Our Top Ten Winter Park Restaurants

We here at Winter Park Lodging by Owner, most of us being former restaurant/bar owners or employees and such, have decided to come up with our very own top ten ten list of restaurants for the Fraser Valley area.  With a couple of restaurants opening in the new Winter Park Village we know competition for the dining dollar is only going to get more fierce up here in WP.  So here goes our list in no particular order.  We don’t want to offend any of our fellow citizens!

1. Tabernash Tavern - upscale comfort food with quality that you can’t believe here in Tabernash.  Great atmosphere also.  It has taken over from Devil’s Thumb Ranch as our upscale favorite!  Cheaper too!!
2. Hernando’s Pizza - an old time favorite that just seems to keep getting it right.  They have the all time best Hawiian Pizza with sliced almonds.
3. Mirasol Cantina - Great margaritas and a dynamite salsa bar.  Try the lamb tacos, they are fantastic!
4. Sushi Bar - Great sushi in the mountains and the best staff around.  Say hey to Jill our favorite bartender.  She can whip up a mean Maker’s Mark Manhattan.
5. The Winter Park Pub  - Sometimes you need to get down and dirty with some live music and draft beer.  If it was an epic day on the slopes don’t forget the Jager.  Give Jeff, the owner, a holler tell him his WPLBO neighbors sent you over.
6. Azteca Mexican Restaurant  – Family style mexican with good margaritas.  They have a nice patio for the summer and great salsa.
7. Rudi’s Deli - Best sandwiches in Winter Park and Tim the owner is a great guy.  Talk a little politics with Tim as you chow down your “Holiday on a bun” – my favorite.
8. Fontenot’s – A little cajun up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  Great gumbo and jambalaya and they put up with our food throwing twins!
9. Lime – They were one of our competitors in Denver but now I’m outta that biz we can recommend them freely.  Brand new in the Winter Park Village but the three times we’ve been there food and margs have been great.  They do need to figure out their heat/cold issues with the front door though.
10. The Cheeky Monk  - They opened Feb 28th and we tried it out already. AWESOME! Big red walls with vaulted ceilings and Belgium-like chandeliers, it really does feel like a Belgium ski lodge. Hang on, is there skiing in Belgium?  Anyway, it’s worth going and mention Winter Park Lodging By Owner.  You get a free Blanche De Bruxelles draft with any purchase when you mention our name.   

South of the Border in WP

My boyfriend and I recently tried out the newest Mexican restaurant in the valley — Azteca.

Located in Fraser across from Safeway, it’s a quick drive from Winter Park and easily accessible by the free shuttle.

Right away, we were greeted by the friendly staff and an extensive menu which included some of my favorites. Burritos, tamales, tacos, and some salads were a few of the highlights. About the time I decided on a combo meal that included an enchilada and a tamale, my margarita arrived which was right on the money- just enough sour mix and an even rim of salt. I found out they make them with a special “home made” recipe – but our server wasn’t about to tell me the mixture secret. Our plates came out quickly and we dug in. Spicy, authentic, and tasty, although they overdid it on the mole sauce. Halfway through my tamale, it got to be a little much but was easy to scrape off. Overall, it was good food (and plenty of it) for the price.

It’s got a cozy atmosphere and is family friendly- there were a few kids running around enjoying the holiday decorations. If you haven’t already, check it out!