Weddings, rehearsal dinners and brewery patios keep the catering side of Estes Park busy, and a truck parked beside a taproom is a normal sight. Nine listings cover trucks, caterers and event spaces with kitchens. Every one of them is based in the valley, so nobody is hauling food up from Loveland.
Book a caterer long before you need one, then confirm the date twice. For trucks, ask where it is parked that night before you drive. Plans change faster than the weather up here.
Food trucks rotate locations. Confirm where one will be before you drive over.
Downtown
Portions are the first thing people bring up here, followed closely by the salad bar. Big Horn is a family-run restaurant at the west end of downtown on West Elkhorn, and breakfast is its reputation: chicken fried steak, biscuits and sausage gravy, hash browns, eggs Benedict and numbered combos like steak and two eggs.
Weddings are most of the work for Jubilations Catering, based on Virginia Drive next to the Bristlecone Inn, a block off downtown. Couples talk about the tasting beforehand, the cocktail hour, and a kind crew that handles the buffet setup without fuss.
Late in the evening, when most kitchens in town have shut, this Subway on Big Thompson Avenue is still making sandwiches. It's the standard chain menu of footlongs, wraps and salads, with breakfast in the morning, app ordering for pickup or delivery, and catering for a full rental house.
Tots are the order, loaded high: Smash Melt with beef crumbles, queso blanco and Johnny Sauce, Sweet Heat with pineapple pico, Backcountry Bacon, Buffalo Crunch. The smash burger runs a close second, a single patty with American cheese, pickles and the house sauce on a butter-toasted bun.
Around the valley
A mile and change out Moraine Avenue, next to Trout Haven Ranch, sits the original Smokin' Dave's, the first of what are now five locations across Northern Colorado. It's on the way to Beaver Meadows, so it works as dinner on the drive back from the Park.
The salsa is what people talk about first, chips and salsa included, and the margaritas are the other half of the conversation. Fajitas, carne asada and chimichangas lead the plates, and getting seated is usually quick, even when the deck is full and the bar is busy with margaritas.
It started as a picnic-basket food truck on Route 36, parked just before Tiny Town Miniature Golf, and people kept asking where they could sit down. Now the Kissing Moose Cafe cooks breakfast and lunch inside Expedition Lodge on North Lake Avenue, a mile and a half from downtown.
The brisket is the order, and the jalapeño mac and cheese is the side people come back for. This Texas-style barbecue truck parks at breweries and businesses around Estes Park with pulled pork, ribs and a few sauces, and it caters on site too: weddings, welcome dinners, rehearsals and parties of any size.
The mountain view is the first thing everyone mentions about this event space on High Drive, and the second is how easy the staff make the planning. It's newly built and private, and it runs its own catering and bar, with fresh, seasonal food.
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All nine are based in the valley. The list is a mixed bag, and not everything is a truck. Johnny's Good Eatin' Food Truck and WesTex BBQ are mobile. Jubilations Catering and Smokin' Dave's BBQ handle events. The Nest Above is a private event space that also caters, and La Cabaña Mexican Grill is a restaurant that works as a mobile caterer.
Event food leans on advance planning. WesTex BBQ has catered weddings, welcome dinners and rehearsal dinners. Jubilations Catering builds a custom menu around the client's needs. Summer is the busy season, and many businesses cut hours or close in winter, so book early for any date in the warm months.
Some of the entries are also regular restaurants. Takeout is listed at 5 of the 9, and 4 list a kids' menu. Subway lists delivery, and Kissing Moose Cafe lists catering at Expedition Lodge. If you need a truck on a specific night, call and ask. Locations and menus can change from one week to the next, and a venue with its own kitchen may have different rules.
Yes. Johnny's Good Eatin' Food Truck serves smash burgers and loaded tater tots, and rotates between Estes Park breweries. WesTex BBQ is a mobile barbecue business that also turns up at breweries and events. Check where they are parked before you drive.
Jubilations Catering handles weddings, corporate events and small gatherings, and WesTex BBQ has catered weddings and rehearsal dinners. The Nest Above is a private event space with on-site catering and a bar. Call early for summer dates.
Some restaurants do. Smokin' Dave's BBQ lists event catering, Kissing Moose Cafe lists catering at Expedition Lodge, and La Cabaña Mexican Grill works as a mobile caterer. Ask about menus, minimums and lead time before you commit.
The listings show Johnny's Good Eatin' rotating between Estes Park breweries and WesTex BBQ turning up at breweries and events. Locations change, so check with the truck for where it will be on the day you want.
