Eating in Lyons, CO

About an hour northwest of Denver, Lyons, Colorado is a small town at the base of the foothills on the way to Rocky Mountain National Park. In 2013 Lyons was ravaged by a hundred year flood. Most of the downtown area and many homes were under water — the city had to shut down the water treatment and electric facilities so that even residents on dry land had to evacuate. In many cases, people had to be airlifted out via Chinook helicopters and army trucks.

Almost four years since the flood, the recovery is amazing. The new town motto is “We’ve got grit.” We came upon this sign on a building in town:

Last Saturday we were in town to catch a Shakespearean double feature performed by the fifth-graders of Lyons Elementary School: The Taming of the Shrew and The Tempest. Ironically, an actual tempest came upon us midway through the first performance and we had to move everything into the school gymnasium! The kids carried on without missing a beat. It was so fun to watch their performance.

Before the play, we indulged in some treats (naturally!). After years of driving past Lyons Dairy Bar on the way into town, we finally stopped in to enjoy ice cream cones on the patio. My husband said the coffee caramel crunch was possibly the best ice cream he’s ever had.

Another delicious stop in Lyons is the Button Rock Bakery on Main Street. We love the decadent ham and cheese croissants:

But they also have a variety of sweets:

I encourage everyone passing through Lyons to stop for a latte or smoothie at The Stone Cup. On a nice day there is nothing more inviting than a table on their large patio, and on a gloomy day the indoor seating area is warm and colorful with local artists’ work on display.

I also recommend pizza from Pizza Bar 66, also on Main Street. My favorite pie is the beet and goat cheese (pesto, fresh roasted beets, goat cheese, fresh arugula and balsamic reduction). The rest of my family scarfed down the Hawaiian (Canadian bacon and pineapple). A big plus at Pizza Bar 66 is a delicious gluten-free crust option in two sizes. We’ll be back!