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| Notchtop Bakery and Cafe |
459 E Wonderview Ave
Estes Park, CO 80517
970.586.0272
Breakfast is unquestionably my favorite meal to eat in a restaurant. In my book, it is the quintessential definition of comfort food. Breakfast is a lovely culmination of all of the most delicious foods that I remember from the most loving parts of my life. Because my husband shares my love of breakfast dining, we have been been searching for an outstanding breakfast in Estes Park since he first arrived in the area as part of the team in charge of opening one of the many highways partially obliterated by recent floods. Since working on the project, my husband has had few opportunities when he can emerge from the Big Thompson Canyon with a bit of time to eat. We try to enjoy the bits of time we have together in whatever ways we can, which, of course, includes enjoying breakfast together on those occasions he can get away for a short time in the morning.
We've tried local recommendations and a couple of tourist places, and some places off the beaten path, but what we found was a lot of overpriced, unimaginative fare that caters to tourist families who don't have time to care. We had not really found what we were looking for: really fresh food, classic recipes done with a tasty twist, and, of course, food made with love in that way that breakfast fare particularly enjoys, until we found Notchtop Bakery, a cafe with an extensive, imaginative menu, great local service and delicious, from-scratch food that someone clearly takes pride in.
I was turned on to Notchtop when I encountered a woman and her son who had been displaced by the floods and were living in the same hotel where my husband and I were staying. She had recently taken a waitressing job at the restaurant, but she had been working to open a yoga studio in Estes Park when the floods hit. She and her son had been staying in the hotel since. Over a cup of bad hotel coffee, she told me her story, and also recommended Notchtop. Once we tried it, we were happy we took her recommendation!All of the baked goods are fresh and made in-house daily by owner Naliya, who clearly takes enormous pride in the freshness of her food, and obviously loves what she does. Notchtop has become our go-to breakfast place and we have enjoyed exploring and sampling the 3 page breakfast menu and even venturing into the impressive lunch menu once in a while. The variety of Benedicts alone could keep a chef busy, but when you consider the fact that the English muffins are baked from scratch, as well as the croissant for the California Benedict, along with all of the breads for the toast (the rye bread was marbled and outstanding and is also used for their Reuben),and that the biscuits, muffins, cinnamon rolls, pies and cakes are all made from scratch, you begin to get the scope of what this restaurant produces every day.
Well-made Benedicts are always a personal favorite, and Notchtop offers a creative variety that is sure to please any palate. The menu, overall, is as extensive as it is inventive, with unique offerings such as Cinnamon Roll French Toast, The Day After Thanksgiving Sandwich, Chicken Lips (chicken tenders with buttermilk ranch), Coconut Pineapple Oatmeal, House made granola, Caveman Hash, and one of my absolute favorites, a Bacon Cooked Waffle, an amazingly delicious waffle with strips of crispy bacon crumbled right into the batter (something that so inspired me, I actually dragged out my dusty waffle iron to try it myself at home!). They also serve stand by favorites such as Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs, Biscuits and Gravy (house made, of course) and Blueberry Pancakes. Gluten free and vegetarian options are available as well.
Notchtop Bakery has definitely become one of our favorite places for breakfast in Estes. The excellent service, scratch-made entrees and hand crafted coffee drinks (served in super-cool clear glass cups) all artfully combine for a sublime breakfast dining experience.
