Hotel Colorado

I f walls could talk, the ones at Hotel Colorado would be holding court. The iconic 1893 hotel has seen it all: presidents, gangsters, wild tales of frontier grit. But lately, it’s been making headlines for something else entirely — the food. With Executive Chef Terry Allen, Bar Manager Sarah Scott, and Restaurant Manager Ryan Lutrell leading the charge, the Hotel Colorado Restaurant and Bar has undergone a quiet transformation. And it tastes like pecan-crusted red snapper in lime margarita sauce, finished with lavender crème brûlée and a cocktail named after Al Capone. Yes, really.

Allen came on board last fall and immediately rewrote the menu with one foot in the past and the other in something entirely new. “I wanted to bring back the game dishes that used to be on menus all across Colorado,” Allen said.

“But I also wanted to make the menu more open — healthier options, more vegetarian choices, stuff that people feel good eating.” His game slider trio is already a hit: bison with blue cheese and balsamic glaze, elk with lingonberry ketchup and crispy onions, wild boar with apple butter mustard and coleslaw, and the rattlesnake-rabbit sausage with hatch green chili aioli. Then there’s the Rocky Mountain Oysters — a nod to the hotel’s wilder culinary roots — golden-fried and served with spicy remoulade and lemon wedges. The snapper dish — crusted with pecans, roasted and finished with a honey glaze and margarita reduction — is a standout that manages to feel both bold and balanced.

Add in Coloradosourced ribeyes, fresh pastas, and rotating summer salads like strawberryspinach with goat cheese and candied pecans, and you’ve got a menu that hits all the notes, from rustic to refined.

For cocktails, Sarah Scott has curated a menu that nods to Hotel Colorado’s colorful past. There’s the Al Capone — strong, classic — and soon, a Teddy Roosevelt cocktail will join the rotation. “We lean into the history,” Scott said. “It gets people talking, and the drinks feel like they belong here.” Inside, the lounge-style bar is warm and intimate.

Outside, the courtyard seating feels like its own little escape. Whether you’re posting up with a cocktail or pairing drinks with dinner, the experience flows naturally from one space to the next. Breakfast is its own event. The menu hasn’t changed much — and that’s intentional. Banana crepes, massive breakfast burritos, French toast, southwest scrambles — it’s all there, and it’s exactly what guests want before a day in the mountains or a soak at the hot springs. And dessert? That’s where Allen gets playful. He’s introduced a rotating crème brûlée program — one new flavor each month, often tied to local festivals or ingredients.

There’s been Bailey’s for St. Patrick’s Day, chocolate in December, lavender in spring. June brings white chocolate strawberry in honor of Strawberry Days. Cheesecakes now rotate monthly, too. Palisade peaches will make an appearance by late summer.

And for those steering clear of gluten, there’s a flourless lava cake that doesn’t hold back. There are plenty of restaurants where you can get a steak or a martini. But there’s only one where you can toast Al Capone and taste the legacy of Rocky Mountain cuisine. At Hotel Colorado, the past is always present — but lately, it’s got a lot more flavor.