Absolute Bakery & Cafe

Should be Amazing bakery & café! Great friendly service, fantastic food and a welcoming environment. I’ll drive to Mancos just to eat here!

This place is a great stopover on the way to a day at Mesa Verde. Should we visit Mesa Verde again in the future, we’d stop by Absolute on our way.
Environment: This restaurant is aiming for an eclectic bookstore/​coffee house vibe, and it pulls it off. There’s a ton of local flavor to this place, and not just in the food. If you took Poor Richard’s in Colorado Springs and scrambled the bookstore together with the coffee shop, added a dash of chaos and an pound of woodcarvings, you’d get Absolute Bakery & Café. The tables are somewhat crammed together (and I found it odd to be eating with a bookshelf full of biographies within elbow’s length) but otherwise it’s a fun and pleasant place to eat.
Environment: ⁴⁄₅
Service: The service was not particularly above and beyond relative to the average restaurant experience. For example, I ordered a cup of black coffee and was given an empty mug, but no explanation that there was actually a coffee station set up in the adjacent room. I had to ask another server if someone would be along to pour it or what — at that point I was pointed in the right direction. Servers didn’t check back with us very frequently, so overall it was a very basic level of service.
Service: ³⁄₅
Food: My wife and I each ordered the Mesa Verde stack (eggs, bacon, green chile, hash browns, all kind of mixed together). It was a hearty breakfast which actually carried us very well through the day at Mesa Verde. The green chile packed a punch but was not so awfully hot as to be unenjoyable. In fact, the more of it we ate, the less scorching it seemed, and that was a good thing.
To cleanse our taste buds we ordered some miniature chocolate dipped macaroons and that was just what the doctor ordered — chocolate and coconut are a great antidote to the fiery green chile. They should be standard issue following any dish involving green chile! We also picked up a blueberry lemon bar to split while at Mesa Verde — moist and sweet, no complaints there! I only wish we had ordered more of their various bakery items to sample.
Food: ⁵⁄₅

A few years ago, my wife and her girl friends stopped here in a tour of the Southwest
National Parks.
In a move from Dallas to Seattle at our kids’ request to join them in the Emerald City, we
took the luxury of having lunch at this outstanding and charming little bistro in this enchanted
hamlet.
I asked Patricia what she would order if she were having lunch here, and she recommended
the Greek Salad. It was nothing short of divine.
We also had the homemade soup, a spicy squash and corn delicacy. It was outstanding.
For those of you who are sick of those corporate soulless restaurants with managers who
turnover like the most recent Trump self-​praising fantasy, the Absolute Bakery & Café is like a breath of fresh air.
The only caveat is to be there early, as they close for lunch at 2 PM and you do not want to
miss a meal at this most nourishing and fun eclectic restaurant.
Ask if Patricia is accepting any new customers and see if you can sit at her table. She can guide you to enjoying one of the best and most pleasant meals of your life.
When you have finished, ask for directions to both the Bauer House, a National Historic
Register designate and to the Mancos Public Library, a stone’s throw from the Absolute Bakery & Café.
My wife is a retired college library director, and we had to check it out when we saw the
sign with the word LIBRARY and the arrow pointing one to the right. What we expected to
see was a charming 1920s cottage that had been painted and run a couple of days per week
by volunteers with their hair in buns.
What we saw was a magnificent glorious structure that is a testament to what can
happen when a small community joins together to plan, organize and implement an
absolutely first class learning support library.
Seven years ago, the Mancos community joined together to vote to approve a sales tax
to fund the construction of a building that would put most of the branch libraries in Dallas to shame,
This is an architectural statement that blends into the forested lot beautifully. The library serves as the library for the local elementary and junior high school, eliminating duplication
of scarce resources.
This is a warm and very courteous hamlet where everyone we talked with was as gracious and helpful as can be.
If you want to refresh your spirits, take the time to stop by Mancos to have a great meal
at the Absolute Bakery & Café as well as to visit the community treasure, the Mancos Public
Library.
It doesn’t get any better than this!

Ask for your meal receipt at the table. We’ve been here twice because of «rave» reviews on this site (thought we missed something the first time) and both times have been charged more at the register than the stated price on menu. Food was mediocre, at best. Won’t be back.

This place has awesome baked goods (breads, cookies, and deserts). And the breakfast food is also very yummy and fresh. Hope to come back some time.

We ate breakfast here twice during Memorial Day weekend. On Sunday morning, we walked in and were seated right away. We both ordered egg benedicts, which were absolutely delicious. Halfway through our meal, the air conditioning started blasting. It was 8:30 a.m. so it really wasn’t that warm. All customers were cold and had to go get sweaters/​jackets to finish their meals. We also had to wait a bit to pay for our meal. the server finally came to tell us that customers have to go up to the counter to pay and she gave us our table number. I would recommend to the servers that they tell their customers this right away so that we don’t have to waste time.
On Memorial Day, we returned to this restaurant, because the local bed & breakfast didn’t actually provide breakfast. We ordered different breakfast dishes which were also delicious. I ordered a soy chai and my fiancé ordered coffee. The café has a self-​serve coffee station which would be fine if it had coffee. All four containers were out of coffee, and when the wait staff was notified, they said, yeah we can’t keep up. I think the coffee should have been taken off of our ticket since he did not get a cup until the meal was almost done. And he didn’t finish that cup because we were ready to leave. Also, the server never came back to tell us what table we were at; the line to pay for the meal was extremely long because there were people ordering to-​go meals and who came in to buy bread or other products. I would recommend that the self-​serve coffee be better maintained and the servers begin cashing customers out. However, that being said, the food is delicious!

This place gets a thumbs up on many fronts. Fresh baked goods, breakfast dishes with lots of variety made with care. The place has a great vibe with Dave Sipes’ Folk art adorning the walls.
The organic coffees are a wake up and smile. Come to another corner or angle of Colorado…

Let me just say– this place smells glorious from the street about a block away! Once you get inside, you can’t help but want to eat everything! I purchased a 7 grain bread that they sliced for me! I couldn’t resist the pastry display and I opted for an apple and ginger tart/​bar as well as a chocolate raspberry tart/​bar.
I also purchased a mountain berry iced tea. Also super yummy!
Must visit!

O. M. Goodness. Every sense is catered to. touch (warmth)… taste (oh yeah) … sight (what a lovely atmosphere) … sound (all the nice sounds of a friendly café) and SMELL! I ordered a breakfast wrap and, you know, I’ve grown accustomed to wraps that are on the small side but THIS one, whoa, a real fatty! Not only was it fat, but my oh my it was TASTY (I had the spinach jack breakfast wrap). I had to buy some baked goodies too, all home made goodness. Highly recommended!!!

We stop in here every time we are in town and Absolutely Love It! Baked goods, breakfast, and lunch you can’t go wrong here. The lavender lemonade is amazing — try it.

Very very very good place to eat fresh, healthy food made with local products.
Would recommend 100%.
The staff is also very friendly.
Tested the carrot cake. Yummy !

Delicious breakfast and excellent service. This is a nice place for breakfast or grabbing pastries to go. The self-​serve coffee was kind of an inconvenience and kept people up all the time. The pancakes were particularly tasty.

We happened upon this little gem in Mancos on our way out of Mesa Verde NP. The restaurant has a charming atmosphere with several bookcases of books for sale — who couldn’t love that?!? The service was great and the food was fantastic. The huevos rancheros were some of the best we’ve had and I am a huevos snob/​connoisseur of sorts. Get the half order or you won’t be able to eat again until next Tuesday :)
The Absolute Breakfast was totally satisfying with perfectly prepared eggs. Good coffee. Good iced tea. And this place serves real butter, the hallmark of a restaurant that means business. We will definitely keep this on our short list of places to come back when we’re in SW Colorado!

Cool little bakery with an awesome atmosphere. The Mesa plate was awesome and the green chili sauce was great. Huevos rancheros are delicious and HUGE. Definitely get a half order if you don’t plan on having leftovers. I would recommend this café to anyone.

Oh geez… this place is kind of unreal. I came in on recommendation from some co-​workers in anticipation of a super delicious breakfast and the to-​go bakery items that were bound to be purchased. I loved the place instantly… cozy, small-​town bakery with locals sitting drinking their coffee and reading the newspaper. My breakfast consisted of the veggie sandwich (made with egg whites) and a chai tea latte. It was probably one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in awhile… and I finished that entire giant sandwich because it was so good. The bread was strikingly fresh and soft, and the heaping egg white, tomato, avocado, and cheese was just perfect. The chai latte wasn’t my favorite… I prefer my chai lattes on the sweeter rather than spicier side, though I’m not knocking this one because I know that’s just my taste and nothing they’re doing wrong here. Did I mention that this place can do no wrong?
The bakery treats that I took home were the lemon blueberry bar and the carrot cake, which were both phenomenal. I ate both of them that day, and I didn’t share! What a great place that I can’t WAIT to return to at some point when I’m in this part of the country again! A must-​go for sure.

We stopped here on a whim seeing «bakery café» on the sign while driving back to Chama, NM from Telluride. My husband and I were super impressed. I had the local beef hamburger and he had the chicken taco special. The food was in a word TERRIFIC! The potato salad which I usually don’t eat was so delicious with a hint of spiciness. The coleslaw also delicious and tangy. The chicken tacos were out of this world flavorful. No typical sour cream or mystery cheese here. Homemade mango salsa and queso fresco.
We had some baked treats also very good. Everything appeared to be homemade. Take a loaf of bread to go. Easily the best lunch we had our whole trip! Don’t pass this one up!

Cute little bakery in a cute little town!
We stopped by here one morning when we staying in town for the 4^th of July. We walked over from the playground. We had a large group so we grabbed a bunch of different pastries and cookies to go. We loved everything we got. The kids loved their giant cookies. Coffee was good. Prices are good too.

I was impressed here. I’m a tough sell when it comes to bakeries… I am a chef myself, specializing in pastry and breads. This bakery was well received after two weeks on the road away from my own kitchen. Excellent.
Breads are made from organic flour and good ingredients. Treats were very tasty. We got some bars to go, for a post hike treat, and they really hit the spot after 10ish miles in Mesa Verde! Breakfast was top notch too… the veggie breakfast burrito that I had «Christmas style» was really really good. It was huge too… I had to pass it around so my guys could finish it off for me. ;) I would totally return of ever in Mancos again!

This place is easily one of the best places I’ve ever been for breakfast. It’s worth planning your trip around a stop here. Nice people, inventive food, good coffee, great atmosphere and location. Good vegetarian options as well. It’s a no-​brainer!

Veggie scramble is delicious. Crazy flavorful, good size and they had no problems substituting egg whites. Great Vegetarian options. They take their time in preparing but it shows and was worth the wait.