Hunters Chop House — Restaurant in Estes Park

Dined July 4, 2025

Hunters Chophouse – A Dinner Worth the Fireworks (Literally)

If you’re anywhere near Estes Park, whether you’re a local or just lucky enough to be visiting, do not miss dinner at Hunters Chophouse. I promise, this is one of those places that turns a meal into a memory.

We had the pleasure of dining here on July 4th, and it ended up being one of the best nights of our entire trip. From the second we walked in, we knew we were in for something special. The smells coming out of that kitchen were incredible!

Bishwa, our host, was a total standout. He was kind, engaging, and clearly passionate about making guests feel welcome. He seated us on the outdoor patio, which is shaded, lined with flower barrels, and absolutely perfect for dining al fresco. He made sure we had one of the best seats for watching the fireworks later that night (seriously, the best view). He stopped by several times to check in, share local stories, and even offered to bring over the sommelier when we mentioned switching from cocktails to wine. His energy really set the tone for the whole night.

Victoria, the sommelier, was amazing. So passionate and knowledgeable about wine!. She helped us pick a wine we fell in love with: the 2019 Caravan Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa. Rich, velvety, just a touch of spice… it was a perfect match for our steaks. Fun fact? Caravan is produced by Darioush Winery, known for its bold, Bordeaux-style reds and hospitality rooted in Persian culture. Now I’ve added their tasting room to my Napa bucket list! And yes, I will be ordering a case of Caravan! No judging, please!

Our waitress Yana was equally wonderful. She was warm, professional, and totally in sync with the relaxed-yet-elevated vibe of the place. She made great suggestions and made sure we never felt rushed, even as the restaurant got busier.

We also got a chance to say hi to Sujib, one of the owners who we’d met earlier at Park Tavern (Hunters’ sister restaurant). Even while working a busy holiday dinner, he took time to ask how we were enjoying our meal. It says a lot about leadership when owners are visible and genuinely care.

And what a treat to see Ivana again! Our favorite hostess from Park Tavern. She not only helped us secure our reservation at Hunters but made a point to stop by to say hi! She remembered us and our stories, and absolutely made us feel like regulars. That kind of service is rare and definitely unforgettable.

Now, let’s talk food. My girlfriend ordered the ribeye, grilled to medium and tender enough to melt in your mouth. She paired it with a loaded baked potato and crisp broccolini and loved every bite.

Her husband had the Bison Oscar...bison NY strip, lump crab, dill hollandaise, capers, barley risotto, and seasonal veggies. It was a showstopper. He literally said he’d come back just to have that exact meal again.

My husband and I both went for the filet mignon with a red wine demi-glace that was so good I honestly considered licking the plate. No leftovers. Not a single bite. Perfectly cooked, beautifully seasoned, and tender enough to make me sigh. I am still thinking about that filet this morning!

We sat on that beautiful patio, sipping incredible wine, laughing with fabulous friends, and watching the fireworks light up the sky. It felt like the perfect ending to a perfect day and a perfect vacation!

Hunters Chophouse, thank you. You gave us a night we’ll be talking about for a long time. We’ll definitely be back...hopefully for fall colors and another round of the filet, the ribeye and the...

I was highly disappointed with the service we received at Hunters Chop House. On 10/6/23, we had a group of 24 come in for a wedding dinner/reception. While our entire group agreed that the food tasted well, the service left something to be desired.

We had been told when we reserved the space that we would be in a semi private space & we were under the impression that we would have one table for our group. This may have been a misunderstanding on our part. When our group arrived, we were separated into 5 different tables.

Myself and my husband arrived about an hour after our entire party (we were taking wedding photos) and we were under the impression that appetizers would be provided for our group. Our wedding coordinator had dropped our cake off earlier in the day and confirmed this. They provided appetizers to 4 of the 5 tables. My mother asked THREE TIMES if they were going to bring appetizers out to their table, and they finally did after a few of our tables enjoyed 2 rounds of appetizers. Their excuse for this was that my mother had told them to wait until my husband and I arrived, to bring them out, and I most certainly know that was not the case.

They charged us $125 + tax + 20% gratuity ,per person,for $30-$50 plates of dinner + light appetizers+ non alcoholic drinks. I would have assumed for such a steep up charge we would have had 2 dedicated servers to our group. We did not and the timing of drinks and food was below industry standard for a large group. The hostess was assisting our group more than the servers.

We had the cake brought out and our group had to cut and serve their own cake. It wasn’t until almost everyone had their cake, did the sever come over and finish serving our group.

To top it off, my husband and I had to pull up chairs to join a table and were never provided silverware. We had to grab napkins and utensils from another table.

At the end of the night, we requested three times to speak with the manager. He finally came over and we explained our dissatisfaction with our service. He was apologetic and said he would do something for us. 10-15 minutes go by, we get issued a new check, and we realized no changes had been made. We asked to speak with him again and waited another 10-15 minutes before he came back over. He tried to tell us our $700 deposit was a discount on our meal. We explained that no, that was our deposit and he finally agreed to take $300 off our almost $4k bill. My brother-in-law asked the manager if he felt like the service was up to par for $125 a person. He apologized and just stated that they were super busy.

Overall, I think this is a fine restaurant for parties of 4 or less, but any larger, and I just don’t believe they are equipped to manage them. I really wish the manager had set clearer expectations when we reserved the space and if he knew this was a busy time, I would have hoped he would have just let us know they couldn’t have accommodated a group of our size. If you are planning on having a larger group, I would steer clear...

My wife and I visited the Hunters Chophouse recently and were disappointed. I wanted to take the time to leave a thorough review so that hopefully something is done for future patrons. After a lengthy wait we were seated. The décor gives a nice but dated vibe, feeling like the heyday of the place peaked in the late eighties’ or early nineties. We waited for a lengthy time before a waiter visited our table for our drink order, with the waiter apologizing, but that’s where the weird stuff started because the restaurant itself was not very busy and there were plenty of staff. Because of the long wait we had our drink, appetizer, and main course orders ready, so we placed our orders and continued to wait. We received our appetizer, a smoked elk carpaccio which was small and underwhelming while we continued to wait for our drinks. After we finished up the app we asked our server about our drinks, we were told that the bar was slammed but they were working on them, again weird because the bar was almost completely empty besides the two bartenders standing idle. Another gap then we received the main course, I had a lamb shank and the wife had salmon, both overcooked like they had been sitting under a heat lamp for half an hour – mind you at this point we still do not have our drinks. Finally our drinks come and mine is wrong, I voice my concern but am immediately shot down, I don’t know how they managed to make a straight whisky on ice sweet but somehow in this place its opposite of every other bar in the world.

Here’s the long and short of it, IMO the place is living on a reputation built on a bygone era, they give the vibe of an upper-class restaurant but have the quality of Sizzlers. Because of this misconception the staff reflects those same values and treat the customer like they should be thankful to dine in such a place. This place is in dire need of a...