Whimsy Waits Through a Keyhole on The Hill

Wonderland-inspired Alice & Rose offers an immersive experience steps away from CU

By Matt Maenpaa

Perched on a hill is a portal to whimsy, where tea and tiny sandwiches are surrounded by community and companionship. This portal leads to magic, but this is no fairy tale. Alice & Rose is a very real place in Boulder, inspired by the whimsy of Wonderland and the Lewis Carroll classics. Through the keyhole doors on Pennsylvania Avenue, flanked by dark glass and the constant noise of The Hill, guests are transported to a cozy space with tasteful nods to Alice and her adventures.

Massive high-backed chairs draw the eye; some a glossy white running with black ink, others huge golden eggs adorned in roses, invoking a sense of regalness that could make guests lose their heads. The black floors and ceilings funnel each step towards the checked counter walls and inviting pastry cases stuffed with goodies made both in-house and from other local bakeries. The space is impeccably inviting, right down to the narrow community table filling the center of the space.

Owner Holley Ellis and her family opened up Alice & Rose this past autumn, just a few years after prior occupant Innisfree Poetry Bookstore & Cafe shut its doors. Ellis had the legacy of the space in mind when she chose the locale for her Wonderland vision.

“We were sad when Innisfree closed and wanted to bring the building back to life,” Ellis says. “The building itself is such an ideal location in the midst of students, families and the campus. It has the best people watching on the patio.”

Alice & Rose is a family venture, Ellis says, built with love and a celebration of the town they all call home. Her family’s first home was on the Hill and her children still live near the restaurant. Her family also contributed to the menu, choosing a few dishes that reflected their travels around the U.S. and Europe.

“Having Alice & Rose is like having a living scrapbook of a lot of our favorite meals and memories from living in London, the South and California,” she explains. “It is quite literally a menu of our favorite foods for a perfect place to gather with family and friends.”

That menu is comprehensive, while still being a manageable two-page list of offerings that encompass breakfast, lunch, dinner and high tea. Aside from a selection of teas and coffee shop standard espresso drinks, Alice & Rose boasts wine and cocktails as well. Ellis has plans to rotate the menu when inspiration strikes, whether it’s offering full-sized versions of tea sandwiches or adding new varieties of “nibble towers.”

“What’s an Alice in Wonderland theme without really fun towers of your favorite foods on your table,” Ellis asks.

Afternoon tea and stacks of snacks are a start, but the decor is truly a selling point. Ellis worked with local designer Kari Whitman to bring her vision through the looking glass and into reality. 

“It was an obvious choice because her taste is impeccable and she immediately understood the vibe we were going for,” Ellis explains. “I think my favorite part about her is that she was really too busy to take on the project, but did it out of love for the Boulder community.”

The details show in the Mad Hatter light fixtures, the high-backed chairs imported from designer Jimmie Martin in London and wire-work dancer suspended from the ceiling, but the hat tag to top it all off is the wire work tree on the community table. Having a community table in the cafe was critical to the experience, Ellis says. 

“There are always new people in Boulder looking to meet friends. The tree table is more narrow than our typical tables, so it invites you to say hello to those around you,” she says. “It’s absolutely perfect and I can’t imagine a better table for people just grabbing a coffee to enjoy.”

Alice & Rose is open Wednesday through Sunday, with no reservations required.

Alice & Rose is located at 1301 Pennsylvania Ave, Boulder, CO 80302

Visit aliceandrose.com or find them on Instagram @aliceandroseboulder.