Reader: So Happy El Rancho Is Coming Back to Life!

El Rancho is making another comeback — this time as a brewpub. The iconic restaurant in the foothills got its start as a log cabin eatery in 1947; new owners took it over in the '50s, and expanded it into a major restaurant and conference center. In the '60s, it...

By Patricia Calhoun

May 27, 2015

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El Rancho is making another comeback — this time as a brewpub. The iconic restaurant in the foothills got its start as a log cabin eatery in 1947; new owners took it over in the '50s, and expanded it into a major restaurant and conference center. In the '60s, it even got its own exit off brand-new I-70. But since El Rancho was sold in 1988, it's gone through a number of disappointing incarnations. Will a brewpub be the ticket to success? Says Erin:

So happy someone is bringing this fantastic place back to life! I worked there seventeen years ago and have always loved the building and the history of it! I'll be a regular when the doors reopen!

Adds Thomas:

Glad it's coming back. Sadly, the quirky Observatory Café across the street has been left to slowly disintegrate.

Warns Lawrence:

The state patrol and deputy sheriffs will be lined up to issue DUI citations.

Did you ever visit El Rancho? How about the Observatory? If El Rancho can make it as a brewpub, can the Observatory be saved?

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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