Laughing Ladies Restaurant

Have been going here for 8 years and this is the second under new owners. Sad to say it was really disappointing. Our chicken was so salty as to be inedible (I was drinking water all night). The deserts were mediocre at best. The service was very good but …

Understanding the old owner Jeff was at the top of his game, in those 10 years we never experienced poor service or anything but a superb meal. We allowed the new owners time to learn their clients and get the menu dialed in. Tonight It was disappointing to have our rib eye served luke warm with potatoes only partially cooked. The Crispy Chicken was overcooked, also only warm, although it had that original presentation it was not up to standards. It’s sad to see what was once arguably the best fine food in Chaffee County drop to just another place downtown. We think you’ll find as we did the price of the meal is just not worth the experience or measure up to Laughing Ladies reputation. The unshaven wait help did not help things.

Fantastic meal! This finicky diner chose well this evening… Laughing Ladies held up to my standards in all areas; food, service, environment. The menu is beautiful, with options for just about anyone. The owner/​executive chef artfully prepares beautiful dishes made from local ingredients. My server was friendly, knowledgable, and timely. In fact… It was almost as if they watched to see when I was ready for my next course because it appeared exactly after I took a sip of wine after finishing my first course. Not too soon, not too late. The interior is warm and casual, yet in a bit more sophisticated way. I highly recommend this gem.

I tend to give restaurants in small towns a little more slack than in big cities, but when my bill almost touches $ 100 for two people with just one cup of soup, two dinners and two glasses of wine, you can expect the full treatment, good or bad…
This restaurant is under new ownership as I learned by reading several scathing reviews from disappointed locals. Our disappointment did not stoop to the one star level, but they have a long way to go if they want to continue to charge the prices they are charging. Apparently, the new owners raised the prices while simultaneously lowering the food quality and providing lousy service.
Before ordering we asked how big the Ribeye was. The waiter answered that it was «a good size», which means «I don’t know, but it looks big to me». After some hand gestures between each other making larger and smaller steak sizes and thicknesses with our hands, I deduced that it was about a 12oz steak, which turned out to be a pretty good guess once it came out.
My wife ordered a glass of Cabernet, which was served at or maybe even slightly above room temperature. Boo! Cabs should be chilled to about 65 degrees for optimal flavor. Their red wines were clearly just being kept on a shelf — a warm shelf.
We shared a cup of tomato bisque soup as an appetizer. It was pretty good. I suspect it was the highest quality canned soup you could buy from Sysco. But hey, at least they didn’t buy the cheap stuff. Now, I could be wrong. It might have been home made, but even though it was tasty, it just didn’t quite have that special something to it, which left me wondering if I was eating something out of a 1 gallon restaurant supply can.
We both ordered the Ribeye steaks with different sides. They were very happy to substitute sides for the ones that were «suggested» on the menu. I say «suggested» since there was no fuss in changing them out. My wife asked for extra mixed veggies and I asked for the rosemary polenta (sounds yummy, right?)
Our steaks arrived and on first bite everything seemed great. After a couple of bites of polenta, I realized that it was burned on the bottom. Once I was able to flag down our waiter, I asked him if I could substitute the polenta for some mixed veggies. I’m not sure why, but I didn’t want to give them a second chance on the polenta. They agreed that it was burned, apologized, and brought out a very good blend of green beans, thin asparagus spears, and sauteed tomatoes — I love warm wilted tomatoes!
The steak itself was tasty, but was obviously of «grocery store quality» — and I don’t mean Whole Foods. The sides (with the exception of my Polenta issue) were very good and very nicely prepared.
I will say that we thought that all of the dishes were too salty, but since we don’t cook with salt at home at all, we find that issue with a lot of restaurants… However, I try to avoid mentioning it unless it’s very pronounced, so since I’m mentioning it – you can be sure that it was pretty darned salty. You may or may not find the dishes salty here depending on your taste.
The service leaves quite a bit to be desired. They are friendly enough, but they aren’t on the ball like they should be at the prices they are charging. I had to ask for every single drink refill, which is a huge no-​no in my book. Fortunately for the waiter, at the end of the meal, he apologized for «getting busy» which was his way of acknowledging that he knew he didn’t provide excellent service. That simple apology saved him from my «logarithmic glass empty tip scale». For you math geeks, my «logarithmic glass empty tip scale» is roughly: y = 20-(log (x²+1))*7 where y = tip percentage and x = time my glass is empty in minutes. OK, ok, I rarely enforce this because it’s very punitive very quickly, but if my glass is empty for more than a couple of minutes at any time during my meal you have proven yourself unworthy of a full 20% tip! …end rant on glass empty issues…
This restaurant is really just OK given the price. If they were half the price, my review would be different, but to charge close to $ 50 each for dinner, they need to step it up.

So bad, so sad. It was painful to watch a large group of charming Smithsonian travelers wait to be served, then see and taste their food. Clearly the group booked their dinner based on the past history and reputation of this former gem. Unfortunately the new owners have the old chef’s recipes but do not consistently work hard enough to pull them off, apparently can’t afford to keep up the quality ingredients or portion size, and can’t hold onto professional or courteous staff. If you get lucky and visit this restaurant on a night when things are going well in the kitchen you may have a memorable meal, but this is priced for a special occasion but it’s a big gamble.

Bizarre place! Seems friendly but pretty much did not have anything I wanted to order. Weirdest dining experience. Would not go back! Try the Cantina, just down the road instead… Fun, friendly place

My wife and I have been eating at Laughing Ladies for 12 years and was one of our favorites restaurants in town. Unfortunately they sold the place to a new owner who basically just called me a liar. We own a business just around the corner and used to order soup all of the time for lunch, and it used to come in a 16oz cup, which is a perfect amount for lunch, and cost $ 6. When the new ownership took over we decided to wait and let them work out the kinks.
Today we ordered 2 bowls of soup and they each came in tiny cups (I’m guessing they were 10oz) and they were filled about ¾ full. I told the waitress that I thought they charged us for cups not bowls, but she insisted they were bowls. I told her I had been going there for years and it was always 16oz and she told me bowls have always been 8oz. Then she asked if I wanted her to ask the owner which I did. When she came back she said that he told her that bowls have always been 8oz, even with the old owners. So he pretty much said that I was wrong and lying about it. I have a somewhat bad memory, but not that bad. I even asked my wife and she confirmed it came in 16oz coffee cups, but filled about ¾ full, so bowls were most likely 12−14oz. Well after that experience I’m definitely never going to give them my business again.
In the retail shop that my wife and I own we get tons of tourists who come in asking us a great place to eat in town. We used to always recommend Laughing Ladies. Not anymore.

Let’s start with the best part — the food. Absolutely amazing. Everything was perfect. My wife had pasta with shrimp, my son had the honey pork chop and I had the vegetarian tamale and relleno. So good!
If it weren’t for the food, they would have received one star. The worst part — the service. Absolutely horrible. A couple of wait-​staff tried to take our order. It seemed that everyone was more interested in a table of four on the other side of the restaurant. It took 20 minutes to get the table cleared and another 10 minutes to get the dessert menu. Then, we were asked 10 minutes later if we wanted dessert. No, thanks! We want out! You might think I am impatient, but I have eaten in Europe. This place just ignored us (not a take your time, please diner, but the wait staff take their time).

Three of us ate delicious dinners here last week. This restaurant is by far the best place for dinner in Salida. Service was exceptional, even when short staffed and the servers were hustling. Presentation of our meals was attractive. See photos below. This is one of our new favorite places to dine in rural Colorado, and is worth the trip to the area.
We ate on the covered patio. The décor is not remarkable. There are lovely flowers in pots, but also some detritus that should be removed, and is not presenting LLadies in the best way.
My meal had shrimp over fish over polenta. Yumm. Each item was done just right, and together they were a great combo.
Will definitely eat here again as often as possible. Make a reservation. Go early. It gets busy.
Bonus! Lovely jazz music playing in the background.

Just ate an incredible meal. This sweet little resto, under new management, is amaze. From the Duck buns & roasted pablano Chili pepper (Relleno) appetizers. To our mains, braised lamb special & the Skanga ribeye everything was awesome. Both mouthwatering good and cooked to perfection. Service was attentive. Overall wonderful meal in a perfect setting. Def recommend! Better yet, the back patio is dog friendly!

Great experience; Kristi was a delightful, knowledgeable server who steered us to the duck and chili chicken entrees. The meal was at a very reasonable price point, especially considering the quality and generous servings. We would recommend Laughing Ladies to any foodies coming to Salida.

I really enjoyed my polenta salad her. Great service. Nice place!!!

This place is to die for! So far had the tamale and it was perfect and every bite was mouth watering… Seriously! Literally sitting here eating the crispy fried chicken breasts and its delish!!! Def a place worth stopping in to try. Thanks for the AMAZING FOOD and service!

I have been going to this restaurant for 15 years, and always had a great meal. Now the restaurant is under new ownership, and after the last three meals, all has changed. And NOT for the better. I will not go back. So sad too. another great spot in Salida now gone. First the lost of «Salida Café» and now Laughing Ladies.

Wow… Talk about a classic story of a good thing gone bad. From epic duck egg rolls and fresh fish to a quick acquisition of a new owner, a five dollar hike on prices and 10 $ shitty polenta (cornmeal @ 40 cents a lb) microwaved to perfection. I dined here once a week and loved this place, and now it’s another classic Salida Sysco 12 ways mentality. I’ll forever miss the real Laughing Ladies…

Have very much enjoyed eating here in the past. Disappointed that it was closed tonight as I passed through town. Looks like they are renovating and there is a sign indicating a revised menu. Will have to wait and see … Signs days they will reopen on April 28^th.

Wayyyy slow service. 1.5 hours to eat breakfast this morning. Some one was toking early.
Food was good, need a little faster help

As we all know Chaffee County has had a long and storied past of gold and silver mining success’s, but in all of history has there ever been a diamond mined in the County until now. Jeff and company at Laughing Ladies Restaurant in Salida are truly a perfect diamond.
If your within 500 miles of this place, make the effort, as your expectations will be exceeded, guaranteed !
Make sure you get reservations because although Laughing Ladies is in a somewhat sleepy mountain town in Colorado, it does not mean its just walk in and grab a seat. The word is out, and after a 14 year run, there are lots of loyal fans out there competing for what is a top shelf experience.
Read other reviews for menu recommendations, its all way good !
Go and enjoy a true diamond of a restaurant in the most stunning County in Colorado.

I give them 5 stars because I can’t give them 4−½. But that’s just because I’d prefer to save all 5 for the cream of the crop. But in Salida these guys may very well be the cream.
Maybe I should start over because it seems like I’m starting this off with a left handed compliment. I didn’t mean for that to come across as negative or snobby. Just wanted to explain my personally grading scale. But I digress. We had a most wonderful experience here. The service was top notch, the food very good, and the setting amazing.
We ended up dining on their patio with is covered with a tin roof. As we were being seated a big thunderstorm blew in. Other diners opted to be seated indoors to avoid the noise, breeze, and mist blowing in at the edges. They missed out. The staff lit a funky little hanging fireplace and we commenced to enjoy the show!
Dogs are permitted on the patio and a couple tables that eventually filled up after the storm had pups with them. I gave my ribeye scraps to the nearest dog and the owner was very grateful.
Highly recommend this place.

The food here was some of the best I have ever had in my life! I’m from Austin and have access to an amazing restaurants regularly. But the food here was incredible!
The service was good and very pleasant. Sometimes a tiny bit slow.
The atmosphere was also pleasant. Although, it wasn’t the prettiest place I’ve ever seen. But probably just as good as anything else in Salida.
Pricey but well worth the money.
We had the chili stuffed with cheesy grits first. It was a little bit spicy and on the inside warm and flavorful and hearty. The goat cheese salad was light and refreshing with a lemony dressing, nice texture with goat cheese, nuts, and roasted red peppers. The chicken and potatoes were average. Skip that. That linguine with shrimp was absolutely amazing. The pasta was obviously homemade with a wonderful texture and taste. The sauce had an amazing kick but wasn’t so spicy that you couldn’t taste everything in the dish.
We tried the Fritz, Amica’s, and the boathouse, but the Laughing Ladies was by far the best.
Rock on Laughing Ladies! I am most impressed.