Arapahoe Cafe
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Arapahoe Cafe
Bring your appetite to the Arapahoe Cafe restaurant for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal in a one-of-a-kind historic setting. We also have to-go food options as well as our family pick-up menu to suit any of your eating needs! We are so happy to serve you and share our story and historic building in Dillon, CO with you!

The past year has been a wild one and we are so thankful for your support as a Summit County restaurant in 2020/2021. We do not take reservations however if we are on a wait, you can add your name to the waitlist over the phone and receive a text message when your table is ready. We are so excited to see you in person and serve you the best breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Summit County.
Services
The Arapahoe Cafe, located in Summit County in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, is part of the area's rich mining and skiing history. Enjoy the history that's on the walls of the Cafe. If you're looking for a unique place to enjoy a great meal, we're off the beaten path, but just minutes away from Keystone, Arapahoe Basin and Breckenridge Ski areas.
Don't forget lunch! We've got a fantastic selection of sandwiches and awesome burgers! Look for our Bonnie Q BBQ competition team logo for our award-winning pit-smoked BBQ dishes. Fresh, never frozen 1/2 pound signature beef patty served on a brioche bun with your choice of side. Sub chicken breast, black bean patty, or $4 extra for bison.
Try our awesome homemade meatloaf, homemade mac, and cheese, tasty barbecue, or any of our other delicious dinner selections! Happy hour is available on the patio and in the pub from 4 - 6 pm Sunday through Thursday. Fresh, never frozen 1/2 pound signature beef patty served on a brioche bun with your choice of side.
Enjoy everything on The Cafe menu plus great Pub Specials that you'll find only at the Pub! Enjoy Philly Cheese Steak night, Burger night, Taco night, BBQ night, and Ruby Red Trout night. The Pub is located right below the Cafe and is a local's favorite. Watch the game, enjoy a cold beer or play some pool.
Let us know what you would like and how many pounds or pints you would like and we will have it ready for you at your specified pick-up time before 5 pm the day of the order! Each order will include 8.875% tax and the option to add gratuity. Remember our wonderful servers and cooks who help prepare your food!
Reviews (26)
Alice L.
Alice L.
Jan 10, 2022
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Amazing brisket meal. Bar below is quite large and you can get a full service meal. I have had breakfast takeout, lunch outside, and dinner in the bar and the food is always consistently yummy with great service.
Knudt H.
Knudt H.
Jan 05, 2022
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Super nice group of people! So many good options to choose from. Decently priced. Loved it!
Tabitha No Keepingtabzs
Tabitha No Keepingtabzs
Dec 30, 2021
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One of the best places my family has ever ate! Great customer service, welcoming & friendly staff. Versatile menu, homemade delicious food! Good & fresh coffee! Your cup is never empty! Also such a cute & quaint environment. Amazing pictures & history everywhere plus awesome music <3
Michael L.
Michael L.
Dec 19, 2021
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Love, love A-Cafe. Always great food. Always great staff. People complain about it waits but to me it shows it's a great place and worth the wait. Especially in the times we are in, it's great to wait and help out local businesses. 5 stars all day and night!!!
Stephanie W.
Stephanie W.
Dec 16, 2021
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Did not disappoint. I gravitated here for the GF options. The staff was excellent from the moment I walked in upstairs to multiple servers and bartenders that helped me.

I was flying solo, and I wanted to sit at a bar. I walked downstairs to great music (sort of chill/BPM or some type of house but not classic rock TG).

I ordered a GF turkey "Reuben" which they said NP even though it wasn't on the menu. Wow. I was hungry, but I wasn't expecting such YUM. Turkey was phenomenal; I suppose it's smoked onsite.

I'm working nearby this week and suspect I'll return
Matt Ruff
Matt Ruff
Dec 12, 2021
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Alright so I went to this place for dinner, had to wait but to be expected with the crowds in town. The fried chicken is legit…I enjoyed it so much I came back for breakfast since I was taking the day off from skiing! The brisket hash was better than I dreamed in my mind!! It was the favorite of my trip this far, so good I’ll probably be back before I leave town! Here’s a picture of what was left, so much I couldn’t finish and I’m a big guy lol…shout out to the sever for his suggestion on the side of gravy for the biscuit!!
Pam J.
Pam J.
Dec 05, 2021
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We'd tried a few times to eat hear and were too hungry to wait. Finally one afternoon in late fall we got a table just before the breakfast / lunch seatings closed. Despite our arrival just before closing Rebeca was accommodating and made sure we had everything we needed. The Doug's Jalapeno Popper Chicken Sandwich may have been the best chicken sandwich I've ever had. I'm glad that we got lucky that afternoon, we will wait the next time -- Arapahoe Cafe is definitely worth it.
Rj Toth
Rj Toth
Oct 31, 2021
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Went on a busy afternoon for lunch and wait was about 40 minutes. We were seated inside and it was small, but comfortable. Larger families will have the outside seating which is very nice! Service was quick and food was very delicious. I had the Arapahoe Club and ate the whole thing! Definitely would recommend for a lunch near lake Dillon!
Debjani Moitra
Debjani Moitra
Oct 28, 2021
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If you are in Dillion, CO, this cute little local cafe is a must visit. Why? First it is near an amazing lake so you can pretty much spend a whole day there if the weather is pretty. You will not believe how busy this place gets! We waited patiently for almost half an hour (we were told a waiting time of 15 minutes). The servers are nice and although there is no place to sit and wait you don't actually mind the wait time because its feels good to see all those people having a good time. Do ask the servers before opening the umbrellas they have a technique to it.
I ordered an Irish Coffee for
Maire
Maire
Oct 24, 2021
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This is such a cute little place! We stopped on our way down to Ouray and it was perfect. Our server was so nice and we bonded over the fact we had MN roots. The breakfast burrito with green chili is so good. The chicken and waffles was very sweet and unlike any we had before. The bloody Marys were OK, but the beer was even better. Highly recommend!
Laura Bain
Laura Bain
Sep 14, 2021
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The waitstaff was SO NICE! And the poutine was DELICIOUS! It was a perfect night to sit in the outdoor seating among the colorful flower pots. The server was perfectly attentive and not overwhelming or absent. We enjoyed our bison burgers, but mostly would 10/10 go back for that poutine! The tots were crunchy, the gravy was savory and the cheese was melted to perfection 🤤❤️
Scott L.
Scott L.
Sep 10, 2021
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Biscuits and Gravy, for $1.00 extra, a pre-fabricated, breaded, fried, white meat chicken patty frozen in New Jersey comes with.

In case you cannot tell, I was pretty disappointed in the chicken patty. Also disappointing were the small biscuits. Not the best fluff I've had. No butter came with the side of grits, and no garnish added any color to the plate. Orange slice? lettuce leaf? Nothing. Nada.

Rescuing the unadorned plate, the Gravy was fantastic. I asked for another serving. My excellent waiter explained two biscuits should come with two servings of gravy. I guess both the kitchen
Evan L.
Evan L.
Aug 28, 2021
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Hang with Andy and don't even worry about the menu, his recommendations will take care of you.

Tamales with chorizo - "best $1.50 you'll ever spend"
Candice W.
Candice W.
Aug 23, 2021
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Hands down recommend this place!! The food was cooked perfectly and every single bite was worth it. The morning drinks were delicious from the coffee that is local, the white Russian that was mixed wonderfully, and my husband got the Irish coffee. Our server was Andrew ( I think I'm horrible with names) he was perfect! Checked up on us just enough, had a great sense of humor. This is definitely a must try if you're in town.
Shannon D.
Shannon D.
Aug 18, 2021
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My son and I are traveling across the country from Virginia, headed to Utah to get him settled for his freshman year of college in Utah. We saw Lake Dillion on our route- and decided to stop in Dillion for dinner. We were hoping to Find something with a view of the lake! And we found it at the A Cafe!! Everything was perfection! The food was delicious! We live in northern Virginia and love fish, but have not had much trout. The lemon butter trout was delicious!!! My son ordered the bison burger & loved it too!! The food really was AMAZING!!! And our service was great! Max was awesome &
Trevor Plaza
Trevor Plaza
Aug 14, 2021
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Great place! The atmosphere is very ski town Colorado. The staff was super friendly. Although, it did take quite a while to get out first round of drinks.
The food was very good though. We were there for breakfast. Yes, I know. But it goes with their saying "you can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning" 😂 the chicken and waffles are good, although the chicken isn't anything special. The French toast is good and my wife got the bloody Mary and breakfast burrito and she really like it. The bloody Mary looked delicious, even for me and I don't like them.
I recommend this place.
Ron Coleman
Ron Coleman
Aug 12, 2021
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As always it was busy at the cafe. Was told the wait would be 30 - 45 min. Had a table in 15 to 20. Opted for first available so sat inside. The staff was great friendly and fast. Don’t know how they keep smiling when tourists are such jerks. Had the Adams skillet. It was fabulous. Should have done scrabble eggs instead of fried. The Taos omelet is still my favorite. Could not believe how fast my food came out. Would not expect that every time as busy as this place is. Breanna was my waitress, watching her go on and out and keep a good attitude while avoiding people standing in the way was impressive
Kevin Tipton
Kevin Tipton
Jul 23, 2021
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No Seasoning on any piece of our meal. Chicken Fried Steak was Bland, Home Fries we’re basic and the lack of any seasoning made them bad. The fried chicken even though thin was still slightly moist. The sausage gravy was ok. The sad but best part of the meal were the eggs were perfectly cooked. Staff was friendly. Beautiful patio. Overall a disappointment
Laura M.
Laura M.
Jul 14, 2021
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Great food and fast service at this iconic restaurant. We were there on the Bacon and Bourbon Festival Saturday so it was busy; we were in and out in 1 hour! The BBQ ribs were moist and tender. French Dip was piled high with meat. The Rueben was voted the best by our party of 4. French fries a little soggy but still delicious. Cold beer and refreshing ice tea. No room for the desserts which looked inviting.
Rd H.
Rd H.
Jul 01, 2021
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This place is fantastic. Local comfortable welcoming clean. We were looking for a place to eat after we were unable to have dinner at the Breckenridge distillery due to the fact that they do not serve meals on Tuesday. We walked into the pub were sat promptly and the bartender gave us a list of the nightly specials. I had fish tacos everyone else had burgers. It was so good we came back the next night for burgers again.
Sarah M.
Sarah M.
Jun 29, 2021
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We were sat right away and the server was very nice. Our food came out a bit cold, it was tasty. Would have been amazing if it was hot, since the feature of what we ordered was melty cheese (turkey melt and Mac & cheese.) Our kids loved the theming and we appreciated that it was loud and fun, which was a good environment for them. :) We will definitely back!
Rj
Rj
Jun 24, 2021
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The food was pretty good. The Mac n Cheese wasn't anything to get excited about, but the loaded fries and Reuben were both really good. The peach raspberry cobbler wasn't very good though. The service was great and the historical pictures from the restaurant and the surrounding area was so cool to look at. We did enjoy ourselves.
Kristine S.
Kristine S.
May 27, 2021
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Hubby and I enjoyed a fantastic dinner here while visiting Dillon!
We walked right in and didn't have to wait on a table. The staff was welcoming and friendly. Our server was super!
Our order came out pretty quickly, everything was delicious!
I ordered the brisket sandwich with sweet potato fries. Normally, I would expect brisket to be chopped or sliced but they served theirs pulled. I really enjoyed it this way. My entree also came with coleslaw and pickles, I added both to my sandwich along with BBQ sauce. The sauces were available on the table - one more of a classic sweet and the other
Katrina S.
Katrina S.
Apr 01, 2021
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Still a wonderful place to stop for dinner. We did takeout and ordered the Meal Deal with the BBQ Combination Plate. It was delicious and definitely a lot of food. We couldn't quite finish everything was provided for in the Meal Deal for two of us but still a great deal. We got onion rings, the BBQ Combination Plate, Mud Pie, and the cheesecake which was salted caramel. Everything was fantastic. Can't wait to stop here again!
Sara R.
Sara R.
Mar 23, 2021
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Love the local vibe! We are visiting from Alabama for a Spring Break ski trip. We had the Monday night special which was fantastic. I requested jalapeños on my philly. What a great deal! My husband and kids ordered the wings which were amazing. They had a smokey flavor. Our sides were sweet potatoes fries, regular fries, slaw and beans. I have to say the bean were fabulous. Such a unique flavor with lots or pork. It could have been a meal in itself. Great service!! We will definitely be back!!
Kristi C.
Kristi C.
Mar 18, 2021
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Tried this place for dinner one night while in Breck and the atmosphere was great. It's been around since the 40s so quite the history. Food was very casual and it was all good. Some served a little cold which is why it didn't get a 5 but overall a good experience.