Photo by Will Cornelius
Triloki Patel and his family bought Grandpa’s Café in 2022 and have begun offering Indian-style curries during dinner service as well.

By Will Cornelius
The Surveyor

Home to some of the most prominent peaks in the world and amazing national parks, Colorado is unique, except so are others. Triloki Patel grew up in a place that was similar in many respects, although also distinctly different. Nestled between India and China in the Himalayans is the mountainous nation of Nepal where Patel was born.

“Oscar? Right? Okay, have a seat, sir. If you want something to drink, let me know,” Patel said while greeting one of his regulars on a Friday afternoon. After moving to the U.S. in 2015, Patel and his family settled in Colorado Springs. Over the past several years they have found themselves drifting northwards. First Denver, then Longmont and now Berthoud.

In 2022, Patel quit his job working for Medtronic and purchased Grandpa’s Café. The longtime Berthoud restaurant had struggled under its previous management and the COVID-19 pandemic offered no relief.

But under Patel’s helm, Grandpa’s Café has returned to the diner it used to be, with one change Patel instituted to bring Nepal closer to Colorado. After 3 p.m. Grandpa’s Café also becomes Colorado Curry for dinner service. “It is like a second name — like a second restaurant inside of Grandpa’s Café,” Patel explained.

A landlocked nation of 30 million, Nepal hosts eight of the 10 tallest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest — which sits on its border with China. While the world’s highest mountain is over 29,000 feet tall, Nepal’s lowest point is only 197 feet above sea level in its southeast corner near the Ganges Delta in India and Bangladesh. The country’s cuisine mirrors this crossroads of culture.

In addition to eggs cooked how you want them with bacon, sausage or ham, all the other big players of North American cuisine still feature for breakfast and lunch. Pancakes, huevos rancheros, sandwiches, omelets, burgers, biscuits and gravy all make an appearance. But by 3 p.m. masala, korma, saag, vindaloo and rogan josh join the lineup too. And do not forget about the momo dumplings, a dish Nepal is famous for.

Patel estimates that most of the patrons of the restaurant have never tried an Indian-style curry before. “We have chicken, lamb, shrimp and vegetable options,” Patel explained. He is proud to be the first curry house in Berthoud and encourages anyone to give it a try. For anyone unsure about what to order for their first time, Patel recommends starting with the momo dumplings before trying the butter chicken with naan bread.

While Grandpa’s Café still features quaint Americana memorabilia on the walls, Patel has also brought in some ambient influences from his birthplace. As Patel takes care of his regular and friend, Oscar, a television in the background is playing the latest match of the Mumbai Indians, a cricket team in the Indian Premier League. “I know how to play, that’s how I like to answer,” Patel said while laughing about his modest cricket skills. He enjoys bringing a bit of South Asian culture to the restaurant. “We play cricket in the morning time. At nighttime we play Indian music,” Patel explained.

Like any hospitality business, Grandpa’s Café has had to deal with rising costs. “Last year was really, really hot but right now it’s coming down,” Patel said about inflation affecting the cost of food, labor and rent. He also admits that staffing is always a concern in the restaurant business. Thankfully, his family and friends assist with running and staffing the business.

Overall, Patel is happy with how the first year has gone at Grandpa’s Café. “Berthoud is a very nice city,” he stated. With people catching on to the restaurant’s old and new ways, Patel is happy to be a part of Berthoud’s growing business community and has made the garden spot his home.

Grandpa’s Café and Colorado Curry are located at 903 Mountain Ave., in Berthoud. Berthoud’s staple diner, Grandpa’s Café is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. with newcomer Colorado Curry also operating from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. all week — except for Tuesday night. For more information check out http://www.mygrandpascafe.com/ and https://www.coloradocurry.com/.