Breckenridge Restaurants

We are currently staying in Breckenridge at a former bed and breakfast called the Colorado Pines Inn, ran by a lovely woman name Margaret. She used to rent out rooms in her house to travelers, but she currently has the house listed for sale, so it is not operating as a B&B any longer. However, the home is still set up like a B&B, and she even cooks us a hot breakfast every morning. This, and we cannot stress this enough, is amazing. Her cooking is fantastic and we have had things like organic blueberry pancakes and egg frittatas. The house is tucked in the pine forest on Peak 7, just a five minute drive from Main Street Breckenridge.



Our first meals in Breck were at local brew-pubs. We ate dinner Friday night at the Breckenridge Brewery on Main and had excellent, home cooked comfort food. This was a nice change of pace from the high end cuisine that dominates Vail and Beaver Creek. The Breck Brewery is a local’s hang out with tons of seating and great Colorado ales. We also went to the Backcountry Brewery for some more traditional bar food and a specialty beer brewed this weekend. The Pine Beetle Festival was in Frisco this past weekend, and the Backcountry Brewery crafted a special Pine Beetle Brown Ale to celebrate. It was full-flavored but drinkable, with a little sweetness and a satisfying finish. Check out the Backcountry Brewery in Frisco if you have a chance, you won’t be disappointed.

The following couple days we checked out Empire Burger and Rasta Pasta on the recommendation of a few locals. Empire Burgers serves up satisfying homemade burgers in a variety of formats, with fresh cut fries and tons of dipping sauces. It’s just a good, solid burger on fresh baked bread. Nothing fancy, but it doesn’t let you down either. I would personally recommend the Sriracha-mayonaise dipping sauce for your fries. Rasta Pasta is a local’s favorite for huge pasta dishes in a funky, Bob Marley inspired atmosphere. Many of the pastas have a considerable amount of kick, with excellent Caribbean inspired flavors like mango and pineapple sauces. The dinner entrees come with a salad and garlic bread, and are a great bang for your buck.


We have also spent a considerable amount time in a coffee shop/bakery/tavern called The Crown. It’s a funky, dark café with comfortable seating and free wifi, so we get lots of work done there. The menu includes soups, sandwiches, pastries, coffee drinks, martinis and specialty cocktails. The music is great, the people are great, and the food is excellent. The Crown is easy to miss, but you should definitely stop in when you are strolling along Main Street in Breckenridge.


The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. is also a popular spot on Main Street, serving up every imaginable shrimp dish in a Forrest Gump inspired atmosphere. We were invited to sample some of their lunch items and we gladly obliged. I went with the New Orleans Shrimp and was definitely impressed. The large portion of shrimp was perfectly seasoned, and just slightly blackened in the Cajun style. It was served with a tasty garlic butter sauce over jasmine rice. I would highly recommend this dish. Casey went with the BBQ shrimp salad and was impressed with its size. The shrimp were again plentiful and the salad was fresh. For dessert, do not miss “that chocolate thing” as it’s called on the menu. It’s a warm, flourless chocolate cake smothered in fudge with ice cream, raspberry sauce and whipped cream. It’s pure indulgence in a mason jar.

We have been impressed with the number of friendly and down to earth people we’ve encountered in Breckenridge. It is much less pretentious than Vail or Aspen, and the price of restaurants is much lower as well. Breckenridge has that old time Colorado feel to it, with the Main Street area being immune from the over-development found in many ski areas. That must be why Breck is one of the most popular winter destinations in this country. We will be back this winter, that’s for sure.

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