What a gem this place is. We came in for the first time today for breakfast. We were seated right away. The ambience is classic American west and it feels like stepping into decades past but they've clearly put the work in to keep the place clean. Service was quick and friendly and the food came out quickly. The chicken fried steak, eggs and potatoes were perfect. Pancakes were exactly what you hope for when ordering pancakes at a place like this. I'm kind of glad I don't live closer to Charco Broiler because if I did I'd weigh significantly more since I'd be there all the time. read more

Service was amazing, and Megan was lovely..5 stars for her! The ambiance was a little old and kind of creepy, but everything was very clean and well maintained. My food was delicious, and the drinks were unique and tasty. The loaded baked potato was amazing because they let you add your own toppings, and they definitely don't skimp on them. The spinach salad was really yummy too. The buffalo strips were soggy, and the portion was small for the price. overall it was a great experience. I'll definitely be back to try a steak! read more

Charco Broiler - Decor out front - Steakhouses Near Me - Fort Collins, Colorado

Arrived on a Saturday night without reservations (who forgot?) seeking a table of 10! One of the owners was there and immediately took us back to the bar and began setting a table of 10. GREAT response! We were quickly seated and Debbie 'watered' us immediately took drink orders. I had a great NEHIPA from Peculiar Brewing. I ordered the Spinach Salad which was quite tasty altho I would have preferred a warm bacon dressing vs a kinda weak commercial blu cheese dressing ... personal choice. My wife had the Butterflied Shrimp. They ere uninspiring. Seemed to be breaded and 'flattened' and they weren't all that tasty. My son had the Bacon-wrapped Filet which he said wasn't all that tasty. Bottom line: it's the staff that makes this place! read more

Charco Broiler - Charco Broiler Spinach Salad - Steakhouses Near Me - Fort Collins, Colorado

Usually a great place for lunch and dinner, but breakfast was terrible. Eggs were overcooked, potatoes were clearly frozen and tasteless. Service was good as always. read more

We thought we'd stop in after a long hike for brunch. The food was mediocre at best, the waitress had pink eye. It was expensive and we had to wait quite a while. When they brought us the check, it had food charges, tax and a required "kitchen staff service fee" in addition to the expected waitress tip. Our food wasn't even good. It was barely hot. My eggs were cooked wrong. But I'm to pay a kitchen staff for crappy food? Aren't they paid by the owner? I am already paying the check for gross food. Why do I also have to tip them? And also tip the crappy waitress? The food was served on plastic plates. Yuck. It was our first and will not return. 10/10 do not recommend. read more

We were visiting our nephew, enrolled in college here, to celebrate and wanted to take him and his girlfriend to a nice dinner. I'd seen good reviews for Charco Broiler online, and also their ad in a "Visit Fort Collins" - and we considered some of the more recent "Old town" places, but liked the heritage and family focus that we saw in these reviews. They were well deserved! And, they had a big parking lot which was pretty full for a Friday night - but we were seated right away. Food was delicious - Tri tip, steak, burger, sides - that alone was worth the visit, and very reasonably priced. But the real star of our dinner was our server, Lee - he took time to understand our guests lactose concerns, he was friendly, considerate, well informed about all the food, and available but never hovering. He made our evening special! We may never pass this way again, but we were very happy to have a memorable time with family here at Charco Broiler! read more

This place is old school and I love it. Came in after a long drive. WAN ted hamburger w mashed potatoes and gravy and a salad. It was perfection. Smokey burger. Mashed potatoes and gravy your GMA made and a very fresh salad. Relaxed ambience. Dark. Rustic. Service was great. Parking and prices are reasonable. read more

Food-Despite ordering only a hamburger, it should be better than Burger King's in a steakhouse. Very disappointing. Service- slow Ambiance-excellent read more

This place back in the late 70s and early 80s was so cool. So dark and moody... you couldn't see your hand in front of your face due to the low light and cigarette smoke. Bring that back! WAY too bright. This is a restaurant/bar, not a hospital. Turn the lights down 50%. Easy fix, makes it more cozy. Learn from restaurants in NY, Chicago, and SF. Low light = sumptuous ambiance. Just turn the dimmer down 60%. read more

Wanted a steak for lunch so decided to head to Charco Broiler. Had not been in about 12 years. We always had a great family time when eating there. It has not changed. It's familiar cozy, dim-lights , western feel was all still there. We ordered a bacon wrapped filet and a new york strip . There are several sides to choose from. We opted for baked potatoes and a side salad. The salad , as before comes topped with Chex mix instead of croutons. We enjoy that. The food was very good. Steaks tender and cooked to order. The service was great and the server was friendly and cheerful. There are several other steak restaurants to go to that are new and trendy( and good) but It's also nice to go to a place where you know exactly what to expect and is nostalgic. We always enjoy our visits to this place and will look forward to our next visit. There are plenty of new read more

See all

Emily was wonderful. She was very pleasant and excellent at her job. The atmosphere is great but you have to go to the back room otherwise if you walk into the front room, you may be walking out the door so make sure you ask for the back room. Also, the stakes are amazing. They know how to do Pittsburgh style so if you know steaks, that's the best way to have them. I recommend this place highly read more

omg the drink are amazing and the food is to dead for like i can't wait to come back the servers are wounderful and treat customers with a lot of respect and don't go cheap definitely treat ur self very well deserved wish I could give a 10 out of 10 read more

See all

This has to be the worst place that I have been to in Fort Collins. The server was really nice and seemed like he was new and adapting to the construction. I ordered the ribeye medium rare, baked potato and salad. The salad had Chex mix on it. Let that sink in cereal on a salad that you add dressing to. The steak came out raw with what looked like spear marks. It was taken back to be cooked again. Then it came back flirting with well done. The steak was grey in color and had no seasoning to speak of. The rib eye was tough to cut and had little to no juice coming from it. The one star goes to the potato. I really do not get how this place is so busy considering how poor the food quality was. I get why the lighting was so low to help hide the fact that the food was bad. Never again. read more

I started coming here back in college in 1997, and now we come here every year to honor my fathers birthday. It's a rustic steakhouse with an old school bar that my dad, a Midwest cowboy, absolutely loved. I don't eat steak myself, but my family swears by them. I had lobster tails and they were tasty. My favorite thing here is the pie, which I will have every time. I love the peanut butter pie and the banana. I do miss the chocolate cream and wish they'd bring it back. The service is always friendly and fun, and we always have a great time. It brings us back every year. read more

See all

This place is an overpriced turd, do not go there. Poor food quality, terrible portions, way overpriced, straight trash overall!! 0 if I could!! read more

I used to love this place. I was there a few days ago and it's going downhill. It's a combination of things. Now you get served one roll with dinner. Used to be they'd bring a basket to your table. The filet steak used to be larger. Now it's smaller. Dinner comes with one choice of sides. I could swear you used to get two sides with your steak. Also, I tip pretty good and I did again this time. But, hidden in fine print at the bottom of the menu where I suspect most people don't look, they add an additional 5% to every check, to give to the employees in the back who don't get tips like the server does. I'd prefer if they want to pay these people more, just raise the prices 5%. All of these little annoyances add up. I have choices of where I take my friends and family to eat. I suspect I'll be choosing elsewhere in the future. Someone who works at this place made these decisions. Good luck. read more

I received a gift card for Christmas to this place. It was the first time I was ever there and trust me, it will be the last... Went in and there is nothing on the menu that is even relatively healthy. I get that they aren't catering to a healthy crowd but it would be nice to have the option. I ordered a steak, medium. It was overcooked and completely lacked flavor. My husband ordered chicken which basically came with a slice of cheese slapped on top. The Veggies were covered in bacon and grease. The salad had Chex cereal on top. For what you got, it was overpriced. I can't speak for the bar portion as we only ate in the restaurant. If you want a healthy dinner, nothing on the menu works. If you want a good steak, try LongHorn Steakhouse. read more

It's a great steakhouse. It's old western pasture/ Spanish-mission-themed, with a dark sky inside. If you haven't been inside, you should! Its beautiful. The menu has a lot of amazing country club/formal steakhouse style items. Steaks, kebabs, comfort food, seafood... the incredible aroma of the restaurant will make you hungry for something! The service varies over the years, but you can be sure to get your steak medium rare when you ask for It. The salads uniquely have Chex on them - don't be alarmed - that's vintage and a part of their history. You can ask for the salad without it. I like It though! It's a very unique and unparalleled experience! Aside from a country club or a hibachi, this is one of the most formal places to eat in town. Dress somewhat formal-casual if you'd like to be taken seriously by its clientele. Don't be afraid to ask for what you need. And the owner is fine receiving direct feedback... it has kept them in business for 30+ years! read more

Very poor experience tonight. My meal came 30 minutes after my wife finished eating. My steak was so undercooked I just brought it home. They said they were sorry. The manager wouldn't come out so speak. read more

Not worth coming. Food was subpar. The potato as a side was so small. The hamburger was hard small and tasteless. Not worth the time, effort, money aggravation. I gave it two stars since I didn't get sick from it. read more

I really hate writing bad reviews. Like really really hate it. But there's some stuff that just needs to be said and I hope more than anything that whoever is responsible for the kitchen reads this and takes a note. This place was cool looking and HUGE. It was clearly someone's passion before something happened... divorce was my guess. I had a steak. I gave it the best possible chance by ordering what the signs told me to order and what was the waitresses "favorite steak on the menu". I subsequently got a $35 pepper steak. The steak had clearly been old before it had been frozen, then cooked, then maybe even frozen again... which is such a shame for a steakhouse. They reheated it poorly, as it was also room temperature on my plate. My medium rare steak did not leave a single drop of juice was on my plate when it came out, or after I started cutting into it. It was tough as could be and had no flavor. Think about the texture of a rubber mallet but with the flavor, color, and temperature of an Ahi Tuna steak. NOTE TO CHEF: my steak came with a slice of pine apple. Pineapple is a natural tenderizer. Just a google search will explain it. Humor me please-- leave in pineapple purée over night and season with salt and pepper. read more

We went to this restaurant on our holiday visit to Fort Collins, CO, primarily because my elderly father was along and this was an old haunt of his back in the 1970s, and he went to it TWICE during our three-day visit! The second time we went along, and it was really pretty darned good! I say anything that has been open that long (I just learned on their website they opened in 1957! Wow!) is doing something right! Yes, the architecture and decor is a bit OK a LOT dated, as it does not look like it has changed since the 1970s (including the stalactite-style ceiling finish, LOL!). But honestly that gives it a certain charm, and I have to say that stepping into the bar part of it was like stepping back in time, with little nooks with small tables and cozy booth seats, lots of wood trim and carpet! Carpet, I say! I felt like I was in a 1970s movie or TV show! All that aside, the food was very good, if a bit on the traditional presentation side. You will not find any fancy gourmet sounding items on the menu, nor elegantly dribbled sauces or artfully placed garnishes (except for they did have slices of pineapple for garnish, which was an interesting and not unwelcome surprise!). You WILL find hearty fare that sticks to your ribs and tastes good going down! The rolls and butter that come with every meal are welcome, as is the salads that they offered (who would think to put Chex cereal on a garden salad? but hubby said it was delicious!). My five breaded jumbo shrimp were kind of pricy at $27 but delicious, and the baked potato I ordered with them was large and hearty. Dad had a steak, which was not terribly surprising, and hubby had French onion soup, which he raved about. Wish I had the recipe! I splurged for the peanut butter cream pie, because my dad said it was really good, and they brought forks for all of us and he said it tasted just the same as always! I wish I had the recipe; I took home the leftover and ate it in our hotel the next night, and it was STILL fabulous! So yeah, Charco Broiler may be a little outdated and kitschy, but that's half the fun! And the staff was VERY friendly and warm, which is sadly hard to come by these days. Do NOT pass this by! It's near the intersection of I-25 and Mulberry so it is pretty hard to miss (plus the bright yellow sign with the horned steer on it is fairly obvious). read more

Charco Broiler - Hubby enjoying his Chex cereal-topped salad - Steakhouses Near Me - Fort Collins, Colorado

See all

We just had breakfast here. So good. Great service. Fair prices. A relaxing atmosphere compared to other popular Sunday restaurants. The menu has lots to offer. Luch is good too. We'll be back. read more

Came in with some girlfriends after not having been here for years. Glad to see it has lightened up a bit inside instead of being so dark and dungeon like. Food was good salad was good and menu had lots of choices. I will definitely come back here. read more

I've heard stories of the place this restaurant used to be. I was hoping that it wasn't a thing or the past. However, in my only two trips, both recent, I left less than impressed. We had mold on our bread this most recent trip. Combine that with expensive pricing and small serving sizes and mediocre at best service, I'll go back to supporting Texas Roadhouse. read more

Great old school steak house. Food is very good and it will remind you of the old days. Enjoyed our meal and it was just plain nice to have a good steak with all the trimmings in an independent restaurant. read more

Went out for date night and was delighted. Super old school steakhouse with fantastic food. My husband and I both got steak and lobster with a wedge salad. Everything was on point and perfect. Our server was friendly and in touch at all the right moments. I know myself to be a picky diner so this place really came through and hit all the marks. Can't recommend enough! read more

See all

This is my 500th review, so I wanted to review one of my sentimental favorite restaurants, and Charco Broiler, you are it! My father used to go there when he attended Colorado State University and took me there when I also went to CSU. I was instantly a lifetime fan! My dad and I were feeling nostalgic so we took the 75 mile drive from Denver to see if it was as good as it used to be...and it was!! It's old-school super dark inside, but it's not because they have anything to hide. The food is excellent and they have a steady stream of customers to prove it. The service is friendly and they make sure everything is A-OK. If you go there and you're a meat eater, definitely go for their signature dish, the steak sandwich. It's not really a sandwich, but an 8 oz sirloin steak with a small salad, choice of potato and a toasted roll. $14.95. For a sirloin, it's pretty tasty and tender. They cook it just right too. They tend to cook more on the rare side which is better that cooking more on the overcooked side. It looks like a small steak, but it's plenty filling. For starters, they brought out a small dinner salad. Instead of croutons, they put rice checks on top of the salad. I don't know who thought of it, but it's a great idea. I much refer them to croutons. The sweet potato fries were nice and crispy, perfect. For dessert, the peanut butter pie is a must. Every time I see peanut butter pie on a menu anywhere, I try it. I've never found better peanut butter pie than that served at the Charco Broiler. They will always serve as my peanut butter pie benchmark! Matter of fact, I suggest you call a day ahead and order one to go. It'll cost you about $20, but it's worth every penny and every calorie. They have all kinds of other food, but I'm never even tempted to try it. I'm stickin' with the steak sammie! There's a back section with a bar called The North Forty. You can also order food off the same menu in that section. Charco Broiler, you will always have a very special place in my heart and in my tummy! read more

See all

Pretty darn good for a high way stop. Don't pass it by on your next trip to the area Good steaks for medium size budget read more

I love old school restaurants where the waitresses still call you "hun". Service great. Food great. Atmosphere right out of western US circa 1970. read more

Went to this restaurant and it was quaint. Ordered the sirloin tips with linguine noodles, and mashed potatoes, also had house salad. 1st the salad was made out of Frisee, seriously for a house salad and nothing else. 2nd the sirloin tip/linguine with brown gravy, looked liked like a dog took a shit on my plate. The gravy had coagulation, and the tips were soooo overcooked as well as the pasta. 3rd the mashed potatoes. It was Augutin potatoes smashed up with some bacon bits. It was the worst food I have ever tasted in my life. No seasoning, overcooked, and food that made no sense. You could not pay me enough to eat here again. Shame on you owners. read more

$8 for a wedge salad? A small salad used to come with your entree and it was always good with the funny party mix on top. Apparently that's an extra charge now also. It's only $3, but it says right on the menu that it and a side are included with the meal. The owners have clearly gotten too big for their britches. This has been my favorite Fort Collins restaurant for 30 years but I hate being nickel-and-dimed. I won't got back. read more

Visited from out of town with my daughter's softball team. There was a very large group of us (30 of us) but the wait staff handled it like pros! We loved the rustic or "nostalgic" feel like others have mentioned before. I ordered the bacon wrapped filet with a baked potato and a side house salad. Everything was delicious-best steak I've had in a while. It reminded me of a place back home that my family used to go to for formal occasions that is no longer in existence so the cozy feel was great. Thanks for a nice evening with our softball family. read more

Cool, old school steakhouse with a variety of burgers, steak and chicken options. I ordered the Southwest burger. Comes with green chilies and a slice of pepper jack cheese. It tasted ok. I asked for it top be cooked medium and it was well done but that's probably because it was a tiny thin patty. Think Burger King single. It was smaller than the standard slice of cheese. Would've been better off going to 5 guys. read more

See all

Excellent food and service. Steaks are best in town. Sales could use updating as could the restaurant decor, but it has been there for years and feels nostalgic. read more

Had dinner here last night and it was just ok the steaks were good and service was good but they charged you for kitchen staff an additional 5% of your bill so total of more than 30dollars for a tip I believe this is excessive and won't be going back it just becomes too much on top of 1side only with your steak no value for your money 200$ for dinner of 4 nothing special here. read more

Delicious , 10/10 . Fantastic service with friendly server and great food. The building was older and clean .

I grew up in Ft Collins and this was one of the best steak places in town. So, when I was back in town, I had to go back and it still has amazing steak-cooked perfectly. So glad it's thriving as it's a staple for that city and hope it continues for many years. I'll be back soon!! read more

The service was great! I got the chicken fried chicken and it was a little tuff for chicken but the flavor was there. The mashed potatoes were amazing as well as the green beans. read more

Charco is an old time western restaurant. Fort Collins real folk come here. Service is perfect, food is homey. I don't eat steak but I'm sure theirs is great. Definitely not fancy but it's comfortable and has a nice bar. I like to take out of towners there. It has a diner and a formal dining room - your choice. read more