Cruise Control Kitchen and Cellar — Restaurant in Grand Junction

Cruise Control Kitchen and Cellar masterfully walks an atmospheric tightrope. It is an elevated yet casual wine bar with exceptional barrel-aged cocktails and craft beer, all served in an elegant open-concept and quasi-industrial garage space. It is a windy city inspired gastropub that offers simple yet deceptively creative dishes that all fight well above their weight class in quality. It is an environment that is as well-suited for an intimate date night as it is for a fun lunch with the family or jovial dinner with friends.

Cruise Control are laser-focused on the details. This is the main reason all these seemingly opposing themes don't end up clashing or collapsing under the weight of a single more dominating concept. Grand Junction's best wine list can be found here, spotlighting Colorado's best wineries alongside handpicked National and European vintages. The batch cocktails on tap are all solid and avoid the common pitfall of lacking texture or complexity. There is a lot of love being shown for regional and smaller craft spirit brands, and the individuality of these spirits gives their adventurous drink menu a delicious edge.

Traditional Italian Beefs and fully loaded Chicago style hot dogs are menu anchors; while inventive flatbreads, sausages, soups and salads offer a dizzying number of delectable combinations to satisfy multiple cravings at once. Fresh ingredients are often sourced from the nearby Grand Valley agricultural community, while specific Chicago imports add an extra layer of authenticity to their windy city eats. There is quite simply just whole heaps of talent on display both behind the bar and in the kitchen. The service staff were all effortlessly intuitive and genuinely friendly. This all left me with a lasting impression that whatever kind of dining experience I was seeking on any given day could be fulfilled here with astonishing ease.

Cruise Control Kitchen and Cellar are truly a class act. Colorado Avenue is quickly becoming Grand Junction's main cultural and culinary artery, and they are without a doubt the beating heart at the center of it all. An exceptionally strange thing to say about an upscale casual wine bar selling hot dogs to be sure. Even so, life is inherently strange anyway and these red hots are definitely legit. I can...

You wouldn't know it walking by, but this is an exquisite place with beautiful people staffing it. They plate food in such an appetizing way that honors the flavors in store.

What a fun atmosphere to grab a drink and get your grub on with friends. This place has a new age vintage feel to it that matches the country style of the western slope in an elegant and classy way. High top bar seating, plenty of low table seating or coffee table style lounging, you choose!

Wow! What a wide range of options for drinks to choose from! You can definitely bring any of your friends here to wet their whistle, whether they like cocktails, wines, or something 0.0% proof.

The food on the menu is simple enough to choose from with a wide range of palette options to choose from. Whatever I saw leave the kitchen was plated exactly how I'd expect the food to look in a commercial. Not to mention there is a depth of culinary knowledge coming from the kitchen that brings the food to life and refreshes the foods we may feel too familiar with.

I ordered their "Windy" (Chicago Dog) and it does not disappoint. The dog itself is made with a superior meat than that of the typical hot dog. It had everything that makes a Chicago dog what it is. Also, they heighten this dish by using a more traditional blueish-green relish and a fluffy delicious bun.

Later I tried their "Guanella". It is about time I could see a traditional Italian beef sandwich on this side of the mountain. The au jus soaked beef was the highlight of this sandwich, leaving me craving more.

Last, is a surprise contestant of the evening. Their "Green Light Chips" encapsulate the dynamic and devotion this restaurant shows it's customers and their food. They take a simple kettle chip, that many Colorado natives are familiar with, and add their own accent of spices and create a surprising sidekick to these dishes that leave me craving more.

Come give this place a try. Go meet the staff. They will make you feel as connected as you want, while being ever attentive to your experience, leaving you feeling uplifted and satiated.

Thank you guys for a great experience. I'll be back, and I'm...

Some friends and I met here on a lovely, fall afternoon after a stressful work week. As I walked up to Cruise Control, my attention was drawn to the lovely patio area, with its wide white umbrellas, and shade trees offering a cool respite from the sun. Heading inside, l was struck by how spacious and light the everything was, with high ceilings, complimenting the generous bar and table groupings. The menu was unusual for my taste. I'm not a hot dog or sausage person but if you are you will love this place! They also had a fun kids menu, a jackalope sandwich (made of antelope and rabbit), unique boards, soup & salads and some yummy, green potato chips that were to die for! Our group agreed that our favorite item was the giant, pretzel with multiple dips. The peach and creme brulee dip were my absolute favorites! I even took my fork and scraped the last of the creme brulee dip out of the little container. 😜 As you can see from the menu, there are some fun and interesting liquid libations for you to choose from including many non-alcoholic drinks! The atmosphere was laid back, the staff super friendly, and we simply loved our introductory adventure there! The bathrooms were immaculate as was the entire restaurant! Looking forward to the next time we meet here, and highly recommend you check this new, as of September 2024, addition to downtown Grand Junction's unique...