Our office went on a Rocky Mountain Food Tour in September, and we had so much fun! As a hardworking group of mostly introverts, our office had been looking for an activity to do together to kick off the last quarter of the year. We all share a fondness for our beloved downtown, history, architecture, supporting local businesses, and, most importantly, food, so this was a perfect afternoon out for us!
Although we had several fantastic options, we went for The Original Colorado Springs Tour, and our guide for the afternoon was the exceptional Samantha Wood. We were beyond impressed by the restaurants, the food, and the way they handled dietary restrictions as well.
Our tour met at The Antlers Hotel, and our guide told us about the founding of Colorado Springs, including information about William Jackson Palmer and his vision for the city. We happen to be history buffs with some knowledge and passion on the topic of our town, but we always love hearing more local lore, and Samantha integrated history into our walking tour in such a fun and approachable way.
The first food stop on our tour was at Brakeman’s Burgers, located in the old train depot behind The Antlers. We learned about William Jackson Palmer’s love of trains and the impressive routes he built, including this stop along the way at the Colorado Springs station, which was meant to bring guests to his hotel and new residents to the city in the gold rush days. At Brakeman’s, we enjoyed their signature smokehouse sliders and award-winning sea salt, bourbon, and caramel shakes, along with a view of a passing train.
Next, it was off to Jack Quinn’s – a Colorado Springs classic since 1998 – where we enjoyed their slow-cooked shepherd’s pie with soda bread and vegan curry paired with cider or ale. Jack Quinn’s is located in what was originally a dry goods store on Tejon built in 1883, and the building has been lovingly crafted into an authentic Irish pub and a true pillar of the community.
Along our tour route, Samantha pointed out several highlights from Colorado Springs’ Art on the Streets, including the Fire in my Sol mural by Mauricio Ramirez and Kissing Camels by Springs native Scottie Burgess (investigate the golden footprints painted on the sidewalks downtown to find more of his Civic Treasures series).
We had a secret stop along our tour at Pikes Peak Lemonade – a spot none of us had been to before – and we enjoyed some incredible handcrafted beverages and shopping.
Our group was very excited about our next stop – Four by Brother Luck. We absolutely adored our fluffy and creamy jalapeno poppers and tasty margaritas, but what we loved even more was that we had a surprise visit to our table by celebrity chef Brother Luck himself! Brother told us about what it means to him to be part of the Colorado Springs community, and also about the concept of his restaurant and the way he seeks to serve local, seasonal flavors that honor the four main providers of the food we eat: the farmer, fisher, gatherer, and hunter. If you’d like to learn more about Brother Luck’s story, he recently released a book, No Lucks Given.
The final stop on our tour was at a well-loved place we were all familiar with – Josh and John’s. Established in 1986, there’s no beating a scoop of Josh and John’s handcrafted creamy ice cream, and we were treated to heaping cups of their purple mountain majesty flavor – an award-winning ice cream tinted purple with taro root and created to honor the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon.
We had an amazing afternoon of great food, interesting history, and supporting local businesses while spending time together. We highly recommend Rocky Mountain Food Tours if you have guests visiting from out of town, for a work event, or just for a day out having fun in our city!