Do you ever walk somewhere and wonder what was taking place in that exact spot a century ago? Or, how many footsteps were there before you? I moved to Colorado in July of 2019, so admittedly Castle Rock is full of new stomping grounds. I often enjoy meandering downtown in the guise of a seasoned local. Trying out all of the restaurants (I still have plenty left to investigate) has been a particularly delicious pastime.
Recently I found there is more to the town’s eateries than meets the eye. Historic Downtown Castle Rock is billowing with old buildings and, not surprisingly, several of them have been repurposed into functioning businesses. What is surprising, though, are the outlandish tales that took place and the stark difference from what some of these buildings used to be and what they are now.
Nothing evokes memories quite like food does. This truth, coupled with curiosity and hunger, propelled my fiancé Mason and I to undertake the challenge of eating our way through Castle Rock’s history in a day. We have listed places to eat brunch, indulge in happy hour, nibble appetizers, and devour dinner- all of which bear impressive histories that provide opportunities to be a tourist in your own town!
Brunch: B&B Cafe
There was no better way to start our journey than with steaming mugs of coffee, fluffy omelets, homestyle potatoes, and thick waffles. The B&B cafe, a snug Castle Rock staple, has been welcoming locals and tourists alike for decades.
The walls of the B&B cafe are a timeline of the past. There are framed clippings from yellowing newspapers, a poster advertising the First Annual Douglas County Fair in 1918, and black and white snapshots of past regulars. However, its crowning decoration is two quarter-sized bullet holes.
The B&B fed more than just townies in the 1940s. Prisoners were marched from the jail twice a day for their meals. One of these criminals is the cause of these gaps in the ceiling. The bullet holes mark the murder of Marshall Ray Lewis, the police officer that fugitive killed in 1946. Today, the clientele of B&B is much more law abiding- from what we can tell. However, our next destination happens to have an interesting past with prisoners as well.
Happy Hour: Maddie’s Biergarten
It is hard to believe that the former confiner of Castle Rock convicts could turn into a place where people can enjoy a beer in the open breeze. Today, Maddie’s Biergarten is known for it’s cold drinks, hot food, and prime destination as a meeting place. However, it has a history as the original building for the Castle Rock sheriff’s department. In its century-and-a-half long history, the biergarten was also the town fire station, police department, and a clock shop.
Seemingly as is the trend with old buildings, the myth is that Maddie’s is haunted. Employees recall items flying off the shelves and mysterious noises, but that doesn’t hinder the place from bustling with conversation and positive energy every day of the week. When Maddie’s was being developed, the owners did quickly come to notice three jail cells in the basement. The lower level has since been covered by a mere concrete slab, but the bright murals strewn across the biergarten’s walls hardly leave a remnant of a jail.
Maddie’s eclectic history paved the way for a mosaic of decor. The ambiance balances the feel of grandma’s garden with the energy of a friendly neighborhood bar. White trellises, twinkling lights, and picnic tables define the outdoor patio, while the walls of the indoor section are decorated with metal signs and dozens of beer taps. Bartenders simply take the beer taps they need off of the wall each day and fasten them to the tap line, as Maddie’s features a rotating tap with an assortment of 15 different beers. All of the beers on draft are made in Colorado breweries. I quenched my thirst with a blueberry lavender cider, whereas Mason gave an exotic plum golden ale called “Kapow!” a try. For whatever reason, drinking and sitting in the sun causes one to work up an appetite. Next up, we make our way from a beer garden to the Garden of Eden (At least, that’s what they call the salad portion of their menu.)
Appetizers: Scileppi’s at the Old Church
Scileppi’s, a current hotspot for Italian delicacies, was also the original home of Castle Rock’s oldest church, the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. The building has held onto its history and maintains original architecture. Warm light beams into the restaurant through century-old stained glass, and the cherrywood balcony proves to be the ideal placement for larger parties. However, there are some differences- the confession booth has transformed into a cozy crevice to eat spaghetti and the wine served there is utilized for more than communion.
According to Colorado Preservationists, Inc., the dominant religion among the earliest non-native inhabitants of Colorado was Franciscan Catholicism. The Italian cuisine draws from the same foods that might have reminded recently immigrated Roman Catholics of home in 19th century Colorado. As far as appetizers go, their menu has a selection of garden-fresh caprese, fried calamari, mussels, and, according to an anonymous waitress, “meatballs better than my grandmother’s. But, don’t tell my family because they’ll accuse me of sinning in church.” We chose their heralded charcuterie board for our appetizer. It bears a diverse selection of savory cheeses, sweet fig jams and honeys, roasted cashews and artichokes, potent olives, and thinly-sliced meats.
Though we recommended Scileppi’s for the appetizer spot the food tour, you cannot go wrong with their main courses. Just as they draw from their Italian roots, Scileppi’s menu plays on biblical tropes as well. The more traditional portion of their menu is titled “Old Testament” and features classics like chicken parmigiana, gnocchi al fresco, and fehttuchini alfredo while their “New Testament” portion lists newer food fads like stuffed portobello mushrooms and seared salmon. Seeing everyone else’s entrees made our mouths water. We virtually walked out of Scileppi’s backwards, eyes fixated on pasta, eager to enter the epitome of our quest.
Main Course: Castle Cafe
The Castle Cafe is a family friendly joint where people gather around baskets of pan-fried chicken and buttery warm bread. It’s hospitable, homestyle feel is perhaps consistent with its past as The Castle Hotel and Bar, a gathering place for quarry workers, ranchers, and travelers alike in the 1890s. Unlike era’s past, however, you won’t find inebriated cowboys riding their horses through the bar. The restaurant boasts of its prior reputation as the wildest bar in the area, though its current neighbor “Next Door Bar” much more subdued.
In the early 20th century, the government used the Castle Hotel and Bar to hold their monthly dances. The upstairs dance hall has since been converted into apartments, but one can easily imagine good ol’ fashioned country music blaring from the jukebox and dancing shoes strutting across their original rustic wooden floors.
On the way to the Castle Cafe, Mason commented on his intense craving for chicken and waffles (yes, he wanted waffles again!) Unbeknownst to us, it happened to be the special of the day. As we drowned our plates in syrup, our waiter told us of the building’s history as a meeting place throughout the roaring 20’s, depression, and early years of World War II. It was a social hub where people rejoiced in victories and comforted one another during hardship. In that sense, perhaps not much has changed.