Ed's Cantina & Grill — Restaurant in Estes Park

Let's just say that when the experience began this was my new favorite in Estes Park, but when I left I was unhappy.

We were promptly seated and the server greeted us quickly. Our drinks were fine and the chips were standard. The guacamole was so fresh it seemed to be made to order. The salsa had roasted ingredients and was really great. We loved the chips, salsa and guac.

The entrees were close to hits and one miss. The Veggie Enchiladas were fine but nothing special. The Chile en Nogada had a decent flavor but was a small dish. This would have been improved with a bed of rice under the stuffed pepper. Both dishes needed sodium. Both dishes had a cashew cream which needed improvement. The cashew cream should be a bit thicker, have more salt and more flavor in general. Maybe rework your sauce with fresh garlic and cilantro.

Lastly was the Cauliflower Veggie Burger. The burger was soft and bad actually. As a vegan, I recommend Ed's Cantina change to a faux meat like Beyond or Impossible. Honestly this burger dish, as is, should be removed from the menu. Between the burger and the bun it was all just the same texture - soft. The fries were soft and boring. Fries should be crispy and salty. This may not be a burger restaurant, but if you're gonna offer it, then do a good job.

During the end, the server was generally not available. When the check was picked up for payment, seven minutes elapsed before the payment was returned. Seven minutes! Is it no longer standard in restaurants to return a customers credit card as quickly as possible?

We were very appreciative of the vegan and gluten-free options. The chef is clearly creative and skilled. Entrees should be as good as the salsa and guacamole. Entrees should have sodium. Cashew cream should be creamy and flavorful. Finally, servers should process credit card payment quickly.

In regards to the prices, this restaurant is very inexpensive. For a creative vegan entree like Chile en Nogada, I'd happily pay twice the cost.

We'll try this restaurant again and hope for some basic improvements.

05/25/21 edit: Thank you so much to the owners for your response. This response is not only polite but very professional. Can't...

I’m not much of a “foodie” and was a little intimidated by some of the menu options but every dish tasted PHENOMENAL. Best chicken quesadilla I have ever had, bison burger was super tasty and the bison enchiladas beat out my life long favorite quesadillas I grew up eating at a small restaurant in AK. Never thought they could be replaced, I was definitely wrong. The server was super kind and food came out quick. The restaurant is a little squishy and loud but it’s a fun place for sure. Parking is a little bit of a bummer due to it being a small pay to park lot. There’s plenty of warning signs about towing for non payment and payment was easy and included options for texts to warn about parking expiring. They WILL FINE YOU as other drivers warned as they returned to their vehicles with a substantial fine.(rightfully so, plenty of warning signs and paying was easy and fast, just saying so as to warn future customers from taking any chances 😊). Plus side, you can pay and shop along the main stretch of stores without needing to move your vehicle. Overall, it’s a tasty meal with great service and the restaurant is situated in front of a beautiful walking path along a beautiful creek with bench seating, shade from trees and large rocks to stand on to stop and take the beauty in. Will...

We had Ed's cater for our cabin rehearsal dinner back at the end of August. We had about 35 people and ordered accordingly with what my point of contact Becka had recommended. Becka was kind and courteous and was very prompt in her responses whenever we had a question about pricing or different food options. We chose to have our food delivered and it showed up with plenty of time to set up prior to our dinner. Becka set up our table very neatly and worked with the small space that we had. She made sure everything looked good and we were satisfied before heading out. On to the food review- we had guests from PA, WA, CA, TX, and of course CO in town for our wedding and we received compliments of how good the food was throughout the evening. I can say for myself, the food was absolutely delicious and tasted very authentic. Overall, our catering experience couldn't have gone better. Becka was great throughout the whole process, the presentation and delivery of the food was perfect, we had plenty of food with lots of leftovers, and the price was more than fair to feed a large group of people. I would absolutely recommend Ed's Cantina for your next...