Weekly Karaoke and Hand-Made Burgers Catch Attention of Local Travelers
Trevor Phipps
For years, Deckers, Colorado has gained a niche as a prime place to make a quick stop while heading north on Hwy. 67 from Woodland Park or south from the Denver metro.
Starting as a resort nearly a century ago, the small town (which is more like a shopping center with a few homes) has emerged as the best place to stop for rations while traveling in the mountains.
About a year ago, the former Deckers Corner store that offered food and drinks morphed into the family-owned “The Hangout at Deckers.” New owners Jason and Carolyn Anderson remodeled the entire establishment and changed the food and refreshments offered in a major way.
The business takes pride in the fact that they are practically a 100-percent scratch kitchen, meaning that everything they offer is made in-house. The only frozen food the restaurant carries are a few select appetizers.
Their hamburgers are made from freshly ground meat. In fact, the team at The Hangout uses a ground brisket mix for all their burgers. They also pair their delicious burgers with hand-cut French fries.
The Andersons have vast experience running multiple businesses. The culinary guru of the couple (Carolyn Anderson) has combined her two decades of corporate restaurant experience with her passion for cooking to create the menu.
The menu is quite large and includes something for everyone. The eatery offers everything from healthy meals, gluten-free options, to greasy double cheeseburgers.
The menu includes a slew of delicious appetizers like chips and queso, wings and calamari. Their entrée menu features multiple hamburgers and sandwiches. Salads, tacos and different wraps are also available.
Overall, the eatery offers many delicious items that make the mouths of area travelers’ water. Whether visitors want just a quick snack or a three-course meal, The Hangout has them covered.
And even though their scratch kitchen might be The Hangout’s biggest draw, they have much more to offer. Combined with their scratch kitchen they also have a bakery area where they bake delicious desserts.
Many customers finish their meal with some sort of pastry. The eatery offers tasty treats, such as bear paws, cookies and cinnamon rolls. The home-made cinnamon rolls are especially popular as they come in flavors like Pina Colada, Blueberry Bourbon and Apple Pie.
During weekend mornings from 9-11 a.m., The Hangout also offers tasty breakfast dishes. The establishment also has a cappuccino machine that makes them a full-service coffee shop.
The restaurant also offers soft serve ice cream with about every topping or flavor possible. Visitors can order chocolate, vanilla or vanilla with a flavor burst that offers additions like butter pecan, butterscotch, and strawberry. They can also make milkshakes and items like boozy ice cream floats.
The Hangout also is a great place for the whole family, and many travelers like to stop in with their kids for an ice cream cone and a dessert. But the place also prepares special treats just for adults.
The newly renovated bar offers a wide selection of drinks for every taste. In addition to four beers on draft, it serves dozens of bottled and canned options, including flavored craft brews, gluten-free selections, and nonalcoholic beer.
The restaurant also offers a full bar that can make just about any cocktail imaginable. They specialize in flavored margaritas, like huckleberry or mango. And one of their most popular drinks remains to be their smoked huckleberry old fashioned. They also create specials regularly like their boozy huckleberry lemonade.
During the afternoon and evenings, entertainment for adults begins. The bar side has multiple big screen TVs where visitors can enjoy just any sports game they desire.
During Friday and Saturday nights, The Hangout offers karaoke. The place often gets packed with campers and locals alike, all who try their best at singing their favorite tunes. This summer, the establishment plans to offer outdoors event that will include live music.
The Hangout Morphs Deckers Into the Perfect Place to Stop
Deckers has always been a popular place for visitors, as it sits on a major mountain intersection along the South Platte River. The sections of the river around Deckers are considered Gold Medal Waters, meaning that they are packed with decent-sized fish.
The Corner Store operated for over a decade by offering coffee, ice cream, a bar and some limited food items. After being briefly closed, The Hangout owners took over the place and added a full-service kitchen. Then, they took over the other side of the building to use for overflow and events.
The shopping center at Deckers now offers a fully stocked general store, the Flies and Lies Fishing shop, a liquor store and The Hangout. In fact, many that plan to just make a quick stop for some food end up staying longer than they had planned.
