It seemed like a day in the park on my visit to The Hive restaurant, located in the Estes Park Brewery at 470 Prospect Village Drive.
Adults and kids were playing baggo — also known as cornhole, depending on where you’re from — and an oversized Connect 4. Others sat at picnic tables in the beer garden, and a dog napped under a table there.
It was a beautiful summer day, and two gravel bikers from Denver said it was the perfect place to enjoy a beer after a ride. A man from Arvada in the shaded beer garden described his in-house Glacier Crisp Pilsner as refreshing on a hot day.
A 20-something woman from Fort Collins said the music was definitely setting a vibe, and then she raved about how much she and her family liked the Truffle Mushroom Pizza ($21), Truffle Fries ($6), and Fried Pickle Chips ($9). Three other pizzas range from $23 to $25.
A young couple from California, sitting outside, came up from Boulder for burgers and beer because it was 91 degrees down there. They both complimented the beers they were drinking, a Redrum Ale and a Staggering Elk, both brewed right here at the EP Brewery.
Co-owner Sabir Shrestha touts this as a place for locals year-round, especially in the summer.
“It’s not downtown, so you can bypass all that traffic. We have plenty of free parking, and we have some very good specials for locals,” said Shrestha.
However, the majority of people I spoke to were visitors to Estes.
Indoors, the place was hopping, and the fun continued. Customers watched sports on several large TVs at the very long, handsome bar, and a video trivia game was constantly playing on two monitors.
Two diners described the indoor vibe as “rockin’” and “energetic,” with a live performance by local musician Nicky Wag.
A woman from Indianapolis said the Brewery Salad ($15), with sous vide chicken, cranberries, pickled onions, and feta cheese, was excellent and emphatically said, “We’ll be back here during this trip.”
A group of five from Laguna Beach, Calif., raved about the Brewmaster’s Brat Sampler ($20) with bison and elk brats, tangy mustard, homemade pickles, and sweet fig jam. They said they found The Hive by Googling “Estes Park bratwurst.”
They also had high praise for the Bison Bolognese ($24) and the Alpine Redbird ($25), a hearty chicken dish served with potatoes and vegetables, as well as the Rocky Mountain Trout ($25). One of the diners said their meal was “just what you would expect right here in the Rocky Mountains.”
Rocky Mountain Oysters ($11) are one of the most popular items. A woman from Waco, Tex., described them as “sort of like fried beef jerky,” but her husband claimed they were not as good as the Texas version.
You know what they say about Texans: You can always tell a Texan; you just can’t tell them very much.
The mountain views are also a feature from both inside and outside the restaurant. Long’s Peak is visible from the second-floor patio, and Prospect Mountain with the vintage red tramway cars can be seen from both the beer garden and the dining room.
That panoramic view is the result of local artist Beth Engl’s vision. Working for The Remixed Store, she replaced a row of booths with chic banquette seating, opening an entire wall to large windows overlooking the sky and mountains.
Taking in the view, three adults from Texas said they were there enjoying their after-hike.
They said service was “fast and friendly”; the Brewmaster Lager Fish and Chips ($18) were “perfectly crispy,” and their burgers with fries — the Rocky Mountain Elk Burger and the Altitude Burger ($18 and $17) — were “great.”
Eight people talked to me about their Rocky Mountain elk burgers, all with positive comments. One man said it was the best elk burger ever because of the crispy onions.
There are four other burgers on the menu ($16 to $21), one vegetarian burger ($17), and four other sandwiches served with fries ($14 to $17).
I ordered the Caprese Panini and added chicken ($18), which was delicious and hearty. I was happy to take half of that pita bread sandwich home because it was so good.
I heard only one complaint during my interactions with customers, but that complaint turned into accolades. A man from Indiana said he didn’t like his sandwich, and the server whisked it away without interrogating him or trying to defend the sandwich. “What else can I bring you?” she asked.
He ordered Rocky Ridge Wings ($15), “which came quickly and were so good,” he said. “They handled it so professionally,” and he added, “We’ll be back.”
A man from Austin, Tex., and his brother from New Delhi, India, enjoyed hanging out in the tasting area on the first floor while they waited a brief 10 minutes for their table.
There are eight beers from the Estes Park Brewery available for free samples. The favorites among these two men were the malty, crisp Renegade IPA and the bitter Redrum Ale, a nod to Stephen King’s “The Shining,” which was inspired by the best-selling author’s 1974 stay at The Stanley Hotel. After tasting, they ordered pints of Redrum with their dinners of burgers and fries.
A local man with celiac disease said he was very happy with the gluten-free options on both the food and drink menus.
“Lots of food options,” he said, “and they have a cool spin on my favorite cocktail, the Old Fashioned, which they call the Brew Pub Fashioned ($12).”
Several patrons told me they headed to The Hive because of Google reviews, 4.9/5 stars, and the restaurant seems very focused on those ratings.
Staff members waiting tables, working behind the bar, and working in the tasting area leave laminated cards with a QR code linking to a Google Reviews page.
“We take Google reviews very, very seriously,” said Richie Mazza, serving up the beer samples at the tasting area.
Shrestha, who is also the chef, explained that customer feedback has motivated them to make changes.
“We changed everything,” he said. “We have improved products, like the bratwurst in our brat sampler, the cheese in our beer cheese dip, and real crab, not surimi, in our crab melt sandwich.
“We have really good quality trout, bison, elk, and steaks,” mostly sourced from the House of Smoke in Denver, he said. “Our bison is slow-cooked for five hours, then marinated overnight in its juices. That’s why it’s so tender.”
Shrestha is also very focused on locals, so he has two features to attract and reward those people.
The locals’ reward program awards 1 point per $1 spent, and 100 points earn a free beer and appetizer. With 250 points, locals can get a free beer and lunch, and with 500 points, locals get two free steak or seafood dinners with a bottle of wine.
The second feature for locals is a special menu every Thursday night from 5 p.m. to closing time, year-round. Each month, the menu changes but always includes several options priced $5 to $9 in categories like appetizers, cocktails, and entrees.
“We truly support the locals, and we appreciate the support from the locals,” said Shrestha, who has lived in Estes for 15 years.
“I’ve been in Estes through flood and fire, and the community support here impresses me so much.”
Originally from Nepal, Shrestha came to Estes Park in 2006 during spring break in his freshman year at a West Virginia culinary school.
“It had just snowed, and it was so beautiful. It reminded me of Nepal, and the wonderful people here were so good to me,” said Shrestha.
He started working summers here as a dishwasher and prep cook with no skills, but after earning his culinary degree, he returned and made Estes Park his home.
Shrestha envisions Estes Park as a destination for foodies from all over. He wants to create an elevated culinary experience to draw people to Estes Park.
“People drive to Boulder and Denver for a great dining experience, and I want people to drive to Estes Park for an elevated experience in this beautiful town. Why not Estes Park?” he asked.
Shrestha also advocates for collaboration among Estes Park’s small businesses.
“We should all be recommending each other, supporting each other,” he said.
With 4 million visitors to Estes Park each year, Shrestha sees an opportunity for every Estes business to thrive and hopes that all businesses will contribute to one another’s success.