3 Best Restaurants in South Central Colorado, Colorado

Pizza reigns at this Italian hot spot on Main Street, where a large, modern bar anchors the dining room and giant picture windows highlight views of the Collegiate Peaks. Choose house-made focaccia or sourdough crust and build your own pizza, or pick from a dozen specialty pies. Anything drizzled with balsamic is sure to please. This lively spot also serves up delectable pastas, salads, small bites, cocktails, and Colorado craft brews. 

Pizza wars endure in Salida, where the battle for the best pie becomes more difficult with each addition to town. But the wood-fired pizzas and craft brews at this downtown grub hub come highly recommended by locals. Families stop in for a giant pie that can easily feed a family of four, while white-water rafters, hikers, and bikers unwind at the next table with one of the brewery’s well-known chili beers. Artful pizzas in a variety of veggie-heavy, meat-lover, gluten-free, and build-your-own options all grace the menu. Peer into the working brewery with glass walls that is centrally located and visible from most tables in this lively space.

Pies are also available to go.

There is no shortage of fun or food at family-friendly Pizza Madness. Arcade games keep kids and adults entertained while you wait for your hand-tossed pie. This is where you’ll find the Cañon City locals on a Saturday afternoon---sitting against mural-covered walls munching on slices, salads, and sandwiches. Pick your own ingredients, or try one of the specialties like the Colorado, with chicken, green chilies, black olives, and bacon.