The Fort

About

An award-winning and nationally acclaimed “truly Colorado” restaurant, The Fort specializes in regional game, such as bison, elk and quail, as well as seasonal fish and hearty vegetarian fare influenced by American Indian and Mountain Man cuisine.

Story

An award winning and nationally acclaimed “truly Colorado” restaurant, The Fort is located in Southwest Denver’s Red Rocks Territory. Specializing in regional game, such as bison, elk and quail, as well as seasonal fish and hearty vegetarian fare influenced by American Indian and Mountain Man cuisine, The Fort’s creation of “New Foods of the Old West,” brings back popular recipes from the 19th century, prepared with a twist. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Fort is a full-scale adobe replica of Bent’s Fort, an important fur-trading fort originally in Southeastern Colorado (1833-1849).

Paying homage to the property’s historic inspiration, The Fort’s cuisine is modeled after the diets of pioneers along the Santa Fe Trail, mountain men and native Indian tribes, as well as the culinary influences of the Mexican and Spanish traders who once occupied the border of Old Mexico and the U.S. Territory where the original Bent’s Fort sat. Kinney leads The Fort’s creation of “New Foods of the Old West,” bringing back modernized versions of popular recipes from the 19th century, utilizing a rare cookbook library with more than 3,000 volumes.

The Fort specializes in regional game, such as elk and quail, and is renowned worldwide for its buffalo specialities. In fact, The Fort serves more than 70,000 bison dinners every year – more than any other independently owned restaurant in the country.

Dishes such as roasted bison marrow bones, braised bison tongue, Rocky Mountain Oysters and Buffalo tenderloin filet mignon are menu staples, as are cocktails like Trade Whiskey, made with “organic” gunpowder, and “The Hailstorm,” the first Colorado cocktail served in 1833 at Bent’s Fort.

The Fort is a popular venue for private events and weddings, and it can accommodate parties from eight to 350 people. The outdoor patio boasts spectacular views of the foothills, the lights of Denver and surrounding red rocks, while the restaurant offers various-sized dining rooms adorned with fireplaces and beamed ceilings. Six dining rooms and two dedicated outdoor spaces are available for private parties.

Specializing in breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and cocktail receptions, The Fort offers a variety of customizable menu options at various price ranges, an extensive private dining wine list and a comprehensive catering package for weddings.