very satisfied with the experience and the food both times! The food was excellent and the views from the deck are lovely. The only thing that is slightly lacking is the hospitality but overall a great place just on the edge of the park! read more

We had an all-around great experience here. We sat outside and the views were spectacular! Went twice during our trip, for dinner and breakfast and both times, the food was amazing and the servers were so friendly! It's a great stop going to or coming from Rocky Mountain National Park. read more

We were hungry and didn't want to wait to get down the mountain so we were happy to see a restaurant here with a view of the Rockies. We weren't expecting much based on the fact that this seemed to be the only restaurant in the area. Looking at the menu we felt it would be risky to get any of the dinner options because our experience in Colorado so far has been that everything is a bit saltier than we like. We asked for recommendations and the waitress said burgers or pasta so we went with burgers. Pastas looked boring. We got the Elk burger and the mushroom and Swiss. Surprisingly, the burgers tasted good! They looked kind of sad when they came out. Like cafeteria food. Not really gourmet and not packed with stuff but solid in taste. We also got sweet potato fries and salad. I had to add salt and pepper to the sweet potato fries but seriously you can never go wrong with those! Overpriced but what can you expect at the foot of the Rockies? Not a bad place to stop if you get a burger. 3.5 read more

Wow great views from the back deck. We had breakfast and everything was good. Banana bread French toast with bacon and country fried steak. The gravy could have used a bit more spice/pepper but overall it was good. It's a great alternative to the super busy downtown Estes Park restaurants. The service was also very good. read more

Trailhead Restaurant - American Near Me - Estes Park, Colorado

To us, this place was not surprisingly bad, I had read bad reviews on Tripadvisor so was leery to go. I didn't want to but was forced as part of a large family group. When we arrived, we were sat and probably about ten minutes later a waiter approached our table. I asked him what microbrews they had (note: there was a sign on the table saying "ask what microbrews we have"), the waiter said "I have no idea, you will have to ask your waiter" A few minutes later, he tried to take our order, I said "oh--you are our waiter?? Do you know what microbrews you have--and guess what --he did!! Food was horrific. I ordered a buffalo burger which when it arrived, i said "I think this isn't what I ordered" he told me it was. THe "buffalo burger" was a black little puck, with no flavor. They screwed up the steak another family member had. The shrimp fettucine came with fettucine noodles that were mixed with what was obviously frozen vegetables that included lima beans. All the side vegetables were extremely overcooked. The mixed grill skewers appeared to be skewed on toothpicks. The stew was reported;y good but was very thick for the first few that got it and then extremely watery for the rest (they must have been running out and just added water to stretch it--unacceptable!!). The service was slow and most of the servers spoke such poor english, they were difficult to communicate with. I would not recommend this to anyone. It's obvious that they do not care what they are serving as they are guaranteed a crowd due to their location. I would NEVER go back. read more

We called and made a reservation for 2 outside on the waterfront. Well the view of the water was off in the distance. We had looked this restaurant up on Yelp and noticed it had good reviews and had 2 dollars signs. I had a burger with fries and my wife had a chicken sandwich with fries. My meal was $13.99 and hers was $14.99. The sandwiches were both very good. The French fries tasted like frozen French fries. I gave them 3 stars for the value. If I could rate the server Christi I would have rated it with 5 stars. It was late and at the end of her shift but you wouldn't have realized it. She had our drinks and food out right away. The check was delivered and returned quickly as well. For what we paid for our meals I would have expected at least fresh cut fries. read more

We came here as we told that this place is really good by the hotel we were staying at. We were dead wrong. We called ahead and made sure they would be good for a group of 20 plus a service dog, when we showed at 6:30 on a Sunday night, they were beyond dead, there was one ground in the entire resturant and they were on the patio smoking a some cigs. They didn't stay very long. The service was very slow for our group and for the establishment being dead, I would understand if this place was busy but we were the only ones there and they had two servers there serving us, so they had 10 people per server. The staff was extremely slow and half our group had to wait 45 minutes just for appetizers, seriously, did you have to order them from town? Just to get them to our table? It sure felt like it? We ordered the calamari which was a joke, it was chewy and tasted like it had been sitting in there freezer all summer and there veggie dip, the veggie dip was good but only enough for one person. It was surely not an appetizer, it was sad what they were charging and giving as we ordered it for our table and it couldnt even give it to everyone, only two or three of us got half a bite. We all ordered different things on the menu. The girls order the pasta and like it, but said they were disappointed with how little shrimp they were given. The elk stew was clearly NOT a staple of this place, it was over seasonsed and there was maybe three pieces of meat in the whole entire stew, more potatoes and beans in the whole entire bowl. I thought I was eating veggie soup them elk stew. My cousin and order the fish sticks and they clearly were not beer battered, they were breaded and it looked like fish sticks that one would buy at the store, we asked if they were made in house and the waiter told us no. We thought this place made there own stuff and we were told that most of the food was bought out of house and brought in, that they didn't buy local or make local. A big disappoint as 90% of our family was here as a family reunion and we were wanting to taking them to a Colorado Proud resturant and clearly Trailhead is not one. Even the manager verified these statements. A true shame, we wont be back, our family was truly saddened by our experience here and the food that they had. read more

Surprisingly good! This restaurant is part of a huge visitors center (more accurately, souvenir shop). I wasn't expecting much, given that bit of information, but after a trail ride at the National Park Gateway Stables right next door, we were exhausted and starving and it was there. It actually wound up being really good. We ate outside on the deck overlooking the Rockies. What a gorgeous view! I got a chicken sandwich and fries and they were great. My husband loved his meal too. Only bad thing was that there were a lot of bees buzzing around (this was September), but it was still worth it to sit outside. read more

Trailhead Restaurant - American Near Me - Estes Park, Colorado

great view from the outside deck. friendly service. decent burger and fries, but the fried fish tasted rancid, the club wrap tasted like a week old refrigerated sandwich from a dirty gas station, and the reuben was literally dripping with thousand island dressing and had very little pastrami. I will never recommend the food here to anyone! read more

My husband had the elk burger. He said it was good. This is the first time he has eaten elk. Our son had a buffalo burger. It was a first for him too. He said it was good. I had a hamburger with mushrooms and Swiss. It was good. Fries were just ok. Good service. Good food after a long hike. read more

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We expected elegant dining based on prices, however it was deplorable service. We wanted to eat inside because it was hot. They took us to our table, but another worker was mopping the floor. He said, 'just walk through it.' The server did not speak english and gave us the lunch menu for dinner. We asked him about it and he left and returned with the dinner ones after a long wait. We wanted the fish and asked how many ounces. He did not understand. We used gestures and he went to ask the chef. After a long time, he returned to say they didn't know. For $27 they ought to know! People were outside on the porch and it looked like most were eating $17 burgers. The view is of a back lot cluttered with metal tanks and debris. You have to gaze upward to see there is a mountain there. We left but want to spare others of a bad experience. read more

Really overpriced. I ordered an elk stew and it had 4 small chunks of meat and all the rest was veggies. The taste was okay...nothing to write home about. The service was fantastic..that's the only reason for the second star. read more

Trailhead Restaurant - A real mountain mans restaurant#! - American Near Me - Estes Park, Colorado

Food here is great and the views can't be beat. Try the homemade peach cobbler!! They also have a small playground for the little piggies to run while the adults enjoy themselves. Gift shop next door also has a vast selection of great gifts! read more

Oh, goodness, this restaurant was an experience. My friends and I landed here after a short morning hike for lunch. We were early for lunch and they were just finishing up with the late breakfast stragglers. We opted to sit on the patio as it was a beautiful day and the patio offered amazing mountain views. There were pigeons roosting on the patio cover despite the spikey deterrents. They were only an audible nuisance and didn't bother our meal further than that. I ordered an elk burger with blue cheese and roasted red pepper fanciness and both of my friends ordered the Philly cheesesteak. We all had fries as our side. I'll stop right here and say that our waitress was amazing. Super friendly and cheerful. She offered positive reinforcement for our menu selections. The food came and we were excited after our calorie burning hike to eat some delicious food. Mwe mwa (that's the sound of doom, however you spell it). The food was not good. My burger: dry, 2/3 the size of the bun, the blue cheese/ roasted red pepper remoulade that was supposed to be on top was only a whisper of what was promised. Complete meal disappointment. So, as the good friend that I am, I mooched a bite of the Philly steak sandwich. It was also dry and flavorless. What an amazing venue space and location to be ruined by the food. Have a cocktail on the patio and enjoy the views, don't order food. read more

My husband, daughter and I went to lunch here with my dad after a day of adventuring. We were seated without a wait out on the deck and the view was stellar. Unfortunately, we were downwind of a stable and it smelled just like one would expect, but only when the wind kicked up. Though they had a high chair, basket of crayons and activity sheet for my 2-year-old, they brought her drink in a paper coffee cup with a lid, which was a little hard for her to drink from. I am surprised that they didn't have regular cups with lids and straws like everywhere else. My iced tea and my dad's were obviously fresh because, though chilled, there was no ice to be seen in either glass and we had to ask the waitress for some later. That being said, she was prompt to bring some more out, and the tea was really tasty because it was so fresh. The food was hit-or-miss. I had the fish and chips, which came with fries and cole slaw. The fries were scrumptious, the cole slaw was somewhat flavorless. The batter on the fish was delicious, but the fish itself was really pretty bad. It was chewy to the point where I had a hard time biting through it at times. Needless to say, I mostly ate fries. My husband and dad, however, both got the Southwest Three Decker Club, and that was great. The bread was buttery and toasted to perfection and held turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, swiss cheese, chipotle mayo and guacamole. It was every bit as tasty as it sounds (I had some leftovers). It was also huge. They each ate half of theirs so we wound up taking a whole sandwich home for later. If I had gotten that for my meal, they would have easily had another star. Overall, it wasn't a bad place to eat. I'd certainly go back. Next time, I'll bring my own sippy cup, order the sandwich, and hold my breath when the wind blows. read more

We stopped for a late breakfast and very much enjoyed the food and the view. The pancakes are fluffy, and the syrup is yummy. The scrambled eggs are moist/buttery. We tried a cinnamon roll, and it was very fresh, again buttery/moist, with a delicious frosting. I enjoyed the bloody mary, 4 olives yay, but the celery stalk was only a celery top which was odd. The coffee was "okay". Our waiter was very nice. The view was spectacular. We would definitely come again for a meal, but also for just a drink and pastry to sit and relax. read more

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Full disclosure: this review is two years old. I'm transferring my google reviews to yelp. Additional disclosure: we visited the trailhead during the off-season. This might explain our experience. The restaurant is in a great location, right next to an entrance to RMNP. It is also attached to a very cute (and overpriced) gift shop, which we enjoyed perusing. We wanted to go bcs my guy loves cinnamon buns, which were advertised on their menu in our hotel menu guide. Thursday morning, we pull in only to find the restaurant is closed except for weekends in the off-season. We try again on Friday and, after standing around awkwardly between the dark, empty restaurant and gift shop for 15 minutes, a girl comes from the shop side and takes our order. They were out of cinnamon buns, which was a big bummer to my guy, but it happens. We took a seat; the place was huge but completely empty. Felt kind of like the shining (coincidentally). This was late in the morning on the Friday of a holiday weekend! A guy came out of the kitchen (waiter? cook?) and apologized for not seeing us sooner. He was incredibly polite and his service made up for what was becoming a disappointing experience. We both got corncakes (there were only about 3 items to choose from on the menu), which were delicious! Highly recommended! The price was reasonable and the views were superb. I can't say I would go back (maybe if I called ahead and confirmed they were open and had the menu item I wanted), but I would recommend it to someone on their way to the park, especially if it's tourist season! read more

Superb & Friendly Staff. Superb Food. Located on HWY 34 right before the Nat'l Park entrance. Very convenient location to grab a drink, snack, or meal before or after your adventure at The Rockie Mtn Nat'l Park. read more

Trailhead Restaurant - Look for these signs on your way to or from the Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park on HWY 34. - American Near Me - Estes Park, Colorado

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This was the perfect spot for a quaint breakfast with a spectacular view. We went on a Sunday morning and were seated right away next to a window overlooking the river and mountains. It's a small menu, but the omelets and home fries were just the ticket. Excellent service and great location, too. read more

I hate to give two star reviews but I could not bring myself to rate this any higher due to their lack of service. Atmosphere: - Top Notch - We were seated on the patio with awesome views of the mountains. It was a great spot to sit and relax and have dinner. Unfortunately, I think that they forgot about us. Food: - Good - I had the fish and chips and my wife had a pasta dish. The fish was really good, the chips were okay. The pasta dish was not the best. Service: - Poor - We had over a 10 minute wait once we were seated before we had anyone approach our table to great us. We had stopped some of the other servers in the area during our meal to see if they could help us (when our drinks ran out or if we needed something else) and this was the only time that we would get attention from our server. We later found out that one of the servers that we stopped and asked for water from was a manager and she did not seem to care. The place was pretty dead and there did not seem to be an excuse for the service that we had. It was early in the season and many of the servers seemed to be new. Based on conversations with the servers it appears as if many of them were here for the summer from other countries. I am hoping that our experience was a fluke, but we will probably not be back to eat here again. read more

A definite PASS. I ordered a $14 elk burger expecting fresh elk. I was excited because I had never tried elk before. What I got looked like a processed patty you'd get from the frozen food section at Walmart. Such a shame. read more

Possibly the worst food in estes park. Its mcdonalds class food at a 4 star price. The manager was rude and obviously full of himself. Trust me save your money and go eat somewhere respectable like the wild rose. read more

Avoid at all costs unless you want to get robbed. We ordered several items to go. Besides forgetting several items and getting other dishes wrong, the quality of the food we did receive was poor and the quantity even worse. Their $18 signature elk stew came in a tiny cup (maybe 5 spoonfuls worth), had barely any elk, and you could tell they were not using fresh spices nor fresh vegetables. The $12 artichoke dip was maybe 1 spoonful worth of dip, an unbelievable ripoff. The fries were mealy and chewy. The cheesecake was maybe 2 bites worth of food. The other dishes were also mediocre to poor (trout, pasta, burger). There are so many other good places in Estes Park, don't waste your time here. read more

Trailhead Restaurant - Minuscule portions of elk stew and artichoke dip given the price, neither of which tasted fresh - American Near Me - Estes Park, Colorado

Breakfast with a view. Breakfast was good. Their breakfast potatoes are seasoned well. Staff pleasant and attentive. Prices are reasonable for the area. read more

We eat here every time we vacation in Estes. I like the Bison burger, and fish and chips, with a Stinger beer brewed right here in Estes. The soups are good as well. I recommend sitting out side with a beer and enjoying the view on their deck! It's like Heaven read more

Do not eat here. Food is way overpriced and it sucks. Burnt hamburger, burnt bacon and burnt buns.

I had the brat, my wife had the chipotle wrap, they were both ok. Trailhead will not again receive our business, though. Visiting town we checked Yelp for restaurants offering curbside pickup. This business lists curbside as an extra service offered in these times. Ass we left RMNP we pulled into the parking lot and I called to order our meals for curbside pickup. After a little talk back and forth I was told they offered curbside so I ordered our meals. I attempted to pay online, was told I could pay when I got there. 15 minutes later I called, told them I had a curbside pickup that I was there to pick up, was told I could come in and pay then get my food. I explained that is not curbside pickup, I was really lit off enough that I could not pay hands free and have my food given to me at my car. The young lady said they do not do curbside, I responded that their Yelp ad sure says they do, and I also made it clear several times while ordering that curbside was a requirement. She finally agreed to come out. When she did, there was a young man with her, who said "we don't do this, but for you just this once we will. I got the food and paid for it, but feel baited and deceived having such trouble receiving the curbside service they advertise and I asked for and was told I would get read more

Stopped here after going through the Rocky Mountain National Park and we couldn't have been more disappointed! The outside looks like a mountain lodge - liked that! The gift shop was packed full of cheap knick knacks and fake plastic lamps made to look like log lamps... too much Made from China crap that you can get anywhere. We decided to eat in the restaurant which was a BIG mistake! The food sounded good ... homemade chili, burgers, salads, breakfast all day... and it looked promising when it got to table... BUT it was HORRIBLE! I'm not a picky eater but this food was nearly inedible... the burger was full off slimy chewy gristle and dripped with grease - it had a mushy consistency with hard granules of gristle - I had 3 bites, but I couldn't choke it down. It came in a ciabatta bun which I liked but the burger was the worst I've ever had. I also got a small cup of the homemade chili as did another in our group... it was dried on top (too long under the heat lamp maybe?) ... the flavor.... tasted like cinnamon after the thick pasty glob got past the tongue... not a good flavor and no amount of crackers could fix it. The other two in our group got the Greek omelet... it was a pile of black olives, feta cheese and yogurt with a flat fried egg laying over the top... not an omelet. Neither of them had more than 5 bites. We are a group of people who have choked down some not so great food in the past, we are not picky and the fact that not one of the 4 of us could get that food down was a first! I hate that this place is in a prime spot, beautiful spot... they need a food makeover! I WOULD NOT GO BACK and I wash I could get that hour back so we could go to one of the many great restaurants in and near Estes. read more

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Went in for late breakfast. The food is okay but corn cake is really good. Service is completely out of hand. There was only one waitress at the time and two server guys at the front. The table next to us must have waited for so long that they left the minutes their food came out ( overhead the food was all cold). Then immediately we saw the restaurant manager came out and started talking to the two front guys first for a long time. Then to the waitress, despite the fact that there is only ONE waitress at the restaurant. So that meant while we were eating, we need ketchup, no one was available to help. We need more water, no one was available to help. We need more coffee, the waitress was still have to talk to the manager, probably about the reason why one of the table left. Then finally we need the check, they still were talking. One of my friend stood up and went to the front and asked for the check. It's so obvious the manager is the one that kept everyone was behind their work. If he needed to talk to his staffs, wait until lunch time, or break time, or after they are done with their shifts. No wonder the restaurant was really empty. read more

Food was o.k., nice atmosphere and view of the mountains from the window. I think it was way overpriced, and the waitress was a bit short with me when I asked for a coffee refill the second time; maybe she was busy, but she did bring it. Probably eat elsewhere next time. read more

We live nearby, and especially enjoy breakfast here, at least a couple of times a year. We never have been disappointed. Is it always perfect? Well, who is? Today, friends were in town from out of state, and I made last-minute reservations for 8 people, on the deck. (This is a very busy time of year, especially with the Rodeo in town, I felt lucky to get the reservation we wanted.) We arrived a few minutes late, only to realize NONE of the rest of our party were there, either. After a few phone calls, (cell service is not great, so that took a while) we realized our friends were at completely the wrong restaurant, across town.. The Trailhead staff were wonderfully accommodating, holding the tables as we tried to gather our party to the site. Eventually, our friends decided to eat where they were, since by then, that establishment had cleared a table for them, and they had time constraints beyond our dinner plans. The Trailhead host switched my wife and I to a two-top, we went ahead and ordered dinner, and it was very enjoyable. I just want to thank them for being so understanding of our situation. Dinner was great, friendly server, (Bogdan), and as always, the views are stellar. read more

Visited during the middle if the week in the winter. The place was empty. Ate breakfast. Great potatoes and bacon. Priced right. Of course the food came out quickly. We will most definitely be there again. read more

Mixed review. Niece had Vegan wrap - said it was great. I had house special Elk Stew - overpriced and not worth it - 4 - 5 small pieces of meat in thick broth and canned vegetables; cornbread was not warm and butter was hard. Restaurant is an extension of the gift shop - no ambience at all. read more

Waitress was great! That's all we can comment on for stars. We ended up with an appetizer to satisfy our stomachs and left.

Service was friendly and quick. Husband got the elk star which he enjoyed. I got the chicken Caesar salad which was iceberg lettuce, a few croutons and grilled chicken-not very good. My daughter ordered the elk burger and was told that it would be cooked medium-medium rare, but it was way over cooked like a hockey puck so we sent it back. The server was very apologetic and removed it from our bill without a problem. I would not come here again. read more

Our lunch was delicious. Our server, Hannah, was efficient and charming. Menu is American with a touch of east European. Menu is one of the best gluten-free in Estes Park. Will return again. read more

I went yesterday and had a very yummy Elk burger cooked to perfection. The server was excellent and my group all had a great time and ate terrific food! No complaints and fanning out the Elk! read more

A cute little restaurant before you get into the National Park. The big hit here is the elk stew. It's a bit pricy but can easily be shared. We had a party of 3, and ordered 2 stews to share. Everyone left stuffed. It was also very nice that they gave me a free brownie sundae for my birthday. That was a very sweet gesture. read more