The Seven Keys Lodge Soup and Salad Bar is easily one of our favorite restaurants in Estes Park.
Situated on a hill overlooking the Estes Valley, this century-old inn offers plenty of rustic charm and incredible views. You enter the grand old building via a wooden staircase which leads up to the second floor deck, where rocking chairs and porch swings let you linger and enjoy the view. The numerous hummingbird feeders are constantly buzzing with little visitors.
While you’re there, you’ll want to visit the world’s largest key collection, a crazy funky cool exhibit adjacent to the restaurant. And yes, it really is the world’s largest collection of keys.
The restaurant essentially has one menu item: the all you can eat soup and salad bar, which also includes cheeses and freshly baked breads and muffins. Make sure to order a piece of pie, too! While not strictly vegetarian, this is a great place for those who prefer a less-meaty menu.
The restaurant feels like it is from another time–the salad bar sits in an old clawfoot tub full of ice, and the walls are adorned with dozens of signed black and white photos from the celebrities of yesteryear. Ask for a table on the sun porch when making your reservation, both to enjoy the view and the photograph collection.
The soup and salad bar is open daily for lunch and dinner throughout the summer, but closed in winter. Reservations are highly recommended.
Note: although it is possible to maneuver a wheelchair up a long ramp and into the restaurant, this is probably not the best choice for people of limited mobility.
When making your reservation, ask whether there are any theater performances that week. You can sometimes catch a show in their outdoor theater and have dinner afterward as part of a package deal.
You may love it so much that you want to stay in their bed and breakfast.
If you can’t make it to the Seven Keys to enjoy the food in person, you can make their famous cornbread at home.
Contact The Baldpate Inn Soup and Salad Bar
4900 Colorado 7
Estes Park, CO 80517
(970) 586-KEYS (5397)