Estes Park is famous for elk sightings and mountain views, but locals will tell you the real draw is a plate of food at Bird & Jim. 🦌
This locally-owned restaurant has spent nearly a decade turning wild game and Colorado-grown produce into a dining experience that feels both rustic and refined.
Perched near the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, it has become the kind of spot where hikers refuel, and locals celebrate, one seasonal entree at a time.
How Bird & Jim’s won Estes Park’s hearts
The restaurant is named after Isabella Bird, a globetrotting Victorian-era writer, and “Mountain Jim” Nugent, the rugged frontiersman who once guided her up Longs Peak. 🏞️
Owner Melissa Strong purchased the former Sundeck Restaurant space in 2016, determined to bring locally sourced, seasonally rotating food to a town that desperately needed it.
That founding vision of Colorado cuisine built on farm-to-table ingredients has become the backbone of everything the kitchen sends out today.
Bird & Jim manages to serve wild game entrees alongside vegetarian bowls, hand-cut fries alongside charcuterie boards, all without the menu ever feeling scattered. 🍷
Guests frequently mention ordering the Smoked Pheasant Chowder to start, then splitting a shareable entree like the Carnivore for the table, calling their meal there among the best they’ve had in Estes Park. ]
Menus rotate seasonally, pulling ingredients from the Front Range of Colorado and beyond, so a dish ordered in spring might look completely different by fall. 🌾
That constant evolution keeps even loyal regulars curious about what’s new, while a rotating wine list of organic and biodynamic bottles gives the bar program the same thoughtful treatment as the kitchen.
For a mountain town built around outdoor adventure, Bird & Jim gives visitors a reason to sit down, slow down, and stay a while. 🥂
Food Highlights
-
Mountain Jim Burger 🍔: A half-pound of Colorado Angus beef topped with Rocky Mountain cheddar, vine-ripe tomatoes, butter lettuce, and green peppercorn aioli on a potato bun.
-
Buffalo Bacon Burger 🦬: A half-pound Colorado bison patty piled with butter lettuce and tomato-bacon jam on a potato bun, a leaner alternative for bison lovers.
-
Colorado Trout Filet 🐟: Pan-seared, skin-on rainbow trout served with roasted corn succotash, garlic red potatoes, and a bright cilantro lime gremolata.
-
Carnivore 🍖: A hearty trio of elk striploin, petite filet mignon, and cheddar game sausage, plated with garlic broccolini, peppers, shallots, and black garlic aioli.
-
Lamb Sirloin 🐑: An 8-ounce cut served with roasted herb potatoes, haricot vert, shallots, garlic, and a red wine cherry reduction.
-
Mushroom & Hanger Steak Ravioli 🍝: Local lion’s mane mushrooms and hanger steak folded into ravioli with peas, tomatoes, basil, and a vodka sauce.
-
Bird & Jim Rotisserie Half Chicken 🍗: In-house rotisserie chicken plated with whipped potatoes, Brussels sprouts, roasted tomatoes, and cornbread.
- Hallett Peak Bowl 🌾: A vegan, gluten-free bowl of wild rice, red beans, Brussels sprouts, and heirloom carrots tossed in a lemon herb tahini sauce.
Atmosphere
Bird & Jim carries a rustic-chic mountain energy that feels equal parts elegant and easygoing, with rugged wood accents and views that hint at the national park just up the road. 🏔️
The bar area near the entrance buzzes with handcrafted cocktails and a sommelier-curated wine list, while the dining room stays relaxed enough for a casual lunch after a hike.
Guests frequently note the attentive, friendly service that carries through both busy dinner rushes and quiet weekday lunches.
It’s a space built for slowing down after a day outdoors, without ever feeling stuffy. 🌲
Bottom Line
Come for wild game entrees you won’t find anywhere else in Estes Park, stay for a seasonal menu that never gets stale, and return for the trout, the Carnivore, and a wine list built on genuine care. Add warm service and mountain views, and this locally-owned spot earns every bit of its reputation. 🏞️🍷
Address:
915 Moraine Ave, Estes Park, CO 80517
📞 (970) 586-9832
🕔 Mon–Wed, 11 AM–9 PM | Thu–Sat, 11 AM–9:30 PM | Sun, 10:30 AM–9 PM