Restaurant Review: Western Omelette, Colorado Springs, Colorado

16 S. Walnut Street

Colorado Springs, Colorado

719-636-2286

Western Omelette's theme is "Can you take the heat?" and if you are not a purveyor of hot and spicy peppers, you may not want to visit this little breakfast spot. However, for those diners who like a little zing in their meals, Western Omelette is the place to try.

Located just west of the I-25 freeway in Colorado Springs, Western Omelette has been serving up breakfast and lunch for some time. This is a great spot for a great meal, and the locals know it well. Not a fussy place, you'll see bikers, ex-hippies, and veterans as customers. The walls are decorated in a mixture of Native American motif and homage to our troops. Colorado Springs has a large Army and Air Force presence, and our military loves Western Omelette. Photos of our military in Iraq with huge "Western Omelette" banners attached to tanks also line the walls.

The menu is very much like a typical diner menu, with one notable exception: the chili pepper sauce. There's a green chili made with green chili and pork, which is milder, and a red chili, which is four-alarm and may necessitate a trip to the emergency room. Both chilis are made on site, and each batch can vary. Sometimes the green chili is blazing hot, almost as hot as the red. Other times, it's just barely mild. My recommendation would be to order both on the side, and sample from there. Then you can decide which one you'd rather have, or mix them up. Of course, there are other pepper sauces at the table, such as Tabasco, if you believe the chili is not hot enough. For those die-hards like my husband, you can ask for extra jalapenos on the side.

The waitresses are quick to give you coffee, and the refills arrive before your cup is half empty. They hustle to bring your food as quickly as possible, and the service is always great. There are many traditional breakfasts, including steak and eggs, build your own omelettes, pork chops, French toast, and pancakes. My favorite part of the menu is the Mexican breakfasts and chili. The huevos rancheros are my absolute favorites, and I have to get my Southwestern fix every time I come to visit. It comes with chorizo rolled in a tortilla and smothered in chili sauce, topped with eggs and served with hash browns. The breakfast burritos and breakfast enchiladas are outstanding as well. You can also build a wrap with the typical breakfast foods and have the entire thing covered in chili sauce.

Western Omelette's lunch fare contains the typical sandwiches: turkey, ham, club, beef and steak. Again, I would gravitate toward the Mexican part of the menu. The house specialty is a top sirloin served with two enchiladas and smothered with the chili of your choice. There's also chili rellenos, enchiladas, chimichangas and burritos, all crowned with chili. Western Omelette's chili cheese fries are topped with the green chili and cheese.

All menu items are reasonably priced, and the restaurant takes all major credit cards (no checks please). Western Omelette is open every day, but they don't take reservations, so be prepared for a possible wait at some times, especially on Sunday mornings. If you want to get your lunch fix, make sure you're there by 3:00 p.m.

There is a web site at www.westernomelette.com, but there's not much information on it with the exception of the breakfast and lunch menus.

If you're in Colorado Springs and are hungry for breakfast, try Western Omelette for a little spice.