Flying Fork Cafe & Bakery

I was visiting Paonia CO from Ca when we decided to eat at the flying fork restaurant. The restaurant was small and clean. I had the chicken marsella which was okay. I was very surprised that the price was $ 21 and most other items on the menu over the $ 20 range. It’s my experience when eating at a restaurant in CA, the meal for $ 21 would be better than just «okay.» Just sayin…

Moved into town and this was our take-​out go to when things at the farm were very unorganized.
Awesome dishes and the counter server was always kind and hospitable. The food was well put together and stood the test of carry-​out. Tried the pasta dishes (love the app size) pizza, brochette, salad, and dessert, only the pizza could use a little work.
Kudos to a great café!

Wow! Heavenly food. Prompt service. Top-​notch wine list. Cozy atmosphere. And all in a town with a population of about 1500. Impressive!

This place is awesome! The service was great and they totally accommodated the sudden appearance of 12 people. The food was amazing and way better than I was expecting for small town CO. Their fresh pasta is so good!
I also snagged a bite of their tiramisu which was only ok but they had this custard that melted in my mouth. Makes me hungry just thinking about it!

I do not live in the area and I went in looking for a specific gluten free pastry that someone had told me they had, and when I got there no one knew anything about any gluten free things they make. They asked if they could take my number to call me if they heard anything from the owner. The owner called me back and raised her voice at me before I even got any words out telling me they never make gluten free pastries and never will. She kept repeating herself as if I was trying to argue and all I wanted was to get off the phone with her. Long story short she made me cry over a yes or no question. I’ll never go back. And I also won’t send any business their way. No one deserves to be treated like that.

Amazing service, food, and atmosphere. Delicious steaks, chicken Parmesan, and pizza. The pear panna cotta is the best dessert I’ve ever had! Must visit this amazing gem!

Food=amazing
Service=great
Atmosphere= awesome
First time in Paonia, and I think we will be back maybe just for this place. Best chicken parm I’ve had, not your average smashed chicken breast, full breast halved, and perfectly cooked. Pomodoro sauce was excellent, perfect texture and great acidity.
Can’t wait to come back and sit in this garden!

Great, fresh food! The atmosphere is wonderful. After a great meal you can stop by the bakery for some homemade goodies to take for later. I am so glad we stopped by on our trip.

We are at the café on a Sunday night. They served nicoise olives and bread while we mulled over the menu. Great selection of local wine and beer. Mom surprised me by ordering the smoked chicken pizza, which was fabulous. I had the special, a house made linguine with veggies and light Alfredo
Sauce. Marvelous. We split the orange cheesecake for dessert which was the best I can ever recall eating. Next morning we stopped in to the bakery for scones and Danishes and bread and you name it. What a gem!

Wonderful Italian We had the salad with the stuffed bread. Delicious. Then we ate the pasta. Fresh sauce Great pasta. Do not miss this restaurant.

Love this restaurant! Always leave stuffed, satisfied, and delighted by the tasty food. Favorites: lamp shank, salmon, arugula salad & rose water pannacotta. Yum!

Wow, what a meal. We are in the middle of a small farming town and I had the MOST amazing pasta meal in my life. Fresh spinach fettuccine with squash, zucchini and a pesto cream sauce… topped with pine nuts. Oh, man!!!

Made reservations on Wednesday night for Thursday evening dinner for a group of 5 BMW motorcycle riders who were in town for the Colorado BMW rally in Paonia. I’ve been coming to this rally for 20 plus years in Paonia and have eaten at the Flying Fork in each year over the past 6 – 7 Yrs .
Arrived exactly on time for our 7:30 reservation. Five motorcycle riders. None kin to each others…
We were quickly seated and served drinks. The waitress reported that the crowd they had expected from the motorcycle croup hadn’t materialized, which was obvious given the dining room was half empty.
Nonetheless our food took exactly one hour to be served. On a slow night?
But the food was quite good, as usual. My Caesar salad was exceptional.
We get ready to pay and I ask the waitress if she can give us separate checks. She kind of laughs and says she can’t, as in yuch, yuch.Sure.
But when our check came, it was one check, for about $ 175. Splitting up a $ 175 bill between 5 guys is impossible… So everybody pitches in cash, each one feeling cheated.
The night before we had had an excellent dinner at another restaurant. There were 7 of us and they had no problem giving individual checks.
We pay our bill in cash. Give the waitress her 20% tip and walk out the exit and around the building. I then notice the receptionist in the bakery area and go in the express my frustration with their group bill policy. I say my piece and am prepared to leave when the owner comes out to tell me that in their 9 years of business that I am the only person crass enough to complain about their billing policy.
I can’t believe that, but more importantly, I can’t believe that :
1. This would be their policy
2. He would confront a customer in this manner.
3. He says” we are happy to do individual payments, we just don’t do individual billing” .At the table, I was sitting waving my credit card and would have been happy to pay individually. The waitress never offered that we pay individually, which is all we wanted to begin with.
Poor training, poor service, poor management and very poor hospitality. There are now several other good restaurants in Paonia. I don’t need the hassle, Flying Fork.

I wouldn’t eat here again if it was the only place in town. We were besieged by flies, both on the patio and inside. The restaurant has no screen door and apparently no screens on the windows. Our fish entres, while nicely seasoned, had the mushy consistency of farmed fish. The food was too mediocre and the atmosphere too uncomfortable to justify the prices. Look elsewhere.

Great dinner there the other night
Tried both of the specials and enjoyed both of them
Sit In the courtyard was sweet location
Must place the dine if visiting Paona

This restaurant was recommended to us by the owner of the Bross Hotel. I was amazed to find an excellent restaurant in such a small town. If you are stopping through Paonia the Flying Fork is a must!

The Flying Fork is nothing less than enjoyable. They are very consistent in service, food quality, and atmosphere. The music selection has always been appropriate and menu portions are adequate, though they don’t quite top me off. While there are many things to rave about, the only one drawback I’ve experienced has been certain menu offerings at certain times which were sold out, especially in the bakery. I guess that’s a testament to the desirability of their products, and for the review, it only adds points.
They have a wonderful little patio for summer-​time usage (very romantic, for you guys looking to score some points with your lady), and the bakery offers some ambrosial treats to helps sweeten the experience.
Expect cramped quarters on holiday weekends.

I was pretty happy with the flying fork. It’s a great little spot in Paonia, although probably the most expensive in the town to be honest.
The italian is pretty authentic, and after several months in Italy I feel like a decent judge… ha. It wasn’t the best in the world, but it was good enough for me to give 4 stars, so yea… would recommend for your «nice night out» in the town.

There are two amazing restaurants in Paonia, CO and this is one of them. Located at 101 3^rd Street, a block off Grand Avenue, the garden patio offers a wonderful place to sit and eat and the main dining room inside is intimate and cozy. We had a wonderful dinner consisting of the Mista salad and several different pizzas we shared. The dinner menu consists of antipasti, salads and pizzas with a varied selection of pasta dishes. Entrees include chicken, steak, pork, lamb, seafood and a crispy polenta dish that I’m having on my next visit.
In case you’re wondering the other place is The Casa about 1 block from the Flying Fork.

The Fork is definitely the best restaurant, not only in Paonia, but in the entire North Fork Valley. They feature great food and friendly service and have a well-​rounded menu that everyone from vegetarians to carnivores can enjoy. They are also very accommodating for those with strict dietary needs.
Be sure to pop into the bakery and get a muffin or a nice loaf of bread. The rosemary sourdough bread is incredible.