Prospector Gastropub – Breckenridge, Colorado
Prospector Gastropub Has Celebrated a Year of Flavorful Cuisine on Breckenridge Main Street
By Lisa Blake
When a Breckenridge restaurant is able to keep one foot planted in the ski hamlet’s mining and Old West history and one foot firmly grounded in inventive food and drink, a little bit of magic happens.
Prospector Gastropub accomplishes this duality inside the 1892 Whitehead Building on South Main. What once served as a Victorian-era boarding house now welcomes hungry travelers and explorers to warm up and settle in over elevated fare and craft cocktails.
The Washenfelder family—founders of Pho Real, Breckenridge Tap House and the Shifty Lifty—opened Prospector in February 2024, striving for a blend of mountain modern and vintage flair in a friendly, relaxed pub setting. The building has served food since the 1940s, housing Ma’s Lunch Counter and the Prospector breakfast diner from 1970 into the 1990s.
“We brought back the name with the former owner’s blessing out of respect for the history of the building,” says Prospector owner Chad Washenfelder, nodding to the restaurant’s walls that offer up tasteful glimpses into Breckenridge’s past.
The high-end cocktail bar and kitchen is making a name for itself, attracting loyal locals and repeat visitors with lunch, dinner and late-night offerings (Prospector’s kitchen is open until midnight on weekends and 11pm weekdays).
The seasonal menus change four to five times a year as head chef Olivia Hicks curates dishes based on what’s in season and which ingredients can be sourced from Colorado producers. Beef is purchased from a ranch in Fowler, Colorado and Hicks ensures local game, such as elk, bison and venison, are plated with approachability and seasonality.
“Whether we are blending cuisines or keeping it simple to let the ingredients speak for themselves, we take pride in having a unique view on creating good food with wholesome ingredients,” says head chef Olivia Hicks.
A Kentucky native, Hicks holds a special spot for Southern comfort food. Prospector’s menu is speckled with spruced-up classics from her native state.
Bar manager Maxwell Schroeder’s recently revamped cocktail menu mirrors Prospector’s culinary creativity. The bar’s purees, syrups and infusions are made from scratch in house. Seasonal influences show up in hot spiked apple ciders and hot chocolate while surprises abound in the performative ember cocktail in which guests choose between oak, walnut, apple and cherry wood chips and watch as their old fashioned is smoked tableside.
Spooky Side Note:
Prospector’s Haunted History
The Whitehead Building is a frequent Breckenridge Ghost Tours stop. Prospector staff are well acquainted with the spirit of one-time resident Sylvia. Harry and Jennie Whitehead constructed the building as the Arcade Hotel in 1892. When Jennie passed away in 1904, Harry Whitehead left Breckenridge. In 1913, the property became a residence for widows. Sylvia, who is said to still haunt the building, was one of the Widow Fund’s most renowned guests.
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