History Of Murphy's Food & Spirits

Silverthorne, Colorado was incorporated as a city in 1967, but the present town site was purchased from the U.S. government in 1881. Named for a colorful character, Judge Marshall Silverthorne, our town was built around ranching & mining in the early days. The only road through town was a one-lane dirt road. North of town sat the drug store, called Colorado Drug, which housed the Post Office. It is this building which is now home to Murphy’s Food & Spirits.

The building has gone through many transformations. At closer inspection one will notice it is now three buildings, combined to make one. In 1976 there was a day care center here. In 1979 entrepreneurs from the Virgin Island Ski Rental felt that 501 Blue River Parkway would be a great location for a local restaurant. Thus was born Sun of the Virgin Islands Restaurant, with a nautical theme. It was during this time that Eli, Saint, & Yogi made changes to the inside of the building. The paneled wood and 5/4 beautiful oak throughout was originally from a courtroom in Ireland, built in the 1920’s. The boys bought in at an auction in Denver in 1979, thus lending to the Irish theme found at Murphy’s today. The building ship etching still boasts touches from the early days, most notably the ship etched on the front door & the antique oars above the tavern.

A few restaurants have passed through here, the latest being The Fun Hog Ranch. The pig still stands vigil in front of the building, now going by the name of “Murph”. The Fun Hog was one of Summit County’s 1st sports bars & a favorite local’s hangout. Murphy’s Tavern has continued this tradition.

The Fun Hog as we last knew it closed it’s doors in April 1998. Bernie & Chris Murphy opened Murphy’s Food & Spirits June 1st, 1998. We are proud to serve the best corned beef & cabbage “west of Boston”, along with the “best beer in the world”, Guinness Stout. We hope you’ll find our menu diverse enough for all tastes, including delicious char-grilled USDA steaks. Murphy’s is operated with the Irish tradition of friendliness and goodwill. We sincerely hope all who come through our doors feel at home here and enjoys their experience with the Murphy family

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"Murph" the hog