Experience Historic Breckenridge Restaurants One Bite at a Time
Step Back in Time at these Restaurants Housed in Breckenridge Historic Buildings
by Leigh Girvin
Experience historic Breckenridge in these favorite local restaurants in our oldest buildings. Every gold town needed a variety of services to support mining and miners. Following Breckenridge’s founding gold strikes in 1859, merchants and saloon-keepers set up businesses. These historic buildings began their life serving the gold-seekers of early Breckenridge, as boarding houses, billiards halls, saloons, and fine homes. Step back in time when you dine at these restaurants
Gold Pan Saloon and Carboy Winery
Walk through Breckenridge’s only remaining swinging saloon doors at the Gold Pan. The oldest bar in town began life in the 1880s as a saloon. Saloons have probably occupied this site from the earliest days of Breckenridge, historians believe. It didn’t take much to make a saloon: two barrels with a board on top for a bar and enough liquor to satisfy your clientele. In those days, rot gut whisky was common as saloon-keepers needed to extend their precious barrels of booze until the next supply wagon arrived. Extenders included tobacco water, sugar, even lye to add that sensation of the alcohol burn.
Only the best liquors and wines are served today at the Gold Pan Saloon and Carboy Winery located at 103 N. Main Street. The historic saloon survives on the south side of the building, complete with an 1880s mahogany Brunswick bar, old photos, real wood burning stove, and a funky vibe. The northern structure was recently upgraded for the Carboy Winery, creating their own wines right downstairs in the basement. Miners never envisioned drinking a frozen rose’ or a mango mojito, but you can.
It looks like the Gold Pan is two separate structures stuck together because it is. The saloon on the south is the 1880s original; the northern half was added in 1905, and the two businesses were joined in 1911 with the addition of the second story covering the two. For many years, the northern section was Bradleys’ Bowling and Billiards. During Prohibition, locals knew to go to the back for an illicit sip. Breckenridge authorities did not strictly enforce Prohibition.
Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, food options include burgers, burritos, and a delectable lamb French dip. The Gold Pan Saloon has been a fixture in downtown Breckenridge for well over a century.
103 N Main St, Breckenridge, CO
Breckenridge Tap House
Just north of the Gold Pan stands Breckenridge’s oldest structure to house a restaurant, the Breckenridge Tap House at 105 N. Main Street. Known for years as the Springmeyer Building thanks to Alva Springmeyer who owned the building before the beginnings of the ski area. Old timers tell that Alva would sit in the shade on the bench in front of his building, dressed in the same plaid shirt with tobacco stains down the front, and stop vehicles coming in to town. He wanted to ensure newcomers were “nice people.” Thanks to Alva’s careful screening process, Breckenridge still offers a friendly atmosphere. In Alva’s honor, the ski area named the “Springmeier” ski run after him.
The building may look Victorian on the outside, but the original hand-hewn logs remain exposed on the inside, highlighting the pioneer log construction. Newspapers found in the walls go back to 1873. The structure served as a boarding house, various commercial enterprises, and a residence. Over the years, owners adhered newspapers to the walls for insulation. Newspaper remnants endure that you can still read today and learn about the services, medicines, and products available in early mining towns.
The menu focuses on Mexican specialties like tacos, quesadillas, and carne asada. Miners would be jealous of the beer selection today, featuring 37 beers on tap and a full bar. The cozy restaurant opens up to a large patio in back with sweeping views of the Ten Mile Range and Breckenridge Ski Area.
105 N Main St, Breckenridge, CO
Hearthstone Restaurant
Sit in the large bay window in the front dining room and imagine the original Kaiser family gathered there around their Christmas tree. Originally built in 1885 as a residence, the building was extensively remodeled in the 1970s to become a restaurant. Yet The Hearthstone retains the floor plan, dimensions and décor of the original period. It still feels like dining in an historic home.
The Kaisers were a prominent family during Breckenridge’s mining heyday. Christian Kaiser was a butcher who ran the local grocery and served as a community leader. During the snow blockade of 1898-99 when the railroad couldn’t run and the town ran out of food, Mrs. Kaiser went to milk her beloved cow only to find it missing. Her husband butchered it to feed the hungry town. Years later, their son Carl would become Breckenridge Town Attorney. He built the smaller yellow home next door.
The Kaiser family sold their house in 1967 to Andrea Dewey, an early restauranteur. After initial success with The Filling Station, Andrea remodeled the house to become the brothel-themed Andrea’s Pleasure Palace. Ask to see Andrea’s risqué wall paper discovered during a remodel. Andrea’s Pleasure Palace didn’t last long, but the rumor that the Kaiser’s family home was a House of Ill Repute persisted in Breckenridge for years. While not true, it makes for a good story.
Today, The Hearthstone, located at 130 S. Ridge Street, continues as one of Breckenridge’s favorite fine dining experiences. While the menu changes seasonally, diners can count on excellently prepared dishes, fine wines and cocktails, and superior service. Reservations are recommended.
130 S Ridge St, Breckenridge, CO
Fatty’s Pizzeria and Sports Bar
Pioneering Breckenridge family Edwin and Almeda Peabody bought the dry goods and furnishings business in 1894 and opened The Colorado House. Today’s owners proudly share that historic name on the false-fronted façade of Fatty’s Pizzeria at 106 S. French Street.
Originally built in 1880-81, the commercial structure stayed in the Peabody family for generations. Son-in-Law Jess Oakley gained fame as Breckenridge’s postman for skiing over Boreas Pass to keep the mail flowing during the snow blockade of 1898-99. A snow-loving family, son E.C. Peabody created an early version of a snow-bike to while away the hours during the Great Blizzard. Peabody family members operated The Colorado House for boarding, renting rooms and providing meals, until the 1950s.
In the 1970s, as Breckenridge grew into a ski town, The Colorado House continued as a restaurant downstairs and hotel upstairs. With few options for lodging in those days, many newcomers to town stayed in The Colorado House to get a foothold before finding housing. Long-timers remember the small rooms and inadequate heat. Though The Colorado House famously had a bathtub, there was rarely enough hot water available to fill it. In 1975, Richie Poveromo acquired the property and opened Fatty’s Restaurant, now one of Breckenridge’s most beloved and longest-running hang outs.
Fatty’s co-owner, Breckenridge Chef Matt Fackler, who recently turned over Relish Restaurant, will be spending more time at Fatty’s. Manager TJ Messerschmidt is excited to have Chef Fackler’s knowledge of food and operations back in the house: “he sees things from a different perspective.” Expect new things out of the kitchen this summer. For example, Fatty’s now makes its own ricotta.
Pizza and calzones dominate the menu at Fatty’s yet there is something for everyone from salads to hearty main courses and options for kids.
106 S Ridge St, Breckenridge, CO
Prospector Gastropub
Constructed in 1892 as a lodge catering to miners, The Whitehead Building is of significant historical value, earning a place on the National Register of Historic Places. The building serves as a tangible connection to Breckenridge’s formative years, reflecting the town’s emergence as a vital mining community in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Architecturally, the building is noteworthy for its Victorian-era edifice and typical vernacular design, featuring wood-frame construction with a front-gabled layout. Situated within the Breckenridge Historic District, the building maintains a high degree of integrity across the seven essential aspects – location, setting, design, workmanship, materials, feeling, and association – established by the National Park Service and the Colorado Historical Society. Remarkably, the building has undergone no significant exterior alterations or additions since its period of historical significance.
The building’s origin traces back to Harry and Jennie Whitehead, who arrived in Breckenridge in 1880. Initially, Harry’s pursuits encompassed carpentry and mining, leading to the construction of the building as the Arcade Hotel in 1892.
Although the hotel venture was brief, it laid the groundwork for Jennie’s subsequent venture into the boardinghouse business, through which she garnered recognition as Breckenridge’s esteemed “keeper of popular and homelike boardinghouses.” Jennie later established the Arcade Restaurant on the ground floor of the building in 1902 to cater to the needs of local miners.
After Jennie’s passing in 1904, Harry Whitehead left Breckenridge. In 1913, the property was acquired to provide housing for widows. Notable residents during the Widow Fund program years included Florence Tressler and the renowned Sylvia, who is said to still haunt the building.
In 1970, the building underwent renovation, transforming into the Prospector restaurant – visit us for a unique Breckenridge dining experience!
130 S Main Street, Breckenridge, CO
Want more historic dining in Breckenridge? Check out these locations:
Amazing Grace
213 E. Lincoln Ave. at French Street, Breckenridge CO
Tiny and mighty, the Grace makes every dish to order so you might have to chat with the locals while you wait for your food. Dating from the early 1880s, the building’s false front indicates that Lincoln Avenue was the second commercial street in Breckenridge after Main Street. Originally built as a restaurant, the structure also served as the office for the first town surveyor and later as a residence.
www.amazinggracebreckenridge.com
Tin Plate Artisan Pizza
110 S. Ridge Street, Breckenridge CO
Their special sourdough crust and artisan toppings set Tin Plate Pizza apart. The building started life around 1880 as the home of Lewis Hilliard, Breckenridge’s prominent assayer who consulted with miners and mine engineers to determine the weight of their gold sample or the value of their ore. Breckenridge’s most famous gold nugget arrived here in 1887, swaddled in a blanket and carried tenderly in the arms of Tom Groves, earning the 16-pound nugget the nickname “Tom’s Baby.”
Forage
322A N. Main Street, Breckenridge, CO
Breckenridge’s newest restaurant occupies an old building. Built in 1898 for Mr. and Mrs. Looney, the home typified the Victorian aesthetic with a square bay window and detailed molding. Like local workers today, J.P. Looney had many jobs: attorney specializing in real estate, commercial, stock and estates, railroad board president, manager of the Breckenridge Mercantile, and miner. When Mrs. Looney died in 1900, he leased the house to another family.
Rootstalk
207 N. Main Street, Breckenridge CO
Built in 1898 in the storybook Queen Ann Style featuring asymmetry, multiple bay windows, and generous porches, the structure was originally the Gaymon home. As the publisher of the Summit County Journal, Oren K. Gaymon made and chronicled Breckenridge history. His wife Augusta brought an East Coast civility to Breckenridge with her elegant parties, cut crystal and delicate China. Today’s diners at Rootstalk sense that same refinement in the interior finishes and stained-glass windows. Learn more about Rootstalk in this issue’s profile of Chef Matt Vawter.
Briar Rose
109 Lincoln Ave, Breckenridge, CO
The unique building is named after the old Briar Rose Mine on Peak 10, which began operation in the late 19th century. The building had originally operated as a boarding house serving meals to tired miners. Stop in for Happy Hour or Dinner in this lovingly restored building.
Take a stroll and look where else you may find a lovely old home and building in our beautiful town!
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