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Cafe 163 in Edwards is a special breakfast place

Heather Hower
Special to the Weekly
EAT Cafe 163 1 12-8-17 Dominique Taylor/Dominique Taylor Photography Fresh fish tacos
Dominique Taylor/Dominique Taylor Photography |

Editor’s note: This article was previously published as a paid feature in EAT, a compendium of restaurant snapshots featuring the best in Vail Valley dining. Look for it on newsstands everywhere.

Every town needs that special breakfast place, the place where you can hunker down with a meal created to your specifications; a place where you gather with friends, where conversations flow over hot lattes or sparkling mimosas. That place for the Vail Valley is Edwards-based Cafe 163.



The restaurant, an upscale diner with a fresh and varied menu, opened almost a decade ago and has cultivated a strong, loyal following for solid reasons: the food is always scrumptious and served with a side of banter from the waitstaff. The restaurant is always busy with both locals and visitors alike.

Last summer Kim Risi, one of the owners, decided to revamp the space. That went so well that they continued the updates early this winter with an expanded kitchen, larger space and new menu offerings.

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`The new menu, explains Risi, has options that are a bit on the healthier side — but she’s quick to add that everyone’s favorites are in place as well. And yes, that includes the Breakfast Burrito, definitely not a petite meal but one that will fuel you for the entire day. It’s a must-have for many a Sunday diner pre-ski or post-revelry.

Menu Favorites

Don’t you hate missing breakfast if you slept in just a bit too long? Not a problem at Cafe 163 because breakfast is served All. Day. Long. That means fluffy pancakes, eggs Benedict your way or biscuits and gravy from early morning to mid afternoon (the restaurant is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day).

Come 11 a.m., though, lunch is also offered. Far from a greasy-spoon experience, Cafe 163 offers a surprising roster of lunch items from the perfectly marinated and seasoned lamb gyro — it’s the sort of dish you crave week after week — to an array of healthy, yet filling salads.

Some might argue that salads should be on the lighter side, but Cafe 163 is generous. Their selections are diverse, with several options for all appetites.

Wend your way down the menu for other diner-type options but with a unique flavor and signature spin: blackened tilapia sandwich, grilled chicken club or even the veggie-heavy, spicy curry bowl (add chicken or shrimp for a bit of protein). For those who equate diner with burgers, dive into the signature 163 Burger served on a brioche bun.

Choose your meal carefully, but choose your tablemates with even more care — you’ll want to sit with friends who are willing share.


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