The trains, planes and other unexpected spots to get a meal

By Eric Peterson

White tablecloths and crystal chandeliers are great, but have you ever sat down for a meal in a permanently grounded airplane? Or a former morgue?

A restaurant’s setting is often as memorable as the food itself. From the high country to the Front Range, Colorado has a number of dining options in unexpected locations that are brimming with quirky personalities.

Photo courtesy of The Airplane Restaurant

The Airplane Restaurant, Colorado Springs

Appropriately adjacent to the Colorado Springs Airport is a 1953 Boeing KC-97 parked as a 275-seat restaurant. One of the largest piston-driven aircraft ever produced by Boeing, the KC-97 served as a refueling tanker on a number of missions before it landed once and for all in Colorado Springs to refuel patrons with steaks, seafood, burgers and other fare. The plane also houses a mini-museum of aviation history with hundreds of photos and artifacts.

Ollie’s Pub & Grub, Breckenridge

The highest floating restaurant in the world is located on a replica of a dredge mining boat on the Blue River in the heart of Breckenridge. Dredge boats scoured the river for gold in the early 1900s, but the notably destructive practice fell out of favor by the middle of the century. Today, Ollie’s Pub serves wings, burgers, and pub grub from the faux boat’s deck. There’s also a second location in Frisco.

The Friar’s Fork, Alamosa

One of the best new restaurants in the state, the Friar’s Fork serves innovative takes on Italian and Mediterranean fare from its location in the historic St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Alamosa, built in 1926 and deconsecrated in 2020. The Sanctuary, a slick cocktail bar, is part of the structure, and is just the place to hide away and savor your favorite beverage.

Mountain Tap Brewery, Steamboat Springs

Purchasing a lift ticket isn’t necessary to jump on a gondola in Steamboat Springs. In winter, the Mountain Tap offers guests the option to sit in the cabins of repurposed ski gondolas on the patio. Each has a Bluetooth speaker and a heater, with space for six adults. Reservations are recommended, and there are minimums for food and beverage tabs. Beyond the craft beers on tap, the resident wood-fired oven churns out popcorn, chili, pizzas and s’mores.

Photo courtesy of the Ore House at the Pine Grove

Ore House at the Pine Grove, Steamboat Springs

The former barn on Pine Grove Ranch morphed into a restaurant in the early 1970s. The surrounding landscape has changed from cattle ranch to ski town since the barn’s construction in 1910, but beef remains front and center on the menu. You’ll also find plenty of memorabilia from the ranch’s glory days on the walls.

Photo courtesy of Happy Endings Caboose Cafe

Happy Endings Caboose Cafe, Cañon City

After a stint on the Great Western Railways tourist trains, Caboose 1006 found a new life as an eatery in the heart of Cañon City. Now owned by the Royal Gorge Route Railroad, the slickly restored railcar is permanently off the rails to serve crepes and cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and burgers and wraps for lunch. Thirst quenchers include coffee, wine, beer and cocktails.

Photo courtesy of Train Cars Coffee & Kava, by Nathan Saier

Train Cars Coffee & Kava, Nederland

Cañon City doesn’t have a monopoly on the state’s trains-turned-cafes. For an espresso, latte, or other quaffable pick-me-up, Nederland offers three historic rail cars that comprise a coffee shop that doubles as a music venue and community gathering spot. Beyond coffee and kava drinks, the menu includes donuts, breakfast burritos and sandwiches.

Phil Lear’s paintings adorn the walls at the Rabbit Hole in Colorado Springs

Rabbit Hole, Colorado Springs

Once the city morgue, the Rabbit Hole is situated below the streets of downtown Colorado Springs. Descending into the brick-laden space transports you into another world, featuring murals by local artist Phil Lear, as well as Wonderland-inspired cocktails like the White Rabbit (a vanilla vodka and coconut rum martini topped with a flaming marshmallow). Creative dishes jump off the menu, certain to please carnivores and vegetarians alike.

School House Kitchen and Libations, Arvada

Built as a one-room schoolhouse in 1882, this structure in Olde Town Arvada served as a movie theater, dance school, and sporting goods store before assuming its current incarnation as a restaurant in 2015. The menu of elevated bar fare ranges from nachos and fried Brussels sprouts to baked meatloaf and shrimp po’ boy sandwiches, not to mention a bar stocked with more than 50 beers and 2,000 whiskeys.

Eric Peterson is a freelance writer who covers travel, business, and real estate, as well as Colorado’s craft beverage industry. Eric lives in Denver with his wife, Jamie, and their faithful mutts, Aoife and Ogma.