Big Horn Restaurant

Reminds me of a classic hometown restaurant. Food is good, had chicken fried steak and eggs– matched what I expected. We had a large group and sat all apart, and the waitress was very accommodating. Prices are fair, service good… won’t hesitate to visit again.

I got the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and it was so good! I was ridiculously full. The salad bar was all you can eat with certain meals and I loved the potato salad (there weren’t too many choices for the salads). Our waiter even remembered our group from last year and was super friendly. Everyone in our large group enjoyed their food.
The décor needs updating for sure and the layout is awkward (you have to walk by a coffee station and AC to get to some tables and the restroom is in an odd location). But good food!

We loved Big Horn for breakfast! Our waiter, Lance, was really friendly and courteous! My husband had the southwest bison chili in his omelette and LOVED it! If you’re skeptical, they let you order it on the side to make sure you like it.

Some of the worst service and expensive frozen food I have had in a while. No refills on drinks until we were handed the check. Expensive for what you got. Though the salad bar looked alright. Our first and last visit.

We were looking for family friendly with a finicky eater in tow. We will certainly be back. The staff was very friendly and kept our drinks full.
Hubby had the pork sandwich which was loaded with BBQ pork. There was coleslaw he enjoyed (not something he normally eats!) and he chose mashed potatoes and gravy as a side. He cleaned his plate.
One child had the elk burger and devoured it while the other bravely tried the bison burger. (Picky eater miracle!) They both loved their burgers and said they wanted to eat there again sometime. I enjoyed a good, ol’ patty melt. Exactly what I wanted and cooked perfectly as ordered.
It is good American food and affordable for the area. We really appreciated finding someplace that had a little variety, great service and friendly people.

Almost did not eat here because of the star rating but took a chance. Glad we did. The elk burger and bison burger were both tasty. And the onion rings are a must.

I don’t understand the negative reviews– we stopped here for breakfast on our way back to Fort Collins. I had an omelet with hash browns and a homemade biscuits. Very good! Service was excellent– very attentive. I think you have to understand that it isn’t a steakhouse, or BBQ joint– it’s a «diner»…

Pancakes and biscuits and gravy were spot hitters. Of particular note was the properly prepared hash browns. Also the service was just right with Carlos helping us get ready for our gem Lake hike.

I have been eating breakfast here for years. During that time the food has always been good, and this time was no exception.
I took the entire group for breakfast before a hike in the park. After a slight wait, we were escorted to our table. Hot steaming cups of coffee were delivered immediately, and then we placed our orders.
I thought about going with a half order of biscuits and gravy, but who was I kidding. I ordered the full order with hash browns and sausage. You have to have a full tank if you are hiking in the mountains:)
The waiter kept our coffee cups full. He also was able to handle the offbeat humor some of the guys had.
At the end of breakfast, I asked the guys for their opinions. Everybody gave it thumbs up.

For a «diner,» Big Horn was great. Chill environment, friendly staff, and the croissant breakfast sandwich left a great impression…

We went for breakfast — most reviews were for lunch/​dinner.
The food was middle of the road diner breakfast fare. Kid had a waffle that she ate, so it couldn’t have been that bad. Wife had basted eggs (too runny) with bacon. I had grapefruit and eggs with a side of bacon. Mine was fine, but don’t most places pre-​cut the grapefruit? I had to do it with a butter knife. I dunno– don’t eat a lot of grapefruit at restaurants.
In total, about $ 30. Seems kind of high, but like I said, middle of the road diner grub.

My favorite breakfast place in Estes Park. I always get them to dump Hollandaise on top of my corned beef hash and eggs. I wasn’t so happy with the hash this time … Too doctored up with onions and I don’t know what else. But usually better. Service is fast and friendly. If you’re looking for fancy, this is not the place. It’s down home, casual dining.

The waiter tried to warn me. A stack (3) of pancakes is very big. Did I listen? No! Delicious, hot, fluffy, huge pancakes. I ate half of the stack. Unless you are a mountain man, order the short stack! You won’t be sorry. Coffee was top notch! We will return.

Overall it was a good experience. We had about 10+ in our party. Having a salad bar along with most of our meals was nice. Took a while to get refills, always had to ask. The soup on the salad bar took a while to refill. It was a vegetable soup… with hardly any meat or veggies!
Some of our food came out cold. Ex: green beans, fries, etc. I didn’t have a steak but they looked pretty tasty! Had cheesecake for dessert; it was good. Food all came out at different times which was disappointing. All was delivered, bits and pieces, within a 10 – 15 min span.

It’s unfortunate our server was amazing amidst a restaurant that should have closed in the year of its décor… circa 2002.
The Big Horn has a big menu full of very big disappointments. The quality of food is lacking at best. The menu touts homemade bbq which I ordered and although I could tell they attempted homemade I couldn’t get past the «brisket» which was more reminiscent of wet jerky. You could feed me wet dog food in bbq sauce and I’d eat it… well this was close and I was hungry.
I almost feel bad writing this comment as our server Lance was so good. The service that Lance provided us belongs in a restaurant more conducive to the tips he should be earning. I can’t imagine the cheap Geritol tourists that visit this disappointment give him what he deserves.

Not sure why the Big Horn does not get better reviews. Have eaten breakfast here twice on our current trip and many times in previous years. The staff is friendly, the portions are huge and the food is delicious.
I’ve never eaten lunch here. But, breakfast is the bomb.

We went to Big Horn just based on the review in the Denver Post.
The décor is a hot mess, but the food was very tasty. We had an elk burger, brisket sandwich, pulled pork sandwich and my son had a corn dog. We all were really happy with our meals.
The service was great too. Our server was Okeeno. He was personable and friendly and funny and took great care of us.
We have plans to go again tomorrow for breakfast. So excited!

You’d think a place that advertises that they serve grits on the sign outside would have really good grits, right? Nope. They were watery and totally bland and didn’t even come with real butter — I got a big lump of margarine to mix into that sludge. The biscuits and gravy I ordered were also pretty bad. The gravy had a strange flavor that I couldn’t quite figure out until I took a close look at the little pink flecks of meat in it — canned chicken. I took about five bites off my plate and decided I’d had enough. The Boy ordered a waffle, which I took a bit of — flat and gritty.
There’s no reason to go to Big Horn where there are other excellent breakfast spots like Notchtop in town.

Great place for breakfast! Also, you can have a beer with your breakfast, and who doesn’t like that?
I dine here at least once a year, it seems, as our pipe band masses for the parade through downtown Estes during the Scottish-​Irish Highland Festival in September. We always head up early so we don’t have to make the downhill trek strapped to drums and playing bagpipes on an empty stomach, and we eat at the Big Horn not just because it’s convenient, but because we like it.
The burritos are delicious, the pancakes are… delicious… actually, everything I’ve had is delicious, and people who have tried dishes I’ve not tried myself also say they’re delicious. The point here is that apparently everything is delicious, and should not be passed up.
They have burgers and sandwiches for lunch and dinner, though I’ve not been in at those times of day because, let’s face it, there’s a lot of options in Estes for lunch and dinner, but not as many for breakfast and I’m perfectly happy dining here in the early part of the day, then rolling down the hill with a stomach full of eggs as a start to the day. I’m sure they’re probably delicious too, though it’s not the same as eating pancakes with syrup paired with a bottle of the Estes Park Brewery’s Honey Stinger.

Ahhh. The flavor and texture of room temperature defrosted frozen blueberries stewing in their own frozen juices in the morning…
Sorry, Big Horn– I have to take you down to a 2… This restaurant is NOT A-​OK any more.
After dining here for decades and being a family favorite for years, this is no longer going to be our go-​to.
If sloppy messy unhealthy monstrous breakfasts are your thing, this place is for you. When you’re sitting in vinyl booths repaired by duct tape, and your fresh fruit side is defrosted blueberries… you are either a truck driver or you, my friend, have just done the horn.