I had sort of resigned myself to having a series of only okay / good enough dining experiences on my Colorado vacation. However, our flight didn't leave till around 3 PM on our last day, and Lauer Krauts came up on Yelp with great reviews, so we decided to try it for lunch.
Let me just say that Lauer Krauts CAME THROUGH!!! The food and especially the warm and welcoming service was absolutely phenomenal.
It's a smaller space located inconspicuously on a side street in Brighton, Colorado. There are only 3 tables inside and a couple of tables outside. The menu is small, featuring mostly kraut burgers and wrapped sausages, and is posted on a few boards behind the register. There's also lots of Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives memorabilia around, as the restaurant was featured on the show.
We walked in and were warmly greeted by a sweet lady who my mom immediately pegged as a former resident of Wisconsin from her accent (my mom was right, lol). They had a nice laugh and she explained the menu to us.
Three of us got kraut burgers; mom and fiancé got theirs "original style" (cabbage, kraut, and ground beef in a homemade roll) with chips; I got my kraut burger with pepperjack cheese mixed into the roll. I opted to try the homemade potato soup as my side. My dad got a sausage roll and chips. We also got the German chocolate brownie as a dessert.
Our food was delivered to us by the sweetest adolescent boy named Aaron. He was so sincere, professional, and friendly; it was obvious he took his job very seriously and it was such a pleasure to see a young person enjoying taking on service work. He explained the house made sauces and seasonings (try the honey mustard!) and made sure we didn't need anything else. He came back a few minutes later with a piece of their new pear kouga (a bit like a pear cake/strudel) cut into four pieces. They just wanted us to try it and let them know what we thought - no problem there, lol!
The food was just as phenomenal as the service. The kraut burgers are NOT burgers in the conventional sense; they are much more like stuffed rolls. That being said, the homemade bread is soft, pillowy, yeasty and just delicious. The kraut is faintly sour and the meat is cooked well. Dipping it in the honey mustard or other homemade sauce brings it home. The potato soup was rich, creamy, and obviously made fresh. My dad liked his sausage roll, too. The German chocolate brownie was moist and had deep, dark chocolate flavor. And the pear kouga!! I am so glad they brought some out for us. It was perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the fruit and the butteriness of the crust.
The price was right at less than $10 bucks a person for a hearty meal. The family matriarch, Lori Lauer, came out and chatted with us as we were finishing up, making sure we enjoyed our food, etc. She shared with us about their immigrant family, their history working in the sugar beet fields, and the history of the restaurant. She was absolutely delightful, gave each of us a warm smile and a hug and made sure we placed a pin on their map to represent where we were visiting from. :)
Delicious food, great prices, and absolutely soul-warming service from a fascinating and welcoming family make for an experience not to be missed. We will make the drive back out to Brighton just for a Lauer Krauts fix whenever we make it back to Colorado. read more