Simple Eatery

Happy to find a place that serves a fresh, tasty vegan salad outside of Denver. Our meals were small but refreshing and flavorful. Definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for plant-based food in Buena Vista.

This is one of our favorite places for lunch (or dinner) in BV! So many delicious food options! Sandwiches, burgers, salads and some entrees (pasta type). Their food is really flavorful and fresh (not too heavy or greasy). I got a chicken salad sandwich with a side mango & fig salad. Their bread is incredible. Our family regularly gets pretzel bread and beer cheese dip to take home. Their outdoor patio is spacious with shade umbrellas string lights and yard games. The line is usually long, but the service is pretty quick after you order and well worth the wait!

We really enjoyed our meal at Simple Eatery! The table layout was a little odd, but the service was quick and the food was fantastic. We were also very impressed at the quality of the cocktails! D I definitely recommend checking it out.

Loved this little restaurant. You order your food and they give you a number. You find a seat and they bring your food to you. I ordered Cheese & Broccoli Soup and the Pretzel Board! What is way more food than I could eat but it was fun trying! Highly recommend!!

Incredible food here! They were quite crowded when we went. Now we understand why. My wife and I had the trout and elk burger. They were amazing! Next time we are in the area we will definitely be going back!

Well made food presented tastefully. Service was quick, servers were very attentive. They have combos for soup and salad or sandwich. Food came pretty quickly and was very satisfying after our long drive.

The service was kind and the prices were fair. The fresh made gluten free bread was delicious and the vegan burger was amazing! The outside patio was spacious and enclosed so kids could play easily with the magnetic wall and other games. Their non alcoholic beer was wonderful as well!

I really enjoy this restaurant. The food is excellent, the staff is super friendly and the atmosphere is great. I only gave the atmosphere 4 stars simply because they can get so busy, and I don't like sitting outside, so it's a bit tough to get a table at peak hours. The owner is friendly and helpful too.

We are truly blessed to have so many great places to eat in BV! Fantastic soups, delicious sandwiches (on homemade breads), creative hot dishes (only a few, but they're great) and always friendly, warm staff. While waiting for your food, walk around the sporting goods store that shares the space.

The ingredients made me happy. The quality of every ingredient- it felt healthy, natural, so fresh. The broccoli cheddar soup was so cheesy and delicious. Not boring and runny at all. Fig salad was delicious. Bread was great, everyone was friendly. I wish I had a heat soup and salad place near me like this one! Sadly I had to take a star off because we found hairs (or long pet fur maybe??) twice in our salad, and I can't stand that. Some might not care, as there certainly are dogs all over, but these were really in there. I would have said something but the place was busy and I didn't want to bother them this trip. Great place overall though!

I came in here to eat after finishing a 6 hour hike! I was so hungry that when I saw that they had a pretzel loaf I had to try it! Paired with their broccoli cheddar soup! A very cute shop where you order up front and they have a beautiful patio in the back that they bring your food. The outside patio area is great for animal lovers and a beautiful space to enjoy the weather and eat. As for the food, I only had the bread and the soup, but I would definitely want to come back to try more of their things. Their pretzel bread was pretty solid, I would say 3.5/5 pretty great overall and would get again! It tasted great with their cheddar soup, super cheesy and had great flavors! Overall, super cute and totally worth checking out!

I stopped in there to get a quick bite to each on the way back to Colorado Springs. I was not planning on coming here, but I wish I had more time to explore Simple Eatery. The menu looked amazing and fresh. They had the doors open to the outside patio as well as providing indoor seating. They offered loaves of freshly baked bread and I got in line to purchase a sourdough. It was soft and tasty and barely lasted 24 hours with my family. I also got a slice of pumpkin bread and it was just heavenly.

My first time in BV! My partner and I stopped here with my two huskies on a snowy December day. We took turns ordering inside, which shares space with an adjacent adventure goods shop. I got the Steak Stroganoff, and he got some sort of Cheddar Penne dish. We ate outside for a short while with the dogs, until it got too cold. We put the dogs back in the car and finished our meal at a table indoors. They have coffee and pastries in addition to hot plates. Plenty of options. The Stroganoff was gorgeously presented and tasted decent. There's plenty of street parking though you might have to walk a block or two. Customer service was good. It's a solid option if you're looking for somewhere healthy to eat, especially with vegetarians. I would consider coming here again, but there's other spots around town to try!

Different. Clean. Comfortable. It's an old CDOT building, with half being a small store, and the other half being a bakery/restaurant. Plenty of fresh choices. We split a chicken panini and a bowl of Irish Stew ($18). Both were delicious. Portion size typical. Service super friendly. Order at counter, they bring to your table. Well worth stopping

Simple Eatery is a great spot for a fresh, satisfying lunch. The chicken salad sandwich was fantastic--fresh bread, moist chicken, and full of flavor. Such a treat. My friends all loved their meals also - various sandwiches, salads, and soups. Everyone was happy! The service was friendly, and the food, made fresh to order, was well worth the wait. I also appreciated that an employee checked on us during the meal.

If you are in the area this is a MUST TRY! The quality of the food is amazing, I feel like the chef cooked these dishes with love. From the soup, to pasta, to rainbow trout everything was flavorful and filling. The entree portions are more than enough, also might explain how it's a little pricy, but definitely worth it. Order at the counter and then have a seat in their casual dinning area. Quiet ambiance but they also have a nice patio for fun. 10/10

Yum, really enjoyed lunch here- tried the burger on pretzel roll and pick 2 combo (with mango fig salad and bahn mi panini). Food was very tasty and it was fun to sit outside in the shade in the summer. Main issue with this place is the long lines inside (to order food), there's 2 counters but one of them is to go orders so we waited around 30 mins to order despite only 10-15 people ahead of us at 1:30pm

Wonderful baked items across the menu! We stopped in with a larger party with several kids out of the recommendation of somebody in our group. We all found delicious lunch items and ample seating inside this restaurant connected to a outdoor appearal and gear store, how cool is that. We really liked the pretzel board which came with cheese and mustard on the side. Try some of their loads of yummy bread. Someone checked on us a couple times to get us wonderful service. Great small town eatery and the vibe to match.

Long wait and overpriced. Took about 30 minutes to get through the long line, only to wait an additional 20-30 minutes for food to come out. Staff and management are rude and not helpful. Soup was nothing special. My husband ordered a pretzel sandwich and he said the bread was not fresh. If you're traveling maybe skip this place and go somewhere else. Not worth the overpriced food or the poor service and experience you will have.

Great comfort food at a very fair price combined with a great beer selection made for an excellent evening. Sat on the rooftop deck and enjoyed tots, fried beans and a great burger. We were a party of 5 (2 kids 3 "adults"). everyone Enjoyed the food and the atmosphere . It was a very fun night. we'll definitely be going back... I need to try the other burgers

One of my favorite restaurants in Colorado. I wish it was in Denver! The pretzel loaf is amazing, the trout is still amazing, and this visit I tried the Bahn Mi sandwich - excellent. I will say that this year when we went to dinner, I think it was over an hour wait from arriving to getting served food. I personally think if it's going to take that long, that's something customers should probably be notified of on arrival so they can take that into account (my blood sugar was pretty low by the time food came out and I was feeling pretty bad). That being said, I have chosen not to lower the rating for that just because the food is consistently so good.

This place was awesome! We had the steak stroganoff, the Rainbow trout and split the green salad with the homemade Italian dressing. The trout was cooked perfectly! Th steak stroganoff was the best we'd ever had, the steak was cooked so perfectly and you could cut it with a fork. Each entree came with fresh pretzel bread too. The staff was incredibly friendly and the service was fantastic. We decided to pick up a monkey bread and a blueberry loaf for breakfast the next day. The baked goods are phenomenal. It's pretty cool to find this place attached to an outdoor sports retail place. What a cool use of the space.

We got a recommendation from a local to try Simple and were blown away! Great food and great service.

We had the carrot soup, Thai chicken sandwich, elk burger, and cinnamon roll. No way any of that could have been better! We also bought a huge loaf of chocolate pumpkin bread for $16. Can't wait to try it. Service was friendly and quick. Not a whole lot of tables, so we got our food to go. Very nice selection of camping and hiking gear to shop thru while we waited for our food.

Had a weekend in the Salida/BV area and grabbed dinner here before heading home. SO glad we chose this spot for our last meal. It was incredibly delicious and the service was super friendly. I don't particularly love a walk up and order style when it's a sit down restaurant. But it doesn't make or break my experience. Here, after you order at the counter, the servers bring you water, your food, and check in on you and clear your table. So, still great service. Everyone we encountered throughout our meal was super friendly. For the actual food.. WOW! I was absolutely blown away by the citrus ravioli. Still dreaming about it, actually! Very unique and tasty dish. I will for sure be trying to recreate it at home, and will be back to this spot when I inevitable fail. I ordered the pick two and got half of that ravioli and half a Caesar salad. The meal also came with a delicious focaccia bread. My fiancé got the All Elk Burger and he loved it. The burger came with a side dish and he got the Italian sausage soup. Super delicious and filling according to him. Would absolutely recommend this spot for lunch or dinner for anyone in the area. Bonus! You can shop outdoor goods and apparel in the same building while you wait for your food. Very cool setup and will for sure be back!

We really enjoyed our visit to Simple Eatery. It has a very chill ambience, perfect for relaxing and enjoying a meal. The Angus burger I had was delicious and cooked perfectly. I especially appreciated that Janet was so kind as to give my dog some ice water - it was such a thoughtful gesture. Thank you for making both of us feel welcome!

We stopped in to fuel up after a day of snow shoeing. My husband had the chicken Swiss panini, generous portions of chicken and Swiss on homemade bread. I had the bison ravioli in cream sauce and it was delicious. The service was great, friendly and fast.

Long lines, Lord of two person sitting at tables meant for six. Large variety of salads and entrees, beverages. Indoor and outdoor seating with relatively simple parking

Good food, good prices, decent portions, and nice staff. Fast and efficient counter service.

The walk up service didn't feel like it made sense in this space especially because there ended up being long line after we ordered and there definitely wasn't enough room for everyone, so they probably had to take their food to go. The person who took our order was very nice and answered all of our questions. The food itself was decent. The pretzel bun was a nice addition.

The food is always fresh and delicious. I've been coming here for 8 years when i'm in town. Finally getting around to posting. It has a unique atmosphere and the service is quick & friendly. If you ever get a chance to visit Buena Vista, stop in Simple Eatery for lunch.

This restaurant shares a space with a shop, but don't be fooled, the food is wonderful. I'm not sure if I like the counter order system for this particular restaurant. I think it'd be easier to do regular service, especially since the place gets busy. What happens when there are no more spaces left to sit?.. Redbird Chicken Sandwich. Amazing. Everything about this sandwich was great. All of the flavors came together so well. Chicken Noodle and Spinach Soup. Next level good and a great size. Puttanesca Penne. Great savory flavor with lots of tomato and olives, which I love. However it was a bit cold when it was delivered. Don't pass up their breads for dessert. We had a slice of the pumpkin chocolate chip bread and it was lovely. Make sure to have them warm it up. The service was friendly and quick. The turnaround time is speedy.

Walk up to order then food is delivered by super friendly staff. Menu offers outstanding range of options plus local Brews. Fresh and flavorful. Patio is pwt friendly abd server offered water bowl. Took home a loaf of pumpkin chocolate chop bread. You.

This place has never let me down. This is one of the best restaurants in town. Everything is made fresh and their seasonal selections are always changing. Delicious soups, sandwiches, pasta, burgers, and salad.

Good food, extremely friendly servers and staff. Plus it's located in an outdoor clothing shop so you can browse the sale items after you have your meal. We come here about once a year when we're driving through Buena Vista and we always stop here.

Had dinner here on a Saturday evening in May. The food was OFS... Outstanding. I had the bison ravioli. Words cannot explain how good it was. Simply outstanding. My lady friend had the vegetable ravioli. I was equally outstanding. Reasonably price, good service, great food.

Super helpful staff and a wide variety of really good food. The outside is a very nice environment for kids.

If you're heading to the Mt. Princeton hot springs or just passing through, don't miss this place. The menu is innovative (think figs and mango topping a beautiful salad), the food is fresh, and there are even self-serve fro-yo machines to bribe your kids. For adults, though, there's homemade hard kombucha, healthy soups, salads, and sandwiches. No gluten? No problem! They have oodles of zoodles and gluten-free bread that does not suck! Vegan? They have you covered too! Want extra helpings of gluten and meat? Look no further, and this place has something for everyone, and not because the menu is Cheesecake Factory overwhelming. It's because, with simple, fresh ingredients, and an on-site bakery, they can please everyone! If you can't decide, go for the pick-two lunch so that you can have the combo of your dreams. Oh, and don't miss the opportunity to take home some of their bread or cookies because you'll regret it after you get home!

Greek salad plus trout. Delicious out on the patio. Downside: Popular and long lines. Upside: worth the wait if you can spare time

Best food at a restaurant I've ever tasted!!!!!!!! The grilled chicken was so dang good!!!!! Service was spectacular I'm pretty sure the chicken slipped out of heaven. it was simply beautiful and a plating was spectacular even give me a Pickle for free on the side

We made a pit stop in buena vista on our mini road trip and chose this place to have dinner. Amazing service. The people who work here were very kind and provided good suggestions. My sister and I were both intrigued by the citrus sage cream ravioli so we both ordered this and opted for the bison (other choice would be spinach). I thought this was really good and came in a filling serving size. I do wish mine had more sauce. The bread slice it came with was a little dry but I think it may have been better toasted. There was a check in offer that they were unable to fulfill as it was no longer on the menu but they were able to substitute it with chips and salsa. I do see that Yelp has been updated to reflect that chips and salsa is the new check in offer. It was the end of the day and they were so nice to give us a baguette on the house. Also as we were packing up to leave they offered us to-go refills of the strawberry lemonade. Was definitely happy that we chose to stop here! Also, we had the baguette two days later and it was sooo good!

Why 4 stars? Because this was an enjoyable, quintessential Colorado meal. --- --- --- When I knew I'd be staying at nearby Mount Princeton Resort for a wedding, I did what I always do: research nearby eateries. There were many options in this nearby town, but Simple Eatery definitely had the most clout on Yelp, so that's where we headed for a pre-wedding lunch. Starting off, there was a Yelp check-in offer some kind of sampler plate, but that particular item was no longer available, so they subbed in half of a Bavarian Pretzel roll, which was really great. I do not like mustard at all, but the mustard dipping sauce was probably the best I have ever had. My brother agreed. 5-stars. I opted for a strawberry lemonade to drink. It was excellent. 5-stars. For my entree, I ordered the elk burger and broccoli cheddar soup. I certainly did not dislike the elk burger, but it also was not something I'd be rushing to come back again for. The pretzel bun was great and it was enjoyable, but just fine overall. 4-stars. We finished off with a carrot coconut cake which did the trick of tickling our sugar cravings. 4-stars. No regrets about coming to lunch here and we also enjoyed browsing the hats and clothes. I'd recommend for anyone staying at Mount Princeton!

The staff here is superb. So kind and accommodating. I have some food sensitivities and they were the most accommodating and kind, I highly recommend! Food was delicious as well. Fig and Mango salad was top notch. Carrot coconut soup - such an interesting, and delicious, combination!

Best cup of iced coffee in my life, period! We came through Buena Vista from a weekend trip to Crested Butte and decided to have lunch here. All the restaurants had a line! Don't remember why we picked Simple Eatery but it was a good wait. Normally I only drink coffee in the morning but refused to have hotel room coffee that day and decided on refillable iced coffee here. Best decision I've ever made! Their iced coffee is served in mason jars with big chucks of ice, the kind that wouldn't easily melt and dilute your coffee. Can have either heavy cream with it, or if plant based, almond milk. And when they handed me packets of brown sugar crystals, I raised my eyebrows (like, how long is it gonna take the sugar to melt in my ice cold coffee!?) Turns out, I didn't even need sugar. Just a splash of heavy cream made my drink SO SO DELICIOUS! It was a perfect brew, not too strong, not too weak, most importantly, not acidic at all. Had notes of flower and caramel. I was swept away. Before you know it, I had three cups of refill and the 4th cup? I took it to go. I was perfectly ok with the jittering later that afternoon! I learned they use coffee beans from across the street - Buena Vista Roastery. We actually entered that cafe before deciding on Simple Eatery, but seeing our only food option would've been pastries, we stepped away. Food was great as well. I gotta give it to the staff here for not fretting when you're faced with lines of people all the way out the door. A lot of the customers (myself included) were probably running out of patience. Yet the staff still took everybody's order with accuracy, served them with a smile and genuine care. No wonder the food tasted better than they look. The Simple Angus Burger was simple but tasted top notch. Mom's Chicken Salad sandwich and Heirloom Tomato Bisque was a perfect combo. And oh my goodness, how wonderful is their house made bread! I regret not taking a loaf home! Chips and Salsa came as free with a Yelp check-in. The Rainbow Trout had me do a double take since the color resembled that of salmon but as soon as digging in, you can tell it is trout. It was flaky, fresh, and paired well with the roasted veggies. I left here with a full stomach and a mind that desired more. Well done, Simple Eatery & Spoon It Up!

Fantastic! Food - Service - Ambiance ! First time here and was very pleased with all of it. Would recommend this place and would come again.

Nice change of pace. Food was good and refreshing. Only complaint would be the salad was dry. I had to ask for dressing.

Food and customer service were absolutely amazing! People were so friendly and the food was so good. Best place we ate in BV! We will for sure be back!

This place is an excellent stop when driving to or from Denver to Crested Butte, Twin Lakes etc. The food is delicious- I want to say it's over priced for what it is but sometimes I think I'm stuck in 2010 when hipsters and the food they love were not yet mainstream and I was still young and fit enough to be good at snowboarding. 2010 me wouldn't pay $15 for soup and salad but... 2023 me will have to concede- the prices are just right. The food is pretty great. This place is good for anyone with food restrictions. Plenty of delicious options for anyone needing gluten free or vegan options. I have always been happy with the soup and salad combo. The gluten free bread ain't bad either! My gluten loving friends never leave without buying a loaf of pretzel bread so anyone who isn't cursed with celiac... definitely buy a loaf to enjoy on the road! My only complaint about this place is that it is popular so getting a table after waiting in line to order could be tricky- especially if the patio is closed. Nevertheless, worth chancing it and from the many times I've stopped here- I'd say it's also worth the wait.

We sat outside on a perfect evening. My husband and son had the trout and they both agreed it was Ah-mazing! I had the half pasta and half salad. I had the steak stroganoff and Greek salad. Both were excellent. The staff were so helpful and kind. Enjoy!!

Wonderful stop for lunch on a road trip. Everything seemed homemade and was delicious. Really enjoyed the tomato soup on a cold day! My husband loved his Caesar salad with chicken. My only recommendation is to brew the coffee stronger - a bit weak and lukewarm.

The Greek salad I had was absolutely fresh. The homemade vinaigrette wonderful. The homemade soup was fabulous. And, of course, the aroma of freshly baking bread was extremely appetizing. After ordering at the counter, we were served in a reasonably short time. The cashier and waitress were both friendly and helpful.

Food was great. The atmosphere was excellent. The service was friendly and fast. I would definitely recommend checking it out.

Elk burger is a trap 1 star is for the extremely dry elk meat and burnt pretzel bun.. you could eat this burger submerged underwater and still get cotton mouth from it. I had high expectations when ordering the elk burger and was told from cashier it is not common to find that on a menu in any restaurant and is their best burger. And I found out why it's not in any other restaurants today... The broccoli cheese soup was the side and it was good. It's hard to mess that one up but at least thanks to that I didn't go out starving. I'm sure there's some good food at this place but I guess They picked the elk that's been sitting in the deep freezer for far too long. Maybe today was the annual game of "where's the quality? " Over $50.00 for two dishes should bring some quality along with the meal, pretty bummed with todays vacation lunch. Other dish in picture was decent. Not great but decent.

Amazing soups, pastas, and sandwiches. Line was out the door for over an hour. Worth the wait!

Weird experience. I ordered online, so I can only speak to the quality of the food, the speed of the service, and the ambiance of the restaurant. My sisters and I were starving and, admittedly, hangry. We ordered online from here because it was the only place in town that had the capacity to take online orders. We got the chicken sandwich, a bahn mi, and a 2-for-1 of the cheesy pasta and panini. Our estimated pickup time was 6:40, 20 minutes after we ordered. For such simple items, and food I'm relatively confident was pre-made anyway, 20 mins to prepare it should've been no big deal. Well, my sister and I got there around 6:37 and were told we needed to wait about 5 more minutes. No big deal, they were kind of busy. But 5 minutes turned into 15 and nobody notified us that there would be an additional wait. In my sister's words, they were "positively lethargic" in getting us our food. We weren't offered waters, we weren't updated on when our food would be ready, but we were watched by the people behind the registers. We got our food almost 20 minutes after our projected pickup time and took it home to eat. The bahn mi was pretty good, as was the chicken sandwich and the panini, but the cheesy pasta was odd and lacked in flavor. It would probably make a better kids' meal item. The good news, though, was that it was warm when we received it. All in all, the experience wasn't terrible. The restaurant had a cool, laid back vibe, and boasts both indoor and outdoor seating. The service, however, leaves something to be desired. (Note: I'm normally not such a stickler about wait times but, upon submitting my order, I received what I would consider a passive aggressive note to my inbox about being at the restaurant promptly at 6:40. If promptness is a standard you expect out of your guests, you should hold yourself to the same degree.) I'd maybe go again, but I'd certainly eat inside and not order pickup.

I don't come to BV often but the last few times, I have stopped in here for lunch. It. Is. SO GOOD!!! Chicken salad, Bahn mi, all the soups and the bread, every kind, is amazing.

This place is fantastic. I ordered the elk burger, Caesar salad, and carrot soup. OMG- all of these were utterly delicious. The Caesar salad dressing was probably the best I've ever had. If there's a line- there's a reason. Wait. You will be happy you did.