Everyone enjoys taking the night of cooking and letting someone else do it, but if you are going to leave the comfort of home to do so, you want the great dining experience to go with it. What makes a great dining experience may change from person to person, but there are a few standard things every restaurant needs in order to make their guest comfortable. Food, ambiance, and customer service are three things all diners look for.

Every restaurant needs to deliver on their flavors in order to have diners wanting to come back for more. If it is a small diner offering burgers, they had better be juicy and exploding with toppings, and a fresh bun to top it off. If you are after creme brule, it had better offer a perfect presentation, from the creamy center to the crisp topping. Without flavor, the diners won’t come back to enjoy another bite. No matter what the food is being offered, the taste has to come first.

Once the food is great, the ambiance needs to be just as important. A clean restaurant is most important, of course, but a diner’s surroundings are just as important as the food is. The style and charm of a restaurant offers to the full experience that has diners wanting to come back and enjoy a meal. If a small diner is the choice, the entire feel from the retro booth to the old school uniforms the waitresses wear are essential. If it is a 5 star restaurant with fine dining in mind, soft mood lighting, to an elegant place setting is needed to fulfill the full experience. If both food and ambiance are perfect, the staff needs to give perfect customer service to make sure every diner is happy with the experience. Great customer service can be the one thing that brings back a diner if the other two fall short.

Having a good experience when going out to eat can ensure a diner wanting to come back again. The feel of being surrounded by a Dining experience can make or break a restaurant in the minds of those coming to enjoy the food, or the surroundings. Treating each diner to a perfect meal, and exceeding all their needs allows them to feel they have been pampered, which is a necessity when leaving the comfort of home to eat out.

When vacationing in Breckenridge, Colorado, dining and nightlife options can be somewhat daunting, especially when you consider there are over one hundred restaurants and bars in the town alone. While many visitors simply select an eatery based on its convenient location or perhaps a catchy name, those who do a bit more research will be rewarded with fantastic Colorado-inspired cuisine as well as a surprising variety of ethnic flavors. If you’re traveling to Breckenridge this season and mulling over the town’s dining options prior to your stay, you’ve come to the right place. This is your guide to dining in Breckenridge, Colorado.

Breakfast

Breakfast options in Breckenridge are somewhat slim, given the array of restaurants in the town. Columbine Café, a locals’ favorite, serves up hearty breakfasts in a warm, cabin-like atmosphere. The only down side to the café is its popularity, which can lead to long waits for a table, especially during busy seasons. For an equally delicious breakfast at a reasonable price, a short walk up Lincoln Avenue to the Salt Creek Restaurant may reward you with a shorter wait for a table. Cool River Café serves up the town’s best smoothies as well as breakfast wraps. For a quick bite to eat, drop by Clint’s for a bagel or a breakfast sandwich or Daylight Donuts for diner-style food that’s served up in a hurry.

Lunch

When skiing at the Breckenridge Ski Resort, the most convenient dining options are located right on the mountain. Drop by Spencer’s Steaks and Spirits, located within Beaver Run Resort, for a hearty all you can eat lunch buffet. The Ten Mile Station, Peak 9 Restaurant, Vista Haus and Bergenhoff round out the ski area’s on-mountain offerings.

Peak 9′s base area is home to unique dining options such the Quandary Grille and Mi Casa, both of which offer great après ski opportunities. Giampietro on Main Street serves up some of the town’s best Italian at prices that won’t break the bank. The Kenosha Steakhouse and Breckenridge Brewery and Downstairs at Eric’s all offer great pub food and reasonable prices. For something a bit higher end, check out Relish or the Blue River Bistro.

Dinner

Breckenridge visitors will find an impressive lineup of restaurants serving dinner. For Colorado-inspired cuisine visit the Hearthstone, Briar Rose, Top of the World and Relish. All four eateries offer various wild game options as well as phenomenal steaks and seafood. Speaking of seafood, if you prefer yours raw, you’ll love Mountain Flying Fish and Wasabi, both of which feature amazing sushi nearly two miles above sea level. The South Ridge Seafood Grill, also a locals’ favorite, serves up a delicious array of seafood options and features an extremely popular happy hour.

If you’re in the mood for Mexican food, Breckenridge features an exciting variety of choices. Visit Fiesta Jalisco or Jalepeno’s for authentic cuisine at reasonable prices. Mi Casa is a popular cantina featuring a twist on traditional Mexican flavors as well as an enticing selection of margaritas and tequilas.

For Italian, check out Taddeo’s, Michael’s, The Blue River Bistro, Fatty’s Pizzeria and Giampietro. The first three options comprise the town’s higher end Italian offerings with the Bistro featuring an extensive martini menu and live jazz groups nightly. Fatty’s and “”Giam’s,”" as the locals call it, offer more affordable dining options and are well known for their pies.

Popular pub and saloon offerings include the Breckenridge Brewery, Burke & Riley’s, Downstairs at Eric’s, the Kenosha Steakhouse and the Dredge Boathouse. All are excellent choices for affordable cuisine and remain fashionable into the evenings after their kitchens close.

Those seeking a dining experience that defies traditional definitions will appreciate the following choices. For an extensive wine list, be sure to check out the Cellar Wine Bar, featuring an a la carte menu. Breckenridge’s newest restaurant, Modis, offers contemporary cuisine in an urban meets mountain-chic atmosphere. The Swiss Haven features fondue, raclette, rostis and fine bottles of Swiss wines. Finally, Café Alpine, features a new menu daily, prepared entirely of fresh ingredients.

While this article doesn’t manage to cover all of Breckenridge’s restaurants, it adequately serves as the Cliffs Notes for the best of them. If you’re vacationing in the Rocky Mountains, any of the choices listed here will do a fine job of satisfying your palate. After all, you could take your best guess, but since we’ve already visited and reviewed them for you, that’s simply unnecessary. Enjoy!