Burrowing Owl — Restaurant in Colorado Springs

I do not tend to eat vegan but I was open to trying this place with my vegetarian friend based on how the owners presented themselves and described their food on the website.

I tried the bread spreads and the chicken bacon ranch tacos. Everything was really tasty. I jokingly said it what Taco Bell would taste like if it was a sit down restaurant. This is a compliment because I am autistic and have a limited pallet. I can be very picky and have difficulty trying new things and I really did love the tacos. And the way they made it I didn’t once have the feeling “this would be better if it had real meat on it” and I’ve had that feeling with a LOT of vegetarian food.

So if your vegan/vegetarian friend wants to go here, I think you’ll be fine. Lots of good stuff including mac n cheese!!

The only reason I’m giving 4 stars is because the seating is poorly planned. I am plus sized and could not sit at a booth. I am considered on the smaller end of plus sized and I have friends who wouldn’t have even been able to try to sit down. I’m usually the booth tester lol!! They didn’t even have the low tops with a booth on one side and chairs on the other which is a common accessibility for wheelchairs, disability aids, and of course people in larger bodies.

My friend and I chose to sit at the high tops but neither of us are comfortable at those and I know my larger friends could not sit at them comfortably either. I half jokingly said “do they know vegans can be fat too?” But I did almost want to leave. A few minutes later a party of three came in and my friend and I both noticed the lady had the same issue with the booth. She looked at the high tops and then sat back down.

Finishing with a positive thought, the service was great! The person taking our order was super nice, accommodating, and knowledgeable. Wasn’t pushy or pretentious either. They noticed we were having issues with seats and when I looked outside they made sure to let us know that dogs and smoking was allowed outside. I love dogs but didn’t want to deal with smoke so I appreciated that heads up.

All in all good vibes, good food, and good service. Just need a little rearranging to make it a bit more accessible for different bodies and...

This is one of our favorite restaurants in the world! It's hard to try new restaurants in Colorado springs because we just love this place so much. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Everything is USDA Organic, or GMO FREE, and vegan. It's so hard to find restaurants who claim to provide higher quality ingredients, especially when there are an exorbitant amount of Pesticides, chemicals, preservatives, hormones and many more toxic disease causing hidden ingredients everywhere else you go.

Think about bulk, imported, industrial restaurant food, it's typically worse than we choose for ourselves under the impression of higher quality. Here, you never have to worry about the sourcing. Ok, now that we're done with quality... Let's talk NOOCH! Their queso is life changing. We often dream of ordering it by the gallon. Any of the nachos will blow your mind, we prefer the serious . The Crunchwrap is another favorite, only available on certain days of the week so be sure to check before you go! The salads are lovely, soups DIVINE, and their homemade kombucha is absolutely a must have on each visit. The green Chile is also local and an easy favorite!

They give you a free drink on your birthday, the dive bar vibes are classy and prices reasonable. They have a rewards card for those who lunch there often, not dinner unfortunately. You can seat yourself, it's typically not overly packed so the wait is typically non-existent. Their outdoor seating area is so cozy - as is the rest of the restaurant - but outside they provide blankets, tv dinner trays, it's smoker friendly, and dripped with upcycled beauties.

They provide board games and books, as well as plenty of awesome things to look at. The murals in the bathrooms are mind blowing, don't miss them! We are just so smitten with this place. Please give it a chance, get your comfort food on and indulge in the magical space these lovely lovely people have cultivated with such love and intention.

Also, we've finally tried their desserts and they were out of this world! The Dong Dong cake was perfection 😍😍. We will be buying a whole one...

I rarely write reviews, but I feel compelled to share this experience in the hope of sparing other families, especially those with special needs, from a similar situation.

We are new to the area and had heard good things about Burrowing Owl, so we drove 30 minutes to try it. My son is 4.5 years old, autistic, and an extremely picky eater with only four safe foods—nuggets being one of them. Since nuggets weren’t on the menu, we brought some for him, as we’ve done at countless other restaurants without issue.

However, we were approached by a blonde bartender/waitress who told us, in a rude and dismissive tone, that we couldn’t have outside food and would need to leave. Her approach wasn’t just firm; it felt downright unkind, and it left me feeling like we were being discriminated against for my son’s disability—something no parent should ever have to experience.

For context, this restaurant does have a covered patio for smokers, but apparently no understanding or accommodations for families with special needs. The irony is not lost on me.

Here’s the part that stings the most: I’ve been vegan for 10 years, and prior to that, I was vegetarian for 13 years. The vegan community has always felt warm, welcoming, and inclusive—so I’m genuinely shocked and saddened that we had this experience here.

After the uncomfortable encounter, I didn’t even want to stay. But since we’d driven so far, my husband suggested we let our son eat his nuggets in the car, then come inside to eat ourselves. That’s exactly what we did.

The food? Honestly, it was mediocre at best—nothing special to write home about. The atmosphere felt more like a dive bar than a welcoming, family-friendly space.

We will not be returning, and I plan to share this experience within my local autism community to help other families avoid a situation like ours. If you’re a family with special dietary needs or looking for a warm, inclusive environment, I’d suggest...