Village Inn's Colorado Roots

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Interesting read! The Cherry Creek location closed and became Toast, which was managed (and possibly owned?) by a former DPL employee and her husband before it, too, closed.

My grandfather, Frank Rolla, purchased the original Village Inn and Pub Lounge from Mola & Anderson in September 1961. My family operated it for the next 20 years or so…It was a staple in the Springs area and the food was so much better than any of the pancake house franchises that it spawned.

Very interesting, C Rolla! Thanks for the follow-up on the original Village Inn in Colorado Springs!

What happened to the location, did your fam sell?

My family moved to Colorado Springs in 1946. The original Village Inn on Pikes Peak Ave was regarded as among the best restaurants in Colorado Springs. When Families wanted to splurge on a nice dinner out they would go to the Village Inn or the Broadmoor. Among the special items served at the Village Inn was an appetizer portion of spaghetti with a ragu sauce on it. My Dad and I always ordered that appetizer and I still remember how good it was. As an adult, I tried many times to recreate that wonderful Ragu sauce, always falling a little short. The closest I have come to it is the Ragu Sauce in Alfredo Viazzi's Cookbook from his New York Italian Restaurants, but I have never been able to quite duplicate the wonderful flavor of the sauce at the Village Inn. Also served was Roast Prime Rib. I have always presumed that the flavor of that wonderful Ragu sauce depended on beef stock derived from the Roast Beef. To this day I have never had spaghetti quite as tasty as what was served at the old Village Inn on Pikes Peak Avenue. Another favorite there was the Vino Rossi sundae which was simply red wine on Vanilla Ice cream. As a kid I loved that, and I still do.

Fascinating. I had no idea Village Inn originated in CO.

Good things start in Colorado! Thanks for reading:)

I know it was a big thing in our family to go out to eat there. I remember they had lots of different flavored syrups. Fond memories of the strawberries and cream topped pancakes. The Belgian waffle was a big hit in our family too. Comfy booths. Also have fond memories of Round the Corner restaurant, which seemed to be a local chain. Was fun to order things by phone at your booth.

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