Matt C.
Yelp
Silver Grill Cafe is an homage to the old school diners of yesteryear. Though modernized, clean and renovated to 21st century dining culture. As the oldest dining establishment in Northern Colorado, it's well deserved place in history shouldn't be neglected.
I've walked by the cafe numerous times, however dined in for the first time a few weeks back. I rolled out of bed onto Walnut St. and was pleasantly surprised from the brightness and openness of the cafe. The hostesses were friendly and for a Wednesday morning, I was shocked to see how crowded it was. I opted to sit at the counter. I mean, duh, it's a diner after all!
Once my black coffee finally arrived, I went off in my little world. I daydreamed, I closed my eyes, I listened to the hustle and bustle of a midweek morning. It reminded me of all the Greek diners I visited during my family vacations to Brooklyn as a kid. Close your eyes at any diner worth its weight, and you have no idea where you are on the map.
Beer Braised Corn Beef Hash and Eggs // Corned Beef, hash browns, bell peppers, onions, toast. Very good hash. Traditional almost to a fault. For me, the corned beef was diced too fine, making it difficult to distinguish the flavor of the beer braise. Larger chunks of corned beef would've taken this to 11. Again, just my opinion. Their potatoes are unique to the restaurant and pretty tasty. Watching the line cooks prepare essentially an entire farm for service on the grill was fun to witness.
FAMOUS GIANT CINNAMON ROLLS // I was stuffed after my breakfast, how the heck could I make room for one of their legendary cinnamon rolls? I asked the staff if it'd hold up on the drive back to Denver. She suggested popping it in the microwave for 45 seconds and adding the frosting after. Boy was she right. This was the most delicious, unctuous, satisfying cinnamon roll I've ever had. No wonder why they make 10,000 per week!
Four stars instead of five, because the service was lacking. The hostesses/cashiers were great. But sitting at the counter I had to wait quite a while for my coffee. And I'm pretty sure the guy two seats down (who sat after me) got my plate of food before me. I love the chaos of the counter, the ability to watch the staff interact with one another, and the kitchen pump out quick tickets. There was definitely room for improvement here and it was only a Wednesday morning.
During the pandemic, the food editor of Esquire deemed Silver Grill Cafe the best breakfast in America. A pretty bold proclamation if you ask me. As far as the breakfast, I can't say I'm in agreement.
However, what makes a diner stand out aren't its perfections, rather it's imperfections. Coffee will be spilt, a customer will be hungover and cranky, pots and pans will crash to the ground, the waiter will forget the side of hot sauce you asked for, etc. We all mistakes, we aren't perfect. That's the nature of the human spirit.
Maybe he was right, maybe Silver Grill Cafe really is the best breakfast in America. Not because it's the greatest breakfast you'll ever have, but because it represents the soul of us all.