What’s a vacation without trying new restaurants?  I mean of course you have to eat regardless of where you may be, but vacation time is a great time to try new restaurants.  Whether you’re in search of the perfect burger, like me, or just want to try something different vacation time is the perfect opportunity to do both.  And that’s exactly what we do when we’re on vacation.

You don’t necessarily have to step out of your comfort zone and go in search of something very exotic like candied grasshoppers or fried monkey brains.  I personally am not that adventurous.  But you may want to try an area’s specialty or hot spot.

This summer we spent a week in Colorado Springs visiting my daughter and her family.  Now Colorado Springs is hardly lacking in restaurants, just about all the big chains are there.  That’s good to know if you’ve a yen for the familiar, which happens sometimes when you’re away from home.  This trip gave us the perfect opportunity to sample some local places and also some that are familiar to most folks, but we don’t have in Hawaii.

Having said that here’s a short list of what I thought were great eats in Colorado Springs.

Larkburger!  This Colorado company has gone all natural.  Everything from ingredients, to operations, and packaging is all natural and eco-friendly.  They even have a compost bin in every store where you toss the packaging after your meal.

This place is really a burger joint.  But oh what a burger they serve!  Their signature Larkburger is a classic burger made with black angus meat.  It’s simply delicious!

They also have chicken, vegetarian, turkey, and ahi burgers on the menu.  And of course hand-cut fries, salads, and house made dressings and sauces.

My grandson, Jett, loves his Larkburger kid’s meal that includes a sandwich, fries, fruit, and a drink.

A trip to Colorado isn’t complete without a burger from Larkburger!  Try an order of their Truffle & Parmesan Fries, you won’t be disappointed!

I love pizza, who doesn’t?  A pizza from Dion’s is a yummy treat.  This pizza place started in New Mexico and now has locations in Colorado (2) and Texas (1).  They serve pizza, subs, and salads.  Their gourmet pizzas are amazing!

I always judge a pizza by its crust, and Dion’s makes them just right!  I’m a purist and like my pizza without all that extra toppings, just cheese please.  Their cheese pizza is covered with cheese, not bare spots there!

My daughter loves The Duke City topped with cheddar, turkey, green chili & parmesan.  Yum!

 

This next one isn’t a restaurant, it’s a farmer’s market.  You’ll be surprised at all the great eats you’ll find at Colorado Springs’ Sunday Market Downtown in Acacia Park.  Aside from buying locally grown veggies you can indulge in some terrific mini pies, fresh tamales, handmade chocolates, and gourmet lemonade.  It’s really an out door buffet!

Not only is the Sunday Market a place to find great eats in Colorado Springs, it’s a fun place to spend Sunday mornings.  Just pick a spot on the lawn and listen to the band while you chow down on your yummy food.  Afterwards the kids can play in the playground or splash zone.  Best of all admission to the park/market is free!

My grandsons loved the chicken tamales and lavender lemonade!

For more free things to do in and around Colorado Springs click here!

 

Qdoba Mexican Eats serves tacos, burritos, nachos, salads, and quesadillas the way you want it.  I’m the concept is very much like Chipotle.  You choose your entree and order it which your choice of protein, toppings, and sauces.

Their servings are huge!  You might consider sharing a burrito or an order of Knockout Tacos.

Their tortilla chips are fresh and crisp, they’re handcut and made in house daily.  They go great with the queso dip!

This is a nationwide franchise, unfortunately we don’t have one in Hawaii.  Guess I’ll just have to visit my daughter more often!

 

Amy’s Donuts has donuts galore.  There are only 2 locations, Colorado Springs and Columbus, Ohio.  If you’re lucky enough to get to one of them your eyes will pop at the colorful variety of donuts they make!

If you can think of a topping you’re almost guaranteed to find it on one of Amy’s Donuts!

The kids loved it!  We had to make several trips to the donut shop in that one week!  The boys couldn’t decide which one was their favorite, so we got a variety each time we went.

Like my pizzas, I prefer my donuts simple.  But don’t fret they have those too!

 

For our daily coffee fix we hit up Dutch Bros. Coffee.  Their Dutch Freeze is a meal in itself.

Dutch Bros. is also a franchise with locations mostly on the west coast.  In my opinion they’re better than Starbucks.  But to be fair I’m not a big Starbucks fan and rarely go there for coffee.

 

I always see Carrabba’s Italian Grill ads on TV and have heard my mom talk about them.  But I had never been, we don’t have them in Hawaii either.  So when I saw one in Colorado Springs of course we had to go in for dinner one night.  Let me tell you, we were glad we did.It’s similar to Olive Garden, which was always on our list to go to places on the mainland, (we don’t have them here too), but it’s really not.

I still like Olive Garden, but I think prefer Carrabba’s now that I’ve tried it.  I ordered their Chicken Marsala and kept my fingers crossed.  Marsala it seems is always hit or miss, of course I compare it to my own recipe which is the best.  The Chicken Marsala at Carrabba’s came very close to the one I make at home.

They don’t have unlimited breadsticks like they do at Olive Garden.  That’s really one of the main reasons we like Olive Garden.  But they do bring fresh bread that you can dip in olive oil.  My husband loved that part best!

I said earlier sometimes you have a yen for the familiar when you’re away from home.  So one of our favorites is Ihop.  It really is one of the best places for breakfast.

Yes, we actually have a local ihop, but we rarely go.  Somehow their service and food is always bad at our local ihop.  So we look forward to eating there when we’re on the mainland.

We like it because it’s usually very family friendly.  The kids get a kick out of the Funny Face Pancake on the kid’s menu.  They order it everytime.

Whatever you’re hungry for you’ll almost certainly find it at an ihop.  Great pancakes too!

There were more places I wanted to try, but couldn’t get to them in just one week.  This only means that another visit to Colorado Springs is definitely in the cards for us.  (Of course it is as long as my son-in-law is stationed there!)