The Rock Inn Mountain Tavern — Restaurant in Estes Park

We left RMNP at 8 pm and realized that the majority of the restaurants nearby closes at 9 pm so we quickly decided that steak was the best bet. After checking out YELP we agreed that Rock Inn Mountain Tavern fit the bill.

We got there 40 minutes before closing and their dinning room was full. The host was welcoming and he put us down for a 15 minute wait. He also handed us menus to peruse and that helped us decide quickly what to order which was great because we were hungry.

Once sat, our server came over with waters immediately which we greatly appreciated! She then took our orders since we were ready. The food came out much faster than we expected and everything was delicious!

We ordered Cajun Shrimp and Elk Sausage for appetizers. The Cajun Shrimp was amazing! Perfect flavors and I used my extra bread to lap up all the sauce. The Elk Sausage was served with bread and pickles.

For entrees, we shared N.Y. strip which paired nicely with mashed potatoes. Cooked to order and our server brought an extra plate since she knew we were sharing. Good lookout. Bison Meatballs were soft, flavorful, and our kiddos’s favorite. We ordered fries with it but I think mashed potatoes would have been better. The broccoli was cooked perfectly. Happy Cow Marinara made happy bellies. We ate EVERYTHING up! No leftovers or room for dessert.

Despite us coming late and being one of the last patrons, we never felt rushed or unwelcome. Dinner was enjoyable and service was on point. Thanks Chelsea!

This meal was well worth the trip and a great value that fed this family of 5! Thank you for the wonderful dinner.

*Elk Sausages were not all present in the picture because the kids already...

Don’t go if you want good food; only drinks and music. Food was ok, but when you factor in just how expensive it was, it makes dry fish and undercooked ribeye so much more painful. Our waitress was fine until the food came out and she forgot to put an order in for someone in our party. Obviously, we’re not going to request a rushed order and have my mother eating her meal by herself after everyone was finished, so we just said to not worry about it in the nicest way possible. Well, I assume our waitress was embarrassed because she stopped coming by the table. We didn’t receive any more refills, no more wine, no more bourbon, no plates taken away, no requests for dessert, no offer to comp an appetizer because of the inconvenience, nothing. We just sat there waiting for her to come back so we could get the check, which took about 40 minutes. The Cajun trout was very dry, the ribeye was undercooked (highly seared with a rare/raw middle so we had to take it home and recook it), the stroganoff was good, the bacon wrapped apricots were extremely small, the elk sausage was disappointing, and the corn dip was good but small as well. The music was great and the place looks really cool. The check couldn’t be split up, which was annoying, but if that’s their policy then that’s their policy. Overall: don’t recommend for food/dinner, but drinks and music...

Best steak we’ve ever had - and we are from Texas! Came to Estes for a short birthday weekend and here for my birthday dinner. Megan was extremely nice over the phone and put our name on the wait list. Angie was our server and did an outstanding job! She made us feel welcomed and her service was excellent! She suggested the special - which was a 7oz filet seared with a cajun spice and topped with a type of creamy alfredo sauce. We added shrimp and it came with grilled broccoli and we chose a house salad as a side for a couple of bucks more. We are always skeptical about a sauce on a good cut of meat, but like my husband said- it may have had a sauce (that was amazing) but the cook made sure there was an excellent steak under there! It had a nice crisp outside and the medium cook was perfect! As close to medium rare/medium as it could possibly be - and not overbearing in spices! The broccoli was cooked just perfect- still a little crunchy and seasoned just right. We chose a slice of carrot cake and my “birthday cake” was a special (super moist) cake with cream cheese/lavender frosting - wow, just wow! Thank you for the wonderful evening, great service, and hospitality! Will be back...