Restaurant Roundup: Northern El Paso County spots take high & low scores

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - We can’t leave 2025 behind without one more Restaurant Roundup! This week, we headed up to Northern El Paso County for our high and low scores. The bottom of the list location was slammed with violations that paint a bit of a gnarly picture. Meanwhile, it may now be 2026, but we went back to the 80’s for a retro experience in Monument.

LOW SCORES:

China Menu Restaurant at N Powers and Briargate recently failed its routine health inspection with 14 violations.

The inspector reported there were no dates on several food items.

Raw chicken and cracked eggs were stored above cooked food - increasing the chance for cross-contamination.

And worst of all, the inspector said there was dust and grease on food contact surfaces, walls and floors.

We stopped by to give them a chance to defend themselves and thankfully got some good news: the restaurant passed its re-inspection!

China Menu Restaurant goes into the new year with a fresh slate.

Per protocol, the inspector will be back in the next few months to make sure they keep up with the resolution.

Now let’s round up the last high scores of 2025:

Cogstone Brewing Company at N Academy and N Carefree and the Wendy’s on N Academy Boulevard. Colorado Pinball Pub in Monument also did a pretty rad job on its health inspection!

Colorado Pinball Pub is fairly new to town; you may recognize the name from its sister location up in Littleton.

Opening within the last two years, they focus on family fun and letting children in until 11 p.m.

“My kids are gonna cringe if I say this, but it’s a total vibe,” manager Dave told us. “It doesn’t matter if you want to pop in for lunch for a quick bite, or if you want to sit for three hours.”

They also have tasty options that’ll get the little ones to veer off the kids’ menu!

“I am a massive fan of our beer cheese which is made up in Denver,” Dave said. “It’s the best thing on the menu. I’ve literally seen people pour it in a shot glass and drink it!”

All of our Restaurant Roundup stories are based on routine health inspections by the El Paso County Health Department.

Keep an eye out for the Restaurant Roundup awards at your favorite restaurant to know the kitchen inside is clean.

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