It is a historical landmark in the city. It has been in the same family for 60 Â + years the stuff on the wall has been there maybe longer. There was a time when no self respecting young lady would be caught dead in the Owl unescorted. Â You walk into it and you can literally turn back the Clock. The outside world stops and you have this little place where time stands still. The food is simple fare cooked on a old grill that is older than most people that cook with it. Most people come for the hamburgers and shakes. But even more come back for a slice of Americana that is sadly dying. When in Canon make time for the Owl. There aren't many left like it.. And bring you kids, it is a place they should see before they are all gone..
Review Source:The Owl is a classic that shouldn't be missed if you're in the area. If you're tired of the commercial burger joints and you want to take a step back in time, this is the place to experience.
  The food is very simple, but couldn't be more delicious. The owners have been using the same products and techniques since the beginning because it works. There are a million different hamburgers in the US, many are delicious, but NONE are Owl burgers. Once you have one, you will crave one forever. The menu is short and the prices are unreasonably low. If you're hungry, order a couple double burgers, fries and a malt. This will make you a happy human being! If you're on your way to the Royal Gorge, or a rafting trip, grab a bag of burgers for the road.
  The Owl has a couple pool tables and games if you want to hang out and drink some beers. Check out the old family photos on the wall.
  This is a small, old, family run place that kids can go into after swimming in the river (and still be welcome). The staff, usually the family, are down to earth and friendly. The couple bad reviews I've read we're from people expecting fine dining, impeccable customer service, or at least some sort of gourmet burger?!? This Canon City, Colorado...not Beverly Hills.
  To summarize: delicious, simple burgers and malts, friendly staff, great prices. The Owl has a wonderful atmosphere that will bring you back to a slower, easier time.
Out of all the places In my home town I miss The Owl and (Alfonso's of course) take the cake... Old school, no frills, no reduced homemade balsamic glazed topped BS fancy smancy; just good burgers, shakes and fries.. Â The burgers are flat top grilled and that griddle has to be over 60 years old.. That is the only reason I can think of why these little gems taste so good. Â mmmmm Owl burger...
Review Source:Food was only okay. Sweet chili sauce was a great idea for the calamari, but the calamari itself was a bit of a dud. The rest of the food wasn't disagreeable, just nothing exciting.
The waitress, however, was remarkable. In the worst sense. One of our party asked for a light beer on the menu, and was told it was replaced. The waitress talked so impossibly quietly that he didn't catch it was a stout. His fault for not asking her to repeat or silly of them to recommend a stout in place of the lightest beer on the menu? She proceeded to screw up numerous additional things. She didn't bring silverware until asked, multiple times for it, even after the entrees were in front of us -- we couldn't eat!
Annoyed me enough to write a review.
Tried this place on a tip from a fellow Yelper. The name kinda threw me off and I wasn't too sure about trying the place. I am glad I did though. The burgers are made to order and the fries are made fresh. A double double and fries and a drink was super cheap and hit the spot. Make the leap and try this place if you like good food.
Review Source:The Owl is a cool little bar located in Canon City Colorado, suggested by the tour guide just up the road I decided to stop in for lunch. Â I was told they had a great burger, so going on the word of a local I found The Owl. Â A very fun small town local place definitely, lost in time. Â Also lost in time were the prices, $1.70 for a hamburger freshly made to order, surprising that was the price. Â We had drinks two sandwiches, sides, and a milkshake, when we asked for our bill the staff said it's about $16. Â No paper receipt here. Â This was one of the coolest places I've been in a while. Â
Oh and the food was great, the owner came and greeted us all the small town aspects that you would imagine. Â Please stop in if you're in the area! Â Cheers!
On my first visit to the Owl I had only beer, and because I was unable to get anyone to make change, left after paying my bill for the exact cost of the beer only. Â On my next visit I ordered a cheeseburger, fries and beer. Â The cheeseburger was quite possibly the worst I have ever had at a bar-grill, and not even on par with bad fast food. Â Though inexpensive, the patty was tiny, maybe 2 ounces of meat. The bun equally tiny and steamed to the point of being mushy. Â Despite taking 10 minutes or more to prepare, they served it without the fries, which were delivered to me at the bar counter several minutes later. You'll have to make do with cocktail napkins too, since they apparently don't have anything larger.
Review Source:Four of us decided to have a quick lunch at this place after reading many good reviews. Wrong! Although the hamburgers were cheap, it took close to 1/2 hour to be finally get our order. It was not that busy & there seemed to be adequate staff. The food was tasteless & the fries were frozen. The burgers also looked like they had been put into a steam oven although I did see our waitress cooking them. I definitely won't go there again.
Review Source:Finally checked this place out, after several people recommended it. We went with a baby, three teenagers, and three adults, and found it to be an enjoyable experience.
First off, they close at seven. Apparently, they haven't always done so, because a guy who's lived on Canon for years was confused, and had us meet him with his daughters there AT seven, which could have been a bummer.
But the waitresses working there were awesome, and kept the grill open afterwards to get us some dinner. I ordered the grilled ham and cheese for $2 (seriously can't beat that these days), fries, and a malt. The sandwich was good, the fries were excellent, and the malt was awesome. Good value, too, since it all was about $6.
The space is open, with a bar set on the side and some pool tables in back. Great for people just coming to shoot the breeze after work, or families going out for a quick meal. Â
Really, it's a very neat little restaurant that offers good deals and a nice atmosphere. Very small-town feeling, which was refreshing.
Great ambiance and that's what it's really all about at this place.
The cheeseburgers and fries (which is what we had) were your average fast food things. The malt was very good and HUGE. Our server was awesome and joked that she was going to kill us for changing our order three times while she was taking it. We couldn't decided WHAT we wanted on our burgers. Duh.
We just sat there, looking around at all the cool stuff on the walls and the neat fixtures....Such a great throwback to simpler times!
This is a good old fashioned burger joint with some great prices. Three of us dined for just under $25 for lunch which is unheard of in this day and age.
I had the Double Double Egg which was quite good, especially since it was only $2.95. I also had an order or fries which was nothing special but they were very good. The thing that made the meal was the chocolate malt. It was so creamy and just the right amount of frozen so it wasn't hard to drink. I would definitely recommend this place for anyone traveling through Cañon City.
The Owl Cigar Store is actually a Diner, not a Cigar store. Â I'm guessing the name is a remembrance of the past for this location. Â When you walk into the diner a remembrance of the past is exactly what you get. Â This place is straight up Americana diner from the good old days. Â A time when cheeseburgers were a buck fifty and the cash registers were still mechanical. Â
We went after a beautiful day rafting the arkansas river and the place was pretty packed. Â We sat at the bar. Â I ordered a chocolate milk shake and the ham and swiss with fries. Â My wife got the egg and cheese sandwich. Â Everything came wrapped in wax paper and was a pile of greasy goodness just like you'd expect. Â The fries could have been a bit better, but the real winner was the chocolate milk shake. Â Perhaps the best I've ever had. Â This isn't high dining here, this is just good old fashioned cheap food.
There's something charming about a good old fashion diner, and I must say, this is one of the best I've been to.
The Owl is a great small-town diner - just what you'd expect - tasty, greasy food, served hot and fast.
First of all, I love the name. I don't know if it used to be a cigar store, and when they bought it and turned it into a diner they just left the sign up, or what, but the name is cool as hell.
I stopped in with my Dad recently (late May, 2010). We were going to take a ride on the Royal Gorge train, and we had a short time to pop in to a place to grab lunch. We spotted the sign for the Owl, and stopped in, and boy am I glad we did!
The decor is great - full of ancient, tattered deer and awful-looking fish mounted on the walls. Plus they've got other ancient relics of times past.
I got a grilled ham and cheese, with a fried egg on it. It came on an inside out grilled hamburger bun, which definitely enhanced the sandwich. I also got an enormous, and indescribably delicious vanilla malted milkshake. My Dad got a cheeseburger and a beer, and the whole lunch cost less than $12, I think. The food was served lickety-split, so we had plenty of time to get back to the train. And we had fun checking out all of the genuine kitch on the walls and counters while we were waiting.
Don't expect 5-star cuisine, but if you're looking for good food served quickly and inexpensively, this place is for you. Highly recommended!
Some relitives work here and recomended the place. Â Taking one look at the menu I asked if I was transported to 1958. Â I was told to get the "Double Double" which is $2.45. Â I figured why not add some fries at $1.45. Â So for $4.00 I got a large basket of fries and a double 1/4 pounder with the works including jalapenos. Â Awesome. Â It was great.
Review Source:Here's a free lesson: Â Go to the Owl when in Canon for, like, rafting or something, and get the following: a Double Double, an order of fries, and a chocolate milk shake or a draw of light beer or both.
Yeah, this is my home town and I love this place. Â They make fresh hamburgers on a flat-top grill circa 1955 and do it well. Â All of the ingredients are fresh, the staff are completely awesome, and the decor is pretty much what you wish you could decorate like if you owned a bar. Â This place is a Pool Hall, so it has a couple of very nice pool tables, and it's a Diner/Bar. Â It's got all of the bases covered and I'm going to be sad if you go through Canon City and don't eat here. Â
Stamp.
My boyfriend is going to be mad that I reviewed The Owl first because he's from Canon City and that's the only reason I ever got to enjoy this little gem of a burger place. Plus The Owl is one of his favorite places. HA!
Moving on...
The Owl is just plain awesome. It's like an old school diner that serves these little hamburgers, malts and other traditional American food (think grilled cheese...mmmm...grilled cheese.) The hamburgers are so small you can get a Double Double, which is double meat and double cheese and not be full. As a girl, I of course love all things small and so I love these cheeseburgers. Also, the grilled cheese comes on a inside out hamburger bun. It's pretty much the cutest grilled cheese I've ever seen. And I believe they even use really high quality beef, maybe from Colorado.
They also have fantastic decor in The Owl, including those old metal signs and teeny tiny Campbell Soups. And some of the nicest people working there ever. The owner called me a hippie (because all people that are "different" in Canon are hippies) and asked me to join his Saturday night drinking team. It was rad.