Manna Restaurant

Came here while visiting Colorado (we were visiting some family who knew about this wonderful place) We were all so impressed. It was DELICIOUS! Who would have ever thought there would be a restaurant this amazing in a hospital! My sister had the BLT (She said it was outstanding), some of us shared the bacon maple pizza which was AWESOME (coming from a true pizza lover!!) Someone else had chicken tacos, and a burger they all raved about it too. Just a really great place. Everything we had fantastic!

Wow… this is an exceptional place to eat. Food tastes home cooked, it is presented beautifully and the staff are really nice.

It’s weird that this restaurant is inside a hospital, but what can you do? Food is delicious, and, because it is in a hospital, it is very healthy (they don’t want you coming back because of their if you know what I mean). Prices are a bit much, and as hospital food goes, this is elegant cuisine prepared by actual chefs. They take time and care into what they prepare, and it can be quite tasty too. I wouldn’t contact 911 to hitch a ride to this restaurant, grab a friend and have them drive you to Manna.

It may be a hospital restaurant but that aside, this place is great. Great food — delicious, well made, and healthy options. Service is great, and the staff very friendly. You may order from a menu, but you also have a salad bar option, soup station, and market area. I’ve had a family member at this hospital several times since the new year and I’ve looked forward to every meal here! A definitely recommend eating here.

I absolutely love Mannas pizza they are very well priced and the food is incredible! The staff is amazing and super attentive. I almost have nothing bad to say about them except they messed up a call in order. Other than that they are absolutely incredible and very worth trying!
Ask for a flash light so the kids can play with the table! It’s a really cool unique feature they have

When you think of hospital food… this isn’t it! Surgically implanted in the Castle Rock Adventist Hospital, Manna could stand by itself elsewhere if it wanted to. Wonderfully prepared healthy gourmet dishes at a great price! My problem is I always forget that it’s there, otherwise I would go there more often! :)

Great prices! The Gochujang Wings are DELICIOUS! It’s neat eating such good food at a hospital.

This is a hospital restaurant and the supposed mission of this company is to treat customers «…body, mind, spirit…»… through food — not so much during my visit.
That mission statement apparently means the manager-​chef Dan Skay can try to manipulate, control and harass the staff and customers as was my experience recently. He flat out refused to have the chef make an item without certain ingredients (the type that are added AFTER the basic sauce is made). He also lied to me about how a sauce is made (again, I’m a chef so I know) and despite the menu statement about allergies and dietary requests Dan refused me service (gee I wonder what happens to dietary requests from hospital patients?). Dan didn’t like being called out on these blatant lies. He had the poor server so scared she was trembling and then he implied that she lied to him about the request! Unconscionable and disgusting.
Furthermore, when speaking with the real chef, Adam, it was clear that Dan doesn’t even cook — «…he’s never behind the line…» said Adam (this means Dan isn’t a working chef, just a restaurant manager). Adam should find a real restaurant to work in that shares his skill-​set and integrity.
Based on my experience on this particular day, Adam is the true star of this restaurant and it is obvious he has integrity but is controlled by Dan and the limits the restaurant truly has — such as mandatory changes in food cost allotment. This means those promises on the menu and website often get thrown to the wayside because money is the driving force, not the actual ingredients, sourcing or nutrition/​health stated.
I’ve noticed the way Dan responds to less-​than stellar reviews and it is nasty. Hey, the experience is the experience. What I find interesting is Dan only seems to respond to the negative reviews that women post — and then he goes after them — sounds misogynistic to me. I’d like to see him pull the same response to my husband that he did to me.
With the recent posting of a picture of Manna employees, it’s interesting to see some faces that look familiar — like Manna employees posting reviews about Manna Restaurant, hmmm.
The bottom line is Manna is a public restaurant. This means that discrimination of any kind is against the law. A restaurant open to the public can’t play favorites to customers dietary requests. I feel discriminated against since my request was denied. Imagine that. A faith-​based (this means a religious entity is behind the restaurant) company denying service to a customer. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Manna Restaurant or Mannas Bounty (whatever name they’re using these days to get past the public).
As a Chef-​Nutritionist and someone trained in sensory evaluation, I’m curious what the actual nutrition profile of the Manna menu items really is. Field trip.

EXCELLENT cuisine and friendly staff. It’s an interesting concept to have this type of quality restaurant located inside of a hospital, but it works. I hope this idea catches on all over. Would definitely recommend!

The food is incredibly amazing and the service is great (especially in comparison to other restaurants of this price range). The only reason I deducted one star from my rating was a solely subjective reason. When I was a child, my mother had cancer so we were in and out of hospitals a lot. The whole hospital atmosphere just reminded me back to this and kind of grossed me out. If the restaurant was located in any other location, I probably would have given it 5 stars.
Anyway, I highly recommend the steak tacos and the smoked salmon carbonara — absolutely flavorful and delicious. Although the menu is relatively small, they have quite a diverse selection of food items for individuals of all ages.
I definitely will be returning!

The fact that this place is located inside the hospital should not stop you from going there. We had to see for ourselves and we did. The burger was amazing and the menu was so high class. We go and try new dishes all the time and are never disappointed. The food looks almost too pretty to eat.
Everyone there has been so friendly and they do not take tips. All tips are donated to charity. How can you lose? The best food I have found in the area is at the hospital.

Fact 1: This restaurant is in A HOSPITAL.
…If you are a normal human, this should give you pause. It should also rule out date night, group events, birthday dinners, or ever be an option for anyone expecting cocktails.
Fact 2: If price is something matters to you, this might be the best restaurant in the state of Colorado.
…If you are the average Colorado family, price is something that should matter to you.
So. Tell me when to stop: Full salad bar with gourmet items like fava bean slaw, stuffed olives, and Dolmades alongside classics like tuna salad and zucchini – for just 7 bucks. Better yet, single trip plates for just 4 bucks, which you will want to do because the most expensive burger on the menu is a half pound of grilled perfection with garlic aeoli and port salut for just 8 bucks. See where this is going? Mains like Truffled Polenta and Cobia Escapeche (I don’t know what those words mean either but it sounds expensive) for 8 – 10 bucks. Gourmet soups for $ 3. Sides for $ 2. House made desserts, many locally sourced or organic ingredients, waitresses donate all tips to community orgs rather than accept them, amazing brick oven pizzas for 7 bucks, a bar where you can look out on a busy commercial kitchen… the list goes on.
This is essentially a bunch of trained chefs cooking for you at Wendy’s prices thanks to a (very) well paid hotel subsidizing every bite you eat. Manna probably isn’t the best restaurant. It certainly isn’t the cheapest. But it’s the best-​cheapest place imaginable. In a hospital, of all places.

Manna is amazing. The food is delicious, and yes it is in a hospital! My wife and I were hungry before hitting the outlets. We looked at Unilocal and Manna was the #1 place to eat in Castle Rock. Everything was fresh and tasted great. Our server was such a nice guy. But the star was the salted caramel brownie. Oh my goodness, it was so good we almost went back after shopping. Do not let it’s location put you off, it is inexpensive, healthy, great tasting food and your tip goes towards community health programs.

I am a frequent customer. More than a year later and I come in frequently. I love when the menu changes, makes the change up fun! All the staff are extremely friendly and the food is still amazing!
Their soups is what keeps me coming back. They always have a soup of the day and I’ve never had a soup I didn’t like.
And I would like to add I am not and have never been an employee here. Homeof A says they called to prove I was an employee, and had they actually called or asked the right question if Kelsie H worked there, they would have gotten a straight NO. There is a Kelsey that works there, but I am by no means her.
Homeof A, try using ur real name, instead of being a bully.
I would also like to add that being a regular for a long time I have gotten well acquainted with Chef Dan, and he is a very talented, high quality, creative Chef! He takes the time to walk around and greet the customers and get feedback. He wants to make everyone’s experiences great. If anything should be wrong, ask them to fix it before ranting about it on the Internet.

We were hesitant to meet up with friends at a restaurant located inside a hospital, but as soon as we started reading the menu, we forgot entirely about our trepidation.
It was DELICIOUS! Every single thing I sampled was fabulous and presentation was spot on, as well (I love the unique ceramics). I was so delighted at the fresh and creative menu (a great assortment of vegetarian, and gluten-​free options, too!); I really wanted to try everything. I so wish there was a location in Los Angeles.. . This Manna was more foodie and California-​fresh than most restaurants out there. And yes, there is no tipping accepted (finally!) but service was still great. Our server was very patient with us while it took three visits to our table for us to be ready to order (I wasn’t kidding — I wanted it all). She was friendly and wore a genuine smile our entire visit. It’s worth noting as well that the prices here are wonderful. And for anyone who avoids pork like I do, this place is amazing (beef bacon and prosciutto!).
I’ll have to come back to CO just to eat here again. Huge applause for whoever came up with this restaurant’s concept and approach, and even more applause for whoever approved it. Typical jello-​cafeteria hospitals need to take notice! A+++

Impeccable !
I can see and taste a lot of pride in this place. There must be an artist in the kitchen. Very unusual and health conscious dishes, yet very refreshing as well.
This must be one of the most unique restaurants I have been into and it shatters age old hospitality business paradigms too; it is the only place I know that has abandoned the gratuity model of server compensation. All servers are paid regular salary and it shows. Not only the service doesn’t suffer (most common argument against the practice) but the opposite, the servers are happy to serve, they have a spring in their step and they do not allocate tables to themselves; they work the tables in a communal fashion. They take orders on tablets, all electronic.
Also, the business is non-​for-​profit I think. The overall cost of the food is exceptionally reasonable, never before had I been taken aback by so much apparent value for so little.
Yes, I will drive an hour south for to visit this place.

Manna is a «treasure» in Castle Rock. A «hospital restaurant» is not supposed to be a «destination», it’s normally a «convenience» for people who are stuck at the hospital with no other place to go.
«Manna» is a great place to eat. We’ve gone there for lunch, dinner, brunch, and have always enjoyed outstanding food and great service. It’s clean (meticulously so), as one would expect in a hospital. The food is inspired and tasty, not to mention, healthy.
Do yourself a favor and stop by Manna and enjoy the food.

Manna is wonderful and quirky, and the food is spectacular. Creative, colorful, and delicious dishes, super friendly staff, and admirable ethics (tips go to charity), and yes still in the setting of a hospital cafeteria, but when you love Manna, you love that too.
To get the negative stuff out of the way first, my least favorite part of Manna is falling in love with a food item and having it unexpectedly disappear from the menu (goodbye the most delicious stuffed portobello I’ve ever had in my life), but you know what? Love has its ups and downs, and so loving Manna means just a tiny bit of heartbreak sometimes. The other thing I don’t like is ordering fruit for my kids and getting a chintzy plastic fruit cup. Quite incongruous coming from a restaurant that serves Polenta al Tartufo. Charge me more, but give me real, fresh fruit please, oh healthy-​local-​food-​source-​boasting restaurant!
Okay, minor issues out of the way, my favorite part of Manna is basically everything else. The service? Amazing. The prices? Really, truly unbelievable, in a good way. The menu is fun, fancy, and diverse. It is obvious that the chef is constantly experimenting with new flavors and dish types, and the truth is that every now and then something will get thrown in that just doesn’t work, but it doesn’t matter because the experience is far more often one of delight than of disappointment. I wouldn’t dock Manna a star for trying new things, because the end result of that process is that yummy new things are always springing up. I particularly appreciate the amazing vegetarian options on the menu, a rarity around these parts.
The atmosphere is definitely still hospital cafeteria despite the gourmet that ends up on the table in front of you, so there’s just a little bit of confusion: How did that gorgeous dish end up in this setting? Should I have dressed up… in scrubs?
All things considered, the food, the menu creativity, the diversity in ingredients and flavors, and the service win.

A stellar example of what a restaurant should be. Fresh food, made from locally sourced ingredients. Healthy choices, vegetarian and gluten free options, and a killer salad bar to top it all off. The menu changes seasonally so it’s smart to visit often and with prices like these it won’t break the bank to do so. Current faves include the Lamb Reuben and the Roasted Pumpkin soup… so good! The friendly staff and pleasant atmosphere make it easy to forget you’re eating in a restaurant inside a hospital. A hidden gem worth seeking out in Castle Rock.

Going out to dinner at a hospital. Weird. As expected, spotless!
Quiet, cozy, comfortable. Bright and open.
The web says they use fresh and sustainable foods. It most definitely looked and tasted fresh. Yum
First dish: roasted red pepper bisque, their «Soup of the Moment» ($ 3). Very thick and rich, delicious, enough for two to share. Thumbs up.
Meals are all ala carte. Side dishes are all only $ 2.
Next: Plancha Crisped Chicken ($ 8).
Chicken breast, artichoke, yogurt, black garlic glaze. Tender, mild (hoping for a little stronger garlic flavor, but it was delicious. The yogurt added a touch of sweet. Large side of artichoke. Definitely a big thumbs up.
Also: Calabria pizza ($ 6). Hand tossed. Marinara, sausage, ricotta, and Calabrian chilies (a sweet pepper)
Enough to share, and a larger 16″ is available.
Very fresh. Very light. Blows away any of the pizza chains by a mile and for nearly half the price. I never had peppers like this on a pizza before. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Last on the list: salted caramel gelato brownie. The brownie brownie tasted more like a flour less torte, and it was gluten-​free. Who cares! The least favorite of our dishes, but still well worth the $ 5.
I figure I’ll just double my insulin injection tonight. What’s there to say. Caramel. Brownie. Mmmmmmm
Here’s the kicker. With 2 iced teas, the whole bill came to $ 25.50 before tax. Try getting a deal like that anywhere else.
I’d say check it out, but I don’t want to come back and have to wait in line!