Dining at the Monarch Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado: Pho to Flan

Last Thursday, we ate our way through Monarch Casino Resort Spa during a progressive dinner for the media. From tacos and tequila at a southwestern restaurant to a dessert buffet bursting with sweet treats, come eat with me at Monarch Casino Resort Spa, the newest casino in Black Hawk, Colorado.

We started at Bistro Mariposa, a modernly designed space that will whisk diners away to the southwest. As we sat at a long, family-style table, our flight of tacos came out on a long, wooden live-edge board. It was quite the taco spread of crispy skin striped bass, carne asada, and a vegetarian offering of squash and wild mushroom.

There were also heaping bowls of guacamole and red and green salsa as well as blue corn chips. I have had my share of tacos. I even started the blog TacosandPho.com during the pandemic, in order to share my local finds.

The carne asada tacos with avocado, charred onions, salsa macha and caved aged cheddar won the day. This taco made my taste buds dance with joy. The meat melted in my mouth and I have no doubt that the char-broiled carne asada steak on the entree menu is incredibly tasty.

We were also treated to a flight of tequila samples, which of course, made Ryan’s day. We enjoyed the tequila that has been made for Monarch Casino. Ask for it during your visit.

One of the best aspects of this restaurant is that it is located at the end of a hallway, far from the hustle and bustle of the casino floor. It’s a proper getaway even if it’s just for a cocktail at the bar.

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From here, we made our way downstairs to TWENTY FOUR 7, and yes, this restaurant at Monarch Casino is open 24 hours a day. I have been here before. We came up with friends in February 2021. They got a suite and we had a lot of fun the night before.

So, while I had eaten a breakfast burrito the size of my head at TWENTY FOUR 7, I wasn’t fully conscious and hadn’t noticed all the televisions. Open to the casino, this restaurant has a buzzy vibe, and wouldn’t be a bad place to watch the Broncos, although Monarch Casino has a real Sportsbook.

The restaurant staff brought out plates of crispy calamari, spinach artichoke dip, loaded potato skins and Tuscan pizza for us to sample. We also had a Golden Road Amber Road made special for Monarch Casino. It’s an easy-drinking amber.

I snacked on calamari and potato skins while Ryan crunched on thickly cut carrot sticks, dip and potato skins. It felt like a football Sunday without the football. We eat a lot of Sunday football food and we could tell, this was a clean grill. Everything tasted fresh, and this restaurant keeps this up around the clock. Impressive!

And speaking of impressive, the next restaurant stop is superb. We had the great pleasure of dining at Monarch Chophouse during our February 2021 visit. We loved the food, and our entertaining waiter was a bonus. I remember the wild mushroom appetizer and tableside dessert as dinner standouts.

This time, we were in a private room with a roaring fire in the fireplace. We sat in a comfy booth and were served a lot of food. A lot. Thankfully they let us take leftovers home.

There was a white sauvignon blanc and a red pinot noir, American Wagyu and Chilean Sea Bass with four different sides, including brussels sprouts, potatoes, lobster macaroni and cheese and wild mushrooms.

This place is all about great food and a world-class staff. Even when they had no idea that I was part of the media in 2021, I was treated like a star. Of course, this time was no different.

While it is all tasty and beautifully presented, Ryan couldn’t stop talking about the lobster macaroni and cheese. Not only is it creamy and delicious, but the lobster chunks are ginormous. In general, this is one of Ryan’s favorite menu items, but there never seems to be much lobster, this is not the case at Monarch Casino.

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Lastly, we waddled down to Monarch’s buffet, which is open for lunch, dinner, and brunch on Saturday and Sunday. We were there to experience the dessert area, and it was chockablock with things from pie, to fancy bakery delectables, cupcakes, ice cream, gelato, a chocolate fountain and even cotton candy. It’s like taking a trip to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, and there’s more than just chocolate.

Dessert-lovers like Ryan will be delighted, but let me tell you about what food item filled my heart with joy. The buffet at Monarch Casino has a pho bar. And, the head chef informed me, there is also ramen now available. A buffet with both pho and ramen makes the author of TacosandPho.com very, very happy. Not to mention, there is a taco bar at the Monarch Casino’s buffet too.

We stuck around to gamble a little (breaking even which is a win in my book). To say we left Monarch Casino full and happy is an understatement. But, we will get hungry again, and I just gotta have a pho bowl at the buffet and a carne asada taco at Bistro Mariposa.

Thank you Monarch Casino Resort Spa for inviting us to this progressive dinner! It was delicious.