The Black Canyon Café is closed at this time.

Serving the North Fork Valley’s fine dining needs with a restaurant, banquet hall, catering services, old fashioned soda fountain, and more!

Hometown Charm – A plentiful resource in Crawford, Colorado

The Black Canyon Café is closed at this time.

Whether you grew up in a small farming town or a large urban city, there’s something about Crawford that feels like home. Whether it’s the old-fashioned friendliness, hard-working locals, or unrushed small town lifestyle that you notice first, Crawford just seems like your hometown – even if you’ve never been here before in your life. Every small town has a main restaurant – a watering hole and eatery for hungry locals and visitors alike. At the Black Canyon Café, we do our absolute best to fill this role with the best food, variety, atmosphere, and services possible. By using locally grown foods, talented chefs, and friendly staff, we provide the quintessential eating experience right here in Crawford.

Our History – We're not your average restaurant!

The Black Canyon Café is only the newest iteration of the venerable building we inhabit. There’s actually quite a back-story to this restaurant – one that’s worth reading! The Café actually started out as a small grocery store, serving Crawford until age and economic hard times eventually shut down the store. It was eventually purchased and renovated by the world-famous musician Joe Cocker in the 90’s, becoming the Mad Dog Café. The Mad Dog prospered for many years under the direction of Joe’s wife, Pam, who wanted to provide a community center for their new hometown. However, when Pam’s sister fell ill, a change in priorities caused the Mad Dog to fall silent as Pam focused on finding a cure for her sister. Local investors got tired of seeing the once-great business dark and empty, and purchased it in 2010, creating the Black Canyon Café. We’ve been here ever since, serving our community and providing lunch, dinner, catering, karaoke, live music, and countless other special events to our customers.

Our Food – Local, tasty, and affordable

The whole point of a restaurant is its food, and the Café doesn’t fall short in that department. Our menu covers all the stops, from burgers to sirloins, plus some extras, like our old-fashioned soda fountain. Using USDA Choice Colorado beef, local chicken, fruits, and vegetables, we strive to provide you with a meal to remember, accounting for any budget.

A Haven for Visitors… And what a place to visit!

The town of Crawford is definitely a place to remember, but it’s not the main facet of most visitors’ “Crawford” experience. It’s the views – and the unlimited recreational activities offered by what you’re viewing! Crawford’s surrounding area draws all sorts of outdoors enthusiasts: hikers, campers, fishermen, hunters, horseback riders, four-wheeling enthusiasts, snowmobilers, motorcyclists, rock climbers, and more. The mountains and hills surrounding Crawford are breathtaking on their own, but this small town has another ace in the hole – the spectacular Black Canyon of the Gunnison, a 2,700-foot deep rift in the earth less than half an hour’s drive away. Beside its stunning views, the Black Canyon is famous for unrivaled fishing, rock climbing, whitewater kayaking, and hiking opportunities.

”Casual Elegance” – Adapt to achieve

When operating in a town with a small population, adaptability is key to survival in the restaurant industry. Loyal customers are always the foundation of a small town business, but to truly succeed, a restaurant must be flexible, serving a variety of customers. That’s why the Black Canyon Café follows the business model of “casual elegance”, serving anyone from local families to corporate retreat groups or wealthy tourists craving a tender ribeye. We’ll adjust to suit any customer, whether it’s a special banquet, catered event, or plain old night at the restaurant.

Bikers – We’re here for you

In the hills south of Crawford, State Highway 92 makes a transformation from two-lane rural travel artery to something magical – a looping ribbon of asphalt following the craggy rim of the cavernous Black Canyon of the Gunnison. This scenic route, rated 9.3 out of 10 on motorcycleroads.com, follows the north rim of this majestic rift for over a dozen breathtaking miles on the way to Gunnison, Colorado. It’s a summertime favorite of hundreds, even thousands of motorcyclists, and the Café has been a darling of these road warriors ever since its days as the Mad Dog Café under the ownership of famed musician Joe Cocker. We aim to please, so aim to stop by!

Specialties - Catering, dances, live music, and more

Going back to the earlier theme of adaptability – we don’t just offer lunch and dinner! The Black Canyon Café offers even more in ways of catering, live music, buffets, banquets, dances, themes nights, weekly special menus, and even karaoke. Our catering service is just as flexible as our restaurant: we’ll do anything from a barbeque in the park to elegant dishes for a local wedding. Just give us a call – we’ll be happy to help.