The Park is the plan for most people who come through Estes Park, and the plan usually starts with coffee. Mornings start cold for much of the year. That makes 21 shops, roasters and tea counters a bigger deal than the number suggests, and one of them is a long way up the road in Allenspark.
Downtown, pick by patio and parking, not by roast. Up the Tahosa Valley, the counter at Camp St. Malo is the one I stop at, and my dog never argues about it.
Downtown
The creek behind the patio is why people linger at this coffee shop on East Elkhorn, next to Colorado Games Company. The coffee is organic, the espresso bar is full, and the lattes and a Mexican mocha are the drinks that come up, with avocado toast and sandwiches for breakfast.
Fountain pens, bottled ink and deckle-edged paper fill the shelves at Inkwell & Brew, next to Macdonald Book Shop on East Elkhorn. The stationery is what sticks, then the gifts: letterpressed cards, hand-painted cards, calligraphy pens and hand-hewn wooden ones.
Right beside the Historic Park Theatre on Moraine Avenue, a few steps off Elkhorn, River Walk Café has tables by the river and a menu that leans on paninis. It opens early and stays a daytime place.
On a cold morning the fireplace is the reason to pick Raven's Roast over the other downtown counters. It faces the Riverwalk in George Hix Riverside Plaza, between Nepal's Cafe and Rocky Mountain Crepe Company, and it's small, quiet and easy to settle into with a laptop.
If the plan is sunrise in the Park, the Starbucks on Big Thompson Avenue is already open: the doors unlock at 4:30 every morning. It's the chain's usual menu of espresso, tea, the seasonal iced drinks, breakfast items and pastries.
Carne asada tacos are the order here, with chicken tinga and fish tacos close behind and a house margarita alongside. La Colina, which used to be Casa Colina, is the restaurant at Trailhead Lodge on Stanley Avenue, a block or so from the Visitor Center, and it is open to anyone, not only lodge guests.
Scones with clotted cream are the thing people remember here. They arrive on a three-tier stand with tea sandwiches, homemade desserts and an unlimited pot of tea, and afternoon tea is served all day, which takes the pressure off timing.
At the top of the Aerial Tramway, the Hungry Chipmunk serves coffee and lunch with the whole valley laid out below. The view is half the reason to stop, and on a clear day it is worth lingering on the rooftop seats before riding back down.
Cherry pie is the order, and the cider runs a close second, with tastings on offer. Colorado Cherry Company's counter at the Stanley Hotel also pours lattes, the cherry latte included, plus chai and hot chocolate, and sells cinnamon rolls, apple hand pies, pastries and a bison chili for anyone who wants lunch instead of dessert.
The Stanley Chocolate Factory took over a restored former church on West Elkhorn, next to the Danish Cone Factory and Steamers Cafe, and the main event is making a candy bar. After a walk through the history of chocolate, visitors step into a temperature-controlled kitchen with a master chocolatier and build their own bar, choosing what goes in it.
The same armchair works for a morning espresso and an evening espresso martini at this lounge on East Elkhorn, next to Antlers Rooftop Tavern and Estes Silver & Gold. It runs as a coffee house early and turns into a cocktail room later, with a speakeasy feel.
Next to Safeway on Wonderview, near the Stanley Hotel end of town, this Starbucks is the dependable stop on the way in or out. It has a drive-through, indoor and outdoor seating, and room to work on a laptop.
Come for an americano, leave with a bottle of hot sauce. That is the usual pattern at Mocha Angelo's on West Elkhorn, where the sauce shelf gets more attention than the espresso, and jars of jelly and jam aren't far behind.
The Reuben and the Italian are the sandwiches people name, and bagels and coffee carry the morning at this small shop on East Elkhorn, next to Hayley's Ice Cream. It's one of the newer counters downtown, with homemade desserts in the case and coffee that's worth the stop on its own.
A 1909 Stanley Steamer car is parked indoors at Steamers Cafe, and the room is built around it: polished brass, warm wood and old memorabilia. The cafe is inside The Stanley Chocolate Factory on West Elkhorn, next to The Stanley Creamery and a block from Bond Park.
Around the valley
Ducks and geese are the regulars at this coffee shop on Moraine Avenue, where the outdoor tables look over a duck pond and the river, with mountains behind. Watching them is what most people leave talking about.
The latte is the order here, and the smoothies come close. Bird's Nest is a bakery-cafe on High Drive, about a mile from the Park and a few doors from Scratch Deli, with a pastry case of almond croissants, cinnamon rolls, quiche and a speck ham and fontina croissant, plus breakfast burritos, and soups, paninis and a brisket sandwich at lunch.
The maple bacon twist is the pastry people tell friends about. The Spice Rack, out on Highway 66 under two miles from the Beaver Meadows entrance, bakes everything from scratch and runs mornings only.
Grabbing coffee through a car window on the way out of town is how most people use this one. Ziggi's is the chain that started in Longmont, and the Estes shop sits on South St.
Out on Highway 7 in Allenspark, about nine miles from downtown, this coffee bar on the Camp St. Malo grounds pulls in a mix of pilgrims, hikers and people who just like the drive.
The gift shop is one piece of a bigger stop. Rocky Mountain Gateway sits about a tenth of a mile from the Fall River entrance, next to the Trailhead Restaurant and the Fall River Visitor Center, and it was the first joint venture between a private company and the National Park Service.
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Of the 21 listings, all but one keep a counter in Estes Park itself. The odd one out is Tahosa Coffee House, which sits on the grounds of Camp St. Malo in Allenspark, about nine miles from downtown. Hours follow the season. Summer is the busy season, and many businesses cut hours or close in winter.
Most of the list is practical. Takeout is listed at 17 places, and 13 have outdoor seating. Nine allow dogs on the patio, which helps if you are walking Elkhorn Avenue with one. Fourteen list breakfast, so you can pair a latte with something to eat. Only 1 is listed as open after 9 p.m., so do not count on an evening cup.
The mix is wider than a row of espresso machines. Kind Coffee is an organic roaster, Inkwell & Brew pairs a slow coffee bar with a stationery shop, and SereniTea's serves afternoon tea. There are also chains on the list, so read the descriptions before you choose. Bird's Nest and Hungry Chipmunk Cafe are cafes that do coffee alongside food, and the second one sits at the top of the tram.
Nine of the 21 listings allow dogs on the patio. Kind Coffee, Coffee on the Rocks, Inkwell & Brew, River Walk Café and Raven's Roast Coffee Lounge are among them. Patio rules can change, so call ahead if you are bringing a dog.
Yes. SereniTea's tea room and cafe serves afternoon tea along with brunch and lunch, and it has a patio toward the mountains. The loose tea is blended and packed locally.
Fourteen of the 21 listings serve breakfast and 17 offer takeout, so most are set up for an early stop. Opening hours are not given here, so call ahead, especially in winter when many businesses cut hours or close.
Yes. Tahosa Coffee House is in Allenspark, on the grounds of Camp St. Malo in the Tahosa Valley, about nine miles from downtown. It serves espresso drinks, drip, cold brew and a long tea list, and it allows dogs on the patio.
