Craftwood Inn

So ten years ago you could not get me out of this place, today I think I cried a bit for the loss of one of the best! My food was cold, not room temp but Cold! When I mentioned this to the staff it was «well I don’t care»” amazing! Don’t waist your time or money McDonalds is just down the street and the food is hot!

CLOSED for business —

The whole experience was just ok. We went there for a romantic meal. We were sat in the middle of the upper room that has very little appeal. The service was ok but not particularly good. The appetizer and desert were the best part of the meal although the appetizer was two bites. I was extremely disappointed in the entrees. They had very little flavor and portion size was small. The meal came to nearly $ 200. We could have had 3 – 4 meals elsewhere at resturants we liked better for that.

We came here because my husband received a gift certificate for his birthday. I would not come back nor would I recommend this restaurant.
The service was worse than at the chain restaurants we eat at along Powers Blvd in the Springs. We received water 10 – 15 mins after being seated. Our server did not appear for another 10+ minutes. He did not tell us that they were out of the pork sausage until my husband tried to order the pork meal. The server even said «oh, sorry, I should have mentioned that when I asked if you had any questions about the menu.» Well, yes, you should have! You’ve been to our table thrice already & didn’t bother to mention it until my husband ordered it.
We were one of our server’s five tables. We could tell that the tables with older patrons received much better service than us and the other younger couple in his section. My husband mentioned it after we left, and I said I had noticed it on my own, too.
We still tipped pretty well (~18%) but noticed on our way out (while my husband waited for me to use the restroom) that there was a small sign sitting on the hostess stand — behind a railing, obstructing it from view — stating that they add a 20% gratuity to any credit card bill! That is very unusual for a party of two, so they really should have stated that on the receipt, or in a more prominent location. We never would have seen it at all had my husband not been standing there waiting on me. The sign also stated that they round all checks up to the nearest nickel! That may be getting nit-​picky to mention that, but after the rest of the evening, it was just the cherry on top.

My husband and I went here for the first time on New Years Eve. We chose to do the New Years couple 5 course menu for $ 130/​couple. The food was really good, but I unfortunately cannot give them more stars because of the staff we encountered. The hostesses were amazing, and I loved that they have a coat check. But our waitress and the guy who filled water glasses was another story. To start off with our waitress, she would stumble on her words, she spilled my martini on the way to our table (and with $ 10 a martini she should of took it back and remade it instead of giving me one she was spilling), was uneducated on Scotch, and would point at our plates with her finger less than an inch from our food. Now as for the guy that did water, first time he filled my husband’s glass he spilt ice on my husband’s lap and all he did was mumble sorry. Finally, towards the end of the dinner the table behind us ordered glasses of wine. When a different waiter came he actually came to our table and immediately started pouring it. When we told him that we didn’t order it, he said sorry and then proceeded to take our glass and gave it directly to the other table. That is just wrong, we didn’t touch those glassed, but how do they know that?
Management really needs to reevaluate who they hire, because one day these people may make a HUGE health related mistake. And when one goes to a restaurant they expect to have good employees waiting on them to make the experience memorable… the good kind.

So disappointing. We have been coming here for years –every time we are in town. New management? Inexcusable service

The dishes were well made and incredibly filling. It was delicious, but also repetitive after awhile. Next time, we may order one entrée to share and other appetizers or salads.

Best game restaurant we ever experienced. Everything was delicious!!! Oh as the duck confi salad and mixed grill which includes antelope, venison and elk. Everything was prepared to perfection and the red deer was bee tender. For the finale, we shared the lavender Crème brûlée and chocolate cheesecake with peanut butter crust.

I don’t mind paying for quality. I will gladly shell out money for a stellar meal and service. However, the Craftwood Inn offers neither for the price point.
My husband recently returned from a long deployment and we decided to celebrate with dinner here. We both opted for the four courses, and I had the elk tenderloin and he had the wild game trio. While the portions on his we’re incredibly small, I received two elk tenderloins… that looked like they had been cut so thin that there was no way you could even prepare these medium rare. They were completely brown in the middle, no pink. The demiglace was beyond bland and added nothing to the meat, not even to cover up the incredibly low quality. My husband’s trio for the wild game was incredibly small portions. Maybe two bites from each piece of meat, though they all looked of better quality than my elk.
Really the only things we enjoyed were the salad and the sorbet served between it and the entrée. I had the s’more bombe, which was ok but nothing special. My husband said his mango mojito cheesecake was, which seemed to be the running theme for the night, disappointing.
What really was bad though was the service. Our server just had a surly attitude and didn’t seem like she even wanted to be there. Everything was slow. Now I understand she can’t do anything about the kitchen, but we were there for almost 20 minutes before she finally came to take our drink orders. We ordered espresso with dessert… espresso came almost 10 minutes before the dessert came out.
For dropping almost $ 200 on dinner, we both left extremely disappointed. If the elk dish is supposed to be one of their «signature» items I would suggest firing their chef and revamping their entire menu. Amateur service, amateur high-​end restaurant.

I can’t tell you how good this restaurant is. It has to be experienced. A truly wonderful culinary adventure. A must see, must eat, must enjoy place.

Ah, the Craftwood Inn. .. the place where my FTH («full time honey») and I had our last meal together before we got married the following morning. So, was it as good when we returned, some 9 years later?
Welllllll, purty much. They serve lots of game and that’s prolly what you should order when you’re there. We went there on a Groupon (which is frequently offered, and they’re very nice about how they treat you, regardless of whether your coupon-​ed or coupon-​less). Certainly, the price-​to-​value ratio is better when your coupon-​ed, and I don’t think I’d go there without one ’cause the place is Tiffany-​like-​pricey without the discount (e.g. $ 42 for their highest priced entrée, the ostrich, which is served ala carte).
I had the kangaroo (don’t hate; they’re guaranteed to all be delinquent sociopathic roos that were sentenced to death after receiving a fair trial), and my FTH had the elk tenderloin. Both were prepared perfectly and were delicious, as were the appetizer (grilled asparagus with house-​made pancetta), the soup and the salad we started with. The dessert – the dark chocolate bombe with coconut cream sauce and house-​made mango sorbet – was very good, but not outrageously great. The wine (2009 Right Whale Pinotage from Walker Bay, South Africa) at $ 59 was a tad pricey for what it was, but nonetheless excellent.
After dinner we went down the road into the Garden of the Gods and went parking at the Balanced Rock entrance (ironic, huh?:). Man! Was that great! It almost raised the rating of the Craftwood to 5+ stars. .. until I realized that I shouldn’t give the restaurant credit on how most excellent my little peach blossom is.. .
Sign me «your Colorado Food, Park and Wildlife Enthusiast,» :-David

Bisque was AMAZING. Bass was soso.

Our first experience here was more like 4.5*, but I decided to round up!
Can’t believe it took me this long to dine here. I had a Groupon for a 4-​course meal for two, and Craftwood Inn had no problems honoring it. I half-​expected our server to make a disdainful face when we pulled out the Groupon, but instead he was very helpful and eager in explaining the deal.
Service by Levi and the other staff members was impeccable. We never felt interrupted when they refilled our waters or removed dishes and Levi was über-​polite and smiley and professional.
Loved the cozy, warm dining room! We were seated in a booth near the large fireplace at a table that could seat 4, but it was set up for 2. Therefore, we had plenty of space for our various dishes and drinks. Other diners were scattered throughout the room, but not too close where we could hear their intimate conversations. Bathrooms were nicely appointed.
Food was great. Nothing screamed super-​innovative: the game meats were the stars in their own right. I’ve read reviews where customers thought the portions were tiny; well, I can tell you my pants were feeling mighty uncomfortable by the end. I would’ve been happy with just an entrée and dessert, much less appetizer and soup! The ostrich appetizer on a bed of citrusy Brussels sprouts was excellent. I loved my spiced apple & fig salad. The fiancé’s wild game stew was delectably hearty, but it was a bit more watery than a real stew. Both of our entrees were solid, but again, nothing out-​of-​the-​ordinary although I was disappointed that my antelope wasn’t more tender. It came out medium rare as I ordered it, but I had to chew and chew and chew. Thankfully the flavor was delicious. The fiancé’s elk was outstanding. Both of our seasonal desserts were yummy (love the pear sorbet and honey tuile!).
It is pricey for Colorado Springs: even with the $ 68 Groupon, I shelled out $ 49 more for taxes, tip, a glass of wine, and soft drink. For that price the execution should’ve been near-​perfect, but they’re almost there and I give credit to effort. Overall I think Colorado Springs is very lucky to have Craftwood Inn, and I recommend it!

If you’ve ever watched the opening of The Lion King and said «Hmm, I wonder what antelope tastes like? Or maybe ostrich?» Then you need to come to Manitou Springs, CO and eat at Craftwood Inn.
We went with siblings and their other halves for a group date night courtesy of a great Christmas gift from the parents, so we decided to divide and conquer the menu. I can honestly tell you that I tried most everything on the menu, from duck sausage to pheasant arancini, wild game stew to beet mosaic salad, Nilgai antelope to Rocky Mountain elk, a trio of pumpkin desserts to a rosemary chocolate cake. Everything was really tasty and we were so pleased from our cocktails and amuse bouche to the last bite of dessert! I don’t think you could go wrong with anything on the menu!
Our waiter was also really great. He gave us awesome recommendations for entrees and was able to answer lots of questions about the menu and wine selections.
The ambience of the restaurant is really intimate, warm, and mountian lodge-​y. The dusting of snow all over the ground made these Colorado-​natives-​turned-​LA-​residents very happy. It felt like home… it felt like Colorado. Would love to go back again someday!

If you are daring with your tastebuds and willing to try gamey entrees then this would be a great place to dine. The atmosphere was pleasant and very quiet. Our server, Levi, was very professional and knowledgable about the menu and gave great recommendations. I had the chile caesar salad with the duck entrée. And the crème brûlée was so delightful.

Among a fair share of hippies and boulder-​esk «natural» cafes and restaurants, there are some serious gems in Manitou Springs, and Craftwood Inn is one of those gems.
Star 1: How was the service and atmosphere?
Excellent on all counts. With a quaint yet sizable atmosphere blending well with all of the history that goes along with Manitou, Craftwood complements their stellar atmosphere with top notch service. Star Granted.
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
A word of warning: this is by no means a daily stop, and no one should expect to make it out of the Craftwood Inn without forking over at the very least $ 50. Having said that, my four course meal, including a main course of Rocky Mountain Elk Medallions, came in at $ 48 pre-​tax and tip, but I was absolutely stuffed and extremely pleased with the generous portions of everything. Star Granted.
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
My oh my. While I found myself often staring in envy at my friend’s spare ribs, my Elk Medallions were very, very good, and were complemented well by the mashed potatoes and the tiger shrimp served as an appetizer. Exotic game meat is hard to find as it is, but the Craftwood Inn does it brilliantly. Dual Stars Granted.
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
The Craftwood Inn is fantastic, and I enjoyed every minute of my meal, but at the end of the day, this is Colorado Springs, not Beverly Hills. Keeping this in mind, even though the service is top notch, I can’t quite justify paying $ 48 pre tax and tip without alcohol as a way to treat myself. No Star Granted.

I bought a travelzoo coupon for $ 69 for dinner here including an appetizer, 2 soup or salad, credit towards 2 entrees of $ 39 each, and 2 desserts. Unfortunately love and I had frozen yogurt around 3pm and we were still a little full for our 6:30 reservation. What a lovely old restaurant in a beautiful setting, stepping in the door it felt as though we had stepped back in time when service actually meant something and people were proud of their craftsmanship.
I must say the entire staff there was fantastic and took great care of us. Brian was our waiter and knew the menu in great detail and provided great tips and insights.
I’ll tackle the dinner by course. We started off with the Craftwood Inn Tapas —
Sautéed Ostrich with Cherry Verjus, Venison Chorizo with Manchego Cream,
Fried Pheasant with Saffron Honey Mustard. Everything was cooked in bite sized portions so I am not sure if it was a bit overcooked because of it. The appetizer was very good, but it wasn’t great. I’d go ahead and try something else when I go back next time, probably the seafood trio.
For the next course, I had the Crab & Artichoke Bisque, it was very tasty and the sherry that came with it provided a nice contract to the Bisque. My love had the Baby Spinach Salad:
Warm Bacon-​Brie Vinaigrette, Bacon Lardoons, Cherry Tomatoes, Enoki Mushrooms, and Sweet Potato Crisps. It was amazing!
Next we get to the main course where I had the Trio of Game Medallions featuring
Rocky Mountain Elk, New Zealand Red Deer and Nilgai Antelope and they were all good although the Red Deer was by far my favorite and that’s what I’d order next time. My love had the Macadamia & Herb Crusted Ostrich: Cherry Verjus, Whipped Truffled Potatoes, Sautéed Garlic Spinach. It was cooked to perfection. Unfortunately, with our frozen yogurt experience earlier in the day we couldn’t finish our main courses and brought some home.
The desserts all looked amazing. We had to get them to go though. I went for the double treat and it was quite good however, my love ordered the crème brule. We ate both of these this morning for breakfast… who needs Wheaties??? The crème brule was my favorite.
Look for specials, they have coupons all the time. It was still expensive but, a wonderful experience!

Expensive for Colorado, but yummy. I’m not a big fan of the town it’s in (kind of creepy and apparently has the largest group of wicca followers).
The hostess fit us in on a busy Saturday night without reservations and the wait staff and bartender were extremely polite and helpful the entire night.
I’ve never had venison, antelope, or rabbit before and was worried I wouldn’t like it. The food was delicious! It was prepared well and seasoned nicely without being over seasoned or saucy so that I could taste the flavor of the actual meat itself.
Out of everything we tried I remember liking the Antelope the best.
4 stars because although the food was great here, it wasn’t my favorite experience in comparison to other restaurants I’ve dined at.

Das Craftwood Inn ist schon von der äußeren Erscheinung recht imposant. Dass schön erhaltene alte Gebäude beherbergt eine ausgezeichnete Küche. Vor allem die gegrillten Speisen, die vielfältigen Vor– und Nachspeisenvariationen sind sehr zu empfehlen. Von der Weinauswahl war ich sehr angenehm überrascht, da nicht nur Californien und Washington sondern auch Europa sich mit den vielfältigsten Provenienzen auf der Karte fand.

I visited here for Pikes Peak Restaurant Week. I just relocated here from San Antonio, and I was eager to try out the fine dining options in the area. Overall, the experience was nice, but I expected more for the money.
Food: In addition to the 4 course dinner for 2 that was the Restauran Week offering, we also tried the 3 for $ 20 entrée sampler. We tried the Grilled Colorado Elk, Spiced Pumpkin Seed Antelope, and Pepper Grilled Red Deer. The meat on each was cooked well. Of the three, the deer was our favorite, mostly due to the sauce. The sauce the antelope was a little sweet for me, and the hunter’s sauce on the elk was just a basic demiglace, also a little sweet. Reviewing the menu, the chef seems to have a proclivity for pairing sweet & savory. I like the contrast in the right context, but it’s a delicate balancing act that can end up tasting like meat covered in syrup.
For the 4 courses, I had Sweet Potato & Ale soup, berry sorbet intermezzo, a beef tenderloin dish, and 5-​spice crème brûlée. The soup portion was a full bowl, which was a surprise and a little much when served as part of a multi-​course dinner. It was tasty, with just-​right pieces of sweet potato and a drizzle of pesto. I didn’t finish it because it would have filled me up too much for the entrée. The sorbet was very refreshing and flavorful. The generously-​sized beef was cooked medium, exactly as ordered. There was a bit of demiglace, but the meat itself could have used more seasoning. The sides were mashed potatoes (smooth and garlicky), yellow squash (squashy), and half a grilled tomato. The tomato was a little large, and needed more salt. The crème brûlée was good – had almost a gingerbread flavor to it. The portion was appropriately individual-​sized.
For the 4 course dinner, I would prefer to see smaller portion sizes for a smaller price. It seems like they’re serving larger portions to justify the normal $ 80 bill (the Restaurant Week special was $ 50). It’s no fun to get ¹⁄₃ of the way through the entrée and feel like eating the rest is a chore.
Service: Our waiter was very friendly. The Shiraz I ordered was out, so a pricier Malbec was substituted at the Shiraz price. Dinner took a little over two hours from seating to bill. It was leisurely, but not inattentive.
Ambience: The restaurant is in an old house, and the dining room is divided up into smaller rooms. We were there after dark, so I’m not sure if there was a nice view or not. Our table for two was seated next to a table for four, and we could hear every word of their conversation. They were speaking at normal conversation levels, but we were really close. The set up is visually cosy and cute, but can make for some navigation issues in the close quarters – I almost ran into a waiter 3 times just on one trip to the restroom.
Overall: I like the ideas here, particularly the heavy use of game. I think the execution could be stepped up a bit, and it would be a 4 star place. It probably is already a 4-​stars-​for-​Colorado-​Springs place, but that’s not how I rate (yet).

Das Craftwood Inn gilt in Colorado (bzw. Manitou) Springs, neben dem Briar Hurst, als eines der besten Restaurants. Dort hatten wir unseren Hochzeitstag gefeiert.
Das Essen war wirklich lecker. Als Vorspeise hatten wir selbstgemachten Pecan Mozzarella, dann eine Sample Platte mit verschiedenem Fleisch und als Hauptspeise einen Mixed Grill Teller mit Beef, Antelope und Elk. Als Nachspeise hatte jeder einen Cheese Cake.
Insgesamt bezahlten wir, mit Getränken (Wein etc.) 171,90 $. Nicht ganz billig, aber unter Berücksichtigung des aktuellen Kurses noch zu verkraften.
Was allerdings z.B. auffiel war, dass der Rotwein nicht am Tisch eingeschenkt wurde, sondern schon im Glas kam und dass es keine Rotweingläser gab.
Außerdem wurde Sherry in der Karte als offener Wein geführt und das ist so ja nicht ganz richtig, da er ja eher ein Dessertwein ist.

Coming from Britain I will say I liked Craftwood. Like much of Manitou springs it has a very eloquent Victorian feel. On this particular night it was my Birthday, and we’d been ghost hunting in the hotel below named Onaledge. (Random I know!) Anyway there was a vicious storm and it was pitch black, the rain poured down on us as we made our way up the hill to this restaurant. The food was wonderful and they had all sorts of unsual game on the menu. But for the majority of the night I sat there watching bright thunder out the window.
The hungry kitten says: Try going here on a dark and stormy night, is great for a creepy but fun dinning atmosphere!