Breakfast and coffee in Berthoud: where to start the day, and how early

Berthoud does breakfast better than dinner, which is not a complaint. Seven places, from the earliest to the most leisurely.

From 6: Cocina & Cantina

Cocina & Cantina on the main block opens at 6 on weekdays and 7 at the weekend, serving Mexican and American plates from breakfast onward. The breakfast burritos are what the Main Street association recommends as the start of a downtown Saturday, and it is the one downtown kitchen that goes on to dinner.

The drive-throughs

Ziggi’s at the west end of Mountain Avenue near US 287 is the commuter’s coffee: espresso, blended drinks and breakfast sandwiches, open early. Joyful Brews on Meadowlark Drive beside the Kwik Korner is the local answer, woman-owned and family-run since 1996, espresso and tea without leaving the car. It does not post its hours online, so ring ahead if you are cutting it fine.

The diner: Cornerstone Cafe

Cornerstone Cafe on the corner of 3rd and Mountain is a classic breakfast-and-lunch cafe: eggs, hash browns, chicken-fried steak, pie. Tuesday to Saturday, 7 to 2.

Home cooking: Grandpa’s Cafe

Grandpa’s Cafe at the west end of Mountain Avenue, a block from Town Hall, does big breakfasts and daily specials for a regular crowd that has been coming for years. Open daily from 7, and until 8 in the evening except Tuesdays, when it closes at 2.

The room to sit in: Kofe House

Kofe House is the coffee house on the main block and the Main Street association’s own pick for the coffee stop on a downtown Saturday: espresso drinks, drip, tea, pastries, and a room to stay in. Monday to Saturday 7:30 to 2:30, Sunday from 8.

After the bike park: Trailhead Cafe

The Trailhead Cafe on Meadowlark Drive is the casual cafe by the bike park and the rec center: breakfast, sandwiches, salads and coffee after a ride.

Open right now

Every place page shows whether it is open at this moment, from its posted hours, and the Eat & Drink page has an “Open now” filter across the town. Hours change; the cafe’s own page is the record.