Entry No. 16 — the Pueblo file — filed under: speakeasy-bar
Owl Cigar Store
“Burgers off a WWII army-surplus field grill seasoning since 1948. Bring cash.”
Opened in 1903, the Owl has been a pool hall, a gambling den, and a cigar-and-fishing-tackle counter — the tobacco case only died with Colorado’s 2006 smoking ban. The Santilli family bought it in 1943 with $1,300 in pooled savings and never let go. Burgers come off a WWII army-surplus field grill seasoning since 1948 (ketchup, mustard, pickle, onion — lettuce need not apply), green chile smothers the burritos, and malts are hand-mixed at the original fountain under the pressed-tin ceiling. Women scarcely set foot inside before the mid-1960s. Bring cash.
The move: Split a 4x4 with egg and one hand-mixed chocolate malt with two straws at the counter, then rack a game on the pool tables that arrived with the 1947 remodel.
📍 Before you go It’s a walk-in storefront at 626 Main Street in Cañon City’s flat historic downtown, with angled street parking along the block. Cash is strongly preferred, so hit an ATM first. This is a daytime-into-early-evening lunch counter, not a night spot, and Sundays are dark — plan it as a late lunch. Cañon City sits about 45 minutes west of Pueblo on US-50, so pair it with Skyline Drive or the Museum of Colorado Prisons a few blocks away.
- 📍 Cañon City
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 626 Main St, Cañon City, CO 81212
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4
last checked: 2026-06-11