A Taste of Boulder: the Walnut Cafe

I've been on something of a break from blogging, but now I'm trying to get back into it. My goal is one post per week. That being said, my job sucks up a major chunk of my time these days so it will be much harder to keep writing than in the past.

A few weeks ago I got photos for a Boulder restaurant that I've been wanting to spotlight in this series. Today our journey through the Boulder food scene takes us to the self-proclaimed favorite breakfast and lunch joint of Boulder; the Walnut Cafe.

I don't know if the Walnut Cafe really is Boulder's favorite breakfast and lunch joint, but I can confirm that it had some very tasty offerings. It is also right across the street from where I usually have my car's oil changed, so I sometimes grab a meal while waiting for my car to be ready. Since I'm normally there in the morning, I'll be speaking to the Walnut Cafe's breakfast offerings.

On a recent visit, I got pancakes with a side of breakfast potatoes and a chocolate chai tea.

The Walnut Cafe has everything you would expect in their breakfast menu: eggs, waffles, omlettes, pancakes, a variety of breads, grits, potatoes, meats etc. They also have a selection of vegan, gluten free and even tofu offerings (none of which I like, but this is Boulder, so such things are kind of mandatory). Though there's nothing particularly outlandish or unusual about the food you get at the Walnut Cafe, the focus of the restaurant seems more to be in doing ordinary things well (a hallmark of many good restaurants). I personally enjoy their pancakes and toast, which are actually combined in a menu item that I think is called the Big Dipper (there's a photo of it at the end of this post). Any visitor to the Walnut Cafe should also be sure to give the chocolate chai tea a try. It is quite good.

My friend Ed prefers his food a bit more colorful than I do.

Another thing I like about the Walnut Cafe is that it is not a large restaurant. Being slightly on the smaller side, the Walnut Cafe works well for more personal meet ups where you and your friends don't have quite as much background chatter to listen to. Big restaurants certainly have their place, (they work well for large groups) but places like the Walnut Cafe are preferred by people like me who prefer one-on-one or small group meals.

The inside of the Walnut Cafe

That will do it for this edition of A Taste of Boulder. Do you like simple, but well done breakfasts? If so, the Walnut Cafe might be for you. Pull up a chair, enjoy a filling meal and get your day off to a good start.

The Big Dipper. Yum.